Nikon P5100 (2 Viewers)

[Upland Birder]

I have read that (A) Aperture Priority is best for digiscoping with the P5100 but I am sure I have read somewhere that some digiscopers use the macro setting. When is it best to use macro for digiscoping? Secondly do you get better results with Aperture Priority or Macro?

Dean:t::t::t:

 

[pinussen]

I'm no expert as already established but would it be the AF Area Mode which gives you settings like Face Priority / Auto / Manual?

Yep, thats the one. In mine with swedish menus I have (freely translated) face priority, auto, manual, and middle. It's the "middle" setting which keeps the AF in the middle all the time. I'm not sure if the settings are different depending on what you have dialed in on the wheel. I guess it's best to have it on P, S, A or M to make sure you get all the available settings otherwise it might hade some of the settings.

I have read that (A) Aperture Priority is best for digiscoping with the P5100 but I am sure I have read somewhere that some digiscopers use the macro setting. When is it best to use macro for digiscoping? Secondly do you get better results with Aperture Priority or Macro?

You can use both at the same time. (A) affects the shutter and macro has to do with the lens being able to focus close to the lens. I usually use both at the same time.

 

[Lawts]

Yep, thats the one. In mine with swedish menus I have (freely translated) face priority, auto, manual, and middle. It's the "middle" setting which keeps the AF in the middle all the time. I'm not sure if the settings are different depending on what you have dialed in on the wheel. I guess it's best to have it on P, S, A or M to make sure you get all the available settings otherwise it might hade some of the settings.



You can use both at the same time. (A) affects the shutter and macro has to do with the lens being able to focus close to the lens. I usually use both at the same time.

Thanks very much.

 

[Lawts]

Hi ColinSev. I'm starting to get my head around the fact that F/2.7 will seemingly be better than F/4.4 and that the ISO gets far better results around 64 - 100 than it would at 200-400. Sounds pretty basic to note to anyone understanding photography but guess we all have to start somewhere.

I've also been guilty of not actually reading the literature, which I've now done. The one thing I still don't get is the f reading. Why is a lower F reading better? I can understand that a faster shutter speed would help to freeze action and make things sharper, and can also understand that a lower ISO will create less "noise" in the picture.

However, isn't the f reading just personal preference as to whether you want the background as sharp as the bird? Consequently wouldn't the S mode make more sense than A as the one to use?

Also, if P mode controls both for you but you still get all the benefits that you don't get with Auto, why not use P?

As always thanks for your help.

 

[Jaff]

Believe me, aperture priority (P even more so!) is a waste of time. Use Shutter priority or Manual mode you'll get far more keepers. The less you leave up to the camera the better, it'll get important stuff like shutter speed (in other words exposure!) wrong far more than you will.

I'd recommend manual and just leave the aperture wide open all the time and then set the shutter speed to control the exposure, if you're first shot is too dark set a lower shutter speed and if too bright vice versa, simple!

I've just loving my camera and I've actually cancelled the SRB swing away adapter as I'm doing great with my existing one (they were very good about that too as it was made and ready to be posted the day I rang! I'd like to thank them for their excellent customer service).

That's about the extent of my scoping experience.

 

[Neil]

The reason for selecting Aperture Priority is that we want to achieve the fastest shutter speed possible and Depth of Field is not part of the decision making process with digiscoping ( there's very little anyway ).
The Macro focusing steps are much finer . But I suspect that it also just keeps us at the low end of the zoom more often which is where the lens is faster (brighter) and therefore AF is more accurate. Over about 60% camera zoom I switch to Manual Focus (Infinity/Mountain) which is often more accurate , particularly in dull lighting conditions.
Neil.

 

[Dark Wolf]

Glare and Hoods

Dark Wolf:

Please let us know how the screen shield from Photosolve works out. Josef, in my thread on focus, says it works for him (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1269615#post1269615). I looked at their site, and it is not clear if one can successfully attach it to the 5100 with velcro, or must use the extra attachment hardware.

Bill

Sorry BillB, I have been off the radar for awhile. I ordered my to items to reduce glare from ScopeTronix (www.scopetronix.com). I received just the rectangular hood we talked about, but the 2x shield (HDCR) eyepiece never came. Scopetronix doesn't even have a phone number to reach them. They have one for returns, but when I tried it said the number was no longer good.

Hoodman has a lot of nice products but I got interested in the Loupe they have that is not attached but you put up to the LCD and it also has a 0 to 3x variable to help focus thru the camera.

