Is Digiscoping worth it?

Greetings.

I am wondering if Digiscoping is worth it, Since it costs around 1600 pounds for the setup im thinking about getting (G11 with Swarovski STM 65 Straight Spotting Scope and Swarovski Universal Camera Adapter UCA) i am wondering if the picture qauilty is good enough for prints (small ones, like the ones you use too get then you handed in a roll of film too the camera store) and posters

anyone got any thoughts?

As a "former" 'scoper, I'll say the answer is both yes and no. Some folks are doing wonders with the scope/point & shoot combo, while others don't seem to have much luck at all. I tend to fall in the latter group, and have much better results with a DSLR and 100-400L combo. I'd refer you to birdforum.net and Andy Bright's digiscoping site for more detailed info.

What are you guys talking about? I'm curious.

Mike, digiscoping is a method of coupling a digital camera (usually, but not always a point & shoot) to a high-quality spotting scope and effectively using the scope as a long telephoto lens. You usually find it discussed and used quite a bit with Birders. Below are some good links for more info about digiscoping, and one of my old digiscoped photos using a Coolpix 4500 (3 MP) and Zeiss 85T*FL scope.


http://www.birds.corne​ll.edu …utBirds/gear/Di​giscoping/

http://www.digiscoped.​com/

http://www.birdforum.n​et

Never really got into digiscoping but I'd much rather use an angled scope. Makes it much easier to see the screen on the camera.

Digiscoping for me because it is a challenge and a lot of fun. I think originally people who didn't want to shell out 10K for a huge EOS lens to get 800mm figured hey why not use this spotting scope that can give me 1000+ mm's.
That and some spotting scopes are waterproof. Couple that with a waterproof point-n-shoot and woohoo.
But there is the issue of IQ, and most point-n-shoots have sensors the size of your pinky nail
Here is a House Finch digiscoped using a Sony A6000-
https://www.flickr.com …/album-72157643414732075/
I would embed it but it posted already somewhere on POTN
Now here is a pic digiscoped with my Note 4 (phone)
https://www.flickr.com …660/in/datepost​ed-public/
The PhoneSkope adapter made that quite possible and even more exciting is this pic (again already imbedded
somewhere here on POTN so I wont waste bandwith)
https://www.flickr.com …055/in/datepost​ed-public/
This was done with the Minox M 50 and my phone via the same PhoneSkope.
Why exciting? Because the little Minox is 21 ounces/$260/waterproof​/fogproof.
http://www.eagleoptics​.com …m-straight-spotting-scope
Remember its the camera and scope you have with you

it is def. challenging. i can handhold my 600 II + 2x III and get sharp images all day long, not so w/ digiscoping. it is a skill for sure.

The king...er queen of digiscoping is tara tanaka. here is her page.

https://www.flickr.com​/people/focused-on-birds/

bigcountry wrote in post #17561701
it is def. challenging. i can handhold my 600 II + 2x III and get sharp images all day long, not so w/ digiscoping. it is a skill for sure.

The king...er queen of digiscoping is tara tanaka. here is her page.

https://www.flickr.com​/people/focused-on-birds/

My god, her images are nearly unreal... the light, let alone the clarity and sharpness and zero ISO noise showing up, but that light... that warm, contrasty light, it's like shooting just before sunset every, .... yet no ISO noise.

Unreal.

GH4 + STX95, an all weather sealed setup that is basically 1000mm. And again, enough ISO to stop motion like that. Seriously nice glass and very good quality from that M43.
Though that's like a $4000 setup she's using. Still cheaper, lighter, significantly, than an 800 F5.6L with 1.4x TC and 1DIV or 1DX or 7D2, etc.

The trade off? Manual focus.

Very best,

Tara is a Flickr friend and will gladly help along any curious about digiscoping.
I've written her via Flickr and she was always keen to suggest.
If you want to know more about her here is a podcast/interview/blog​:
http://thisweekinphoto​.com …ing-wildlife-tara-tanaka/
She is the first (that I know of) person to have a digiscoped image hanging in the Smithsonian!
One thing to note about the GH4, and if you go to the link above and scroll down and see the
bunnies hoping in the air......and she mentions 4K photo in that link. The GH4 (to me) is one of
those freak cameras that can actually video capture better than it can 'image'. It's no slouch imaging
we all know that but 4K video for lots of reasons (beyond the scope of my reply) can really grab a lot
of data....and suffice it to say that 4K photo is a picture (8megapixels) taken/extracted/harves​ted out of
a 4K photo shoot which is actually video where you know you intend to extract images versus make a video.
I believe she states in the podcast that the bunnies were taken this way. Here is an example of a photo I
harvested in this same manner-

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/r3Dx​Cb

Digiscoping is challenging, because everything is manual, camera lag, etc.. but you can get very close to the subject from very far. You can get very good picture, but you need very good scope: HD, fluorite glass, wide angle 30X eyepiece. you also need light, so a 80mm to 100mm. With the 65mm you lost a lot of light and restreint to sunny day light. Stability: very good tripod, sturdy video head. Here are 2 samples I take in the past: scope Nikon 82mm, fixed wide-angle 30X, Nikon coolpix P1 or coolpix 4500. The owl with is catch was my more challenging one: movement far away and no light except the tunnel of light behind. I just catch it when he lift the mouse to eat it in that spot.

Awesome work Avan !!!

Thanks!