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Nikon Coolpix P7700 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ColinSev
- Start date
Nikon P310 are better choice, works with DCB adapter, see list
http://www.swarovskioptik.at/upload/media/media/54/Kameraliste_recommended_April2012_1[3309].pdf
http://www.swarovskioptik.at/upload/media/media/54/Kameraliste_recommended_April2012_1[3309].pdf
ColinSev
Well-known member
P7700
Thanks for the response Musti. Th link that you refer to was produced before the introduction of the Nikon P7700. Although the p310 may be something that I will look at if th 7700 falls short, I just thought that the spec and swivel screen looks good for digiscoping. I will test it out in a shop tomorrow. Cheers
Thanks for the response Musti. Th link that you refer to was produced before the introduction of the Nikon P7700. Although the p310 may be something that I will look at if th 7700 falls short, I just thought that the spec and swivel screen looks good for digiscoping. I will test it out in a shop tomorrow. Cheers
As you've probably found out by now Colin the P7700 won't digiscope with a zoom eypiece. It needs long Eye Relief, eg Kowa 25x LER . or you get too much vignetting.
Have a look at the Nikon V2 ( when it's available) or the Sony RX100.
Neil
Gordon Hodgson
Well-known member
I Have the Same Problem!
I'm finding that the P7700 doesn't digiscope very well with a fixed eyepiece either! Recently I, too, decided to upgrade from my P5100 and got the P7700 in the mail just yesterday. The fixed 30X HD eyepiece on my Nikon Fieldscope was a perfect match for the P5100 (and FSB-6 bracket), but it would seem that the larger lens on the P7700 is now picking up the circle of the eyepiece in the corners of the picture. I've tried zooming the camera lens a bit, but this only adds vignetting. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Cropping the still shots just a little will work, it would seem, but that's no good for the HD video I was hoping to use. Does anyone have any ideas?
I'm finding that the P7700 doesn't digiscope very well with a fixed eyepiece either! Recently I, too, decided to upgrade from my P5100 and got the P7700 in the mail just yesterday. The fixed 30X HD eyepiece on my Nikon Fieldscope was a perfect match for the P5100 (and FSB-6 bracket), but it would seem that the larger lens on the P7700 is now picking up the circle of the eyepiece in the corners of the picture. I've tried zooming the camera lens a bit, but this only adds vignetting. So I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Cropping the still shots just a little will work, it would seem, but that's no good for the HD video I was hoping to use. Does anyone have any ideas?
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Gordon,
Swap it for the Nikon V1/V2 or the Sony RX100 asap.
It will probably work behind the Kowa 25x LER eyepiece (32 mm of Eye Relief) which will fit the Swarovski scope but you will lose infinity focusing (good to about 50 meters ).
Or get the Kowa 88 mm scope with 25x LER eyepiece which would be a good match for the P7700.
Neil.
Gordon Hodgson
Well-known member
Thanks, Neil! Financially, I think for right now I'm pretty much stuck with my 82mm Nikon ED Fieldscope and its fixed 30X eyepiece, which has done me fairly well with the P5100. I saw on Birdforum that you were having great success digiscoping with the V1, and I almost got it; but then I backed off, because I thought the P7700 might be easier to connect to the Fieldscope than the V1 with its interchangeable lenses. Also I'm headed back to Liberia for 4 months (come Jan) and it's very hot and humid there. So far I've had no problem going in for short stints (6 wks) with my P&S cameras, but I was a bit concerned whether there might be a fungus problem with the expensive V1 lenses and taking them on and off the camera.
Now that I have the P7700, I might just keep it as my main camera for the building project I'm going to be working on, and get a 2nd camera as backup, and in addition, is well-suited for digiscoping. But which camera should it be? The P310 was suggested earlier in this string. Do you think it would work fairly well with my Fieldscope setup? Or would the Sony RX100 be much better? Neither camera has an ext mic input, that I can see. With the P7700 (which has a mic input) I also purchased the ME-1, hoping that the use of an ext mic would improve the quality of my HD movies of birds singing, etc.
If I should reconsider getting the V1 (or V2, when it comes out) for digiscoping... do you use the 10mm pancake lens or does the 10-30mm lens work just as well, or better?
