Welcome to the Digiscoping FAQ page.
Hopefully you can find quick, simple answers to your questions.
Questions & Answers
Questions & Answers
Digiscoping is the combination of a Spotting/Telescope and a digital camera, either compact or DSLR.
How does my camera attach to my scope?
Generally there are adaptors for various cameras to various scopes.
Some manufacturers will make specific adaptors for their scopes.
Its just a case of finding out what adaptor is best for your camera and scope.
This depends entirely upon the user!
It is possible to get good results with either a compact camera or DSLR.
A camera with an aperture priority mode would be an advantage, and a good ISO range will help in poorer light conditions.
I've always found an angled scope to work better, but straight scopes are ok too.
An 80mm scope is recommended, as they let in more light.
A scope with ed glass in will give better images, but they do cost more. It is easily possible to get good results with cheaper scopes.
The 80mm is the size of the scopes objective (big end) lens.
They usually come in 65mm or 80mm sizes. They do go up to 100mm!
For sure!
Digiscoping is made harder by camera shake, so a good sturdy tripod helps to reduce this.
Will I need a shutter release cable?
Up to you really!
Shutter release cables can aid to lessen camera shake. The theory being that your hands may shake the camera.
I use one, and I believe that it does reduce camera shake enough to make it worth using one.
Not to start with!
Take lots of shots, but only expect the odd one to come out properly.
Good shots will come with experience.
Attach your camera to your scope and then get out in the field!
Locate your target, then focus in using the scope. Then focus your camera as you normally would. When you are happy that your picture will be focused correctly then shoot the picture!
What camera settings should I use?
There are many different settings on any camera.
I would use the camera on full manual or shutter priority, multi point focusing, an ISO of around 400, and make sure the metering is set to sunny or cloudy, depending on the type of day!
If using a DSLR set the camera to aperture prioity. /this is the only setting you can use to amke things easier.
It doesn't have to.
Most birders already have a scope and a compact camera.
And if you're not a birder then scopes and cameras don't have to cost lots. You can get a scope for £100 and a camera for less. Some do cost loads however, but thats something you can look at later if you enjoy the hobby.
Vignetting is a black area that sometimes occurs around the picture on your cameras LCD display.
This is cured by zooming in on your camera. Align your camera with your scopes eyepiece, and then look at the LCD display. If you see a small picture and a lot of black then zoom towards your target and the black should disappear.
Because the spotting scope acts as the lens with a DSLR, no vignetting will occur.
What conditions are best for digiscoping?
Sunny and dry and not too windy is best.
Light is the most important medium for any photography, but as digiscoping limits the amount of light that gets to your camera then good light is a must.
It is possible to digiscope on dull days, just try to take pictures of targets that are not moving much!
Digiscoping isn't just about birds. You can digiscope anything!
If however birds are your target, avoid small quick moving birds and birds in flight to start with. Concentrate on slower moving, bigger targets to practise your focusing skills.
Your shutter speed is to low.
Generally speaking any shutter speed over 250/sec is good enough to freeze motion.
The higher the shutter speed, the sharper the image. Remember though, the faster your shutter speed, the darker the image, so try to get a balance between the two.
I'd start in the back garden.
It'll give you a chance to get used to your cameras settings and capabilities.
Once you know your way around your camera then try going to a reserve and practising there.
Some cameras either DSLR or compact are able to have different filters, such as a polarised (reduced glare) filter.
These filters are attached to the end of the cameras lense via a thread.
The lens of the camera will have a thread around the inside. This is called the filter thread, meaning that this is the thread that the filter would attach to.
In terms of digiscoping, this thread can be used to attach the camera directly to an adaptor via the filter thread on the cameras lens.
Filter threads come in different sizes. For example the Nikon Coolpix 4500 has a 28mm filter thread and my Fujifilm S700 has a 46mm filter thread.
How do I focus on my chosen target?
If you are digiscoping with a DSLR, then you will only need to focus the scope.
If you are digiscoping with a compact camera, then you will need to focus the scope, then autofocus the camera, and then, if you need to you can tweek the focus on the scope whilst the camera is focused, before taking your photo.
Your aperture or "f" number is the way of measuring the amount of light that is let into your cameras lens.
A large aperture would be f4 whilst a smaller aperture would be around f12.
This affects digiscoping in a few ways. For example, if you are using a good compact camera, you should be able to control the aperture manually. Obviously, the bigger aperture you can get, the better! However most compacts will tell you what you f number is, and in turn, you should be able to adjust your cameras ISO and shutter speed to allow an acceptable photo to be taken.
The same basic rules apply to using a DSLR connected to your scope via the cameras lens.
If, however your set up is like mine (DSLR to adaptor, adaptor to scope) then the aperture will be fixed. As the camera does not recognise the scope as its lens then it does not recognise the amount of light that the scope lens creates, so it says the aperture is 0.0
My set up has an approximate aperture of f10, a 65mm scope would be around f12, as a smaller scope would let in less light. To get round this fixed aperture, I shoot in aperture prioity mode, and manually adjust my shutter speed, exposure compensation and ISO to control the exposure that I need to take the picture.
In my opinion a fixed adaptor is best. I have used adaptors that "swing" out of the way of the eyepiece, but found myself constantely re-aligning my camera again, which was so frustrating.
A fixed adaptor may be a little more awkward in terms of using your scope, but in terms of taking pictures, your camera is always aligned correctly, saving hours of nervous fiddling around!
