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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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    Velbon PH-368 fluid head pan resistance adjustment problem

    Hi everyone, being not quite happy with the somewhat excessive resistance my Velbon PH-386 fluid head provided to panning motion, I turned the pan tension adjustment knob towards "decrease", only to find it in my hand. It had not broken off, but simply unscrewed. However, somehow it seems...
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    Buzzard near Cologne, Germany

    Hi everyone, last Sunday, I took this picture of a buzzard near Cologne in Germany. When it flew up to the branch it sits on in the picture, I noticed that the tail was a very warm brown. So I set up scope while the buzzard patiently waited, keeping an eye on me all the time :-) It doesn't...
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    Motacilla flava flavissima ID in autumn/Opus clarification?

    Hi everyone, I just observed a Motacilla flava ssp. on Germany's North Sea coast which to my untrained eye looked like a perfect example of a M. f. flavissima male in breeding plumage. I was told (by the very friendly local ornitho.de expert) that in autumn, it's very difficult to reliably...
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    Quick release plate adapter to mount a "red dot" (reflector/reflex) sight to a spotting scope

    Hi everyone, After designing a couple of different solutions for mounting a reflex sight on a (Kowa 883) spotting scope, I've tried something new now and decided to create a mount that is part of the quick release plate rather than mounted directly to the scope. The challenge with designing a...
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    New adapter design to mount a "red dot" (reflector/reflex) sight to a spotting scope

    New adapter design to mount a "red dot" (reflector/reflex) sight to a spotting scope Hi everyone, Here's a new 3D-printable adapter design to mount a "red dot" (reflector/reflex) sight to a spotting scope: As pictured, it fits a Kowa 883. Mounting works by means of a 4 mm bungee cord with...
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    Germany, Lauenburg - 23 May 2019 - Nest ID?

    Hi everyone, I recently saw a nest here in North Germany, near Lauenburg, I couldn't identify: It was built in a boat shed on the foundation of what clearly had been a Barn Swallow nest, but it had "walls" of still fairly green grass or small leaves/leaf parts going up all the way to the roof...
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    Germany, Hamburg - 18 May 2019 - Honey Buzzard?

    Hi everyone, I wonder if my identification "Honey Buzzard" is correct for this bird: Somehow, I never manage to get a good close-up view of Honey Buzzards ... whenever I see them, they are circling high up in the thermals, like this one. Regards, Henning
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    White Storks - Breeding Successes in One German Nest

    Hi everyone, Here's a list of the breeding succeses of White Storks in one particular nest in Northern Germany. The nest is situated on top of a purpose-built concrete pole in the large garden of a farmhouse in Northern Germany. A wetland nature reserve is nearby. The nest was installed in...
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    Fresnel Lens to put Smartphone Screen at "Infinity"? (Birding without Multifocals)

    Fresnel Lens to put Smartphone Screen at "Infinity"? (Birding without Multifocals) Hi everyone, Just a quick thought: Has anyone ever tried to put a Fresnel lens in front of a smartphone screen to put it at optical infinity? My idea is to work around the need to use multifocals to access the...
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    Northern Gannets in the Kattegat?

    Hi everyone, After seeing an adult Northern Gannet in the Kattegat just south of Tunø yesterday, I wonder ... how frequent are Northern Gannets in the Kattegat and in the (rest of) the Baltic Sea? Opus indicates that there have been records of Gannets in most countries on the south coast of...
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    Action Cam mounted to Binoculars (3D-printed Adapter)

    Hi everyone, I just created a 3D-printed adapter to mount action cameras to bincoulars: This relies on the binoculars having a 1/4" thread in the hinge, and the action camera being compatible with a NATO/Picatinny rail. The adapter is customizable and can be downloaded here...
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    Tool to tighten Tripod 1/4" Screws?

    Hi everyone, What tools do you use to tighten the typical 1/4" tripod screws with slotted head? The slot is too wide to be of much use with the screwdrivers I have, and while in some cases, coins can be used with good effect, I have other applications where something more screwdriver-shaped...
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    Red Dot/Reflex Sight Adapter for Swarovski ATS 65

    Hi everyone, Based on an idea suggested by another community member, and using the measurements he took of his Swarovski scope, I just created and uploaded a 3D printable red dot/reflex sight adapter for the ATS 65. Photographs of the adapter he printed, installed on his scope: I'm not...
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    "Video" Mounting Plate Measurements?

    Hi everyone, I'm looking for the proper measurements of the common "video" style mounting plate as used by many quick release plates, as the one in this shot: Basically, the two defining measurements I'm looking for are: - Diameter of "anti-rotation" lug (apparently 4 to 5 mm?) -...
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    Germany, Hamburg: Dark-ish Harrier - Male Marsh Harrier?

    Hi, I'd appreciate your help with the identification of the harrier on the photos I posted in this thread: https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=360478 (I guess it would have been more appropriate to post it here right away, but that only occurred to me when I had already posted in the...
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    Harrier near Hamburg

    Hi everyone, Last Sunday, I visited the Kirchwerder Wiesen and spotted this harrier: I'm not quite sure of the ID ... it looks very much like a male Marsh Harrier in most respects, but the dark upper parts that look black and grey really confused me. I'll admit that from some angles, the...
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    Astro Dovetail Standards?

    Hi everyone, Not a directly photography related question, but maybe you could help me anyway: Is there an overview over astro dovetail standards to be found online, somewhere? My fascination with reflex sights (red dot finders) has induced me to design a dovetail-to-NATO-rail adapter for my...
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    Eye Relief of Leica 25 x – 50 x WW ASPH?

    Hi everyone, I'm looking for the eye relief (... distance) of the Leica 25 x – 50 x WW ASPH eyepiece (when used with the Leica 65 APO Televid). Somehow, this information is nowhere to be found on the Leica website. (I actually found the sales brochure with the "eyepiece table" referenced by...
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    Shoulder Stock for 50 mm Scope - 3D printed

    Hi everyone, In the recent thread "Straight or Angled", Etudiant mentioned the advantages of using a shoulder stock to stabilize the view through a hand-held scope. http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=346479 Intrigued by the idea and aided by Sancho's feedback on his experience with...
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    Astro Adapter for TSN-883, and Eyepieces?

    Hi everyone, I just stumbled upon Piergiovanni's article on using the TSN-883 for astronomic observation: http://www.binomania.it/setup-cielo-e-natura-kowa-tsn-883-prominar-e-accessori-vari/ Though I don't understand Italian, I believe the article contains a recommendation for the scope owner...
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    Digiscoping Adapter as 3D-printed Part

    Hi everyone, Since Kowa doesn't offer a digiscoping adapter for my specific smartphone type, I had a go at filling the gap by 3D-printing an adapter of my own design. This is what it looks like: I preferred this over a universal adapter because universals are usually quite expensive, have...
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    Red Dot Sights (Reflex Sights) on Spotting Scopes

    Hi everyone, After trying a red dot sight (also known as reflex or reflector sight) on my Nikon ED50A both from a tripod and when held in the hand, I'm pretty enthusiastic about the technology! Here is a picture of my test rig. It combines a "flash grip" mounted between tripod and scope base...
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