Where can I post about Digiscoping
Jan 24, 2017 16:32:41 #
I'm set up to take pictures with my Nikon DSLR through my spotting scope and I would like to discuss some concepts. I realize this is very esoteric, but I was hoping some people here could discuss it with me. Where should I post an OP on that subject?
Jan 24, 2017 16:43:42 #
Yackers
Loc: Norfolk, UK
I'm going to follow this with interest - I have just bought a spotting scope to have a go at digiscoping. I have done a bit of reading and it appears I have a lot to learn, which I am quite looking forward to.
Jan 24, 2017 16:51:57 #
Jan 24, 2017 16:56:23 #
Kind of what I figured since I'm getting responses. I'll write up details and come back to post in a bit.
Jan 24, 2017 17:27:45 #
Pegasus wrote:
I'm set up to take pictures with my Nikon DSLR through my spotting scope and I would like to discuss some concepts. I realize this is very esoteric, but I was hoping some people here could discuss it with me. Where should I post an OP on that subject?
whats wrong with the Astronomical Photograph section?
Jan 24, 2017 17:43:32 #
Jan 24, 2017 17:48:12 #
oldtigger wrote:
whats wrong with the Astronomical Photograph section?
Simply because it does not concern that field exclusively?
Jan 24, 2017 18:28:17 #
First, let me setup the discussion here.
The reason I'm getting into digiscoping is a little unique. I am a competitive shooter and have been for decades, most of my adult life in fact. I participate in rifle competitions to 1000 yards, in an NRA discipline called F-Class; in F-TR to be exact, where TR stands for Target Rifle.
I shoot at the state, national and world level. I'm a past Texas state champion at 1000 yards and I have been shooting nationally for 7 years now and shot at the World's in '13 in New Mexico. The World'Âs is every 4 years and the venue goes to different countries. This year, it's in Canada and in 4 years hence it will be in South Africa.
A few years back, I formed a team here in Texas to take part in team competitions at various venues; our stated goal is to win the world cup in 2017, in Canada. The format of team shooting is simple; four shooters and a wind coach. The shooters shoot one at a time and they aim where the wind coach tells them to aim and they shoot when the wind coach tells them to. I've been wind coaching the team since we began a few years back and we've won repeated state matches and other regional competitions and medaled in the last two national competitions; silver and bronze.
Long range shooters are obsessed with optics; riflescopes primarily and spotting scopes also. As the wind coach, my focus is on the conditions; how to detect, quantify and correct for them and anticipate when it's time to break the shot. I've developed a bit of a knack at it, we even broke the existing national record in '15 only to learn that another team somewhere else had bested us by a point. Bummer. I have fantastic shooters on the team.
I'Âm trying to figure a way to record or document my observations through the spotting scope and without the scope to educate other shooters in what is really a black art. The spotting scope allows me to monitor what we shooters refer to as 'mirage,' but is really an atmospheric disturbance that long range photographers are familiar with. Reading the mirage tells me a lot about what's going on downrange, especially where I focus my spotting scope.
Anyway, enough of the setup, let'Âs talk equipment here. My spotting scope is a Kowa TSN-82SV with an 82mm objective lens, for which I have two eyepieces. The TE-17HD, which is a 27x LER (long eye relief) design, and a TE9Z 21-63X zoom eyepiece. In competition, I use the 27X LER exclusively because I wear glasses and it makes it easy to get a good picture once in position on the rifle. (My riflescope is a March-X 5-50X56, which I usually run at 40X.)
The camera is a plain old Nikon D5200 with a series of lenses, including the 35mm prime lens. This is the one I have been using when digiscoping.
I attach the Nikon using the digiscoping adapters from Kowa. I leave the TSN-LS2 sleeve on the Kowa all the time as it does not get in the way. When I'm ready to install the camera on the Kowa, I screw the TSN-DA1 camera adapter on the sleeve, install the TSN-AR adapter ring on the 35mm prime lens and then screw the other side of the adapter onto the TSN-DA1 camera adapter. It starts getting heavy.
When I first attempted to use this with the 27X LER eyepiece, I could not focus it on the objecting. I think there may be something to do with the distance between the camera objective lens and the eyepiece lens. The camera adapter allows you to change that distance, but did not find it quickly enough that day. Instead, I replaced the LER eyepiece with the zoom eyepiece and tada, I had focus.
I took some pictures of the target line at various magnifications for the eyepiece and then put everything away.
Here are some examples of the target line at 1000 yards.
So here are some questions. I'm wondering about the relationship between the size of the image compared to the black in the pictures. The higher the magnification, the bigger the image.
I'm wondering about the relationship between the LER and the objective as I would like to use that eyepiece when I'm in competition. My thinking is that the camera objective lens should be located about where the eye (eye relief) should be and for the LER, it's 32mm and for the zoom it's 16mm.
I will be playing more with this, but I'm trying to get some main rules or guidelines here, or postulate some, because I want to make it simple and repeatable and I want to be able to record the mirage flow and other things for documentation.
I have other lenses from 18mm to 300mm, but the 35mm is so nice and light.
The first picture is at 20X. Each target is 6 feet wide and 6 feet high. The aiming black is 44inches in diameter and the smallest ring, the X-ring is 5 inches in diameter.
The next picture is at 40X, what I usually set my riflescope at.
The last one is at 60X.
The reason I'm getting into digiscoping is a little unique. I am a competitive shooter and have been for decades, most of my adult life in fact. I participate in rifle competitions to 1000 yards, in an NRA discipline called F-Class; in F-TR to be exact, where TR stands for Target Rifle.
