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

Astroscope + DSLR = Gallery! (5 Viewers)

Tree Swallow from this morning, taken while I was at the marsh photographing Red-winged Blackbirds.

Celestron 80ED 600mm f7.5 refractor
Nikon D40
ISO 400 1/640 sec
distance - around 30 feet

cropped, levels, and sharpening in photoshop 6
 

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Well, managed to get out early yesterday and today for some test shots with the SW 80ED and Pentax K5.
Trying all sorts at the moment to get the feel of this setup but liking it so far. The first Grebe shot is a heavy crop, so I could test the image quality, the second Grebe shot was a little closer, as was the female mallard.
Then I added a Kenko 1.5x TC for the Tufted Duck, again to test image quality at a distance and it is also a heavy crop. The final shot was also at 900mm (scope + 1.5x TC) across the reservoir to the far side and is full size image, no cropping, and measured on Google Earth is a distance of about 330 Metres.
I think I am going to like this combo for static location shooting. :t:
 

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Cardinal

A Cardinal from today.

Nikon D90

Orion 80ED 600mm f/7.5 (chipped) with 1.6 Vivitar TN

1/500 sec, ISO 800

Cropped to roughly square format.
 

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First class as always Fernando.

Playing with my two 1.5X TN's at the weekend. One from the Sunagor 100-200mm and the other from the Prinzflex 100-200mm zoom.

Range to target is in the region of 90m (295 feet or 98 yards)

First image was at 1.5X (900mm) with just one TN mounted close to camera. Photo uncropped.

Second image also uncropped - 30mm macro tube on camera - 1.5X TN - 2nd 30mm macro tube - 1.5X TN. This combination gives around 3.5X on the scope or around 2100mm before crop factor.

SW80ED - Canon 450D
 

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Is stacking TN's the same as moving just one TN further from the camera mount ?

I was thinking about all that glass being added to get 3.5x
 
Is stacking TN's the same as moving just one TN further from the camera mount ?

I was thinking about all that glass being added to get 3.5x

It's not much glass at all. Stacking two TN's to get 3.5X equals only 4 elements of glass because each TN is a doublet. I've found the TN's from 100-200mm zooms seem to be mostly doublets.

Paul.
 
Despite that, its still double the elements of one TN, so would you not get slightly better IQ by moving one TN further out with a tube, or do they degrade as they get further from the sensor ?
 
I'll try it in the morning but I doubt one 1.5X TN would ever reach 3.5X by adding in a long macro tube. Initially you gain a good jump by adding in say a 30mm or a 60mm macro tube. After that the magnification tapers off and you don't gain a great deal more.

As well as the number of elements, for image quality what is also important is the quality of the coatings and the polish of the glass. The 1.5X perform very well on their own and stacking a couple together seems to be better than using the higher power TN's.

I'm sure there's better TN's out there as I've only been able to get hold of budget brands so far.

Paul.
 
Them budget brands are doing very well it seems ;)

Both the Soligor & Prinzflex are revealing some good quality. I have a Prinzflex 100-200, but this might be like putting Lester Piggot on a donkey when fitting to my 120 SW
 
Hoverfly
Camera : Canon 450D
Scope : Skywatcher 80ED
ISO800
1/250s
Canon 80-200mm telenegative (about 1.7X on scope).
Image cropped, only about 20 off two sides.
Range approx 6m (20 feet).
 

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Some more from today, All at about 30ft

Camera: Samsung GX-20
Lens: Skywatcher ED80


Bullfinch
ISO : 800
Shutter : 1/1000

Chaffinch
ISO : 800
Shutter : 1/250

Greenfinch
ISO : 800
Shutter : 1/250

Crops at 100%
 

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Here are 3 from this morning's early morning sortie using the SW 80ED. All shot from within a bird hide at Wilstone reservoir. The two Grebe shots are uncropped, full image at 600mm.

One thing I have noticed, is that maybe the focus when using the camera focus confirm may be a little off. I'll have to set up a target somewhere and do some tests, see if maybe the focus micro adjust brings it into focus better.
These three shots were all manual focus without using focus confirm.

Some difficult lighting as well, especially on the two Grebe shots as the sun was beating down reflecting off the water close and the Grebe moved into a more shady spot. Peased with the results though.
 

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SW 120mm f5 ST + Prinzflex 100-200mm TN ( 1.5x )

900mm FL

All @ ISO 200

1 + 2 @ 1/250
3 + 4 @ 1/500

Wild Pheasant
 

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SW 120mm f5 ST @ 600mm

All @ ISO 200
All @ 1/750

Slavonian Grebe
 

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SW 120mm f5 ST @ 600mm

All @ ISO 200

1. 1/2000

2. 1/500

Reed Bunting
 

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Celestron 80ed 600mm & Olympus E-3

all iso 200

yellowhammer 1/320s uncropped
tree sparrow 1/400s (square crop)

...and the twig-shot (hawfinch) at 1/400s (square crop)
 
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All taken with Celestron 80ED + A550

Pink Neck Green-pigeon
1/400s
ISO 800
12m
Uncropped, unedited


1/800s
ISO 800
30m
100% crop, unedited
with Cosina TN = 2.4X

Common Sandpiper
1/1600s
ISO 800
10M
Uncropped, unedited
 

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SW 120mm f5 ST + Prinzflex 100-200mm TN ( 1.5x )

900mm FL

All @ ISO 200

1 + 2 @ 1/250
3 + 4 @ 1/500

Wild Pheasant

Pete, your 3rd pic, the CA on the white band around the neck, is it the product of the TN or the SW120? It seems that some of your pics, the color does not seems natural. Are they because of the Non ED optics effects or they are just my eyes playing up on me. However, they are all very sharp and great details.
 
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