Need a little advice/opinions..

I'm trying to decide which is the way to go for wildlife photography, and figured you guy's are the ones to ask.

Field scope with camera attachment or long zoom/telephoto??? Are their pro's and cons that need to be considered!?! I doubt i'll be getting anything this side of christmas, so plenty of thinking time.

Dam good question. I would guess long zoom but only because I have no idea what a Field scope is.

Renboy wrote in post #2252422
Dam good question. I would guess long zoom but only because I have no idea what a Field scope is.

hehe! It's a telescope used for wildlife/bird watching. The type you see in hides, at nature reserves etc. A friend of mine has one, about x30 magnification. The 75-300mm lens i borrowed wasn't even as powerful as my x10 magnification binoculars (or at least that's how it seemed when looking through the viewfinder!?!). That got me to thinking...

I was thinking the same thing Scott... it is a good question and one I would like to know too..

Dave

Okay, let's try a different question...

Do any of you use a field scope?

Or do any of you know anything about using these scopes for photography, any rumours etc!?!

Here's some info on digiscoping. Might be what your thinking about.
http://www.google.com …q=digiscoping&b​tnG=Search

was looking into that myself only last night....turns out the pictures are not as sharp through a scope as with a lens..but quite acceptable?
only compacts are reccomended for scopes..most maufacturers only have adapters for compacts to scopes..and then they reccomend anly a few compacts (ie nikon,lieca etc )with a threaded lens...hope this helps
yes i know that slrs can fit telescopes but spotting scopes are a different ball game

Ask Alex Paul about it next time you see some of his bird shots. One telescope that is very good for photography is the Orion ED80. Gives you about 1200mm focal length. He seems to do OK with it.

You can't use just any scope though, it has to have lens coatings and special glass or you get terrible color shifts when using a digital camera with it. I have no experience with it yet, but seriously thinking about it.

Thanks for the info everyone, plenty to think about there.

I use a Nikon 82mm field scope ... with a ccd adapter for video work, I have an adapter for my G6 but very, very rarely use it as I want high quality images.

For still images I use a 20D with a 100-400.

The Scope with a compact camera provides acceptable images, although it does better with the video as it is a fixed focal distance and I prefer the range provided by the 100-400, besides the fact it is image stabilized...

Hi beano,
Why don’t you try my own personal invention from 5 years ago; become a:
--- COUCH POTATO WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER! ---

Well, I have to admit that it actually did not quite work out as the Title suggests. It's just too much of a contradiction to combine a “TV watching Couch Potato" with a "rugged outdoor man" who gets up at 5 'O clock in the morning to hike the "Wilderness" in all weather, even in ice and snow. ---- Now I have developed some kind of compromise where I am telling the WILD animals, --- the raccoons, the deer, the possums, the groundhogs, squirrels and one skunk to just to pretend to be wild and knock on my door when they come for breakfast, brunch or dinner.
The secret to get this working is the same as for most small businesses, namely:
----- Location, Location, Location! ------

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Harry Winter wrote in post #2258397
Hi beano,
Why don’t you try my own personal invention from 5 years ago; become a:
--- COUCH POTATO WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER! ---

Not much chance of that around here lol! Usually get Jays in Autumn, but even they haven't been around yet this year...

That must've been tough bringing up that fawn, how long was it living with you?

beano wrote in post #2259989
That must've been tough bringing up that fawn, how long was it living with you?

Well Scott,
It meant lots of times spend with this bugger, but also fun for both of us. Toyshka stayed with her "Step-Father", (me) for about 6 month and from then on came only for weekly visits to get "grapes", to lick (slobber) the cat Jasmine and to have her "burs" brushed out. Following that, she would take my "burs" out. (I have several shirts with most buttons missing. It's caused by her difficulty with English language, Buttons and Burs sound the same to her.)
I spend a lot of time "talking" to her to make her understand English, but animals don't use "words" when they think. If you have either a cat or dog Scott, you might know how to communicate with them --- they do pick-up your emotions and that is the way to actually talk to them. (Dr. Dolittle and "The horse Whisperer" are good examples.) ---
When in early autumn the other deer came to my driveway to eat shelled corn and apple slices I was just feeding Toyshka in her shed again. Through the transparent plastic she could see these deer and that frightened her and she ask me: What are these big MONSTERS out their? --- These are not monsters Toyshka, I answered her, but lovely deer, just like you are!
She gave me one of her "slid-eyed" looks and said:
------- NOW YOU'R REALLY PUTTING ME ON!
During the next days however she actually began to look forward to meeting these other deer and greeted them. ------- I imagine she said:
"Welcome to the Granville Deer-Diner, I am Toyshka your hostess."


This is "Maxi and Mori", ten feet in front of my main door --- these two are truly wild, not just pretending to be so as Toyshka is. I am totally surprised by Maxi staring at me and say: What are you doing here in the middle of the day? (While I am taking a "snap-shot" with the lens being set at its wide-angle, 28mm.) We came for Brunch. Maxi says, Would you care to join us? --- Why not I answer and turn to get some apples for desert when Mori looks around, sees me and runs away with Maxi following her as always.

It's the story of my life, people I have not seen for a long time stop me on the street and say, We must have lunch together soon, I'll call you! --- and then they never do.

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Hehe! You have a great way with stories, i think you should write a childrens book Harry, maybe to teach them about the local animals.

philbyuk wrote in post #2257917
was looking into that myself only last night....turns out the pictures are not as sharp through a scope as with a lens..but quite acceptable?
only compacts are reccomended for scopes..most maufacturers only have adapters for compacts to scopes..and then they reccomend anly a few compacts (ie nikon,lieca etc )with a threaded lens...hope this helps
yes i know that slrs can fit telescopes but spotting scopes are a different ball game

Meade does make spotting scope versions of it's telescopes that can take SLRs. They just strip off all the motors and computers.