Since I think Scopetronix is defunct I cancelled my order and called B&H about the Hoodman LCD Loupe. A salesperson said that the 2x only looked at a small portion of the LCD screen. He said the Loupe looked at the entire thing and was a pretty popular item with good reviews but it was backordered and about $70.00.

I did a Google search and found that just about everyone who reviewed it loved it, except one guy who thought it worked great, but when he dropped it an explosion of plastic parts went everywhere, so not very rugged.

Then I found a website: http://www.nicephotomag.com/feature-articles/nice-loupededoop-hoodman-loupe that actually works really well. My first try was rather rough but it really does work and it cost me $8.00. So I thought forget the $70.00 one.

Hope this helps.
Smeyer

 

[CAU]

Believe me, aperture priority (P even more so!) is a waste of time. Use Shutter priority or Manual mode you'll get far more keepers. The less you leave up to the camera the better, it'll get important stuff like shutter speed (in other words exposure!) wrong far more than you will.

I'd recommend manual and just leave the aperture wide open all the time and then set the shutter speed to control the exposure, if you're first shot is too dark set a lower shutter speed and if too bright vice versa, simple!

Like Neil says, if you use the widest possible aperture you'll always maximize the amount of light that will reach the sensor (as the DOF doesn't matter). In full manual mode, you would first need to select maximum aperture and then try to find an appropriate shutter time through trial and error. However, if you use the aperture priority mode, you'll first need to select maximum aperture and then the camera calculates the appropriate shutter time (depending on what kind of light metering you use).

When using the aperture priority mode you can fine tune the shutter time instead through the exposure compensation function, e.g. a value of -1 means that the camera uses half of the shutter time that it has calculated (and -2 means one fourth). The range offered by most PS cameras, i.e. -2 to +2, is IMO completely adequate for covering 99% of the different shooting situations, and the exposure compensation function might even be easier to access than the settings of the full manual mode (don't know how it is on P5100). Moreover, if you're familiar with the light metering of your camera, finding a correct exposure compensation for a given shot is often quite straightforward (not that much trial and error there).

 

[Lawts]

The reason for selecting Aperture Priority is that we want to achieve the fastest shutter speed possible and Depth of Field is not part of the decision making process with digiscoping ( there's very little anyway ).
The Macro focusing steps are much finer . But I suspect that it also just keeps us at the low end of the zoom more often which is where the lens is faster (brighter) and therefore AF is more accurate. Over about 60% camera zoom I switch to Manual Focus (Infinity/Mountain) which is often more accurate , particularly in dull lighting conditions.
Neil.

Thanks but I'm still confused. If depth of field doesn't matter and shutter speed does, wouldn't we better using S rather than A so we can control the shutter speed better?

Or as others have said why not use manual - always have the lowest possible f. amount and work up and down the shutter speed ratings as appropriate.

I still don't see why people are saying use A.

 

[Lawts]

In full manual mode, you would first need to select maximum aperture and then try to find an appropriate shutter time through trial and error. However, if you use the aperture priority mode, you'll first need to select maximum aperture and then the camera calculates the appropriate shutter time (depending on what kind of light metering you use).

Based on this, why use manual? If I use A, and select the widest aperture it allows, the camera, as you say calculates the appropriate shutter time.

Surely this is better than manual where the bird is likely to have flown before I hit on the right shutter speed?

Or...use S and let the camera select the appropriate aperture. I know M must exist for good reason, but how practical is it when trying to capture a bird?

 

[CAU]

Thanks but I'm still confused. If depth of field doesn't matter and shutter speed does, wouldn't we better using S rather than A so we can control the shutter speed better?

The DOF doesn't matter => you want to select maximum aperture => you need to use the aperture priority mode to do it

There wouldn't be any point in using shutter priority, as a shutter speed too fast even for the maximum aperture would lead to an underexposed picture.

If I use A, and select the widest aperture it allows, the camera, as you say calculates the appropriate shutter time.

Yes, and you can use the exposure control to fine tune the shutter speed:
Backlight => positive exposure compensation (leads to a slower shutter speed)
Fear of blown out details => negative exposure compensation (leads to a faster shutter speed)

Surely this is better than manual where the bird is likely to have flown before I hit on the right shutter speed?

Exactly.

Or...use S and let the camera select the appropriate aperture.

IMO there's not much point in this. Generally you don't want to use a specific shutter speed, but instead the fastest possible shutter speed. You can access the fastest possible shutter speed with certainty only when using the aperture priority mode (by selecting maximum aperture).

