Newbie with Questions and Help Needed! (1 Viewer)

[leicarose]

Hi Fellow Bird Lovers,

I am trying to step out and expand my range of birding - with long lenses or digiscoping.
I'm at a bit of a disadvantage, and I don't live near any stores I can go to with either questions or for equipment advice.
I have asked some and gotten a lot of conflicting advice. Naturally! LOL .... My bird friends count on me for *their* photos! (copies! ...
I've been doing photography for decades but it seems once you start going out of bounds so to speak, all bets are off.
Like digiscoping. Been told to take thousands of pictures, play as much as possible with settings and practice practice practice. I have. Not with good results - so far some superzooms have out performed my digiscope. Very saddened by this as to me I feel like I have run out of options, or there is more equipment I just don't know about. I hope it is all errors on my part.

So, I have a Canon 5D MIII, a Canon 60D, and a T4i - I like to have a macro, general purpose lens and a long telephoto with me. I also have an Olympus Pen Ep3, Panasonic G5, Nikon V2, Pentax K30 Dslr, some long zooms - Canon SX50, Fuji XS1, Fuji HS50, and just tried and returned a Nikon P600 (too long inbetween shots). A few other smaller cameras.

On the advice of a salesman (phone) discussing my needs (need further than those superzooms of 1000-1200mm)....Longest Dslr lens is 400 mm.
Haven't had much luck with teleconverters. I need a little more reach - there are a lot of birds - local, migrating and rare near me - separated by a lot of swamp, woods, and private property 8-P

I recently bought (these above mentioned advice) a Celestron Regal M2 20-80 scope and mounted it to either the Canon 60D or T4i (don't want to bring the MIII into the swampy areas. I've gotten better photos with the long zooms (I prefer Fuji as I like the manual lens). I can't seem to get what I want in focus on the scope - to me it's like looking at a window screen in front of everything. My tripod (Manfroto and head) and equipment nearly outweigh me. I'm tiny and lightweight myself.

I've tried teleconverters with the Canon and Pentax but still not quite the reach (either 300mm or 400mm lenses) - and still got better photos with the long zooms -yet I need to go a little further.

I have to say when I look thru the scope at trees or large objects I have no problem - photos aren't great - but I get them in focus.

I've been reading about using the Nikon V2 yet I come across using Nikon's scopes which are a bit expensive for me. I can't spent $2,000. on just a scope - so maybe I should just ditch that idea altogether? I can't manufacture parts, do drilling or anything (but I can take computers and other electronics apart and fix them!).

I did get the adapter for the scope to attach a camera. None of my other cameras work with it - even tried a camcorder, and couldn't get it to focus.
I've been attaching the scope with a T adapter to the Canon D60 or T4i. I've also been told to try using a 'different' scope using the Canon and one of it's lenses, but I get lost in translation somewhere.

Am I being unrealistic? Are there options or alternatives for me that I just haven't come across or just don't understand?

Can anyone point me in a direction at this point? LOL ... I feel like I've been running around chasing my shadow trying this and that and then this again - and still have this nagging feeling - intuition! - that there is something better - or different - from what I've tried.

Thank you to everyone who even reads this all the way thru! I need to learn to edit myself - yet I do when I know what I'm actually talking about - right now I feel like I'm in 4th grade learning the Pythagorean theorem instead of the grasping multiplication and divison....

Issy

 

[janvangastel]

I am not the most experienced digiscoper (have only used one scope and one camera), but if you have really tried all those camera's on the Celestron telescope and none works well, the problem will be either the telescope or you doing something wrong. Did you try at low telescope magnification and not too much camera zoom on a not too far away (say 10 -15 meters), non-moving object, for instance a toy bird or something? If a picture comes out well then, try a little more camera zoom or telescope magnification and see where the image breaks down. To focus - but possibly you already know that - it is necessary to focus the telescope first while looking into the camera and only then use the autofocus. It is also possible to focus manualy with either the telescope alone or focus the telescope first and finetine with the camera's manual focus.

 

[leicarose]

Good Morning!

What I did was attach the dslr (Canon 60D or T4i) to the scope - no lens - can't figure out how to do it with the Celestron using a lens - stayed around 2040x magnification. Nothing comes out really sharp - and I generally don't have a problem focusing manually (coming from the old days of all-manual 35m). Using a very sturdy tripod, shutter speed around 1000. Of course every day all month has been very very windy.

Still I need a little bit more reach. My object is just a bit further away to see clearly.

Focusing on say, a house with a chimney is 'okay' but not spectacular in any way.

My other cameras don't fit with the Celestron adapter - even tried a jvc camcorder but could not get it to focus on anything. I suppose I could buy another point-and-shoot (not sure which one) - but was told the dslr would be better.

I still would like to the try the Nikon V2 but again, not sure what to buy or use. The Nikon site only shows using all Nikon equipment - and a bit pricey right now after I bought the other scope, etc.


I've read many of those posts but they go over my head right now. I'm going out today - warmer, surprisingly sunny! - and not as windy. If only the swamp wasn't so far away! LOL

Maybe I should just post in the camera section about the Nikon v2? Maybe I could be pointed in that direction and find out just what equipment they are using?

Thanks for replying, I really appreciate your help.

Issy

 

[Paul Corfield]

The method you are trying is eyepiece projection onto the camera sensor and this will always give poor results. It's a cheap way to try digiscoping but it's best left alone. Ideally get a lens on the camera, like a 28mm or 35mm at the most. The Regal scope allows you to change the eyepiece to any 1.25" astronomy type. Look for an eyepiece that has threads on for attaching a camera to. Then use a step ring from the eyepiece to the camera. Apart from that a point & shoot camera will work with the right eyepiece. An eyepiece that isn't zoom usually produces better results as they have much less glass in them.

Have a look through this Celestron Regal thread for some ideas. http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=180569&highlight=celestron+regal

Paul.

 

[leicarose]

Hello!

That is EXACTLY what I was looking for! I have called Celestron 2 times and spoke with different people. Both guys told me my scope 'does no such thing'...and there is no adapter. Perhaps it's third party and wouldn't say?

I will check out that link now.

Sometimes you just get a feeling something isn't right - so glad I posted that and have had replies!

Thanks very much for your time - your photos are very impressive!

Thanks,
Issy

 

[Neil]

I would concentrate on the Nikon V2 as it has internally focusing lenses so you can screw the lenses straight onto an adapter and the camera is light so not a problem. Use the 11-27.5 mm, the 18.5 mm or the 10-30 mm.
It is important that the setup is balanced when your head is loose. I prefer video heads like the Manfrotto 500 series.
Neil

 

[leicarose]

Newbie's Questions

Well - right now, MY head is loose! 8-P

I do have a Manfrotto tripod and head, not sure which model. It's out in my car - will go check in a bit.

Now to figure out what scope to get! - geez! 3