Did a digiscoping comparison. A very modest test with very basic, inexpensive (relatively) equipment. Higher end gear would have different results.
Test gear:
Rig 1:
Pentax K10d 10MP DSLR with Sigma 135-400mm lens (APO).
Rig 2:
Vintage 60mm scope with 15x eyepiece (not 15mm, 15x) - non-ED.
Fuji F30 digital.
Target: a standard resolution chart. (Yes, I know we shoot birds but birds aren't quantitative).
Test conditions:
All shots taken handheld. Would be slightly sharper on tripod but I rarely use a tripod. F30 shots handheld to scope. 400mm F8 aperture for lens sweet spot. F30 shot at F5 which is widest aperture at full zoom. Diffraction sweet spot of the F30 lens is F4 so slightly limited. Test target 26 m away. This is atypical of my scoping use, which is frequently in the 100-200m+ range.
Cons of test:
No sharpening applied other than defaults in cam or raw. Minimal white balancing. Handheld, not tripod (but this is more realistic for me). Only done at modest 15x. 25 or 30x which are more typical for birding may produce better images, but may be subject to more shake. Requires further testing. Didn't pay particular attention to exposure. Basic levels in Photoshop but clearly different exposure levels.
***Conclusion***:
Moderate digiscoping rig slighly sharper than mid range dslr rig. DSLR faster and easier to deal with, but can't deny digiscoping quality. Some CA noticeable in non-ED scope. I would imagine that higher end 80mm scopes would be noticeably sharper, and of course brighter at a given level of mag.
***Images for review (unsharpened except in camera or RAW convertor):
F30 100 pct crop:
http://i7.tinypic.com/4z8rnmu.jpg
Fuji Orig:
http://i8.tinypic.com/53ghvt1.jpg
K10d 100 pct crop:
http://i9.tinypic.com/4raet13.jpg
K10d Orig:
http://i14.tinypic.com/4tis6lk.jpg
K10d Resize (similar in size to F30 100 pct crop):
http://i10.tinypic.com/4th1blz.jpg
Test gear:
Rig 1:
Pentax K10d 10MP DSLR with Sigma 135-400mm lens (APO).
Rig 2:
Vintage 60mm scope with 15x eyepiece (not 15mm, 15x) - non-ED.
Fuji F30 digital.
Target: a standard resolution chart. (Yes, I know we shoot birds but birds aren't quantitative).
Test conditions:
All shots taken handheld. Would be slightly sharper on tripod but I rarely use a tripod. F30 shots handheld to scope. 400mm F8 aperture for lens sweet spot. F30 shot at F5 which is widest aperture at full zoom. Diffraction sweet spot of the F30 lens is F4 so slightly limited. Test target 26 m away. This is atypical of my scoping use, which is frequently in the 100-200m+ range.
Cons of test:
No sharpening applied other than defaults in cam or raw. Minimal white balancing. Handheld, not tripod (but this is more realistic for me). Only done at modest 15x. 25 or 30x which are more typical for birding may produce better images, but may be subject to more shake. Requires further testing. Didn't pay particular attention to exposure. Basic levels in Photoshop but clearly different exposure levels.
***Conclusion***:
Moderate digiscoping rig slighly sharper than mid range dslr rig. DSLR faster and easier to deal with, but can't deny digiscoping quality. Some CA noticeable in non-ED scope. I would imagine that higher end 80mm scopes would be noticeably sharper, and of course brighter at a given level of mag.
***Images for review (unsharpened except in camera or RAW convertor):
F30 100 pct crop:
http://i7.tinypic.com/4z8rnmu.jpg
Fuji Orig:
http://i8.tinypic.com/53ghvt1.jpg
K10d 100 pct crop:
http://i9.tinypic.com/4raet13.jpg
K10d Orig:
http://i14.tinypic.com/4tis6lk.jpg
K10d Resize (similar in size to F30 100 pct crop):
http://i10.tinypic.com/4th1blz.jpg
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