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

Opticron MM3 50 mm and Iphone 6S (1 Viewer)

Little egret. Still holding the phone by hand. Plenty of sun in Barcelona, as you can see ;) MM3 60 (I'd say around x35) + Nexus 5.

And I got the chance to watch a couple of Little ringed plovers mating!... I got so excited that I forgot to zoom in :-C , so I guess that one is unfortunately only x15 (so I lost a lot of definition while cropping).
 

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I use a Vanguard VEO 235AP (1,5 kg) and think is more than enough for the scope. The tripod packs down to a relatively small size (folding central column).

Some days ago, the forum member mathare mentioned he has an Opticron 60 mm scope (not the MM3, but the bigger one) and is happy with the Sirui T-005X (1 kg and only 30 cm when folded) in terms os stability, which sounds really interesting.
 
Two juveniles of the Eurasian Eagle Owl.
Opticron MM3 60 (at x45) and Nexus 5 (hand holding the smartphone against the eyepiece).
I was hesitating whether to get the MM3 50 or 60, but I think I'm glad I got the 60, since I find myself using it in the x40-x45 range very often, while the MM3 50 only provided x36.
I think the image quality holds pretty well from x15 to x40 or so, and only in the last bit the quality drops more noticeably. I wouldn't say it gets darker, but you do get some sort of "veil" (for lack of a better term), like if someone put a nylon mesh (like a stocking) on the objective lens.
 

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Happier and happier with the scope. It might sound daft, but I've discovered that at lower magnification I get better results (after all, there's always the cropping bit, so you do lose some of the magnification, so to speak).
A Eurasian spoonbill and a Glossy Ibis from a visit to Doñana National Park (one of Spain's most important nature reserves). I guess I'm getting the point of a fixed eyepiece at lower magnification (however, I think I do stick to the x30s most of the times I use the scope, so the fixed EPs Opticron provides for the MM3 could be a tad too short).
MM3 60 mm + (handheld) Nexus 5
 

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Sorry I haven't been on this thread in awhile.

Yarrellii,


Those are some impressive pics especially considering that you were handholding the phone.

To answer your question from above, I used a variety of different tripods with the MM3 scopes. My most commonly used one is a Brunton Carbon Fiber model that I got on sale last year for a scary good price. It is a bit of an overkill for even the 60 mm model but it is lightweight and I am happy with it.

Having said that you would be hard pressed to find a better option than the carbon fiber model that Opticron sells with the Manfrotto 700 RC2 head. The typical street price is right at $300 for the combo.

http://www.opticronusa.com/Pages/xfs_tripods.html

http://www.opticronusa.com/Pages/panheads.html

I haven't posted pictures in a few months but I continue to take them regularly. Here is one of a Song Sparrow phonescoped at the American Birding Expo a couple of weeks ago with the MM3 60 mm.
 

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...and a closeup of a cooperative Great Egret...same MM3 60/Iphone 6S combo
 

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Black-bellied Whistling Duck phonescoped with IPhone 6S, Opticron MM3 60 mm and Phoneskope adapter yesterday afternoon.
 

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Thank you Steve. I have tons of fun taking them. It adds an entirely different level to my optics/birding experience.
 

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Weekly photo addition. Song sparrow phonescoped with the Opticron MM3 60 mm scope, Iphone 6S, Opticron Universal adapter and Phoneskope Bluetooth shutter release.

I had the 23x wide angle eyepiece on the scope used some digital zoom on the Iphone so the image isn't quite as sharp as I would like it to be.
 

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Weekly addition.

Song sparrow again. Same location but different part of the lake. Same scope/adapter and phone.
 

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Haven't been here for a while, I moved house and now I live in the countryside, so the MM3-60 has plenty of window time, instead of backpack time :) A couple of sparrows and a robin.
I've set a dish full of seeds and they seem to like it, on the other side of the house I've installed a proper bird feeder (The one TM) but to no avail; after a couple of weeks no bird seems to pay special attention to it :D
The dish with the seeds sits around 4 m (12 ft) away from the lens, hidden behind a window (which I try to keep clean, but which I know steals some clarity), so x15 (minimum zoom) gives an astonishing aproach to feather and beak texture; it's a pity that the pictures are render such a poor image of what the scope is capable of.
Still handhelding the phone. I'm thinking of retiring the old Nexus 5, so maybe I'll get a phone adaptor for the next one.
 

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Great shots Yarellii. Very bright and colorful. Nicely done.


Here is a different twist for phonescoping....

...a little supermoon action with the Opticron 60/Iphone6S combo last night.
 

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One more but with the HDF zoom at 45x instead of the wide angle fixed magnification eyepiece...from last night.
 

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