Finally Decided - But Need Some Help (1 Viewer)

After reading a zillion posts, I'm thinking of the following for my digiscoping gear:

1) Swarovski AT80 HD with 20 - 60 Zoom eyepiece.
2) Nikon Coolpix 990
3) Bogen Manfrotto 3221WN Tripod with Bogen Manfrotto 3433/501 Pro Video Head w Quick Release

I need help on the following questions though:

1) Many people indicate no significant difference between the AT80 HD and the AT80 with the latter being much cheaper. Has anyone tested these side by side and in such case, what was the conclusion?

2) When I visited www.digiscoping.co.uk, they noted that there were two versions of the 20 - 60 Zoom eyepiece for the AT80. Does anyone know of the difference between the two and how one can tell if they are purchasing one or the other?

3) The Nikon Coolpix choice was very difficult since the 990, 995 and 4500 all sell for the same price if you shop around. I leaning towards the 990 since from what I have read: faster focus, standard batteries, less vignetting on x2. However you can get a new 4500 or 995 for the price of a reconditioned 990. One chap from Canada swears by the 995 because of the extra zoom. What's the general consensus here?

4) I am certain of my choice of tripod and head. However, I can't determine if the 501 will work with the Swarovski AT80 and if quick release options are possible. Help! Has anyone used the 501 with the AT80?

5) I'm very confused about the many options for connecting the Camera to the Scope. For the products I have chosen, can anyone advise on the best option? It seems that a home made solution or the 2-Plus LE Adapter for Coolpix may be the best options ... but not sure. The 2-Plus is very expensive (US$165) for what is essentially a bracket.

Thanks in advance,

rka

rka said:

After reading a zillion posts, I'm thinking of the following for my digiscoping gear:

1) Swarovski AT80 HD with 20 - 60 Zoom eyepiece.
2) Nikon Coolpix 990
3) Bogen Manfrotto 3221WN Tripod with Bogen Manfrotto 3433/501 Pro Video Head w Quick Release

I need help on the following questions though:

1) Many people indicate no significant difference between the AT80 HD and the AT80 with the latter being much cheaper. Has anyone tested these side by side and in such case, what was the conclusion?

2) When I visited www.digiscoping.co.uk, they noted that there were two versions of the 20 - 60 Zoom eyepiece for the AT80. Does anyone know of the difference between the two and how one can tell if they are purchasing one or the other?

3) The Nikon Coolpix choice was very difficult since the 990, 995 and 4500 all sell for the same price if you shop around. I leaning towards the 990 since from what I have read: faster focus, standard batteries, less vignetting on x2. However you can get a new 4500 or 995 for the price of a reconditioned 990. One chap from Canada swears by the 995 because of the extra zoom. What's the general consensus here?

4) I am certain of my choice of tripod and head. However, I can't determine if the 501 will work with the Swarovski AT80 and if quick release options are possible. Help! Has anyone used the 501 with the AT80?

5) I'm very confused about the many options for connecting the Camera to the Scope. For the products I have chosen, can anyone advise on the best option? It seems that a home made solution or the 2-Plus LE Adapter for Coolpix may be the best options ... but not sure. The 2-Plus is very expensive (US$165) for what is essentially a bracket.

Thanks in advance,

rka

Click to expand...

1: I found that the 80HD produces a higher contrast image, something that I feel is quite important for digiscoping... notably in assessing correct focus via the camera's monitor.

2: The newer Swarovski zoom for the AT scopes has a locking system at the bottom of the eyepiece.

3: As with most things, I can only give you my opinion (and pass on feelings of some of the more illustrious digiscopers). The cp990 is the most desirable of the digiscoping cameras (and the quality of it shows in the 2nd hand prices!), next would be the cp4500.... but I would say it's slighlty less consistant in it's results vs the cp990. Ultimately the cp4500 produces the highest quality images, though still fairly marginal unless you're into large prints. The extra 1mp will allow more cropping to enlarge the subject than the 3mp cameras, and still leave enough pixels for a decent print. Best to try to keep closer to 3x than 4x on the cp995 and 4500.

4: I had a play with the 501 head.... nice and smooth, but it's heavy (1.5kg). Has a QR plate, should be no problem with scope, extra QR plates available.
As I've said previously, heads are a very personal thing. I'll stick to a pan & tilt head, thanks.

5: For the old AT zoom eyepiece, L.C.E. adapter from the U.K. is the best I've tried, U.K. price around £40.00 (or certainly below £50.00) so not expensive, though carriage maybe. LE 2plus may give a fraction more vignetting than the alternatives... handy if you have more than one eyepiece.
Spidertech and Mr Cheang's adapters are popular, and they do allow the zoom on the eyepiece to be rotated with camera attached. I haven't used Mr Cheang's, but it has a good reputation amongst some of the top digiscopers, obviously the Malaysian crew use it!
Hope that helps, but it is just my own personal opinion on most of the above.
Andy

You are going for almost the same setup as I went for, RKA. Slight difference with the tripod and camera, probably with the adaptor too, but same scope, e/p, and head.

I've had mine for almost a month now and although I have nothing to compare it to, if I could start all over again I think I'd stay with much the same setup. The only thing I'd look hard at changing would be the Manfrotto 501 head. It's way too heavy (IMO) and lugging that thing around all day bugs me. But if getting a lighter head means poorer quality or more camera movement, then I'll stay with the 501.

I dislike the ergonomics of the Nikon intensely, but it seems that there are only three choices if you want to digiscope: Nikon, Nikon and Nikon, so I'm learning to live with them. The mechanical design is fine, but they are nowhere near as easy to learn to use as other cameras I've played with. There is nothing actually wrong with the 4500, it's just poorly documented and whoever thought up the command structure seems to have just tacked things on whenever he thought of them, rather than thinking the whole thing through first and then doing it in a logical manner. No matter - you get used to that stuff.

My guess is that if your adaptor allows you to zoom the scope, then in-camera zoom won't matter so much. But if not, then more is better.

The quick release works just fine with the Swarovski, by the way. (Or did Andy already say that?) I don't ever seem to use it though. Maybe I will if I get a car window mount for it one day.

Enjoy your purchase!

Tony

Just took the plunge and purchased the AT80 HD. Will have to have peanut butter sandwiches for a while but at least my bird watching and photography will be much more interesting.

I'm interested in knowing if anyone has tried the Maxview 40 eyepiece from Scopetronics with the AT80 using the Swaro 1.25" eyepiece adapter.

I read of one person who used it with the ATS series with excellent results.

rka