spoting scope

[bph1]

HHi,
I have just purchased a fuji s9600 camera and now wish to purchase a spotting scope; I have found one I am interested in and it says it is supplied with a camera mount,

As this is all completely new to me could anyone tell me if the following scope would be compatable or would I have to purchase other adapter rings.

The scope I am interested in is The Platinum VSH88 80mm spotting scope.

Many thanks in advance for any answers.
Mike (bph1)i.

[eeyore]

hmmm - i'd think carefully about this one - not so much becaus of its camera compatibility than its general value for money - this is one of those "bargain" scopes with a massive zoom eyepiece which are generally bobbins

imo you'd be better off with a scope from a mainstream manufactuer such as kowa, opticron, nikon etc and get one with a fixed mag such a x32. - the big name manufactuers will be more expensive but with scopes you really get what you pay for and you are better off with a s/h one of decent make than a comparably priced made in china "bargain".

[richardkm]

I'm with eeyore here. A cheap scope is a waste of money especially if you want to digiscope. I work in a specialist optical retailer and spend a lot of my time advising on what's best for digiscoping.

If you want decent images, you really have to bite the bullet and spend quite a bit of money. For the best results you need an APO/Flourite/HD/ED design and preferably a fixed lens.

To see some comparison of different scopes and eyepieces used to digiscope, have a look here: Birdnet Ltd. I did these as much under similar conditions as I could.

[bph1]

Hi chaps,
thanks for the information, like i said it's hard to know whats what when you are new to anything; thanks again for both your help.
cheers Mike (bph1)

[Hobjob]

There are a few people on theis list who tried digiscoping
and ended up buying buying dSLRs with large telephotos.

I echo the others - for sharp results you needA! glass that only
comes at a price.

[eeyore]

digi scoping does have its place - for example taking bird id pics at ranges that are impractical for a dslr lens - new people are often supprised at how close you have to be to get a frame filling shot with a dslr even with a 500mm.

but like the others have said you need good quality glass ideally teamed with a large objective (ie 80mm) and a modest magnification eyepiece.

If you can't afford new equip from the likes of leica, nikon, kowa, opticron so forth so fifth then you are better looking at s/h kit from these manufactueres than you are at budget makes.

another point is that your camera isnt ideally suited to digiscoping - it can be done but life is easier with smaller compacts with swivel screens. the nikon coolpix 4500 (since superceded use to be popular.

Really it depends on what you want - if you just want more range for your camera you might be better off looking at extenders like the olympus tcons which screw on to your filter thread, but if you want really long range cabability you will have to bite the bullet and buy a decent scope and possibly a second camera, or go to a dslr and long glass (which wont be cheap either)

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by eeyore

another point is that your camera isnt ideally suited to digiscoping - it can be done but life is easier with smaller compacts with swivel screens. the nikon coolpix 4500 (since superceded use to be popular.

I know when i tried digiscoping with a pocket Canon Ixus, it was nightmare because the lens moved forwards and back on focussing - my scope now has a probably irrelevant scratch, but it sure rankles every time I look at it

Eeyore is right about a swivel lens too, but if the scope has
and angled eyepiece that is a fair compromise.