I shoot at the state, national and world level. I'm a past Texas state champion at 1000 yards and I have been shooting nationally for 7 years now and shot at the World's in '13 in New Mexico. The World'Âs is every 4 years and the venue goes to different countries. This year, it's in Canada and in 4 years hence it will be in South Africa.
A few years back, I formed a team here in Texas to take part in team competitions at various venues; our stated goal is to win the world cup in 2017, in Canada. The format of team shooting is simple; four shooters and a wind coach. The shooters shoot one at a time and they aim where the wind coach tells them to aim and they shoot when the wind coach tells them to. I've been wind coaching the team since we began a few years back and we've won repeated state matches and other regional competitions and medaled in the last two national competitions; silver and bronze.
Long range shooters are obsessed with optics; riflescopes primarily and spotting scopes also. As the wind coach, my focus is on the conditions; how to detect, quantify and correct for them and anticipate when it's time to break the shot. I've developed a bit of a knack at it, we even broke the existing national record in '15 only to learn that another team somewhere else had bested us by a point. Bummer. I have fantastic shooters on the team.
I'Âm trying to figure a way to record or document my observations through the spotting scope and without the scope to educate other shooters in what is really a black art. The spotting scope allows me to monitor what we shooters refer to as 'mirage,' but is really an atmospheric disturbance that long range photographers are familiar with. Reading the mirage tells me a lot about what's going on downrange, especially where I focus my spotting scope.
Anyway, enough of the setup, let'Âs talk equipment here. My spotting scope is a Kowa TSN-82SV with an 82mm objective lens, for which I have two eyepieces. The TE-17HD, which is a 27x LER (long eye relief) design, and a TE9Z 21-63X zoom eyepiece. In competition, I use the 27X LER exclusively because I wear glasses and it makes it easy to get a good picture once in position on the rifle. (My riflescope is a March-X 5-50X56, which I usually run at 40X.)
The camera is a plain old Nikon D5200 with a series of lenses, including the 35mm prime lens. This is the one I have been using when digiscoping.
I attach the Nikon using the digiscoping adapters from Kowa. I leave the TSN-LS2 sleeve on the Kowa all the time as it does not get in the way. When I'm ready to install the camera on the Kowa, I screw the TSN-DA1 camera adapter on the sleeve, install the TSN-AR adapter ring on the 35mm prime lens and then screw the other side of the adapter onto the TSN-DA1 camera adapter. It starts getting heavy.
When I first attempted to use this with the 27X LER eyepiece, I could not focus it on the objecting. I think there may be something to do with the distance between the camera objective lens and the eyepiece lens. The camera adapter allows you to change that distance, but did not find it quickly enough that day. Instead, I replaced the LER eyepiece with the zoom eyepiece and tada, I had focus.
I took some pictures of the target line at various magnifications for the eyepiece and then put everything away.
Here are some examples of the target line at 1000 yards.
So here are some questions. I'm wondering about the relationship between the size of the image compared to the black in the pictures. The higher the magnification, the bigger the image.
I'm wondering about the relationship between the LER and the objective as I would like to use that eyepiece when I'm in competition. My thinking is that the camera objective lens should be located about where the eye (eye relief) should be and for the LER, it's 32mm and for the zoom it's 16mm.
I will be playing more with this, but I'm trying to get some main rules or guidelines here, or postulate some, because I want to make it simple and repeatable and I want to be able to record the mirage flow and other things for documentation.
I have other lenses from 18mm to 300mm, but the 35mm is so nice and light.
The first picture is at 20X. Each target is 6 feet wide and 6 feet high. The aiming black is 44inches in diameter and the smallest ring, the X-ring is 5 inches in diameter.
The next picture is at 40X, what I usually set my riflescope at.
The last one is at 60X.
Jan 24, 2017 20:05:57 #
Did you try connecting the camera to the scope directly without a camera lens, using a Nikon dslr telescope adapter?
Jan 24, 2017 20:13:24 #
No, I did not. I was not even aware there was a Nikon DSLR telescope adapter. I'll go check that out. Thanks.
Jan 24, 2017 20:23:31 #
if you would rather not speak with people who do what you wish, just type " digiscope " into the search field here on UHH.
Jan 24, 2017 20:27:09 #
The only digiscoping adapter I could find for Nikon is the equivalent adapter that I have for the Kowa, but for their Fieldscope.
I believe I have all the right equipment, I need to learn to use it correctly.
I believe I have all the right equipment, I need to learn to use it correctly.
Jan 24, 2017 20:33:26 #
oldtigger wrote:
if you would rather not speak with people who do what you wish, just type " digiscope " into the search field here on UHH.
I should have mentioned the searches I performed did not return the information I was looking for.
It seems to be an arcane subject.
Jan 24, 2017 20:35:53 #
Here's one on ebay. Don't know if your scope and eyepiece have the same measurements.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-DSLR-camera-adapter-set-for-Nipon-25-125x92-scope-Digiscoping-/400923377419
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-DSLR-camera-adapter-set-for-Nipon-25-125x92-scope-Digiscoping-/400923377419
Pegasus wrote:
The only digiscoping adapter I could find for Nikon is the equivalent adapter that I have for the Kowa, but for their Fieldscope.
I believe I have all the right equipment, I need to learn to use it correctly.
I believe I have all the right equipment, I need to learn to use it correctly.
Jan 24, 2017 20:41:07 #
Pegasus wrote:
I should have mentioned the searches I performed did not return the information I was looking for.
It seems to be an arcane subject.
It seems to be an arcane subject.
Certainly is considering your experience it is. Do not despair, it is possible someone has an answer for you.
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