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Reviews by Andy Bright

Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • Speed in every aspect, Resolution, Build quality, Monitor, Battery life
Cons
  • noise at iso800 could be better, as could mirror/shutter noise
Although 12.8mp sounds a guarantee to great images, that is only a part of what the camera is about. In truth, for most purposes you will never see much difference between 6mp and 12mp, though it does allow you to crop substantially and still have an image capable of a good print or publication at a sensible size (which is mighty handy in the bird photography world)

The Nikon D2x, unlike the big Canons, still uses the same sensor size as previous Nikons, so it does give this 12.8mp + the 1.5x crop factor that occurs when you attach a 35mm based lens.... great for telephoto photography, but not good news for landscape guys.

I have never owned a pro body camera before (even my Nikon F100 was not that calibre), the obvious difference is that they weigh a lot and are built to stand up to the rigours of hard daily use... as well as being sealed well enough to withstand the elements.

AF speed is suitably faster than with most cameras, as well as almost non-existant shutter-lag and the camera ready to take a photo almost the instant you switch it on. Responsiveness is the keyword here, it is desirable in the world of amateur photography... but absolutely essential in most areas of professional photography. Frame rates of 8fps may seem over the top but the duration of a spectacular scene is often short, so it is vital to cover your bases with as many shots as possible... it could be the difference between a 50 shot and something that will help secure your financial security for life.

All of this equally applies to Canon pro bodied dslr cameras, I am just highlighting what pro dslr cameras are about.... it is not all about megapixels.

One thing that is amazing is the battery the d2x comes with, at 67% after two days of shooting and playing around (yep, you can check battery life to the % point)... god knows why i purchased a spare.

Images taken with this camera can be seen here
http://www.digiscoped.com/Dslrphotography.html
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
Cons
A review by David Pedder

When I discovered the Opticron HR 66 GA ED scope, for which I had placed an order, was no longer available, my attention turned to the GS 66.5mm ED model that was launched in March of this year. On phoning Opticron to find out what the differences were, I was informed that the new scope offered significantly higher levels of optical clarity over preceding models. A gain in the surface area of the objective lens increased the amount of light entering the instrument which, together with new prism units, a new optical configuration and revised multi-coating resulted in high end performance. Furthermore, I was advised that when used with the SDL zoom eyepiece, designed to maximise the performance of ED lenses at high magnifications, the GS 665 GA ED would perform against the very best.


Having tried the scope outside the dealers shop, in the confines and poor light of a shopping arcade, I was impressed enough to take the plunge and do some serious damage to my partners credit card account!


So how does the scope perform in the field? The answer is simple superbly! The first thing one notices is the weight or should I say lack of it. The scope weighs under 1100g and is protected by natural rubber armour that handles well. The central focussing wheel is also rubber armoured and is positive to operate.
Watching from a hide at Nagshead reserve, with birds at fairly close range and using a hide-clamp, the results were simply stunning! Images are pin sharp, extremely bright and with excellent natural colour rendition. Working on a Velbon Sherpa tripod, at Symonds Yat Rock, the scope really came in to its own providing outstanding definition and high colour fidelity at magnifications over 35x Those peregrine falcons are a long way away! Fine focussing at 48x magnification was a little tricky but the scope has an additional fine focus adjustment which proved effective.


The SDL eyepiece (an F24 F8, 5 group 8 element super zoom) boasts superior cross-field definition at all magnifications. It is extremely comfortable to use and has a rotating eye relief cup that can be positioned to suit ones needs. A full field of view is obtained at all magnifications with or without spectacles. On the down side, the eyepiece does not lend itself easily to camera attachment unless one wants to try one of the various universal adaptors on the market which I have done with little success.


In conclusion, I dont wish to get in to a dialogue as to whether or not the GS 665 GA ED compares favourably with Leica or Swarovski. I have used both in the past but have to say neither were recent models so to comment would be fatuous. What I will say is that I cannot imagine any scope being more satisfying to use than this new model from Opticron. If you are looking for a new scope with usability, superb optical performance and value for money and are more interested in the birds than the badge, then this is the one for you! I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • Optical quality, build quality.
Cons
  • cost, doesn\\\\\\\'t work with all Nikon lenses
Nikon\\\\\\\'s greatest teleconverter. Earlier version is heavier and is built to a higher standard than the newer T-14E II version although both are optically similar. Version II has a finish that matches the modern AFSII lenses.

