JGobeil
Nature Photographer
Much has been written on this debate of DSLR versus P&S.
As I see it, the range of the DSLR is limited by weight and price. The 800mm Sigmonster will produce 50X (800x1.6x2) but a complete set-up with camera and tripod will weight in excess of 10 kg and costs 15K$.
The digiscoping setup can reach further and is reasonably priced. It is limited by atmospheric haze and the quality of the optics. IMO good quality very long range photography very difficult.
As far as my photography is concerned, I consider that the practical limit of my DSLR is around 20 meters (18X). Then my digiscoping setup takes over and will effectively reach to about 100 meters (60X). Further than those distances is cheating - sacrificing quality to get distance. Even if I consider I am an experienced photographer, I still find it difficult to produce good quality pictures when digiscoping.
IMO, quality is the big limiting factor in digiscoping. It is difficult to take pictures that compare to the quality produced by a DSLR. Most of the pictures posted on this forum are of very poor quality. Some photographers have outstanding results and their work is top notch - but these are a minority.
As I see it, very long range digiscoping is limited by 5 factors:
1- Light -the more you magnify, the less light you have - low light increases digital noise big time because of high ISO.
2- Stability - the smallest movement, shake or vibration is amplified by your magnification factor.
3- Atmospheric haze and pollution
4- Optics - high magnification optics need a lot of glass and fittings - the more you add, the more you loose.
5- Combine the above 4 and focusing becomes extremely difficult.
As I see it, the range of the DSLR is limited by weight and price. The 800mm Sigmonster will produce 50X (800x1.6x2) but a complete set-up with camera and tripod will weight in excess of 10 kg and costs 15K$.
The digiscoping setup can reach further and is reasonably priced. It is limited by atmospheric haze and the quality of the optics. IMO good quality very long range photography very difficult.
As far as my photography is concerned, I consider that the practical limit of my DSLR is around 20 meters (18X). Then my digiscoping setup takes over and will effectively reach to about 100 meters (60X). Further than those distances is cheating - sacrificing quality to get distance. Even if I consider I am an experienced photographer, I still find it difficult to produce good quality pictures when digiscoping.
IMO, quality is the big limiting factor in digiscoping. It is difficult to take pictures that compare to the quality produced by a DSLR. Most of the pictures posted on this forum are of very poor quality. Some photographers have outstanding results and their work is top notch - but these are a minority.
As I see it, very long range digiscoping is limited by 5 factors:
1- Light -the more you magnify, the less light you have - low light increases digital noise big time because of high ISO.
2- Stability - the smallest movement, shake or vibration is amplified by your magnification factor.
3- Atmospheric haze and pollution
4- Optics - high magnification optics need a lot of glass and fittings - the more you add, the more you loose.
5- Combine the above 4 and focusing becomes extremely difficult.