Using DSLR for digiscoping

[clydebirder]

I tried out using the Canon EOS 20D with the EF-S 18-55mm lens hand held to a 20xWA eyepiece on my Leica APO-Televid 77 scope. Despite taking the image in bad light, at 30th second shutter speed and set at 800 ISO the image came out remarkably well. Will need to explore this further.

BELOW: test shot of a Dipper on the River Kelvin this-morning.


cheers, John

[bassist]

Was just today going to put up a thread about this and how to do it........!its called tele photography using dslr cameras...........!apparently you can buy attachments that will enable your scope to be used as a lens with your dslr.Though how you know what you want to photo ,is something else i am confused about...as usual.... peace..!Just your local dipper eh john......never bloody seen one....hehe!

[clydebirder]

Originally Posted by bassist

Was just today going to put up a thread about this and how to do it........!its called tele photography using dslr cameras...........!apparently you can buy attachments that will enable your scope to be used as a lens with your dslr.Though how you know what you want to photo ,is something else i am confused about...as usual.... peace..!Just your local dipper eh john......never bloody seen one....hehe!

The only problem with tele-photography is that you are restricted to f/8 or f/10 and need good lighting to get results. It also means you can't really use the scope for birding while taking photos as you have to remove the eyepiece to fit the adaptor, the way I tried today means you can go between birding and taking photographs in seconds and you can get the full range of f stops for lower light photography, I couldn't have got that image using the tele-adaptor as the light would have been too low.

I have 3 pairs of Dipper within 2 miles of my flat, quite convenient, one of them is only 10 mins walk from here

cheers, John

[DorsetBoy]

Hi John.
That is a really good photo, just holding your DSLR up to the lens. I have an adapter that fixes my compact to my spotting scope & I haven't yet managed to get a photo anywhere near the quality of yours. I have only just started!
I am waiting on the arrival of a new larger scope & I am hoping that my digiscoping efforts will improve? If that is just a start, handheld? Then you are going to produce some amazing photo's with a proper adapter. Kind regards. Pete.

[jonven]

Hi All,
Just read your post on using a scope with a Dslr, although i cant comment on using a Dslr i can say abit about the type of gear i use, first my scope is a swaro ATS80 HD with 20x60 eye piece, with this i use my Nikon p6000 point and shoot, I also have the digital camera base with balance rail just incase i do decide to use an heavyer camera.

I have also just purchased a copy UR-E21lens adapter(£4.50 including postage from china) if you can get one over here which is an almost impossibility they charge around £21/25, anyway this I leave on the camera so even if i remove it from the scope it helps protect the lens, anyway now i have set it up on the scope once i can remove it and put it back on no messing ready to shoot within 2 seconds, if i want to switch from taking an image to just veiwing then i tip the DCB up and the camera swings out of the way and i am straight on the eyepiece, its a great set up really and dead simple to use all i have to master now is taking a good image in manual.(lol).

Anyway better finnish befor someone tells me off, hope this is helpful to anyone.
regards Mike

[Callander1]

OK. So there is a lot more to digiscoping than one first envisaged. And a spotting scope does mean one more thing to lug about. I appreciate what John said, about digiscoped pictures not being as good as DSLR pictures. But at the same time. I have seen some excellent results taken with just a compact attached. I will just have to get out there and try it.