First time out with a bit of an unusual gear

Hello

I'm not much of a bird photographer but I like nature and I'm into astronomy and have some guns capable of serious reach. So I thought why the hell not? I packed my stuff and went to some random location in a wood nearby. And immediately ran into problems like minimal focus distance and weight. MFD is about 50 meters which is a bit far and you aren't really mobile with more than 30 kilos of telescope on board. It is hard to spot smaller birds from 50 meters away if they aren't moving. Most of them just blend with the surrounding leaves and branches and what not. Still I managed to get a couple of reasonably good shots. Next time around I'll bring some extension rings to make minimal focus distance closer and most importantly more tea and sandwitches

Gear used: Canon 350D, T2 EOS adapter ring, Sky-Watcher Dobsonian 1200mm F6

Anyway, have a look at them yourself. Comments and critique are welcome!

1. Turdus merula male

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Wow nice pictures.
You gunna have to build your arms up for handheld!!! lol.
Thanks for sharing.
Chris.
Ps Would like to see any contrails you might have taken...link?

athlete1 wrote in post #9935123
Wow nice pictures.
You gunna have to build your arms up for handheld!!! lol.
Thanks for sharing.
Chris.
Ps Would like to see any contrails you might have taken...link?

Hahah, that's going to take a while Glad you like it!

Contrails? You mean like a jet contrail?

Beautiful shots

Can you pan with that baby?
Nice shot!

rw2 wrote in post #9935365
Can you pan with that baby?
Nice shot!

Thanks! It is quite hard to aim it plus shallow DOF and manual focus only makes up for a big challenge but it is possible to pan once you get your target in to the field of view.

Wow, those are really nice. How far away was the bird? I just Googled this scope, Adorama has this model, but an open girder type tube, for under $400, does that sound right?

canonloader wrote in post #9935417
Wow, those are really nice. How far away was the bird? I just Googled this scope, Adorama has this model, but an open girder type tube, for under $400, does that sound right?

Thank you
Yeah, 400$ sounds quite about right. The bird was just beyond minimal focus distance. I could barely focus. So about 50 meters I think. Never measured it but I believe it's between 40 and 60 meters.

These are fantastic, very nice quality. I wouldn't have expected such good results from a reflector.

I've shot with my refractors and you're right, focus is a big challenge and when the action starts it gets even tougher.

Impressive work.

Wow... that's a bit much in terms of tramping about the woods, but I can sure see some uses for it at wildlife reserves and the like.

The ones you did get are sensational with exceptional IQ but I can also see that birds in flight won't be your priority. Good for you in trying this.

Amazing. Did any people see you? I can't imagine the interest this thing might be generating.

Interesting concept, as said I think birds in flight could be tricky

Really challenging setup and taking distance into consideration great shots. Now you have to find some nests. I don't remember anyone else from Lithuania, welcome. With this setup you can photograph birds in neighboring countries.

I'm thinking take the middle seat out of my van and mount it in there so I can shoot out the side door or the rear.