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Mirrorless camera help? (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Nooch2222
- Start date
The cheapest Nikon Mirrorless is substantially over your budget (£699 sterling) - don't forget they use the Z mount not the traditional F mount if that's what your T2 mount is.
I don't know much about Canon's offerings or mounts.
Costs of mounts are inexpensive compared to cameras - it might be worth looking at Olympus/Panasonic M43 bodies too
Ok thank you ill take a look at those. I've never used a camera just phones to digiscoping. Thank you
Peregrine Took
Well-known member
I used my Fuji X-T1 professionally for several years (for architectural and commercial photography), but I've not digi-scoped with it. It's old and only 16mpx, but now I'm retired every time I think about updating it I can find no good reason. You can get hold of a good one for $300. I imagine you can get a good used X-T2 (24mpx) for under your budget. They are a joy to use, ergonomically, and have a larger sensor than some of the recommendations you've had so far.
I swapped my top of the range Nikon DSLR for the Fuji and before that I used Canon... in general, IMHO, Fuji and Sony lead the mirrorless pack, with Panasonic and Olympus close behind (look out for those small sensors though). No need to feel bad about not being able to afford Nikon and Canon (traditionally the two most-used professional SLR/DSLR camera brands), since with mirrorless they're now playing catch-up, while charging customers a premium for the privilege.
Just my opinions of course. Good luck.
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I swapped my top of the range Nikon DSLR for the Fuji and before that I used Canon... in general, IMHO, Fuji and Sony lead the mirrorless pack, with Panasonic and Olympus close behind (look out for those small sensors though). No need to feel bad about not being able to afford Nikon and Canon (traditionally the two most-used professional SLR/DSLR camera brands), since with mirrorless they're now playing catch-up, while charging customers a premium for the privilege.
Just my opinions of course. Good luck.
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I'm a complete beginner, but tried a few cameras before I found the right one. I use a Kowa TSN3 with TZE9B (20-60x) the adapter I use is the kowa TSN DA1 (what Kowa defines for compact cameras).
I have tried different camera bodies and different lenses, but now I have found the right pair (for me) Panasonic gx800 (GX850 or gf10 depending on the market) has all the 4K photographic functions (I often use post focus) it is light and is commanded by smatphone or tablet via app. All very comfortable. Panasonic 30 macro optics: it is stabilized and does not vignette.
PS sorry for my english... I often help myself with google translator.
I have tried different camera bodies and different lenses, but now I have found the right pair (for me) Panasonic gx800 (GX850 or gf10 depending on the market) has all the 4K photographic functions (I often use post focus) it is light and is commanded by smatphone or tablet via app. All very comfortable. Panasonic 30 macro optics: it is stabilized and does not vignette.
PS sorry for my english... I often help myself with google translator.
Nooch, I am your opposite - I have a very lightweight Olympus O-M1 Mark iii camera and am interested in paring that with a scope. I know another birder who is pretty committed to Olympus and he has a Swarovski with a Swarovski-made adapter for his cameras. I am pretty sure that Swarovski makes components for all the major camera brands.
My problem is, what scopes are on the market that will work relatively easily with my Olympus bodies? I am not sure I'd want to spend the money for a Swarovski - as interested as I am in digiscoping I have doubts about the quality of photos from such a combo vs the Olympus pro lenses. Good luck - perhaps you've found your answer by now.
Hi Tom, from what I know to get good images you need fluorite lenses. Personally, I use the Kowa TSN 3 and I'm quite happy having updated it with a recent eyepice and it's available at quite reasonable prices; lately I have seen that the Kowa TSN 823 and 824, a little more recent than mine, are also available at affordable prices.
I found it beneficial to use a macro lens on the camera.
I found it beneficial to use a macro lens on the camera.
Grazie, Luca! I didn’t realize that the camera lens would stay on the camera when shooting through a scope. Or, are you referring to a phone camera.
I was referring to Olympus: you can take pictures using the telescope directly as the lens and then you'll get a powerful tele manual focus, or you can use the camera lens and take pictures through the eyepiece, if you use an autofocus lens this will help in part the small focus adjustments. If you have a 30x eyepiece on your spotting scope and use a 30mm macro you will find yourself photographing with a 900mm on m4/3 format and equivalent to 1800mm on Leica format. That said, you need a very stable tripod and head.
Excuse my bad english... luckily google exists.
Excuse my bad english... luckily google exists.
Much better than my Italian! Thanks, Luca, I had no idea that such a combination was possible. We’re you satisfied with the clariTy and color rendition from your macro setup?
Let's say that the system has limits and we shouldn't expect the resolution, contrasts and colors of a telephoto lens created for the photographer; there is a need for chromatically correct optics (flurite); but the photos, with a little experience, are not bad; bear in mind that it is easy to get to photograph with focal lengths around 1200-3600mm (these are equivalent focal lengths to the leica format using a 60 macro and a 20-60x eyepiece on Olympus), therefore in addition to the "imperfections" of the lens they will degrade the imagine the vibrations of the telescope if the tripod is not stable and the mass of air between you and the subject. At first it's easy to try shooting at very long distances and then, at home, be disappointed with the quality of the shots, but at reasonable distances the shots will be acceptable.
Here is a site full of images taken with the digiscoping technique: Souvenirs ailés / Feathered Memories
Here is a site full of images taken with the digiscoping technique: Souvenirs ailés / Feathered Memories
Thanks, again. The reasonable conclusion for me is to buy a scope if I want to observe distant birds and perhaps I will eventually try photography through the scope.
Exactly, here in Europe the old fluorite Kowas (TSN 3 and TSN 4) can be found for around €300-400 with a little luck. If you manage to find one in good condition, it will surely give you excellent viewing satisfaction and there won't be huge differences with the newer ones, if you want you can even take some photos of it.
Bye, see you soon
Bye, see you soon
SurreyAlan
Member
I have a similar setup to you but with the 65mm ATX, yours will gather more light and be much better than mine. While I've been delighted looking through it I've always been underwhelmed by the quality of the photos using a Canon M50 on the TLS-APO, at times the guy next to me holding an ancient mobile over his eyepiece has done better. For reasons I don't understand I found the quality of video was better than stills. I've just bought a Canon R7 with the cheap RF100-400 and a 1.4 teleconvertor and found that has the edge over digiscoping and it's a lot less weight, I don't have to set everything up on a tripod I can just point and shoot. I love looking through the Swarovski as the clarity is amazing and certainly digiscoping has helped with Id over some ludicrous distances but it's never really done it for me. The R7 is better than the M50, they're both APS-C crop sensors but the R7 has a lot more pixels. That said some people get amazing results but not me. A camera that has connectivity so you operate it without touching is essential. The TLS-APO is very easy to put on and take off, the M50 is small and sits in a peak design clip on the tripod harness so very convenient.
Hi, I'm sure your ATX 65 can deliver great images too. I can tell you that most of the poor photos I have taken, and I have taken many, are mainly due to three reasons: unstable tripod, subjects too distant, errors in camera settings. Then you have to find the right objective to use with your eyepiece: after several tests I got the pana 30 macro and finally everything works properly. I use the Panasonic GX9 with the 100-300 alongside digiscoping: they are two profoundly different and complementary approaches.
Jason Bugay Reyes
Well-known member
I have used this setup since 2014 with Nikon DSLR and also mirrorless. I think for your budget, get the Canon R100 that shoots at 24 megapixels with 4K video etc
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