Thanks for all your help.
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Gordon,
The P7700 would make a wonderful travel camera and great for HD video with it's 200 mm lens . I love my P7000 and hope to upgrade it soon.
The V2 should make a good digiscoping camera even better. It's worth it for it's Electronic Viewfinder alone. The 10 mm lens is not long enough to eliminate vignetting so you need the 10-30 mm zoom which works from about 18 - 30 unvignetted with a universal adapter ( 22 - 30 with a DCA/DA type fixed adatper ). It has a 40.5 mm lens thread so you will need a step up adapter to 52 mm. I've found the weight of the camera is not too much for connecting it directly and the lens is internally focusing.
The Sony RX 100 is a better camera sensor wise with an excellent Zeiss f1.8 lens. 20 megs gives a lot of cropping room , although the V2 will be 14 megs. It doesn't have a viewfinder though so that still gives the edge to the V!/V2 for general digiscoping . It doesn't have a remote either which the V!/V2 have.
If you don't want to spend the money after getting the P7700 then the P310 is an excellent little digiscoping camera for most eyepieces and will shoot good HD video as well.
Hope this helps, Neil.
Gordon Hodgson
Well-known member
Indeed this has been helpful... now I'm going to have to weigh my options! Thanks so much, Neil!
Gordon Hodgson
Well-known member
Hello again, Neil:
I ordered the P310 and it was delivered yesterday. I've been trying to use it with the FSB-U1 Universal Adapter, but the P310 doesn't line up easily with the Fieldscope eyepiece at all. And then, of course, every time I will have to charge the battery, I will have to take the camera off the bracket and then there will be the nuisance of trying to line the whole thing up again. No easy changing of batteries in the field either. So now I'm thinking of sending the P310 back and (for an extra $100 here in the US right now) getting the V1. (Would love the V2's extra MPs, but I can't afford it right now. Looks like it's coming out at the end of this month with a pre-Christmas price tag! Perhaps the cost will drop considerable by the middle of next year, and I should wait!)
I'm really disappointed that the P7700 optics didn't work out for digiscoping, because I really wanted the remote/wireless release feature and external microphone capability. The V1 also has these features, so that's why I'm back to considering the V1 again.
I guess using the FSB-UC would be one way to attach the V1 to my fixed 30X Nikon Fieldscope eyepiece. Unlike the FSB-U1, it's designed so the camera doesn't have to be taken off the bracket in order to open the battery compartment. I also like your idea of using the threads on the V1 lens, but I'm not exactly sure what combination of adapters would be needed to attach the V1 to my Fieldscope eyepiece in this way. Any ideas?
Thanks so much for all the help.
I don't know much about the various Nikon attachments ( they have so many) but they have one especially for the Coolpix 300/310
http://www.nikon.com/products/sportoptics/lineup/dsystem/fsb_8/index.htm
Neil
Gordon Hodgson
Well-known member
Sorry, Neil! I guess I didn't do all my homework. But I'll check that out. And thanks again.
Gordon Hodgson
Well-known member
Nikon Coolpix P7700: What's the Large Threaded Ring For?
Recently I purchased Nikon's new Coolpix P7700, hoping it would make a great digiscoping camera (with remote release, external mic, etc). As it turns out, the camera lens has to be located almost smack-dab up against the 30X digiscoping eyepiece on my Nikon Fieldscope, in order to eliminate vignetting, etc. So this may be an unsolvable problem...
However, I am wondering about the large (~57mm) removable threaded ring on the body of the P7700 camera, just back of the lens. This ring doesn't seem to be mentioned at all in the camera manual (not even in the fully labeled diagrams of the camera). So what could the sturdy threads on the camera body be for?
The diameter of the threads on the camera (~57mm) is only slightly larger than the diameter of the digiscoping eyepiece (~55mm), which suggests that some kind of short tube-like "bracket" might be possible between the camera and the scope eyepiece (even if it has to be home-rigged), allowing the metal of the camera lens housing to rest gently against the metal housing of the eyepiece.
I'm not familiar with other camera designs, but it's hard to believe that this removable threaded ring on the P7700 is for cosmetic appearance only. Could it be that Nikon has a special digiscoping bracket in the works? Would a different scope eyepiece be needed with the P7700? I checked with my local Nikon rep, but he doesn't seem to know what the threads are for (and I guess Nikon's not telling).
