If you are interested in astronomical digiscoping, whether digiscoping distant galaxies or closer to home objects like the moon and planets, Phil Sokell from Optical Hardware has written this interesting article on digiscoping the sky at night.
The Big Olivon T90s Battle it out for Digiscoping supremacy. Does an ED spotting scope (featuring low dispersion glass) produce better results when digiscoping than a non ED model?
Is too much zoom a bad thing for digiscoping?
Do your research If you don't own any digiscoping equipment like a spotting scope or digital camera, search the web and get lots of advice on the correct tools for the job before making a purchase. Get to know your gear Before you start digiscoping, make sure you can operate your scope and camera individually making it easier when you combine the two. Don't run before you can walk Practice makes perfect, before you even think about taking an image of wildlife, test your camera and scope settings in your back garden. Use a tree or bush as a subject and experiment until you are confident you are using the best settings. Don't expect too much In my experience, possibly 90% of images taken on a digiscoping session will be thrown away, don't be disheartened, that's the beauty of digital photography, we can take as many pictures as we like, and only keep the good ones! - play with your settings to get the best picture. The buzz you get when going through your images and finding one that's just right is fantastic. Image manipulation All your images will require further work on your computer. This is perfectly normal. It is important that you purchase and get to know your way around your image editing software, it's just as important as your scope and camera, and will vastly improve your images. See the my technique pages for more help. Enjoy it! Don't get too bogged down and frustrated if you are out on a days digiscoping and your images are disappointing, there are many factors including the weather that can hinder your performance, remember why you are there - because you enjoy experiencing nature! The right conditions A lot of factors will determine the results of your digiscoping, not just your equipment, good light is important, allowing for faster shutter speeds in order to freeze bird motion and limit camera shake. Hot days can cause heat haze which will vastly reduce the quality of your results. Strong winds will increase the chance of camera shake, no matter how stable your tripod. Take Care Viewing the sun can cause permanent eye damage. Never view the sun with any optical equipment or even with the naked eye.
Always follow manufacturers instructions when attaching adapters to your optical equipment.
25.08.10 | broaden your view
I've been experimenting recently with some very nice eyepieces from Optical Hardware The nice feature about the Olivon T84-EDO spotting scope is that you can very easily change the eyepiece which has a standard 1.25" astro fitting. Now the standard 20-60x Olivon zoom eyepiece is a great bit of kit, but it's worth playing with other eyepiece when digiscoping to see what other options are available - I've been using thethe Ostara 20mm Super Wide angle and the Ostara 21mm ED eyeieces from Optical Hardware.These eyepieces give me approx 24x magnification (divide the focal length of your scope, 480mm in the case of the Olivon T84-EDO, by the focal length in mm of the eyepiece, to work out your magnification) which is perfect for digiscoping, and what's even better - the wide angle lens means I get no vignetting on my digital camera even at the widest zoom setting - giving me the full range of my optical zoom on my camera. Also, the Olivon T84-EDO system is still in its early days - with more eyepieces and adapters on the way - I'm getting really excited.
This year I have the great privilege of being at the Olivon stands for the final weekend at Photokina in Germany at the end of September - so when I get back - I'll fill you in with all the details on any new products on the way.
Recently I've been lucky enough to have a friend introduce me to a Badger set just a few hundred yards from their house and every night at around 7.45 the badgers appear and put on a great show. As dusk approaches - the Olivon T84-EDO really does perform well and gives good bright images even in these extreme conditions. Check out my latest video above. This was shot using the Olivon T84-EDO with the Ostara 20mm SWA eyepiece and the Praktica 12HD digital camera.
Please visit soon for a video about using the Ostara 20mm SWA and Ostara 21mm ED eyepiece.
One final note- digiscopediary has become a huge website - far bigger than I ever planned and reaching more people than I ever expected, It's brought me some great opportunities and allowed me access to some fantastic equipment - the time has come for a major overhaul - over the next few months as the darker nights draw in, I'm going to revamp the whole website - so that it's easier to find information - there is also going to be a lot more video tutorials on the site as I think these will be far more helpful than lengthy descriptions. Hopefully this site will become the site to visit for useful digiscoping advice.
Does your digital compact camera have a movie function? Ever thought about using it through your scope?
Most digital cameras are now equipped with the option of digital video. So why not utilise this great function whilst digiscoping? Recording video through your scope offers a whole new aspect to your digiscoping allowing you to record behavior and sound of your chosen subject matter.
Here are a few hints and tips to get you started.
A new section dedicated to DSLR photography.
Aimed at the beginner, DSLR diary features DSLR beginners guides, easy to understand DSLR advice and techniques for all types of DSLR photography including Macro, Wildlife, bird photography, landscape and photographing flowers.
The site also features my DSLR equipment including DSLR body, lenses and accessories plus DSLR picture galleries including a gallery featuring images of Wildlife, macro and landscape photography. As the site develops it will also include DSLR camera and equipment reviews. Click here to go to the new dslrdiary section
Updated 09.01.2010 - Big thanks for all contributors This months readers gallery digiscoped featured shot: Big thanks to Helen Holt who sent in this fantastic image of a Fieldfare in her garden - digiscoped through a double glazed bedroom window!
Photographer
Helen Holt
Subject
Fieldfare
Equipment
Swarovski ST80HD scope Coolpix 995 camera with an Eagleeye bracket and manual cable release
Digiscoping is the art of attaching a digital camera to a spotting scope to create powerful telephoto pictures.
Perfect for wildlife photography, especially bird watching, digiscoping lets you use the powerful zoom of your spotting scope, coupled with the ease of use and convenience of your digital camera - enabling you to get right in to your chosen subject and capture amazing images of wildlife, without having to get to close and risk disturbing your subject matter, all at the fraction of the cost of using an SLR camera with a large telephoto lens.
A keen birdwatcher, I have always wanted to capture close up images of birds, after a lot of research on the net, in my opinion, digiscoping is the perfect method.
This website aims to help anybody who is interested in digiscoping, whether a beginner or more advanced, the site features my digiscoping pictures, information on digiscoping equipment and techniques, hints and tips, plus useful digiscope links for further reading. All the advice on this website is written by myself, by no means an expert, that's the beauty of digiscoping, as long as you are confident enough using a spotting scope and are familiar with the basic settings of your digital camera, you can achieve fantastic images. If you are a beginner, I recommend you read my beginners guide to digiscoping before proceeding to the more detailed information available on this website.
The site is also an area for me to share and record my digiscope experiences throughout the year with other enthusiasts. Success and failures and anything I learn along the way can be found on the digiscope diary page.
The internet is packed with many digiscope websites, where you can discuss digiscoping, see inspiring pictures and learn the best techniques, the digiscoping links page is a great place to start.
If you would like to share any of your digiscoping experiences, images and advice on this website, please contact me.
Hope this site is of some use, all the best, and happy digiscoping,
Rob Wilton
Please feel free to use the images on this website for educational, private study or personal use.
All copyrights are retained by Robert Wilton.
Please contact me for enquiries about commercial use of images.
This is a non-commercial website.
The content is my own diary and findings. I accept no responsibility or liability if you choose to follow my advice.
The advice, reviews and opinions expressed in this website is based purely on my own preferences. You may find other settings work better for you and your equipment.
The owners of this site will use reasonable efforts to include up-to-date and accurate information in this Internet site, but makes no representations, warranties, or assurances as to the accuracy, currency, or completeness of the information provided. The owners of this site shall not be liable for any damages or injury resulting from your access to, or inability to access, this Internet site, or from your reliance on any information provided at this Internet site.
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