Wow !
Alexis that is super merci !
excellent !
even though on re-reading it is not good news
and as you completly gob-smacked me with the quality and rapidity of your reply I have another question :
given that for obscure French reasons my employer has to buy me a "retirement present"
and i would like to start taking picture of birds on mudflats what would be an optimum set up ???
thanks again
B
Optimum is a dangerous word. And it would be _super_ expensive. And it depends on what you are trying to do.
I'm not an experienced digiscoper, but recently, I've had need for it for my research as a biologist, so I've done a bit to educate myself and am putting together a kit for my needs. [Because of that, and because I also happen to own the Nikon Fieldscope I, I was able to answer your first question very quickly and precisely]. An optimum setup for my purposes would consist of a sturdy carbon-fiber tripod, sturdy easy-handling video pan head, full-frame EVF camera with in-body image stabilization, pancake style ~45mm (for 35 mm full-frame) lens, high quality camera to scope connector, and a top-end scope with a really nice zoom eyepiece. Swarovski is the only top-end scope company that really seems to take digiscoping seriously, so if you have the money, you can put together a really nice setup with a superb Swarovski scope and dedicated Swarovski accessories. The other brands require a bit more work assembling a setup using products from multiple suppliers.
The setup that that I'm looking to assemble is not optimal, but is much less expensive and will be more than adequate for my and my grad students' research needs. I'm aiming for as much quality as I can get in a mid-priced rig, and I don't care about weight. What I'm after is something like the following:
Benro TMA37AL Long Series 3 Mach3 Aluminum Tripod [Carbon fiber version would be nicer, but this is cheap]
Manfrotto 502AH video head [Has very nice handling if you attach the handle backwards]
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera [cheap, excellent EVF, good in-body stabilization]
Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH lens [is pancake style, and for micro 4/3 is equivalent to 40 mm]
Olympus RM-UC1 remote cable release [I like wires rather than wireless; this works w/the M10 II but not the III]
Novagrade camera adapter w/46 mm ring
I will use my existing Nikon 78ED and 82ED Fieldscopes with 30x DS or 25-75 zoom eyepices. I've tested them and they work fine. However, I am considering getting another scope that would allow use of a wide-angle zoom, such as a Kowa 773, Kowa 883, or the Meopta S2. Or maybe I'll go cheap with the top offering from either Vortex or Athlon Optics.
Hope this points you in the right direction or is a useful starting point for your own product research.
--AP