I know M must exist for good reason, but how practical is it when trying to capture a bird?

IMO not too useful.

 

[Jaff]

I told my dad to try it recently (lifelong aperture prioity guy) and he is converted. It works for me and it might work for you, just try it before dismissing it and don't be afraid of thinking you'll get it wrong all the time because in my experience the human brain is better than a camera's 'brain'. :t:

I takes me literally seconds before finding the right shutter speed, although I usually have a pretty good feel for what the lighting and zoom positions dictate so I'm never miles out with my first go but with practice it's easy to learn too.

 

[CAU]

the human brain is better than a camera's 'brain'. :t:

I agree with this, but you DO have control of the shutter speed when using the aperture priority mode. It is just called the "exposure compensation" function. For example, if the camera estimates the correct shutter speed to be 1/100s for a given aperture, you can adjust the shutter speed to be anywhere between 1/25s and 1/400s in steps of 1/3 EV. Compared to full manual mode, you set the shutter speed relative to a value calculated by the camera, which makes finding a good value easier (IMO).

 

[lisamillerart]

Eagle Eye?

having now bought both THE p5100 and nikon adaptor I've been very disappointed with the images I've been getting using the eagle-eye adaptor for my Opticron eyepiece. Vignetting is terrible, even at max. zoom. Is there a better/other eyepiece which would work better or do I just have to put up with it?

 

[RedOnGray]

I have tried it in P, S, and A. First using the suggested settings given on this thread where A is set, then I tried with S and finally P.

With S, after some fair amount of trial and error, I figure out what speed depending on the time of day, light availability, subject type that is to be captured (meaning wether the bird is constantly moving or stationary)...etc etc that I can almost dial up a speed setting and then fine tune. If subject is out in the open with very bright conditions will reccommend you give it a go.

With P, very time consuming, actually twice the amount of time and fiddling to get it right.

With A, very little camera adjustments and fine tuning to do.


As with everything in life, one can only get better and faster with learning and practice. I do get very good results with the camera set to both S and A but must admit that I have more quality pics with A where the subject is constantly hopping around in trees and underbush and time is in seconds of inactivity for a shot. If you are like I am, new to digiscoping and because of the limitations of the ISO settings with regards to noise in PS cameras then I would suggest the "A"settings reccommended in here as your starting point.

 

[Jaff]

I agree that aperture priority may well be the best option for people just starting out but once confidence has been achieved I'd still recommend having more of a go in Manual.
With A mode I'd say you have a degree of control over the shutter speed, the camera is still free to select different shutter speeds that could get it wrong at a critical moment, like if the bird does something interesting for that bit of action. I prefer to be in full control over all the settings, so if something does go wrong I can only blame myself. Like so many things in life though there is no right or wrong, only personal preference, it's up to the individual to find what works for them.

Lisa, have a look back to my post on page 21. You'll see the pics of the setup I told you about on your other thread, nothing's changed regarding my previous reply.

 

[Lawts]

I have tried it in P, S, and A. First using the suggested settings given on this thread where A is set, then I tried with S and finally P.

With S, after some fair amount of trial and error, I figure out what speed depending on the time of day, light availability, subject type that is to be captured (meaning wether the bird is constantly moving or stationary)...etc etc that I can almost dial up a speed setting and then fine tune. If subject is out in the open with very bright conditions will reccommend you give it a go.

With P, very time consuming, actually twice the amount of time and fiddling to get it right.

With A, very little camera adjustments and fine tuning to do.


As with everything in life, one can only get better and faster with learning and practice. I do get very good results with the camera set to both S and A but must admit that I have more quality pics with A where the subject is constantly hopping around in trees and underbush and time is in seconds of inactivity for a shot. If you are like I am, new to digiscoping and because of the limitations of the ISO settings with regards to noise in PS cameras then I would suggest the "A"settings reccommended in here as your starting point.

Please can you refresh the memory on the settings for A or direct me to the relevant thread number.

Thanks.

 

[Sleeper]

Hi Steve
These are the settings I personally and normally use.

http://www.wildrossendale.co.uk/60.html

 

[Lawts]

Hi Steve
These are the settings I personally and normally use.

http://www.wildrossendale.co.uk/60.html

Cheers Steve - very informative article.

 

[Robert L Jarvis]

I have just joined the P5100 club but have not had a chance to get out there and give a go. Have just been experimenting from the house to get familiar with the camera.

One thing I have found out if any of you are ex Canon A series users like myself and have a Pennineshop remote release bracket it will fit the P5100 and works well.