New equipment needed (cheapish) (1 Viewer)

mrspatch · Jun 17, 2012

Firstly thanks for the great forum - best one I have come across o

At the mo - I have a fuji S5700 (10x zoom capability, 7.1 megapixels) - it has done the job for me - but I need something now with some more oomph say abt 20+ x optical zoom.

I also would like to get a scope a) for spotting birds obviously and b) for getting really really close up pictures.

Now I dont know anything really abt digiscoping but need some help pls.

Will a 20 x optical zoom camera even work with scopes or do I need a smaller and simpler digital camera to work with the scope.

So there is my dilemma (plus the need to do it on the cheap i.e. a scope for abt £150 and a similar price for a 20+ zoom camera)

Hope someone can point me in the right direction - many thanks. :t::t:

alan_rymer · Jun 18, 2012

If you want to digiscope, and use a bridge ( high zoom ) camera then you need two camera's as you suspected. I cannot help with either. I have a bridge camera that cost well over your limit and any digiscoping I do, I use an old canon I started using a long time ago.
As far as scopes go, look on ebay for a Kowa, nikon , opticron of 60 mm or over. If you want new there is the [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Helios FIELDMASTER-ED60 DS[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
15-45x60 ED[/FONT] at £190. http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/helios_spotting_scope/helios_spotter_fs.htm Keep in mind you also need a decent tripod.

postcardcv · Jun 18, 2012

Within your budget I'd recommend looking at secondhand scopes, you could pick up a decent older model Kowa or Opticron if you shop about. As for cameras a bridge (20x optical zoom) will be no good for digiscoping so you'd need to look for a smaller (3/4x optical zoom) compact instead. Any compact with 3/4x optical zoom should work for digiscoping but the better the lens the better the results will be. Keep an eye on the classifieds as Nikon P5100 and P6000 crop up sometimes, either should be in budget and work very well. If you get lucky you might find a Nikon P300 or a Canon s95 though they turn up less often.

mrspatch · Jun 21, 2012

Thanks ever so much guys

))) One final question - dont laugh if it sounds mad to the 'experts' . . . . Are scopes for birding (like the ones mentioned above) any good for planet spotting? Thanks.

TheThing · Jun 21, 2012

Yep, not as high power as astro scope, but you'll be able to see the moon, Jupiter, Saturn etc. Not huge amounts of detail, but worth a go.

mrspatch · Jun 22, 2012

Thanks

mrspatch · Jun 22, 2012

postcardcv said:
Within your budget I'd recommend looking at secondhand scopes, you could pick up a decent older model Kowa or Opticron if you shop about. As for cameras a bridge (20x optical zoom) will be no good for digiscoping so you'd need to look for a smaller (3/4x optical zoom) compact instead. Any compact with 3/4x optical zoom should work for digiscoping but the better the lens the better the results will be. Keep an eye on the classifieds as Nikon P5100 and P6000 crop up sometimes, either should be in budget and work very well. If you get lucky you might find a Nikon P300 or a Canon s95 though they turn up less often.

Right here's another question

I'm taking a guess that with the compacts, I need to look for high resolution say abt 12 plus megapixel cameras - but how do I know how good the lens is - is there some 'special' wording to look out for. :king:

postcardcv · Jul 2, 2012

mrspatch said:
Right here's another question

I'm taking a guess that with the compacts, I need to look for high resolution say abt 12 plus megapixel cameras - but how do I know how good the lens is - is there some 'special' wording to look out for. :king:

Generally if you buy a decent compact from the likes of Nikon, Canon, Sony or Panasonic you should be alright. Avoid unknown brands or the cheaper models.

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