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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

New to Astrophotography (1 Viewer)

Finally received the flocking sheet. Will proceed over this coming weekend. Meantime some shots over the weekend for your comments.

Shot on a Kenko Pro 2X for the woodpecker and Black Crested Bulbul. Cropped, sharpened and converted from raw to jpeg for both. Contrast and brightness adjusted for the woodpecker.

Prime 600mm for the Pigeon. Too excited and forgot to put on the TC. Cropped, sharpened and converted from raw to jpeg

Woodpecker >> ISO 200, 1/80 sec, WB:Sunny, Aperture Priority
Black Crested Bulbul >> ISO 200, 1/200 sec, WB:Auto, Aperture Priority
Thick Billed Pigeon >> ISO 200, 1/800 sec, WB:Sunny, Aperture Priority

One issue I noticed from the EXIF data was that focal length : 600mm & focal length in 35mm : 900mm.

Why is that so? If the lens is 600mm FL, without TC will still be 600mm and with 2X TC should be 1200mm excluding "Whatever magnification factor" from the extension tubes. Need your enlightenment.

tbc
 

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Not bad although something has happened in the processing of the Bulbul. What software are you using?

The scope wont report anything for the exif data as it has no electrical contacts etc to report data to the camera. The exif will just default to something which will be what the camera decides or thinks is best. You can get software to manually edit exif data later on if needs be.

Paul.
 
Hi Paul,

I was using Irfan, maybe there was too much sharpening or the file conversion sequence or even resizing.

tbc
 
Last weekend did the flocking on the extension tube internal and tried out today. Indeed it showed a marked improvement on the contrast of the subject. Thanks to Paul and Fernando for the recommendation.:t:

However, I still have a long way to go before getting the hang of manual focussing. Keeper rate is estimated 1 in a 100. Also bought the camou tape and wrapped the scope. Will post a pic soon.

tbc
 

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1 in 100 keeper rate seems a bit low to say the least. Is that with just the scope and no teleconverters? With just the scope I would say I would get close to 100% in focus. With a 1.4X TC I still get close to that and then with 2X and 3X TC it drops off a bit but it's usually because I'm going for too great a distance on a warm day where the weather will have an affect on image quality. I rarely lose an image where I wasn't actually in focus, there's usually another reason. Where do you think the root of your problem with focusing is?

Paul.
 
nothing wrong with the focusing there. Perhaps a play with some levels might bring some detail to the black of the bird.
 
No doubt it looks much better, that's the kind of results I would expect from such a scope. Well done, a bit too dark on the blacks like Cango said, but well done ;)

About the MF, I'm with Paul, I very rarely miss a shot due to focus, even with birds in flight I have a better ratio than my 300mm F4 ED IF. So I'd say there's probably something off, do you have the diopter adjustment on your camera right? That may make a difference.
 
No doubt it looks much better, that's the kind of results I would expect from such a scope. Well done, a bit too dark on the blacks like Cango said, but well done ;)

About the MF, I'm with Paul, I very rarely miss a shot due to focus, even with birds in flight I have a better ratio than my 300mm F4 ED IF. So I'd say there's probably something off, do you have the diopter adjustment on your camera right? That may make a difference.


Really appreciate the contribution of factors to narrow down the "mis-focusing". Please keep them coming as I want to learn how to increase the keeper rates.

Fernando, how do I know if the diopter is set correctly? With conventional lenses the AF eliminates the focusing which appears sharp most times. I have tried to shoot the birds 15 meters away and still can't get sharp pics. (See attached on 2X TC) but viewfinder shows sharp focus as far as my eye sees it. :C


Paul, this bird was shot with 1.4X TC, as the harsh morning sun was coming down at an angle, slower speed might have over exposed the black I think but not sure.
 

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You know it by eye ;)
Take off the lens, point the camera at the sky or something else that’s bright and even, and look at the focus points or something else in the viewfinder, then adjust the diopter to make them look as sharp as possible.
Take off the lens so you don’t get distracted to what is being seen at the moment.
In my D90 I have the dioptre set in the middle more or less.

Also, eye position is important, there is a difference if you move your eye 1mm or so to the sides, I only noticed this recently but it’s very noticeable. For example, if I’m focusing on something on a corner, I will move my eye slightly closer to that corner so I have the sharpest possible image in the viewfinder. I can still focus well enough if I keep the eye in the middle of the viewfinder, but the difference is clear when I move closer. This is on Nikon vienfinders, I’m not sure how other brands will work, I think this is due to the fresnell lens used as the focusing screen, I’m not sure but I don’t think every brand use this type of focussing screen.

I also use this:
http://www.amazon.com/KPS-Viewfinder-Magnifier-Eyepiece-Olympus/dp/B001NXPHT2
It helps a bit, and is very worth the money. But it's just a slight improvement, you should be able to focus consistently with a standard camera.

Apart from that I don’t know what else to say. But in my setup is so clear what is focused from what is not that it’s hard to miss focus, even in very dim light.
 
Hi Fernando,

As per your suggestion, I have taken a look at the diopter setting and went through the manual on how to adjust. It seems that I have to set to the maximum but somehow I felt it could get sharper but its already at the max. range.

The manual recommended additional diopter adjustment viewfinder lens DK-20C of different value to cater for individual eye power. I will get in contact with the local agent to see if I can purchase one.

Strange as it may sound, I just had my eyes checked few months back and my right eye power is neutral (not long or short sighted, only astigmatism detected). Not sure if it will affect my focussing.

tbc
 
I’ve seen people with astigmatism saying they had problems focusing, so I think you should talk with your doctor about that, saying specifically what you intend to do.
I think it should be corrected if you’re using that eye for focus, manual focus really require a perfect eye (or perfectly corrected) to work well. You could use a contact lens on that eye alone to correct the problem only when you’re going shooting if it doesn’t bother you in everyday life.
Just a though but your doctor should be the one advising you in this matter.

At least I would prefer that to hang a dioptre on my camera, also I have no idea if the dioptre would correct for astigmatism or not.

I have myopia, -3.75 in left eye and -5.5 in right eye and astigmatism in my left eye (-1.75 if I remember correctly), I can assure you I’m blind as a bat without my contacts ;) But with them on I can see perfectly and focus very well.
 
I guess that solved my mystery of unsharp pics. Most probably will get a pair of glasses to try out first. Thanks for everything.
 
You guys are not alone. I have a serious cataract in my right which has been there long before i started digiscoping. This is why i have to focus with my left eye, which is not natural for me.
I prefer to focus with my right, but this is not possible.

I recently discovered that my left eye has astigmatism, and will now be going into hospital to have both eyes opertated on, and this will be on the 18th of this month.

I hope this will help sort my issues to some extent
 
Thanks guys - not long now. :t:

I wont be doing any photography for at least a week from the 18th. Apparently, i cant even bend down for a few days, because of the increased pressure on the eyes

Pete
 
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