Nikon V1 and prime focus (1 Viewer)

Been a while since I posted anything here, but I always read your posts with interest. I had meant to go out and do some astroscoping with my GH1 at prime focus to address a question posed by Jules a few days ago, but since I got a new Nikon V1 late yesterday...well, you know how that goes. So I took the old Celestron C80ED (600mm f/7.5) out for a while this afternoon. I was really interested to see how this 2.7X crop factor camera would do at prime focus with this great scope. The 35mm equivalent field of view would be around 1620mm with no teleconverter or telenegative and using a tripod not locked down as most of us do with this method. I was very pleased with the results. I'm including a resized and processed example of a Field Sparrow I took today here and here is a link to the original photo on Flickr for anyone interested in that: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricksphotos0501/8271251064/sizes/o/in/photostream/ . I have now tried several spotting scopes (none of them "alpha" scopes I'll admit...but all 80mm ED scopes) as well as an old Nikkor 400mm f/3.5 manual focus lens with a matched Nikon TC-301 matched teleconverter and still cannot match the IQ I get with a refractor at prime focus. There has been a significant drop in price on the V1 as Nikon has announced the successor V2 (I got mine for $299). I might add the one thing I did not like was the fact that you have no metering or manual focus assist (magnification) unless you order the Nikon FT1 (almost $200). I'm using a "dumb" adapter that was $30. I've done all manual for so long I can guess pretty close on the exposure and then adjust after a shot or two if needed. The manual focus assist would be nice. You get both metering and manual focus assist with "dumb" adapters on the GH1. Will post more as I learn the camera.

Nice picture Rick... and nice camera too, specially at that price. I hope you have fun and success with it.

I have an adapter on order to attach the OM-D to my astro scope. Hopefully I'll get it before Xmas.

JGobeil said:

Nice picture Rick... and nice camera too, specially at that price. I hope you have fun and success with it.

I have an adapter on order to attach the OM-D to my astro scope. Hopefully I'll get it before Xmas.

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That's great, Jules. Then we can see how that one works as well

Looks pretty good. I think I'm about another year away from taking the plunge into 4/3, spent all my Christmas budget on other stuff already.

Paul.

Paul Corfield said:

Looks pretty good. I think I'm about another year away from taking the plunge into 4/3, spent all my Christmas budget on other stuff already.

Paul.

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Paul, here my concern is not budget but delivery... I hope I'll get the adapter before Christmas !!!

I'm eager to try the OM-D with the Astro-Tech 80ED 560mm 80mm scope. I don't have a TC or TN to go in between but I have a good 2X barlow and spacers.

It's a very interesting setup, specially at that price!

These evil cameras could be the future for digiscoping, their specs are very close to what we asked for when looking for a proper compact camera for digiscoping: bigger sensor, less noise, more dinamic range, no mirror to deal with, manual focusing aids, good screens to manual focus, etc.

Hope to see more pictures from your setup, it's promising and in fact you are getting good results from the first picture.

Regards

That's a lovely photo

I'd be eager to see what the OM-D will do. I'm totally jealous, but happy to have what I do. I know so little, the camera is still way smarter than I am.

I'm very happy with the images I'm getting though, with a micro 4/3 and an Apo Refractor. The shopping list just never ends though, and some days, I'm ready to sell what I've accumulated and just buy a good set of binoculars.

Someone actually accused me once of sacrificing the "experience" for the "souvenir." I was cranky, but only because I hadn't thought that up myself. I love a good insult.

That is such a tiny bird, it reminds me of my Bushtits. I love them. Yeah... I'm way more about the beauty than the science. Go with what you have, that's what I always say.