These teleconverters will not fit anyother lens than Nikon AF-I/AF-S lenses... BUT, you can remove a small lug on the inside of the mount of these teleconverters so that they will work with most Sigma HSM prime lenses (eg Sigma 500mm f4.5 or 800mm f5.6).

Optically, this converter makes no visible difference to the results other than what it is supposed to do. Other than the loss of 1 f-stop, this converter is effectively neutral.

Examples of images taken with this teleconverter can be found at www.digiscoped.com
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • cost, ease of use, build quality
Cons
  • rubber knob comes off fairly easily, no provision for flash bracket
This is a gimbal type head that works on the principal of balance assisted by nylon friction washers. Similar designs exist from specialised manufacturers, often with specialised price tags! However, this head is far cheaper than the ubiquitous Wimberley and, from my own initial tests as well as reports from other bird photographers, it can genuinely compete. If the Kirk heads are regarded as a poor mans Wimberley, then I dont know what the 393 will be nicknamed!

The build quality of this head is very impressive, the frame seems to be steel and not lightweight alloy. Those using this head with monstrous Sigma 800mm and the even larger 300-800mm lenses seem very confident about its strength and the safety of their lenses.

The 393 attaches to the top of your tripod via the 3/8 inch threaded bolt, or your 1/4 inch in conjunction with a 3/8 adaptor. The 393 is tightened onto the tripod base plate by the large (and easy to grip) knurled rubber knob. The main frame of the 393 will turn freely on your tripod head and the drag is factory set (seemed fine) but can be adjusted by the user if necessary.

A quick release plate is supplied, and this is attached to the tripod mount socket of your lens or scope... it is supplied with 2 3/8 inch bolts and 2 1/4 inch bolts as well as a video securing pin. This quick release plate and its corresponding plate on the head itself, is a sliding design to allow you to set up your equipment for optimum balance.

You can mount your equipment on to the 393 in two ways, either using the 393 as a cradle to support your equipment or, as can be seen in the photos, have your equipment supported from above. I know it looks rather perilous, but its as safe as houses. I will try both methods over time and ascertain which suits my stlye of shooting better. The twin knobs either side of the cradle can be tensioned to suit your equipment or general preferrence.

In use, panning and tilting is super smooth and preferrable to my 501pro fluid head, with one hand on your cameras grip you can manouver to any position. Tracking flying birds is very simple and an area where this type of head excells.

No matter what angle I shoot at, the equipment stays rock solid when you take your hands off the camera. The rewards of this solidity are consistantly sharp images.

Update: I tend to use the 393 with the lens supported from above. There is little benefit in actual use but it is far easier and quicker to attach a big lens with the tripod mount at the top as you are carrying the lens in this position anyway.

The downside is that lenses with very large hoods will struggle to get thru the rectangle of the 393.

More images and review at Manfrotto Review
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • Contrast, brightness, weight
Cons
  • nope, can\'t think of anything at the moment
Testing the 10x42 version.

I can confirm that the FL\'s present a full image to all three spectacle wearers that have used my 10x42\'s so far.... way ahead of the 10x42EL, ahead of the 10x42 Leica Ultravid and someone said marginally better than the Nikon HG\'s. I can\'t begin to comprehend the issues effecting spectacle wearers, so I\'m really not the best person to comment on that.

What I can say is that, to my testers (birders) and myself, the 10x42 FL\'s outperform all the competition in terms of brightness and contrast of image (some achievement when both aspects negate eachother to some extent). Colour neutrality was total, with no colour cast detected by anyone. Sharpness and resolution was as good as anyone had seen in a pair of binos, though it was hard to seperate any of the leading RP binos here.
Everyone mentioned the impressive depth of field.

CA!! o.k., It can still crop up so hasn\'t be eradicated entirely, but the effects are minimal even when trying your very best to find it, one tester couldn\'t find any and he is usually the first to complain about CA My own feeling was that CA was less than that of all other binos I have tried ... including that of the 8X32 Nikon SE\'s (that\'s the only time I\'ll refer to the SE\'s as I\'m just not going to compare across magnifications, others have done that and paid the price). What CA presented itself did not spill over as far and had less of an effect on the subject than other models, this was agreed by all users.

I\'m not going to bother with the meaningless optical performance of the peripheral edge of view, other than to say that the typical edge distortion isn\'t much different to any other bino and doesn\'t have any impact for the real world user.

