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Can I use Canon 30D with Nikon ED50 Scope? (1 Viewer)

Penny Clarke

Penny Clarke

Well-known member
I have the New Nikon ED50 scope with a 13-40 MC Zoom lens and will be buying the Canon 30D shortly and wondered if this camera and scope are compatible for digiscoping? If this combination is possible will I still get good results with the zoom lens or would I need to buy a fixed lens and which one would you recommend eg 20x? etc? and also which adapter etc would I need please?

If it is not compatible (I am buying it anyway for main photography etc) what other camera would you recommend with the Nikon ED50 for digiscoping please?
 
Hi Penny

I don't think that you'll be able to use the 30D with the ED50 (at least not easily), Nikons SLR adapter (FSA-1?) only works with Nikon SLR's and I have recently read that it shoudl not be used with the ED50 anyway... It seems the only way to digiscope with a Canon SLR is to use the 50mm f1.8 lens as this has a filter thread that allows it to attch to some adapters. If you were to try it this way I think you'd get on better with a fixed eyepeice.

Personally I do not like digiscoping with an slr and would go for a compact digital camera for digiscoping, though for general photography I do love an slr. There are plenty of compacts that will do the job very well, basically anything with a 3x optical zoom should be OK, a good quality lens is also important and a large screen can be helpful. You should be able to pick up a decent compact camera for under £200 and a univeral adapter for ~£40. If you want a very easy to use set up consider one of the Nikon cameras (P3 or P4), with a Nikon adapter, they work very well with the ED50. the Nikon adpaters are not cheap (or universal) at £90, but do include a cable release and are great to use.
 
Last edited:
postcardcv said:
Hi Penny

I don't think that you'll be able to use the 30D with the ED50 (at least not easily), Nikons SLR adapter (FSA-1?) only works with Nikon SLR's and I have recently read that it shoudl not be used with the ED50 anyway... It seems the only way to digiscope with a Canon SLR is to use the 50mm f1.8 lens as this has a filter thread that allows it to attch to some adapters. If you were to try it this way I think you'd get on better with a fixed eyepeice.

Personally I do not like digiscoping with an slr and would go for a compact digital camera for digiscoping, though for general photography I do love an slr. There are plenty of compacts that will do the job very well, basically anything with a 3x optical zoom should be OK, a good quality lens is also important and a large screen can be helpful. You should be able to pick up a decent compact camera for under £200 and a univeral adapter for ~£40. If you want a very easy to use set up consider one of the Nikon cameras (P3 or P4), with a Nikon adapter, they work very well with the ED50. the Nikon adpaters are not cheap (or universal) at £90, but do include a cable release and are great to use.
Click to expand...


Peter

correct if I'm wrong but I thought the Nikon adaptors only worked with fixed magnification eyepieces MC and DS......
 
pduxon said:
Peter

correct if I'm wrong but I thought the Nikon adaptors only worked with fixed magnification eyepieces MC and DS......
Click to expand...

I think you're right (clearly not thinking this morning) the Nikon adapter will not work with a zoom, but a universal one would...
 
You maybe would be better to wait and get the new Canon 400D (its updates/replaces the 350D) with its 10Mp sensor, the price will be less than 30D and then use the money from the price difference towards buying a Sigma 170-500mm or Tamron 200-500mm lens.
The others are correct in the point that the Nikon adaptors only fit Nikon camera bodies.
 
I think I will put the digital SLR to one side for the moment and sort out my digiscoping kit first. Thank you all for your advice. Which fixed lens would you recommend from the ED50 range (below from Warehouse Express)?????
And which do you think is the best digital compact camera to go with ED50?

90058
27x MC £99 or £8mth
90061
27x W MC £199 or £9mth
90075
13-40x Zoom £229 or £9mth (have this already)
90060
20x W MC £189 or £8mth
90062
40x W MC £229 or £9mth
90063
13-30x Zoom £199 or £8mth
90097
16x W DS £199 or £9mth
90098
27x W DS £199 or £9mth
90099
40x W DS £199 or £9mth

Warehouse Express have married up the Nikon 4500 with this scope, is the best for ED50 or is there something alot better please?

