Digiscoping with Telescope vs Spotting Scope (1 Viewer)

1) Does telescope or spotting scope will have better optical performance?
2) I understand a telescope gives a inverted image. But it will not matter when you are digiscoping right?
3) If I have $2000 and wanted to buy a good combo of telescope and DSLR, what will you recommend?

Hello Baofeng,

I am very new to this and am just in the planning process of getting my first telescope, but I can offer a few thoughts.

1) I am not sure, but believe that telescopes got the edge - atleast I have never been interested in spottingscopes - but then I saw the results people are getting with telescopes and let me tell you - I want one

2) Many people seems to thing telescopes will invert the image, that is not the case.

3) For DSLR there are several options - I would say go for the best camera you are willing to buy from one of the major brands, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax.
As for scope you should go for a doublet or triplet with FPL-53 glass - most popular and cheap seems to be the skywatcher Evostar ED80, which will give you a 600mm F7.5 lens.

I would get a telescope, I think that spottingscopes seem very unhandy with the angled tube, on the other hand spottingscopes are so much lighter/smaller so easy to carry around.

Just my thoughts

Regards
Kim

There are several reasons I like an OTA telescope instead of a Spotting scope. First of all is the pure scope quality of the OTA without the other optics in a spotter, just the objective and the eyepiece. The focal length tends to be a bit longer in an OTA, and that gives a flatter and better quality image for the money. The 80 x 600mm ED doublet is a classic quality lens found in about 4 different models, including my Orion. Yes it has the 53 glass. Not expensive at about $500 USD for the scope.

The Baader Hyperion eyepieces are a great choice that can be used with a 2 inch focuser, and I suggest a good 2 inch diagonal for sturdy camera support. The eyepieces have threads on the top for mounting a camera. I like the 17mm best. It is more comfortable to look down on the camera, be able to keep the pod lower to the ground, and there is much less strain on a camera supported by the lens in this vertical orientation. The diagonal erects the image also.

For digiscoping I find the smaller, lighter point and shoot cameras have speed and some lens advantages over DSLR. If you think there is better image quality in a DSLR just check the IR Comparometer and put a LX3 image view beside a larger camera of choice. The small optical system of a P6000 or LX3 allows the lens to operate near f/2.8 where it is sharpest and to give a speed or ISO advantage of a factor of 4 compared with a 4/3 camera and an advantage above that for larger cameras. Advanced ISO of DSLR cameras is not as great as some people claim. Camera zoom in another advantage of the P&S in digiscoping.

If you must use a larger sensor go to the Panasonic G1, now available for $250 USD new. Use a classic 24mm 1960 era Canon FD 2.8 lens, which will operate at about f/11. Forget the longer lenses. How sharp do you think a lens designed for f/2 will be when operated at f/22 under digiscoping conditions? Of course the superb electronic view finder is the advantage of this camera. Gene

Baofeng, I am no expert in this but will offer my 2 cents on this.

1) Are you comparing telescope/spotting scopes with conventional photographic lenses? Astronomy Refractor telescope does have certain advantage over the others in that there are only 2 or 3 glass elements before the image hit your camera sensor. Every glass element distort (reflect as well) your image, the better glass (FPL 53) will have lesser effect. With the commonly used scope (Skywatcher ED80, Orion 80ED, Celestron 80ED etc), there are only 2 elements. Triplets will give better color correction and 3 glass elements.

2)Spotting scopes are scope which gives you and upright image when viewed. Some telescope such as the Celestron 80ED are listed as spotting scopes because the supplied standard accessories include an erecting diagonal and eyepiece which makes one see upright image. With Astrotelescope photography, we do not use any diagonals or eyepieces but direct to the main tube and still gives us upright image just like in lenses.

3) On your $2000 budget, the option will depend very much on where you get them. Scopes in your region can be quite expensive but camera can be cheaper. A good guide can be found here for the scope http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p1060.html . Camera would be cheaper in Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong generally. Other accessories can be found on ebay from China etc.

Some camera super tele lenses can be better than scopes but cost many times more. A spotting scope such as this http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop...-60-x-80mm---excellent-colour-correction.html , you have to use in conjunction with a P & S camera over the eyepiece and you generally get zoom and higher magnification but also more glasses.

Every method of capturing the image got their pro and cons and most will boil down to personal preference and budget.

alphan said:

Scopes in your region can be quite expensive but camera can be cheaper. A good guide can be found here for the scope http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p1060.html . Camera would be cheaper in Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong generally. Other accessories can be found on ebay from China etc.

Click to expand...

I had been meaning to ask you on refractor prices in Malaysia as I am often there.... Singapore is rather expensive for camera gear, pretty much like Europe now a days. Go hongkong, Malaysia or Indonesia for that.

Shashinki in Malaysia or focusnusantara in Indonesia would be good value for a Singaporean.... use market in Singapore can be good - check clubsnap. I started with a second hand 350d with 3 lenses, from clubsnab.
I have found a few telescope shops in the regions but no prices on their websites.

kurakura said:

I had been meaning to ask you on refractor prices in Malaysia as I am often there.... Singapore is rather expensive for camera gear, pretty much like Europe now a days. Go hongkong, Malaysia or Indonesia for that.

Shashinki in Malaysia or focusnusantara in Indonesia would be good value for a Singaporean.... use market in Singapore can be good - check clubsnap. I started with a second hand 350d with 3 lenses, from clubsnab.
I have found a few telescope shops in the regions but no prices on their websites.

Click to expand...

There are only two Astronomy equipment dealers in Malaysia (one in KL and the other in Penang). Both carry very very limited stock of any telescope and mostly would be the Reflector and Catadioptric telescope. The price are easily double that of what's ordered from Europe. A few photographic shop may carry some Spotting scopes but most shops here only sell the China (no name or pirated name) scopes.

alphan said:

There are only two Astronomy equipment dealers in Malaysia (one in KL and the other in Penang). Both carry very very limited stock of any telescope and mostly would be the Reflector and Catadioptric telescope. The price are easily double that of what's ordered from Europe. A few photographic shop may carry some Spotting scopes but most shops here only sell the China (no name or pirated name) scopes.

Click to expand...

Where in Penang is the Penang shop located?

Hor Kee said:

Where in Penang is the Penang shop located?

Click to expand...

Check this out http://www.perseid.com.my/