As for non optical aspects:
There were no major complaints, one tester didn\'t like the feel of the rubber armouring and the grip ridges could\'ve gone up to the eyepieces a bit further (helping grip by the focus wheel) but that was as much as i got in terms of negativity. Everyone liked the large, two finger wide, focus wheel, which had loosened up a bit since i first received the binos. The focus wheel fell easily to the fingers.

The feel of a bino is strictly down to each user, Zeiss seems to have taken the sensible route of not having any thumb recess/stops so no one should have a problem there. The ridged body will be handy for those wearing gloves on cold days.
In fact the whole appearance of the FL\'s seem to conjure up memories of distant Dialyts, certainly an improvement over the previous Victory models.... and someone tell Zeiss we don\'t need any silly triumphant macho names for our binos, FL will do very nicely.

The rapid focussing was liked by all. I must admit that I\'d never lost any sleep over some of the slower focus wheel gearing of my Swaro\' EL\'s, typical birding distances are covered by a 1/4 turn on most binos anyway but I\'m getting the hang of these \'progessive focus\' types, especially handy for tracking birds moving away or towards you. The focus wheel needs only travel from 10 o\'clock to 1 o\'clock to cover almost every situation (5m to miles!)

The novel four position eyecups is a nice touch, I prefer the eye-cup just one click back from full extension. No one had a bad word to say about this feature, all feeling that having variable eyecup settings was a step forward in getting more people a perfect view... even if they have the facial features of a Klingon

Dipotre adjustment (Yawn) was fairly typical, a central click stop but infinite positions +/- 4dpt.

All the rest is pretty much specs that you can read anywhere, weight and all that.

In conclusion, these 10x FL\'s do seem to be top of the 10x pile at the moment but there\'s no huge leap in optical quality from the competitors... high end binos just aren\'t like that, there\'s no quantum leaps to be made... even when CA vanishes altogether it won\'t be a massive progression to most as it\'s just not a problem for most users now.
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • Cost, compatability, optical quality
Cons
  • It\'s Kenko!
I am using the Nikon N-AFs versions, 1.4x and 2x.

These teleconverters have been making a big name for themsleves over the last few years. Despite the cheesy reputation that Kenko has in some quarters, these use the very best Hoya glassware and are often rated higher than the similarly priced Sigma teleconverters.

Against older Nikon teleconverters, these can more than hold their own in clarity of image and have the benefit of being very AF friendly with many lenses, unlike many of the archaic Nikon tc\'s.

In use the 1.4x results in nothing more than light being reduced by 1 f-stop... degradation of sharpness and contrast isn\'t really noticable vs the bare lens. AF speed on a lens using USM/AFSII/HSM isn\'t seriously reduced, still very rapid.

As with most 2x tc\'s, the PRO300 2x does represent a compromise in quality over the bare lens, contrast and clarity do suffer. What constitutes unacceptable results will be a personal issue, but the images imho can still be full of intricate feather detail.

From my experience of 35mm and 2x teleconverters (300mm f2.8 + Nikon 2x) the results do look better but this could well be down to the digital age and the ability to sharpen and adjust levels in-computer. I personally think that teleconverters have far more value in the digital era than they had before.

Naturally, the extra 2 f-stops of light loss may mean the AF will fail to operate on many camera/lenses. Few cameras will reliably operate in AF when faced with greater than f5.6 (so even an f4 lens you\'re unlikely to get much in the way of AF with an extra 2 f-stops taking things to f8), you never know though, I have a 70-300mm f5.6 that works o.k. in AF with a 1.4x tc

I don\'t own the 3x...but you can imagine for yourselves that this is for the very desperate times. I have seen a full size image taken with the 3x and a Nikon 600mm f4 and it wasn\'t too bad... but you really do need the sharpest of lenses to start with...and watch out for vignetting.
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • resolution in 12mp mode, layout and ease of use, Lens compatability, colour reproduction, threaded shutter button
Cons
  • slightly slower the competitors in shutter-lag and 2fps vs 3fps, EV increments are 0.5 vs 0.33
Not a conventional choice for bird photography but a DSLR that has a proven record as far as quality of image is concerned, the upper body is basically a Nikon F80, whilst power and internals are Fuji. Works with almost any Nikon lens you can think of, though metering is lacking when used with some older Nikon lens. Amazingly, this camera is more compatable with Nikon flash guns than most current Nikon cameras.... utilising features that Nikon have implemented in their flashes but haven't enabled in their cameras.

