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Nikon P300 for Digiscoping (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Neil
- Start date
Sorry I've been a bit tardy getting back on this as I'm just catching up on all my emails.
I've using the Nikon V1 with 10-30 kit zoom lens mostly over the last few months but this is mainly due to the fact that it's new. I'm still testing it with various Nikon and other lenses which is fun.
The best camera I have for digiscoping at the moment is the Canon G1 X , but it is also the hardest to fit to a scope eyepiece without vignetting. I also like the Nikon P7000 a lot , and it's easier to digiscope with ( although still needs the Kowa 25x LER eyepiece ) but it doesn't have full HD video so I don't use it as much as I shoot a lot of video these days.
So I guess my answer would be the G1X on the Kowa VA3 (14x Video Adapter) for short to medium distances as it has limited unvignetted range.
For medium to long distances the V1 and 30-110 mm lens on the Kowa VA3 .
Neil
Hong Kong,
China.
May 2012
cool thanks for the info - I'm finding that the results I got with the Olympus EPM1 and the Panasonic GF3 are leaving something to be desired. Neither are performing as well as the P300, I'm now looking into the possibility of replacing my Panasonic with a Nikon 1 and seeing how that compares.
Shot this Terek Sandpiper using my Nikon Coolpix P300 with Nikon 82mm ED Fieldscope + 30x DS Eyepiece. It was bathing at a puddle of water very closed to the hide and remained relatively still for me. Focal length for this shot is 1350mm in 35mm terms. Other settings: ISO160 1/125s f/5.6 0EV.
In most of my shots, I open the camera aperture to the widest possible to obtain the highest possible shutter speed to minimize any image blurness caused by camera shake.
But for this shot, I closed the digital camera aperture (from the widest f/2.8 to f/5.6) to see whether this can increase the detail level of the image. Initially, I thought this would not make any significant difference since the aperture of my scope will remain pretty much the same regardless of my camera aperture settings. But the slower shutter speed obtained with a smaller camera aperture (1/125s instead of probably 1/500s if shot at the widest aperture) seems to have brought out greater detail.
What do you guys think about increasing f/stops for digiscoping in favorable conditions?
Sorry I do not have image shot with the widest aperture for comparision.
In most of my shots, I open the camera aperture to the widest possible to obtain the highest possible shutter speed to minimize any image blurness caused by camera shake.
But for this shot, I closed the digital camera aperture (from the widest f/2.8 to f/5.6) to see whether this can increase the detail level of the image. Initially, I thought this would not make any significant difference since the aperture of my scope will remain pretty much the same regardless of my camera aperture settings. But the slower shutter speed obtained with a smaller camera aperture (1/125s instead of probably 1/500s if shot at the widest aperture) seems to have brought out greater detail.
What do you guys think about increasing f/stops for digiscoping in favorable conditions?
Sorry I do not have image shot with the widest aperture for comparision.
Attachments
Lovely shot See-Toh!
I can't comment on the aperture settings since I, like you, always use max aperture, however I always end up zooming the camera at least half-way to avoid vignetting (with my home-made adaptor and Swaro 20-60x) which reduces the f-stop anyway to f/4 or f/5.6.
However it is my experience that a very slow shutterspeed gives the best results *if* (and it's a big if) the camera is perfectly stable and the subject very still. This happens more often than you might think...
I posted some examples earlier in this thread using my old camera (Fuji F31fd) taken using 1/30 or 1/15s. I also have pics on my picasa site from Mt Makiling in the Philippines of an Ashy Thrush taken with up to a 3s exposure!
https://picasaweb.google.com/115738510013418169108/PhilippinesJanFeb2010#5443426273640775890
https://picasaweb.google.com/115738510013418169108/PhilippinesJanFeb2010#5443426462523765890
Cheers, Ian
Hi Ian
I fully agreed with you that slow (or very slow) shutter speed tends to produce the best digiscoping results provided we have a cooperative subject. I am using a carbon-fibre tripod legs coupled with Jobu Junior Gimbal head as support for my digiscoping setup.
I shot this Brown-chested Jungel Flycatcher in Singapore recently and the two attached images were taken seconds apart at the same spot.
The first image was shot at 1050mm at shutter speed 1/20s while for the second image, I zoomed in further to 1500mm and at a shutter speed of only 1/13s. I did not do any editing to the images except cropping them to look somewhat the same size appearing on our monitor.
Image quality of the two images looked somewhat on par but on closer scrutiny I believed the one shot at longer focal length and also slower speed of 1/13s brought out more detail on the upper-back feathers as compared to the shorter focal length image.
The 3rd image of a Blue-eared Kingfisher was shot at a ridiculous 1.6s shutter speed at 1650mm focal length and ISO400.
Regards
See Toh
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This is a puzzle. I suspect there are other things at work here as lower shutter speeds would normally risk softer images from subject movement. The kingfisher is not a good control for this test as they hold themselves rigid for long periods of time. I have photographed them at 1 second exposure in rain.
Most birds are continually shifting and cocking their heads so between two shots there can be significant movement ( for digiscoping) which impacts Depth of Field.
In summer one of the big impacts on sharpness is heat haze so two shots taken seconds apart can show very different detail. Especially with the high humidity in Asia.
Another thing that comes to mind is the focus point. The more you zoom in the more likely to change the focus point. With the limited DOF when digiscoping (especially when shooting up into trees) it's important to focus on the head and not the shoulder or back. More important the bigger the bird.
Or it may be that you are just more likely to take more care when shutter speeds drop. I certainly do.
I'm intrigued though so I will try some tests next week when I'm back in HK.
Neil
