Extreme Digiscoping (1 Viewer)

[Marcobf]

I realize that the actual focal length doesn't change, but the perceived one does, right? I mean...the reach, as an alternative to cropping later on

I'm trying to understand this stuff and pass on what I've read to help someone else. Have I totally misunderstood or are you indulging in a little pedantry/semantics?

 

[janvangastel]

The angle of view changes and so the magnification changes. By multipying magnification with 50 you get the 35 mm equivalent tele length. So yes, the focal length does not change, but the system acts as if it did.

 

[Marcobf]

Thanks

 

[Neil]

I wanted to use the Panasonic ETC (Electronic Teleconverter Mode) on the Kowa Lens/scope . Not technically Digiscoping but a good way to get "way out there".
I was using the Kowa 500/5.6 and 850/9.6 modules. The ETC function gives 2.4x magnification when in the 25p.
This video clip of the Pacific Golden Plovers was out at the equivalent of 4,080 mm. The birds were about 80 meters out.
https://vimeo.com/93706249
Neil.
Panasonic GH3 and Kowa Lens/scope 850/9.6 module

Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,China.
2nd May 2014

 

[wedejaz]

Nice video Neil :t: 4000+ mm is quite a reach.

 

[Neil]

I had a few hours until the high tide so I digiscoped these egrets about 2 kms out on the mudflats. I racked the zoom eyepiece from 30 - 70x .
https://vimeo.com/94172298
Neil.
Sony RX 100 M2 and Swarovski STX 95 mm Scope and DCB 11
Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,China
5th May 2014

 

[Neil]

Another gloomy day out on Friday but had a cooperative Sand Plover at about 25 meters so could more than fill the frame as I cranked the STX 95 up to 70x.
https://vimeo.com/96417208
Neil
Sony RX 100M2 and Swarovski STX 95 mm scope and DCB 11 Adapter
Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,China.
23rd May 2014

 

[mbobo]

It's not a bird, but the distance is also extreme and the moon looks so nice today. I played a little bit with different magnification (30x, 50x and 70x) with the swarovski STX95 + TLS + OMD-E-10. The pictiures are only resized. I think for this kind of photos I need a equatorial mount to decrease ISO and following the movement of the moon - but so far, it looks not so bad.

regards,
Mario

 

[FrankD]

If I understand the theme of the original post then you were looking for pics taken at extreme distances (compared to most digiscoping pics) with higher magnifications and possibly poor environmental conditions.

Well the pics below were taken of a Black-crowned Night Heron (rare for my county of the state). Distance was 160 yards. The first pic was with zoom at 25x and the Iphone at no magnification. The second pic was with the Iphone pushed to full zoom and the zoom cranked up to 75X.

Iphone 5S
Theron Mag 82 mm spotting scope.

 

[CalvinFold]

Considering my setup, maybe these aren't too bad?

• White-Tailed Kite at about 100m in overcast conditions. I take alot of shots on these kites.
• A little less noisy photo at the same distance under better lighting of a White-Tailed Kite.
• Juvenile Red-Shoudered Hawk at 210m. About an hour after sunup.
• A Red-Tailed Hawk at 200m, pretty sunrise lighting.
• My distance record, at 300m, a Juvenile White-Tailed Kite.

Distances measured using Google Maps using known/visible landmarks. I intentionally crop close because, well, I want to see the bird! Also quite often it's to crop-out vignetting and lens flare inherent to the setup and position of the sun (a couple hours after sunup and before sundown).

 

[vdaffyduck]

Peregrine Falcon

2 weeks ago I had the chance to spot a Peregrine Falcon feeding in the salt marsh near St. Peter-Ording, North Sea, Germany. It was about 150 meters away. So I cranked the Kowa Zoom to 60x (884) and the Nikon S1 to full zoom (75mm) . Thats about 4500mm eq. But I couldn't recognize the bird on the ground ;-) There is some noise in the picture, but I had to use ISO 1600 because of the strong wind....