No question in my mind that Fuji's Super CCD (when set to deliver 12mp images)is resolving more detail than any other 6mp dslr, I've interpolated test images from the competing cameras to ascertain if Fuji's hype is justified, and it is (it is purely hype on most Fuji cameras though).... The S2 isn't producing genuine 12mp but does resolve detail that many feel equates to roughly 8-9mp.
Noise levels are very low, even compared to modern cmos designs. More than capable at iso800 and 1600 with a bit of in-computer work (neatimage). Luma noise is very low at all 'speeds'vs competing cameras but chroma noise is evident at iso400+, also some slight strobing in very fine detail. I knew of latter when I purchased and knew it wouldn't be a problem with Quantum Mechanic 2 photoshop plug-in, and it hasn't turned out to be a problem.

Colour accuracy seems to be ahead of the competitors (which is why the camera is widely used by pro portrait photographers)...but I'm not sure it's a big deal with in-computer editing.

Metering is accurate, 2% spot-metering is a boon. EV increments are .5 rather than .33, which is a drawback, especially with digital and it's poor performance in exposure latitude.

The 2 frame per sec isn't the end of the world compared to 3 fps of the competing cameras, memory buffer will allow 7-8 shots in a burst and write time seems a lot faster than I was led to believe.

Lack of mirror lock-up isn't a big deal either, there just isn't time to mess around with that in most situations (macro people will de more disappointed). Other than the shutter-lag, this camera is every bit as responsive as the Nikon 35mm slr's that I have used in the past, when using prime lenses with built-in motors it is as rapid and silent as anything around, managing to AF at f8 (f5.6 lens + 1.4 t.c.)given a bit of contrast to lock onto.

The Nikon MB16 battery pack can be used with a tiny modification (file!), but the life from 4x AA's (use 2200mah+ rechargeables)seems more than ample to me. Use of 2x CR123A batteries is a pain but they're not compulsory (but advisable), they last for ages if you don't use the built-in flash.

The shutter-release button is threaded for a cable-release, which is a rarity these days...but at leat you don't have to fork out for the manufacturers own remotes (which are often expensive, and in the case of Canon, very hard to find in stock)

The S3 pro shouldn't be too many months away, so hold fire.
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • clarity of final image, speed and silence of the AF
Cons
  • not sure on the finish, prefer hard metal or flat rubberised
Longest lens I have ever used, previously the longest was an old 300mm f2.8. I have this lens in Nikon mount.
Relatively compact compared to the main 500mm f4 lenses around. Very smooth and silent AF operation. Can be set to AF at total range (3m-infinity), 3m-8m or 8m-infinity). Nikon version allows instant MF without having use any switches, though dependant on camera model used.
Very sharp final image, no chromatic problems at all and still producing crisp images with a 1.4x teleconverter (Kenko pro)
Not sure about the finish on the lens, the velvety finish may be warm to touch in the winter but attracts dirt... and god knows how it will look after removing any camo tape.
Excellent value with recent price cuts, a real bargain for anyone looking for a fast (ish) long lens.

My images taken with this lens can be found here http://www.digiscoped.com/dslrphotoindex.html

And a dedicated review here http://www.digiscoped.com/Sigma500.html
Recommended
Yes
Price
509$
Pros
  • weight, Size, digiscoping-friendly, excellent macro
Cons
  • monitor is small and cluttered
There are two things that immediately strike you as you handle the Nikon CP4500 for the first time, namely that it's smaller and lighter than previous Nikon 9** cameras. Despite it's lightness, the body is of 100% alloy construction as against the 50-50 of the CP995. Although it's appearance and build is better than the CP995, it's black finish makes it a runner-up to the CP990 in terms of looks and to be honest it reminds me a bit of 'home-brew' electronics kits. Birders aren't particularly fashion conscious....so cosmetic appearances aren't number one on the shopping list.
The size reduction is a major boon to birders who are already laden down with a scope, tripod, binos. The CP4500 should fit in most pockets, even with a scope adapter left on.
Having praised it's compact size, holding the camera in a conventional manner (hand around the grip) was uncomfortable as my fingers now hit the lens part of the camera...my hands aren't large.
Power is courtesy of the same Nikon Li-ion battery as the CP995, battery consumption semed fair

Start-up time seemed slow, I noticed the delay....something I had never done with my CP990.
The lens mechanism purred like a cat instead of the familiar grating noise reminiscent of a gearbox about to die. Seemed more rapid at finding a focus lock than I'd previously experienced with the 4x lens of the CP995 and definitely better at getting a focus lock in bad light than my CP990.
In continuous shooting mode I took five consecutive shots in about 4 seconds and the write time (Lexar 128mb 12x) was about 13 seconds....images were all about 1.38mb.
Although I can't measure the shutter-lag time....it didn't appear very good. Camera start-up time was also a bit slow, about 6 seconds when the zoom is set in 'last position'.

