Hi I have just returned to Birding after the best of a 20 year gap and found that much if not everything has changed. The emphasis seems to be gone from identifying in the filed to taking digital images. I have an old opticron HR 80 circa early 90's I want start taking digital images. its quite a heavy scope. I have a nikon d40 DSLr. Should I buy a converter set or save my money for some newer technology - what would a decent starter digiscope set up be including scope type ? and what price range? Or is it worth sticking with my 20 year old opticron hr 80 - also what is the difference between a scope and a spotting scope? would appreciate any help.
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Old Opticron HR80 - possible to DigiScope?? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Culhane
- Start date
Tord
Well-known member
Hi
Digiscoping with a spotting scope and DSLR is not the easiest due to the relatively low lens speed. This will result in a dark viewfinder, in turn making it difficult to focus. Scope with angled eyepieces add to the challenge, aiming can be tricky. Better use a P&S camera with 3X zoom, max 4X, and high quality optics to start with.
A scope with non-ED glasses will however most likely produce disappointing results.
An option is to buy a refractor telescope and adapters, you can get very good results with a limited budget. Check out this forum section.
/Tord
Digiscoping with a spotting scope and DSLR is not the easiest due to the relatively low lens speed. This will result in a dark viewfinder, in turn making it difficult to focus. Scope with angled eyepieces add to the challenge, aiming can be tricky. Better use a P&S camera with 3X zoom, max 4X, and high quality optics to start with.
A scope with non-ED glasses will however most likely produce disappointing results.
An option is to buy a refractor telescope and adapters, you can get very good results with a limited budget. Check out this forum section.
/Tord
dantheman
Bah humbug
A lot is still the same - it's still birds out there. Still plenty of birders id birds without having to take pics.
Personally, if I get the urge/need to take pics of birds when out and about I digiscope with my mobile phone hand held to the eyepiece of my scope or bins (but also use a small camera - fujif30 at times, again handheld).
Getting into photography properly is another branch of birding ...
Spotting scopes I would think is a marketing term for some of the smaller scopes ... eg Nikon have labelled some as such.
Personally, if I get the urge/need to take pics of birds when out and about I digiscope with my mobile phone hand held to the eyepiece of my scope or bins (but also use a small camera - fujif30 at times, again handheld).
Getting into photography properly is another branch of birding ...
Spotting scopes I would think is a marketing term for some of the smaller scopes ... eg Nikon have labelled some as such.
pete_gamby
Birds? What Birds?!
Hi there. An HR80 of that vintage will be non-ED and will have imperial rather than metric threads on the eyepiece - that's two things that don't push it forward as ideal for digiscoping!
Our service department tells me that they can modify the scope to help improve chromatic aberration control and to convert to metric threads (so you can use our current line of digiscoping adaptors).
Please contact Stuart by email on [email protected] for more details on the costs of these mods.
Otherwise, you might want to consider a trade in or selling the scope privately and putting the funds to a newer ED scope.
Cheers, Pete
Our service department tells me that they can modify the scope to help improve chromatic aberration control and to convert to metric threads (so you can use our current line of digiscoping adaptors).
Please contact Stuart by email on [email protected] for more details on the costs of these mods.
Otherwise, you might want to consider a trade in or selling the scope privately and putting the funds to a newer ED scope.
Cheers, Pete
Bob Philpott
Well-known member
Culhane, I am an old stager at this game and also find that everything is changing around me. Birding is still about watching birds but as you say the taking of images is on the increase simply because modern cameras make it so much easier. My advice would be to enjoy what's out there, if the scope worked before it will still work today (maybe not as efficiently as new scopes but it will still work). Try different ways of taking pictures if you want to but do it slowly, why involve yourself in expense if you don't need to. It does seem from what I see around me that cheaper point and shoot cameras / mobile phones get as good a result as anything else when it comes to digi-pictures but as with all photography you have to work out the technique that suits you. Also think long about camera connectors, it is possible to put the camera against the eyepiece and press the button (maybe not with a D40).
Last edited:
Similar threads
