Canon S95 for digiscoping (1 Viewer)

Lupus · Feb 10, 2012

Hi,

yesterday I had my first digiscoping attemp using a Canon S95 from a friend with my Zeiss Diascope 85 T*FL

The shot was made handheld without adapter and in quite bad light conditions. I think its pretty ok for that. So I think I'd like to buy this Camera. The only thing is, I read quite bad reviews about the video-mode, which I also would like to use. What do you think about that? Yesterday I was so excited, that I forgot trying out the video-mode ...

Also I was wondering if there are any cheaper but still decent adapters, as the Zeiss quick-camera-adapter costs >400€

Cheers

forent · Sep 15, 2012

Digiscoping adapter for Canon S95

Maybe this could be of interest for all looking for a workable adapter for the S95: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=2538359#post2538359

dalat · Nov 8, 2012

Hi all,
I just got an S95 now, which I intend to use with my ATM 80 HD and 25-50 eypiece. Nice camera so far.

I will probably try a bit with self made adapter solutions, but if I am not able to get anything decent done, I will have to go for one of Swaro's expensive adapters.

From what I read here, I most like the DCA-combo described by Steve Clifton in post #28, because its nice and compact.

One question though for the users of the S95. From my first tests I noticed that the distance of camera to eyepiece need to be changed when zooming in with the camera. How do you handle this? Use a fixed zoom position only (e.g. 50 mm) or do you keep adapting the camera postion. Can the camera position (distance to eyepiece) be easily changed in the DCA plus jacar adapter?

Thanks for your help! Florian

SteveClifton · Nov 10, 2012

dalat said:
Can the camera position (distance to eyepiece) be easily changed in the DCA plus jacar adapter?

When you first set up the Jackar adapter for the S95, there is an adjustment ring on the adapter, allowing the lens to just protrude (by no more than 2mm) from the end of the adapter that screws onto the DCA. By setting up this way with the camera lens at its longest protrusion, it should ensure that it cannot collide with the eyepiece when zooming.

Hope this helps.

dalat · Nov 11, 2012

Hi Steve, thanks for your reply!

Do yozu use the camera then mainly at maximum zoom setting, or do you also use lower zoom positions?

I find that the ideal distance from lense to eyepiece differs between full zoom and half zoom, for perhaps 5 mm. That means if I set the distance for the camera with full zoom, and I then zoom out, the image is less good, some kind of shade or partly vigetting appears. I need to move the cam closer to the eyepiece to have a good image then.

You don't have this problem? I notice you use the 20-60 eypiece, maybe that combination behaves different than my 25-50...?

Thanks again, Florian

SteveClifton · Nov 12, 2012

dalat said:
Hi Steve, thanks for your reply!

Do yozu use the camera then mainly at maximum zoom setting, or do you also use lower zoom positions?

I find that the ideal distance from lense to eyepiece differs between full zoom and half zoom, for perhaps 5 mm. That means if I set the distance for the camera with full zoom, and I then zoom out, the image is less good, some kind of shade or partly vigetting appears. I need to move the cam closer to the eyepiece to have a good image then.

You don't have this problem? I notice you use the 20-60 eypiece, maybe that combination behaves different than my 25-50...?

Thanks again, Florian

Hi Florian, I haven't used the S95 for a while, but as I remember it, my findings were very similar to yours. The vignetting is also likely to be worse with the 20-60 compared with the 25-50.

As I wanted to use the camera more for birding (record shots etc), and thereore usually at longer range, I set mine up so that it was optimised for the longer end of the camera's zoom range. This is one of the limitations of the S95's lens compared to some other compact cameras, but you will quickly adapt to this and get used to the camera's 'useable range'.

If you wanted greater flexibility then there are more suitable ways of connecting the camera to the scope, such as the UCA adapter, but as you noted above they are larger and much more expensive!

dalat · Nov 12, 2012

Ok, thanks a lot! :t:

Neil · Nov 15, 2012

dalat said:
Hi Steve, thanks for your reply!

Do yozu use the camera then mainly at maximum zoom setting, or do you also use lower zoom positions?

I find that the ideal distance from lense to eyepiece differs between full zoom and half zoom, for perhaps 5 mm. That means if I set the distance for the camera with full zoom, and I then zoom out, the image is less good, some kind of shade or partly vigetting appears. I need to move the cam closer to the eyepiece to have a good image then.