As for image quality with the CP4500, I'm starting to be extremely impressed with the results. Initially I was quite disturbed to see the images looking so soft in the camera's review mode. When opened up in Photoshop, the images still looked a bit soft. Fortunately the higher res images of the CP4500 withstand a large amount of unsharp-mask and the end results are now looking better than those from my cp990, capturing thin objects like pine needles far better.


The colours look far better out of the camera than my Nikon 990, though the images looked too contrasty at times with some burn-out, I suggest turning the contrast setting down to minimum.


The file sizes of the 'Fine' Jpegs looks small considering it's a 4mp camera, this is due to the fact that the images contain far less 'noise'.....switch to iso400 and see how big the files are.

My views on the cp4500 are still positive after 18 months of use. The quality of image available from the camera is superior to the cp990 & cp995, the ability to resolve the finest detail is the most obvious benefit. The cp4500's speed of use for digiscoping (time from off to taking a shot) is a problem for many users, though just switching the monitor off and on is the best way for speed of use.
I have had the feeling that the percentage of 'keepers' is slighlty less than with the cp990, though I suspect that is a result of being greedy with the camera zoom and taking too many shots with the zoom at close to maximum, rather than closer to 3x (which I feel produces the better results.
A big bonus is the quality of the cp4500 at iso200, even reasonable quality prints can be made from the results at this setting (after some work in Photoshop)..... iso200 on the cp990 was pretty much useless for anything other than web images.
Without an external power supply for the cp4500, my views would have been less positive as far as convenience of use.... I do not rate the Li-ion batteries at all, rapid charging doesn't make up for their rapid exhaustion.
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • performance, build quality
Cons
  • none
A major problem that afflicts users of many digital cameras is when bright light reflects off of the cameras lcd monitor, often totally obscuring the image being shown. In conventional use the traditional optical viewfinder can be used. In digiscoping the view from the optical viewfinder will be blocked by the scope or the adapter itself, in any event you will not be able to focus the scope onto the subject nor read any vital exposure detail.

The Extend-a-View Pro is an alloy device with a 2x eyepiece incorperated into it that fits over your lcd monitor. It's held in place by narrow velcro strips , though only one strip of Velcro need be applied so as to create a hinge effect. This single strip of Velcro holds the Xtend-a-View securely enough, never having fallen off, even whilst the set-up is carried around. Obviously a coresponding strip of Velcro needs to be stuck onto your camera (just above the monitor), so it may be difficult to remove the glue in the future.
The Extend-a-View will fit many digital cameras as it's available in three sizes, the 'mini' will fit 1.5 inch monitors like that on the cp4500

The rubber eye-cup provides comfort to your eye and eliminates stray light from entering, not unlike looking through your scope in a conventional manner. The beauty of the glass eyepiece is that you can have your eye close to the monitor, traditional sunshades may cut out the light but your eye is too close to the monitor for you to be able to focus on it.
The view can be a little bit pixellated with the 2x magnification, though I have found the view to be good enough to get a precise focus with. The traditional technique of using the digital zoom of the camera to get a precise focus isn't really needed, this is just as well as the view would be quite poor.
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • weight, size, optical performance
Cons
  • price... it would be nice if you could have scope body + eyepiece for under 1k
Although this scope has a larger objective lens than most, it is one of the lightest scopes on the market and is surprisingly compact as well. The scope body weighs in at 1,450g and the length is only 345mm, so compares extremely well against its competitors.
The Diascope has twin focus knobs, fine and coarse, with sufficient space between the two for my fingers to operate one without accidentally moving the other, fat fingers coupled with gloves may prove problematic in the depths of winter.

