fneil

Inspired by Bob after some testing I did last year on the 45x eyepiece I wanted to have one.  With the help of a digiscoping mate in the US I now have the Swarovski 45x eyepiece (18mm of Eye Relief ). It needs a little adjustment on the DCA adapter to keep out the vignetting but is very useful for small , perched birds or at great distance , like at Mai Po. Here are a couple of images I got on my recent trip to the US. Neil

Nikon CP 8400 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw 45x eyepiece and DCA adapter

cwchan

Neil,

Extremely sharp and with good detail . Did  you take it in RAW?

fneil

[quote:3a179e65e0="cchakwing"]Neil,

Extremely sharp and with good detail . Did  you take it in RAW?[/quote]

I wish I did but the RAW processing in the Nikon CP8400 is a bit slow so I only use it when the bird is going to be sitting around for a long time. 90% of my photos are taken in JPEG. Neil.

cwchan

Neil,

I am considering if it is justified to buy a new 8400 (year 2004 DC?) for my Swarovske 30X. This is the only dc can provide raw input and no other choice in the market. What is your comment? I see a brand new 8400 in a shop.

Wing

fneil

Wing,
        I only bought mine about 3 months ago and it was the best decision I ever made.  I had been very happy with the Olympus 7070wz (also RAW and Continuous remote control ) which had been much better than my previous cameras, but the Autofocus in the 8400 seems better and the lens about 5% sharper. The Electronic Viewfinder is a real bonus and works like a DSLR on a straight scope.  Bob and I are very happy with the 8400.
Neil.

cwchan

Neil,

I just got my ordered DCA from the photo shop. However, the DCA could not fit very well to my 30X eye piece. I found the box for the DCA marked with " DCA Zoom ", is this one only fits the Zoom eyepiece?  Your advice , please.

Wing

fneil

Wing,
        There is a DCA for the fixed eyepieces as well.  I have the DCA Zoom which I use on the fixed eypieces.  I use 3 toothpicks around the eyepiece to keep the eyepiece centered when I tighten the collar screw.  You can also use tennis racket tape wrapped around. Neil.

cwchan

Neil,

Thank you for your information that there is another one for fixed eye piece . Since this is the new one ordered from the shop and I think they don't have this knowledge as well, because I don't have the zoom eye piece, I think it is more appropriate for me to return this one to the shop and ask the dealer to give me the appropriate one for my 30X eye piece.  Thanks again.

Wing

tbob

Wing, The length of the fixed DCA and the zoom DCA are [highlight=red]different[/highlight].

You may have to contact Swarovski Hong Kong direct.

Contact is Eric Hau  Direct Line 2969 6165

cwchan

Bob,

Thanks. That is why the eyepiece obstructed the adapter . I will contact Eric Hau tomorrow.

Best regards

Wing

tbob

Wing,

After you get the correct DCA I suggest you buy some tennis handle grip tape $40 for 2 rolls (it is not sticky) then wind one complete roll around the 30x eyepiece and it makes the DCA fit nice and tight.

Also position the screw on the DCA so that it is on the 12 o'clock (top) position of the eyepiece.

Cheers

Bob

PS: Eric may need to order the DCA from overseas for you

cwchan

Bob,

Very informative. I  take your advice certainly. A little disappointed that I can not try it in the coming Saturday and Sunday. :cry:

Thanks.

Wing

cwchan

Bob, Neil,

Eric gave me a DCA ( a demo one kept by him) for my fixed 30X eye piece. Yes, it is longer than the one for Zoom eye piece.  As advised by Bob, I wind the eyepiece with tennis handle grip, the setup is very sercure in place. Thanks.

This afternoon, I went to Tsim Bei Tsui if I am lucky to see   the crested grebe.Unfortunatly, no sign of it was seen.
The following is just a test of my new Fuji F31 on Swarovski 30X eyepiece. It was taken near sunset at Tsim Bei Tsui today,  very beatuiful side lighting.

Wing

tbob

Wing,

A lovely shot, I am sure you will have fun with the 30x eyepiece, it is a beautiful piece of glass.

Awaiting your next photos

Bob

tbob

Wing,

How did you attach the Fuji F31fd camera to the DCA ?

The camera has face detection, did it work on the Egret !!

Bob

cwchan

Bob,

I made it myself by doing some handicraft. I need an adapter ring with one end fit the rim of dc lens and the other end with M52 mm screw--a third party made for Canon G6 to M52 ($100) , a short piece of aluminium plat for linking up the adater and the Fuji dc, some metal cement and bolts and nuts for fixing the adapter to the aluminium plate. The following photos show the setup.  A funny job, the product works fine.  For sharing.

I have no idea if the face detection worked on bird. I have not tried it.

Wing

fneil

Wing,
        Very nice job. Would it be difficult to fit an angled bracket to take a cable release. I'm about to replace my broken F30 and would like something like this.  Do you want to sell me one?  Neil.

tbob

Wing,

A nice job. How much of the F31 camera zoom can you use before you see vignetting (black corners) ?

