Canon EOS600d (1 Viewer)

Good evening folks.

I currently use a Lumix G1 for Digiscoping and I am fairly happy with results, however I have got the chance of a Canon EOS 600d with 15 x 55 lens.

Any digiscopers out there use the Canon set up? I use a Swaro STS 80HD with a 25x50 zoom.

Any info appreciated.

Dave

I currently use a canon 600D for digiscoping, with a 40mm pancake lens. They are coupled to my Swaro 20-60 zoom via the DCA adapter, which screws straight on via the supplied 52mm ring.

Great combo for decent record shots, and excellent for video too.

The camera's flip out screen is great for awkward angles, like shooting on a low-level tripod, or out of the car window (angled scope!).

I think I tried using the kit lens but because I couldn't couple it to the adapter (58mm filter thread) I gave up in favour of a prime. The zoom action of the kit lens could also potentially be another problem, in the sense that it could move/slip under the weight of the camera body. I think the 50mm f1.8 works quite well too if you have one, but, as I said, after a fair bit of trial and error I found the 40mm works best for me.

People will tell you that DSLRs are no good for digiscoping, and to be honest, there are probably better modern compacts and compact system cameras out there now, but I find it suits my needs quite well for now, with the usual caveats about being best for static or slow-moving subjects. You will also benefit from some way of compensating for the extra weight on the back of the scope, such as a sliding Q/R system on the tripod head.

Thanks Steve, I use the zoom with my G1 and seems okay. I prefer the live viewfinder so most of the compacts would be useless to me. Have you and shots I can look at to see the quality of image?

Thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.

Dave

3 examples here. The Herring Gull is a straight out of the camera jpeg. No pp except for a crop, which is the first image. F4 1/320 ISO400

The LBB Gull is cropped to about 75% original size, with minimal pp including a little sharpening in iPhoto (on a Mac) F3.5 1/80 ISO400

Range for both about 50m.

Having slight probs uploading the other two due to large file size/unfamiliar with new software. I will try again...

Looks good Steve thanks for that, and just to put my mind at rest, the 600 does have a live viewfinder, (ie you can still look through the scope when camera is attached)

Thanks Dave

The 600D does not have an EVF like the used Panasonic G3 I bought to try out last year (now sold). You can of course use the viewfinder to initially find your subject (can be a bit dark through the scope), but then it's far better to activate live view on the rear screen and focus that way (you can magnify a portion of the image by 5x or 10x as a focussing aid). Without using LV you are basically just guessing at whether the final picture will be in focus.

Finally succeeded in posting the above images, but not sure whether the method I used is the best in terms of preserving detail-they look a little pixellated on my screen when zoomed in on BF. They look better on my monitor.

Great info Steve, think I will take the plunge!

Many thanks once again.

Dave

DMKSlater said:

Great info Steve, think I will take the plunge!

Many thanks once again.

Dave

Click to expand...

One thing to be aware of, is that a DSLR, due to a larger sensor, will have reduced shutter speeds than your m4/3 camera. Where you might find f5.6 to be bright enough with a G1, it might mean you struggle for shutter speeds with a bigger sensor camera.

I used an f2.8 lens in the above samples, albeit at f4 and f3.5, so around a stop faster, and therefore perhaps doubling the shutter speeds? The LBBG was 1/80.

Perhaps you were already aware of this, but better to go into this with your eyes open!

Regards

Steve

No I wasn't aware, but I am now

Going to give it a trial first, it is a guy from work that is selling so will borrow it for an hour and see what it's like.

Many thanks once again.