Hello folks,
I’m new to digiscoping, though I’ve been shooting an SLR for about 20 years. Currently, I use a D90. I decided to take the plunge, and bought a Vortex Viper 14-45X65mm angled spotter along with a Viper Digital Camera Adapter. The adapter screws into my 50 mm f1.8 lens where my filter would. I took a couple test shots. Conditions were partly sunny/cloudy, 5 PM, zero wind. Reason was more to see what was right and what was wrong with setup, and I have concluded the following: 1) I need a tripod and head that can handle the weight. With everything locked down on my current one, I could look at the Live View screen without touching anything and see the image bobbing around. A closer look showed that the plastic pan and tilt head was actually bobbing up and down slightly. 2) I should probably use an L bracket, to move my mounting point closer to center, and make the mount more rigid. Using one like Alpen’s Digital Camera Adapter for Spotting Scopes (see link below) would presumably help with this, but it weighs two pounds by itself. That would bring my weight of setup to 7-1/2 lbs. I was able to take pictures at ISO 200 only at 1/50th, and at ISO 400 only went up to 1/60th. So an 80 mm objective lens is looking more desirable, though that will add another ¾ lb., bringing my set up weight to 8-1/4 lbs. My questions: 1) does anyone see any flaws is my conclusions, so far? 2) does anyone know of an L bracket, like the Alpen, that is lighter, or possibly even cheaper (maybe something in polycarbonate or another material)? 3) what do you all suggest I should be looking for in a used tripod and head that can take the weight? Brand name and model suggestions would be helpful.
http://www.amazon.com/Alpen-Digital...78501821&sr=1-1&keywords=alpen+camera+adaptor
I’m new to digiscoping, though I’ve been shooting an SLR for about 20 years. Currently, I use a D90. I decided to take the plunge, and bought a Vortex Viper 14-45X65mm angled spotter along with a Viper Digital Camera Adapter. The adapter screws into my 50 mm f1.8 lens where my filter would. I took a couple test shots. Conditions were partly sunny/cloudy, 5 PM, zero wind. Reason was more to see what was right and what was wrong with setup, and I have concluded the following: 1) I need a tripod and head that can handle the weight. With everything locked down on my current one, I could look at the Live View screen without touching anything and see the image bobbing around. A closer look showed that the plastic pan and tilt head was actually bobbing up and down slightly. 2) I should probably use an L bracket, to move my mounting point closer to center, and make the mount more rigid. Using one like Alpen’s Digital Camera Adapter for Spotting Scopes (see link below) would presumably help with this, but it weighs two pounds by itself. That would bring my weight of setup to 7-1/2 lbs. I was able to take pictures at ISO 200 only at 1/50th, and at ISO 400 only went up to 1/60th. So an 80 mm objective lens is looking more desirable, though that will add another ¾ lb., bringing my set up weight to 8-1/4 lbs. My questions: 1) does anyone see any flaws is my conclusions, so far? 2) does anyone know of an L bracket, like the Alpen, that is lighter, or possibly even cheaper (maybe something in polycarbonate or another material)? 3) what do you all suggest I should be looking for in a used tripod and head that can take the weight? Brand name and model suggestions would be helpful.
http://www.amazon.com/Alpen-Digital...78501821&sr=1-1&keywords=alpen+camera+adaptor