Gearing of both knobs was suitable for the task, the fine being very smooth and allowing the tiniest of focus adjustments. My own preference is for a single well-geared focus knob on a scope, a secondary fine tune knob seemed to provoke more fiddling than necessary, time that could be better spent viewing the subject. I do know many birders who couldnt live without their dual focussing systems, so its just a personal matter and Im sure that it wouldnt be long before this slight annoyance would be forgotten.

The Diascope has an amply proportioned sunshade that can be pulled out to give the objective lens protection from rain and sun. Atop this sunshade is an elongated sighting vee, allowing rapid and reliable subject acquisition with no parallax problems that are associated with small single foresights.

I tested the angled version of the Diascope 85, rotation of the body was a simple affair that only required a small lever switch to be operated to enable body rotation.
Another feature of the scope body was the ability to lay it on a flat surface, a rubber underside grip gave it a solid feel in this position, though the opportunities to use this feature in the field may be limited for the birder. Almost without saying, the scope is fully waterproof and Nitrogen filled.
The colour of the scope tested was a non-reflective satin silver/grey, though green is available.

Eyepieces tested with the 85FL were the 40x and 20-60x zoom, a 30x is also available along with an astronomical eyepiece adapter and SLR camera adapter. All the eyepieces feature the popular pull-up/twist eyecups,

The 40x eyepiece gave a very impressive image, field of view was as wide as most 30x eyepieces and the resolving power with optimum air conditions was class leading.

The 20-60x zoom eyepiece was no less impressive in the ability to resolve detail at higher magnifications and again it was class leading at beyond 40x. The field of view with this zoom is exceptional but there is a small visual penalty to pay when the zoom it at lower magnification, notably at 20x. This minor problem takes the form of distortion around the edge of the image, this does limit the useable field of view slightly at lower magnification but is not apparent at higher magnifications. At magnifications above 50x, the wider than average field of view becomes quite noticeable in comparison to other zooms on the market.
Depth of field wasnt quite as impressive as the field of view, though still comparable with many scopes on the market.

Glass wearers were particularly impressed by the zoom eyepiece and the image it presented to them, a number commenting that it was the best image they had seen thorough a zoom eyepiece.

Having had over two months to use this scope in a variety of conditions, its quite clear that 85FL scope provides excellent viewing in almost every situation that the birder is likely to encounter. As would be expected of a scope with an 85mm objective lens, the image is brighter than that from any 80mm scope and also capable of resolving more detail

The image from the Zeiss Diascope was on the colder side of neutral, which makes a change from the numerous scopes providing a slightly yellow cast to the image. Chromatic aberration was all but non-existent during testing.
The feel good factor of the image presented was high, but this would have been increased to the very highest levels if the extra brightness of the image hadnt had an impact on the contrast, I felt that the contrast was slightly lacking in comparison to the very best scopes.

Though slight, the extra brightness that this scope gives can make a difference to what can be resolved in trying conditions. At the end of the day, literally, this could be a major factor in deciding if this is the scope for you.
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • build quality
Cons
This is the new generic cable-release bracket from EagleEye Opticzooms, fitting most digital cameras (and probably plenty of 35mm compacts). In most respects this is identical to the Jessop's version.... there's not much scope for radical design in these things.
The main differences between the two are:
The new EagleEye version is devoid of plastic, the part where your cable-release screws into is metal and it's thread is unlikely to be damaged with regular use.
The section where your cable-release screws into is a far simpler affair than the Jessops model as it cannot rotate.... so the release probe is always vertical. If you knocked the Jessops version you could end up with the probe coming out at a odd angle and not tripping the shutter button. This may not be quite as good for those with slanted shutter release buttons (cp4300 and some others). All of my cable-releases fitted o.k. The main support post doesn't look as if it can turn on the base, which is good, where-as the Jessops can.... but you can tighten with an Allen key.

The EagleEye device has a slimmer build all round, so no need to get the file out to remove excess metal at the base to allow a change of batteries. The base has one long slot for adjusting how far out you want the cable-release to extend from the camera, the bolt that secures the bracket to the camera fits into this slot but is one of those designs that means it can't fall out. This bolt is quite small, has a knurled edge and has a receiving thread to allow the whole set-up to be mounted upon a tripod.
I felt that the EagleEye bracket was more secure/stable in use than the Jessops version and quicker to set-up/align. I wouldn't expect someone using the Jessops to bother purchasing this item... but it's an alternative for newcomers to digiscoping, as well as a bit easier to order for some overseas digiscopers.
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