Digiscoping has been with us for a number of years already and is no doubt here to stay in bird watching circles. This page is aimed at trying to explain how you can get the best out of a digital still camera when used with a telescope and which one to choose.
With such a large range of cameras available from just as many suppliers all producing excellent quality images it is difficult to know where to start. Some manufacturers are producing universal digiscope mounts that will allow a camera without a thread on its lens to be attached. .
When choosing a camera there are a number of things that you should bear in mind:
· Image quality: Digital cameras use pixels to make up a picture and quite simply, the more there are the better quality the image will be. A digital camera with 4 million pixels is the minimum resolution to look at, for better results and more cropping options five or six million plus should be used.
· Optical Zoom: Most digital cameras have a built in zoom, choose a camera with a good optical zoom, this is essential when digiscoping, the zoom must be used to eradicate vignetting. Digital zooms are not recommended, it is easy to be impressed by boasts of a large magnification, but a digital zoom enlarges the pixels sacrificing image quality. A 3x zoom on a digital camera gives an equivalent 35mm range of 38mm to 114mm and 4x would be equivalent to 38mm to 152mm. When used in conjunction with a 30x eyepiece on a telescope this gives a magnification approximately 60x or 90x, far more than can be achieved with any 35mm camera set up. This zoom range will vary depending on the set up of the cameras' lens,
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· Some digital cameras with a long optical zoom are NOT suitable for Digiscoping and it would be wise to check before purchase
· Lens design: Sometimes a camera will receive an excellent review in the photographic press but when it is used for digiscoping gives very poor results. It is important to ensure that the camera you want will do the right job, as a general rule it is worth getting a camera that has a front lens element that is smaller than the eyepiece lens on your telescope. With some cameras it is impossible to get rid of the vignetting, even when on the maximum telephoto, avoid these cameras as this means that you will have to crop every image hence compromising quality.
1. Digital cameras use loads of battery power so one or two spares are essential. Check on the type of batteries required and ensure that sufficient power will be available for long trips abroad.
2. Your images are stored on memory cards the better resolution the more memory they will take up,
3. A remote control is a very useful addition to your kit because of the high risk of camera shake, make sure that there is one available for your camera. Although you may not use it all the time a remote is an essential piece of kit to help you take those pin sharp pictures
Taking pictures with a digital camera can be as easy or as technical as you want it to be, the image can be viewed using the LCD screen on the back of the camera. Once the picture has been taken it is immediately viewable with the built in screen, if its no good delete it and take another. When taking pictures through the scope I usually take several shots then delete the ones that are no good, remember trial and error will cost you nothing.