video-camera for videoscoping (1 Viewer)

Hello to all:
My name is Jose Luis, I'm from Spain, I live in a country of Spain (Extremadura, near from Monfrague Natural Park) that is full of interesting birds, but it's difficult, here, to get a good information about telescopes, cameras, etc.
I have been using a Nikon Coolpix 4500 camera with a swarowsky ATS 80 HD, a 30x eyepiece and a DCA swarovsky adaptator for digiscoping with very good results.
But, now, I want to fit a video-camera to the scope with the same adaptator (swarovsky's DCA) I have a Sony hdr-hc1E and I have tested a sony hdr-hc3E but I don't know how to avoid vignetting.
Can you help me? What is de camera I could use without vignetting but using,if possible, the same adaptator?
Thanks
José Luis

Hi Snow-wolf I see this is yor first post, so may I welcome you on behalf of all the Moderators and Staff at Bird Forum.

I'm sorry I can't answer your questions but I'm sure someone will be along soon who can.

D

snow-wolf said:

Hello to all:
My name is Jose Luis, I'm from Spain, I live in a country of Spain (Extremadura, near from Monfrague Natural Park) that is full of interesting birds, but it's difficult, here, to get a good information about telescopes, cameras, etc.
I have been using a Nikon Coolpix 4500 camera with a swarowsky ATS 80 HD, a 30x eyepiece and a DCA swarovsky adaptator for digiscoping with very good results.

Click to expand...

Hi Jose, Nice area, nice camcorder, I'm jealous already

The requirements are similar to a still camera - you need a camcorder with a small diameter lens, and ideally a lowish zoom level. The components of a camcorder lens move internally so you tend to be at the high zoom end, which is okay with 10x but put a scope 30x in front of a superzoom camcorder of 30x and the result is so jittery and high magnification you can't use it, and is soft even if you could hold it steady.

This gull was 300m away

http://www.suffolkbirds.co.uk/article/56/videoscoping

and I used a panasonic NVDS38 15x zoom. The lens dia is 37 mm which is too large, and the zoom is too large, so I have to crop the video.

small lenses do not mean good quality on videocams (because they usually go with small noisy sensors) which is why your HDV cam has a nice big lens. That is unfortunately not great for using on a scope.

You usually get less vignetting on a scope with a fixed low power lens. These guys make one

http://www.warehouseexpress.co.uk/index.cfm?binsandscopes/digiscoping/eede.html

but I don't think that would clear vignetting using your camcorder. You would need to try it.