You don't have this problem? I notice you use the 20-60 eypiece, maybe that combination behaves different than my 25-50...?

Thanks again, Florian

Florian,
Not many lenses are at their best at full zoom for digiscoping, so you would be better off zooming the eyepiece than zooming the lens too far. If you can set the camera lens zoomto just where the vignetting disappears at 25x and then zoom the eyepiece for more magnification.
Neil

dalat · Nov 15, 2012

Neil said:
Florian,
Not many lenses are at their best at full zoom for digiscoping, so you would be better off zooming the eyepiece than zooming the lens too far. If you can set the camera lens zoomto just where the vignetting disappears at 25x and then zoom the eyepiece for more magnification.
Neil

Hi Neil,
thanks for that advice! As I have been carefully reading many of your posts, I already figuered that this is the way to go.

I made a few first trials with different zoom settings, and it appears that the resolution does not really improve when zooming in with the camera beyond 50 mm or so. I will test this a bit more, but if moreless confirmed I will then keep using the camera at a fixed zoom position, which will also solve the problem with varying distance to the eyepiece.

A very nice feature of the S95 is that it can save the zoom setting, and after switching on, zooming imediately to the desired postion.

Regards,
Florian

Neil · Nov 15, 2012

dalat said:
Hi Neil,
thanks for that advice! As I have been carefully reading many of your posts, I already figuered that this is the way to go.

I made a few first trials with different zoom settings, and it appears that the resolution does not really improve when zooming in with the camera beyond 50 mm or so. I will test this a bit more, but if moreless confirmed I will then keep using the camera at a fixed zoom position, which will also solve the problem with varying distance to the eyepiece.

A very nice feature of the S95 is that it can save the zoom setting, and after switching on, zooming imediately to the desired postion.

Regards,
Florian

Florian,
My Nikon's always seemed at their best between 35 -60 mm which is just about a 2x times zoom of the lens but only a 1x optical magnification ( 1x optical is 50 mm ). Us "old timers" were spoilt by the Nikon 4500 which had it's "sweet spot" or Macro zone at 3x optical which gave great reach on the 20 -60 x zoom eyepiece.
Neil

dalat · Nov 19, 2012

Hi,

I am getting a bit further with the camera and new questions are appearing.

I noticed one wierd thing: When using the Swaro eyepiece at 25x everything is fine, but when increasing to 50x the picture get's way too dark, even in good light. The camera light measuring seems not to work properly. E.g. if ISO is on automatic, the camera sets ISO to 80.
I played around with functions to see what would solve this problem. Changing the light measurement mode did not help. What did help however, was closing down the aperture to 4 or 5.6.

I suspect that if wide open (2.8.) the aperture of the camera objective is actually bigger than the exit pupil of the Swaro eyepiece at 50x, and this appears to cause some problems with measurement to the camera. If closing down to 4 or 5.6 the aperature gets smaller than the exit pupil and the camera is back to calculating properly.

As I am new to disgiscopy and also have not much clues about photography, this to ask if I got this right, or if I may have missed something obvious?

Neil · Nov 19, 2012

dalat said:
Hi,

I am getting a bit further with the camera and new questions are appearing.

I noticed one wierd thing: When using the Swaro eyepiece at 25x everything is fine, but when increasing to 50x the picture get's way too dark, even in good light. The camera light measuring seems not to work properly. E.g. if ISO is on automatic, the camera sets ISO to 80.
I played around with functions to see what would solve this problem. Changing the light measurement mode did not help. What did help however, was closing down the aperture to 4 or 5.6.

I suspect that if wide open (2.8.) the aperture of the camera objective is actually bigger than the exit pupil of the Swaro eyepiece at 50x, and this appears to cause some problems with measurement to the camera. If closing down to 4 or 5.6 the aperature gets smaller than the exit pupil and the camera is back to calculating properly.

As I am new to disgiscopy and also have not much clues about photography, this to ask if I got this right, or if I may have missed something obvious?

There is a lot less light available at 50x but I suspect the issue is that the camera lens to eyepiece distance should be adjusted when you zoom the eyepiece. Also if the camera keeps defaulting to iso 80 in Auto Mode then set it manually to 100 or 200. Iso 80 should only be used at 25x in good light. When digiscoping more shutter speed is needed most of the time to freeze movement , even if a little noise creeps in at higher iso.
Neil.

Canon S95 for digiscoping (1 Viewer)

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