 

[vdaffyduck]

It's not a bird, but the distance is also extreme and the moon looks so nice today. I played a little bit with different magnification (30x, 50x and 70x) with the swarovski STX95 + TLS + OMD-E-10. The pictiures are only resized. I think for this kind of photos I need a equatorial mount to decrease ISO and following the movement of the moon - but so far, it looks not so bad.

regards,
Mario

Very nice shots with a lot of detail - and absolutely no chromatical aberrations!!!

 

[janvangastel]

Short-toed Eagle

The bird I digiscoped at the largers distance is the attached Short-toed Eagle, at a little more then 600 meters. See for more log distance shots my long distance album at http://gallery.janvangastel.nl/#!album-0.

 

[Neil]

2 weeks ago I had the chance to spot a Peregrine Falcon feeding in the salt marsh near St. Peter-Ording, North Sea, Germany. It was about 150 meters away. So I cranked the Kowa Zoom to 60x (884) and the Nikon S1 to full zoom (75mm) . Thats about 4500mm eq. But I couldn't recognize the bird on the ground ;-) There is some noise in the picture, but I had to use ISO 1600 because of the strong wind....

Wow. That turned out well at that distance. Nice.
Neil.

 

[Neil]

The bird I digiscoped at the largers distance is the attached Short-toed Eagle, at a little more then 600 meters. See for more log distance shots my long distance album at http://gallery.janvangastel.nl/#!album-0.

Nice id flight shot.
Neil.

 

[Neil]

If I understand the theme of the original post then you were looking for pics taken at extreme distances (compared to most digiscoping pics) with higher magnifications and possibly poor environmental conditions.

Well the pics below were taken of a Black-crowned Night Heron (rare for my county of the state). Distance was 160 yards. The first pic was with zoom at 25x and the Iphone at no magnification. The second pic was with the Iphone pushed to full zoom and the zoom cranked up to 75X.

Iphone 5S
Theron Mag 82 mm spotting scope.

Extreme distance,extreme magnification and extreme weather.
Nice work with the iphone.
Neil.

 

[FrankD]

Extreme distance,extreme magnification and extreme weather.
Nice work with the iphone.
Neil.

Thanks Neil. Will see what I can do with those criteria in mind in the future.

 

[vdaffyduck]

Wow. That turned out well at that distance. Nice.
Neil.

Thank you. I had only two keepers out of 100....

 

[David Hatton]

a king's view

Hello - I produced this 'super-digiscope' attempt a few years ago - showing that I could resolve a small red flag on Great St Mary's Church adjacent to the iconic King's College Chapel in Cambridge, UK, photographed from the neighbouring county of Hertfordshire. From an OS map, I have measured the distance of the buildings to me as 20,000 metres. Interestingly, photographing the scene at this range gives the impression that the chapel is not nestling amongst the city's numerous buildings!
BTW I resisted changing to an LX7 panasonic as the newer model lost the useful filter thread surrounding the lens housing. The fluorite-crystal 823 kowa scope I use is now ~16 years old but still produces great images despite regular heavy use over the years. I'm not yet convinced I would get much better IQ from the replacement 88 mm model - but its successor could be tempting!

David

David Hatton, Royston, UK

 

[Neil]

Hello - I produced this 'super-digiscope' attempt a few years ago - showing that I could resolve a small red flag on Great St Mary's Church adjacent to the iconic King's College Chapel in Cambridge, UK, photographed from the neighbouring county of Hertfordshire. From an OS map, I have measured the distance of the buildings to me as 20,000 metres. Interestingly, photographing the scene at this range gives the impression that the chapel is not nestling amongst the city's numerous buildings!
BTW I resisted changing to an LX7 panasonic as the newer model lost the useful filter thread surrounding the lens housing. The fluorite-crystal 823 kowa scope I use is now ~16 years old but still produces great images despite regular heavy use over the years. I'm not yet convinced I would get much better IQ from the replacement 88 mm model - but its successor could be tempting!

David


Impressive distance David. It's more likely that air quality and time of day would make a bigger difference at that distance than a new scope or camera.
Neil.