Any suggestions out there?
Recently I purchased Nikon's new Coolpix P7700, hoping it would make a great digiscoping camera (with remote release, external mic, etc). As it turns out, the camera lens has to be located almost smack-dab up against the 30X digiscoping eyepiece on my Nikon Fieldscope, in order to eliminate vignetting, etc. So this may be an unsolvable problem...
However, I am wondering about the large (~57mm) removable threaded ring on the body of the P7700 camera, just back of the lens. This ring doesn't seem to be mentioned at all in the camera manual (not even in the fully labeled diagrams of the camera). So what could the sturdy threads on the camera body be for?
The diameter of the threads on the camera (~57mm) is only slightly larger than the diameter of the digiscoping eyepiece (~55mm), which suggests that some kind of short tube-like "bracket" might be possible between the camera and the scope eyepiece (even if it has to be home-rigged), allowing the metal of the camera lens housing to rest gently against the metal housing of the eyepiece.
I'm not familiar with other camera designs, but it's hard to believe that this removable threaded ring on the P7700 is for cosmetic appearance only. Could it be that Nikon has a special digiscoping bracket in the works? Would a different scope eyepiece be needed with the P7700? I checked with my local Nikon rep, but he doesn't seem to know what the threads are for (and I guess Nikon's not telling).
Any suggestions out there?
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These days any camera body threads are for filters, not digiscoping adapters.
There is an adapter for the P7000/P7100. i wonder whether it would fit?
It won't help for digiscoping though as it wouldn't get the glass surfaces close enough to remove vignetting and as you've found as soon as you zoom the lens it get worse.
As I've mentioned before the only eyepiece that will work with the P7000/71000/7700 is the Kowa 25x LER . The also have a 14x VA3 video adapter that will work too as it has 60 mm of Eye Relief. A lot of expense to go to though, when the new Sony RX100 will do a better job with exisiting eyepieces.
Neil.
Gordon Hodgson
Well-known member
Thanks, Neil!
I do see now online an adapter tube (58mm) for the P7000 and P7100, which apparently is designed to hold a 58mm filter out in front of the lens. Perhaps it would also fit the P7700 for the same purpose. The tube is a little more than 52mm long, which would be long enough to accommodate even the fullest telephoto extension of the lens behind the filter.
I think I'm going to try to work something up, using those same threads on the camera body, to make my own adapter tube for digiscoping--a tube that would then fit snugly around the eyepiece and allow the camera lens housing to rest right up against the metal of the eyepiece. My tests so far show that when such an arrangement is used, it is impossible for the glass lenses to touch! Then, when I use either the 16:9 or 3:2 picture dimension setting on the camera, with just a tad of telephoto to make the lens as short as possible, my trials also indicate that it should be possible to use the P7700 for digiscoping.
But it remains to be seen. If I'm successful, I may try to add something to this thread.
The P7700 looks and feels like a great little camera, so I'm planning to keep it for general use. But I would so love to be able to use its remote shutter release and external microphone capabilities for digiscoping as well!
Thanks for all your help.
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ColinSev
Well-known member
Respose
Hi Neil thanks for your response, I did test out the Nikon p7700 and as you mentioned it doesn't work with a zoom eyepiece. I came back from the shop disappointed. The next cam I tried was the Sony rx100, this worked and I de ided to buy it, not allowed to touch it until Xmas day though.
Thanks for your help guys I will post results when I get out after xmas
Hi Neil thanks for your response, I did test out the Nikon p7700 and as you mentioned it doesn't work with a zoom eyepiece. I came back from the shop disappointed. The next cam I tried was the Sony rx100, this worked and I de ided to buy it, not allowed to touch it until Xmas day though.
Thanks for your help guys I will post results when I get out after xmas
Feathered one
Well-known member
Gordon
I may be too late with this. I bought a Nikon V1 just a week ago, couldn't afford it when they first came out, but now they have come down to less than half the original price.
What I can say is that there is no problem with vignetting with the VI and 10-30 zoom on a Nikon ED82 and the 30x DS eyepiece, it even works with the 50X fixed as well.