Best Wishes Penny
 
The Sony N1 digital compact at 7.1 Mp is getting a lot of praise from some digiscopers, american digiscoper Steven Ingraham was at Bird fair a couple of weeks ago with his and I was impressed with the results and the usability of this camera, the large bright screen on it has a touch sensitive focus point selection ability which worked exceptionally well.
 
from a birding point of view the 20xW MC or 27xW MC (189 & 199 respectively).

I believe the DS were introduced specificially for digiscoping but I know nothing.....

As Peter say Nikon have lots of Adaptors to connect their camera's and lenses. The MC lenses have different adaptors to the DS lenses.
 
nigelblake said:
The Sony N1 digital compact at 7.1 Mp is getting a lot of praise from some digiscopers, american digiscoper Steven Ingraham was at Bird fair a couple of weeks ago with his and I was impressed with the results and the usability of this camera, the large bright screen on it has a touch sensitive focus point selection ability which worked exceptionally well.
Click to expand...


Hi Nigel

Thank you very much for replying, I will look this camera up now and see how much its going for etc. Which eye piece do you think I should buy for Nikon ED50, want to make sure I get the right one, being as I already have the 13-40 Zoom, and now have to fork out specially for digiscoping!!!!! Sharpness is more important to me than just capturing an image some few 100 yards off, so which eye-piece out of my list in my previous post would you go for please?

Best Wishes Penny
 
pduxon said:
from a birding point of view the 20xW MC or 27xW MC (189 & 199 respectively).

I believe the DS were introduced specificially for digiscoping but I know nothing.....

As Peter say Nikon have lots of Adaptors to connect their camera's and lenses. The MC lenses have different adaptors to the DS lenses.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice - Best Wishes Penny
 
Penny Clarke said:
Hi Nigel

Thank you very much for replying, I will look this camera up now and see how much its going for etc. Which eye piece do you think I should buy for Nikon ED50, want to make sure I get the right one, being as I already have the 13-40 Zoom, and now have to fork out specially for digiscoping!!!!! Sharpness is more important to me than just capturing an image some few 100 yards off, so which eye-piece out of my list in my previous post would you go for please?

Best Wishes Penny
Click to expand...

Also Nigel is the camera the Sony DSC1 at 8.1 Mp (on Warehouse Express) - you said 7.1 Mp? not sure if I am looking at right camera, which would be best adapter as well please? Best Wishes Penny
 
Penny Clarke said:
Also Nigel is the camera the Sony DSC1 at 8.1 Mp (on Warehouse Express) - you said 7.1 Mp? not sure if I am looking at right camera, which would be best adapter as well please? Best Wishes Penny
Click to expand...
Yes 8.1mp is correct, I must of hit the wrong key. I am sure that there are a few of the universal adaptors that will work ok but I am not familiar with Nikon scopes, Eagle eye should have what you want, they would be the best people to speak to.
 
nigelblake said:
Yes 8.1mp is correct, I must of hit the wrong key. I am sure that there are a few of the universal adaptors that will work ok but I am not familiar with Nikon scopes, Eagle eye should have what you want, they would be the best people to speak to.
Click to expand...

Hi Nigel

Thank you very, very much for all your help.
Best Wishes Penny
 
postcardcv said:
I think you're right (clearly not thinking this morning) the Nikon adapter will not work with a zoom, but a universal one would...
Click to expand...

The Nikon adaptors do work with the MC zoom ep's. The DS ep's are built to have the FSB adaptor fit straight on it. The MC ep's can be used but need a two piece adaptor fitted round them to make them in to a DS. When I said the zoom ep's work you have to set the zoom before you screw the two halves together and then it works like a fixed DS ep.

As far as whether to use the fixed or zoom I have one of each and find there is minimal difference in performance. The fixed ep view is wider so makes it easier when digiscoping.
 
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