Bob

PS: Maybe by changing the size of the aluminium plate, the adaptor could fit other cameras.  You may have developed a small business selling adaptors to HK digiscopers !!

cwchan

Bob,
Neil

With this setup, I can only get full frame image without vinetting at the last 40% which is most likely due to the length of the adopter that the lens canot get close the the eyepiece. Today I find another one, it is a bit shorter in length. Most importantly, this one is more easy for me to achieve accurate optical alignment ( a very important factor to obtain a sharp image) the Dc and the scope.

Neil,

Wait for my good news, if the adoption is successful, I can make one for you if you don't care my rough handicraft.

Wing

fneil

Wing,
        Thanks. I got a quote of $2800 today for the F31fd.  I'll  try and get an F30 at a cheaper price.
        This adaptor should fit other cameras of a similar size , like the Sony W100.  All you would have to do is move the hole for the screw. As Bob says , a small business opportunity here.
Neil.

tbob

Wing,

On the F31 with the lens fully extended, what is the distance from camera body to front of zoom?

The Casio Z1000 the distance is 27mm aprox.

This distance is the crucial thing in buying an adaptor tube.

Bob

cwchan

[quote:a0db9dd0ad="fneil"]Wing,
        Thanks. I got a quote of $2800 today for the F31fd.  I'll  try and get an F30 at a cheaper price.
        This adaptor should fit other cameras of a similar size , like the Sony W100.  All you would have to do is move the hole for the screw. As Bob says , a small business opportunity here.
Neil.[/quote]

Neil,

It may not be possible unless the lens is the same vertical distance away from the base.  Small business? I think I will leave this for those talent technician. I enoy it as a hobby instead. I got my f31 at DCfever  ($2780).
It is a very good DC--fast focus and brilliant color.

Wing

cwchan

[quote:a6aed526e7="tbob"]Wing,

On the F31 with the lens fully extended, what is the distance from camera body to front of zoom?

The Casio Z1000 the distance is 27mm aprox.

This distance is the crucial thing in buying an adaptor tube.

Bob[/quote]

Bob,

The distance is about 30mm when the lens fully extended.

Wing

fneil

Wing,
        I picked up my F31fd and it was good to be using it again.  I was at Mai Po yesterday and used it up to iso 3200 as the sun went down. Neil.

fneil

I got the 45x out of the bag for the night heron on Lamma and here is a closeup at full zoom on the Nikon 8400 (5000 mm ). Neil

Lamma Island,
Hong Kong,
China.

23/01/07


Nikon CP 8400 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw 45x eyepiece and DCA adapter[/quote]

cwchan

Neil,

Fantastic shot. I think it is almost impossible to have this kind of shot with the use of DSLC unless a tremendous lens is used.  Fuji F31 is a very good dc when using under dim light. The rendition is some different compared with Nikon, the photo has a feeling of oil painting on muslin when it is used at ISO800 and above, I think it is a charterstic of Fuji's ccd. It is a good choice really.

Regarding my hand-made adaptor, basically, the work is completed. It can focus nealy 80-90% of the zoom range, it is light weight and a good companion of my DCA, however, I have no time to test it out in these few days. I have ordered a tube from Wanchai 298 (Digi City) for making another one for you. The shopkeeper ( a potential bird watcher) said he has to check it out at their Monkok branch if this tube is still in stock. I will let you know the development later.

Cheers

Wing

puppymic

So, which one is better?

Fuji F31FD or Nikon CP8400?

Mandy

fneil

Mandy,
          For quality the 8400 is better ( the Olympus 7070wz is better too ). Both these cameras have a high quality lens ( the 8400 has Nikon's ED glass ).  They also have RAW which gives a level of quality which can't be achieved by little digicams. If I was going to rate them out of 10 -
Nikon 8400 - 9 ( let down be being a bit slow in handling RAW and only single frame with remote control )
Olympus 7070wz - 8.5 ( Auto focus not as good as 8400's  Green Macro     zone,but faster at handling RAW and Continuous remote control )
Fuji F30/31 -  8 (faster, low noise sensor up to iso 1600, no RAW,non-ED glass )
The Fuji E900 has RAW and filter thread for adapter and is still available so should be a good option for people who want more functions for digiscoping.

puppymic

Neil

Thanks for your information. It should be a good guide for the new users.

Mandy

cwchan

[quote:ddad33fb8a="fneil"]Mandy,
          For quality the 8400 is better ( the Olympus 7070wz is better too ). Both these cameras have a high quality lens ( the 8400 has Nikon's ED glass ).  They also have RAW which gives a level of quality which can't be achieved by little digicams. If I was going to rate them out of 10 -
Nikon 8400 - 9 ( let down be being a bit slow in handling RAW and only single frame with remote control )
Olympus 7070wz - 8.5 ( Auto focus not as good as 8400's  Green Macro     zone,but faster at handling RAW and Continuous remote control )
Fuji F30/31 -  8 (faster, low noise sensor up to iso 1600, no RAW,non-ED glass )
The Fuji E900 has RAW and filter thread for adapter and is still available so should be a good option for people who want more functions for digiscoping.[/quote]

Yes, Nikon 8400 is very sharp and its 8 million pixels resolution gives better photo quality after cropping. However, it is very difficult to find a new one in the market.  

The first photo is full frame and the the other is after cropping. Thanks Bob and Neil's advice.

tbob

Wing,

Nice to see that you are enjoying the 8400.

Bob