What are the key features for a digiscoping camera? (1 Viewer)

OK, I've been browsing through the various threads and I'm still confused about why some cameras are good for digiscoping and some aren't. I appreciate that some scope/camera combos work better than others anyway, but what are the basic features you regard as necessary for digiscoping? I've been looking at the dozens of makes of cameras available, and I have no idea about which ones *might* be suitable and which I can reject out of hand.

Harry

Hi Harry
My experience is limited, but I can offer some general advice for good birding photos with digiscoping.
* The scope and camera need to sit well together.
This requires a good connector bracket - So choose a camera/scope system that you can get a descent adapter for. Generally choose a camera with a smallish diameter lens, as it will be taking a photo through a fairly small eyepiece.
(My compact camera does this well. My 'Pro-sumer DSLR style camera doesn't.)
* Some compact cameras have a retractable lens system - which may also zoom in and out. This can create a few difficulties in use, if not allowed for.
* Ideally the camera needs very good high ISO performance, - to enable a fast shutter speed, necesary for good photos at high magnification.
* Is a shutter release available for that camera - needed to prevent camera shake - which will blur high magnification photos.
* Lots of megapixels and Low noise sensors is also important.

So many new compact cameras are coming out each week it would be hard to say whats best. Most have good and bad points. A lot of favourites used are now a little long in the tooth performance wise.

DSLR's have stunning image capability, but the shutter shakes the camera!
Many compact cameras are slow to focus, and some have poor lenses. Poor lenses produce chromatic aberation and soft images. This is made far worse by using a scope.

I currently use a Fuji F10 compact as it has many virtues, including a very sharp lens, low noise, great HighISO performance, 6M pixels, etc. But I have had to learn a few tricks to get the best out of it. I am shure their are now far better choices, including of course the F11 which supercedes it (The F11 gives the user more control).

Hope this helps a bit.

- Adrian

My priorities when I bought my Olympus 7070wz (my 5 digiscoping camera ) were -
rotatable screen
lots of megapixels
remote control
RAW
screw thead in the camera body for adapter
3/4x zoom to reduce/eliminate vignetting
manual control of exposure and focus
feature buttons on the camera , not menu driven too much
low noise sensor
multiple focus points
long battery life

I think I'm going to have a hard time finding a camera that has all these in the new batch of digicams. Neil.

Thanks both of you, that's helpful. It's probably one of those things where you really need to play around for some time to work out what's possible - which you can't do if you don't own the camera.

Harry

I think the main aspect of a digiscoping cam ,is that it fits perfectly to the scope with the given adaptor,so that no light can get through.It must fit tight and snug.

Will the Zeiss adapter for the Zeiss scope (and a Nikon 990) provide that tight fit?

Barbara