Have only tried it on the birds in the back garden as yet as the weather here in England is awfull at the moment.
Malcolm
I may be too late with this. I bought a Nikon V1 just a week ago, couldn't afford it when they first came out, but now they have come down to less than half the original price.
What I can say is that there is no problem with vignetting with the VI and 10-30 zoom on a Nikon ED82 and the 30x DS eyepiece, it even works with the 50X fixed as well.
Have only tried it on the birds in the back garden as yet as the weather here in England is awfull at the moment.
Malcolm
seawatcher
Well-known member
Cp 7700
I have both the Nikon Coolpix CP7100 and the CP7700 (I believe the latter is the successor to the former). Both of these serve me well as digiscoping cameras. Reading posts on Birdforum one gets the impression that everybody writes off these two cameras as they are considered unsuitable for digiscoping. I haven't used the CP7100 very much for a while as it has been damaged and not all the buttons work any more. And so to the CP7700.
I bought the CP7700 almost exactly a year ago and find I take pictures that I am satisfied with. There is some vignetting but I crop the image to remove the black edges. Anyway, point is this camera works perfectly well as a digiscoping camera with the following set-ups:
Opticron MM2 with 18x HDF lens
Optcron MM2 with HR zoom lens
Opticron MM2 with HDF zoom lens
Opticron HR66 with 28x HDF lens
Opticron HR66 with HR zoom lens
Opticron HR66 with HDF zoom lens
Opticron ES80ED with 32x lens
Opticron ES80ED with HR zoom lens
Opticron ES80ED with HDF zoom lens
Leica 82mm with 20x-60x zoom lens
Swarovski ATX 60mm with 25x-60x zoom lens
Swarovski ATX 95 mm with 30x-70x zoom lens
several different binocular models (8x and 10x)
So don't write off the CP7700 as unsuitable for digiscoping.
I hope to try the new CP7800 soon. Specs are similar to the CP7700 so I expect the same good results.
-SW-
I have both the Nikon Coolpix CP7100 and the CP7700 (I believe the latter is the successor to the former). Both of these serve me well as digiscoping cameras. Reading posts on Birdforum one gets the impression that everybody writes off these two cameras as they are considered unsuitable for digiscoping. I haven't used the CP7100 very much for a while as it has been damaged and not all the buttons work any more. And so to the CP7700.
I bought the CP7700 almost exactly a year ago and find I take pictures that I am satisfied with. There is some vignetting but I crop the image to remove the black edges. Anyway, point is this camera works perfectly well as a digiscoping camera with the following set-ups:
Opticron MM2 with 18x HDF lens
Optcron MM2 with HR zoom lens
Opticron MM2 with HDF zoom lens
Opticron HR66 with 28x HDF lens
Opticron HR66 with HR zoom lens
Opticron HR66 with HDF zoom lens
Opticron ES80ED with 32x lens
Opticron ES80ED with HR zoom lens
Opticron ES80ED with HDF zoom lens
Leica 82mm with 20x-60x zoom lens
Swarovski ATX 60mm with 25x-60x zoom lens
Swarovski ATX 95 mm with 30x-70x zoom lens
several different binocular models (8x and 10x)
So don't write off the CP7700 as unsuitable for digiscoping.
I hope to try the new CP7800 soon. Specs are similar to the CP7700 so I expect the same good results.
-SW-
"Perfectly well" is strong praise for a camera that vignettes. Could you post an example taken with the 20-60 zoom and 30x.
Neil
seawatcher
Well-known member
Ok, the use of the term "perfectly well" maybe didn't appeal to everyone. What I mean is that I can cope with some vignetting and simply crop it and have some nice results. I am not prepared to post examples. Reason - I have cropped all images and deleted every single image with vignetting so no real point in posting edited images (all the originals are binned). Anyway, I love the CP7100 and CP7700 because they are so versatile and can be used for digiscoping (even though there is vignetting).
Neil (or anybody else) - can you recommend any good and inexpensive pocket cameras or cameras with short lenses that can be used with e.g. the Swarovski ATX / STX series that DO NOT show any vignetting at the lowers camera magnification (ie. at start-up). Am in the market for something new and two of my local shops have some seriously good offers right now.
-SW-
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