What are your thoughts??

Good Morning Everybody!!!

Now you may think i have gone completely loopy here but i decided to try a little experiment on Tuesday afternoon by mounting my Canon 500D onto one of my scopes, a 5" Skywatcher Skymax127. This scope has a focal length of 1500mm (f11.81) which is much too slow for astro photography, and too slow for photographing birds as i believe lenses with an aperture of f2.8 and f4.0 are better suited allowing you to use a faster shutter speed which in turn should give you a sharper image.
I would eventually like to purchase a much better lens with the aim of getting more into bird photography, but with funds quite limited at the moment does anybody think that using a telescope would be a good substitute until i could afford to upgrade my camera lenses??

Here is the image anyway :



Shutter speed was 1/1600, and ISO cranked up to 3200. You have no control with the aperture settings on the camera so aperture is set to that of the scope at f11.81. The distance to the target was approximately 50 yards.
Two things that were apparent when viewing the unprocessed image for the 1st time were that the image was noisy, i could probably compensate for this by changing the camera settings, the 2nd thing was vignetting, and this is quite easily rectified with a little careful processing in PS. Something i am not great at doing though .
As a very amateur photographer, at the moment i can only see one positive when using a scope, and that is the magnification it gives you, not much use though if it does not give you the sharpness helping you to produce that perfect image, but at the same time, this type of photography is still all quite new to me, and there is never any point of running before you can walk, but at the same time i am not totally convinced that i should go down this route either, even though its the more cheaper option at this moment in time, using equipment i have to hand. Now i know what quality of images this set up can produce would i be flogging a dead horse pursuing this??


Any feedback would be very much appreciated

Well it worked, so has got to be worth trying again, do you use live view to focus, because that's the only area I can see big problems arising.

Possibly set a shutter speed slightly lower at 1/800 - 1/1000 of a sec and use auto iso if the camera has it.

good job though

Hi Ken. Thanks for your comments. Im not completely sure what you meant by `live view`. Focusing manually for me has always been a big issue, my eyes are not as young as they used to be and it may take me a couple of dozen shots to get it into almost perfect focus but its also something i have had plenty of practice with, especially when i am doing astro photography, getting those stars pinpoint, thats a job and a half in itself.
Unfortunately using a foreign lens takes away the option of auto focus, so a little more time and patience is needed.
When it comes to ISO, i will try Auto and see if that helps improve things.

I do have another option, and that is to attempt to use my larger scope . A Skywatcher 250p, this scope has a set aperture of f4.7, focal length 1200mm, which might be more suitable if i am to terrestrial photography using a scope. Two problems though, its a monster, standing at approx 4 feet tall and it has a crayford focuser, not the easiest thing to use.

Really, the use of my scope was something i tried out of curiosity, wanting to get the most out of the equipment i have available to me right now without it costing me any more money.

I can see the bird so it worked

:P Just a shame that it was just another sparrow. Thanks Skyline

An image is better than no image, but tbh it's a record shot of something too far away. The set up you have would be fine if you need to get an image rather than none. A very rare bird or even Charlotte Church with her pants down at half a mile away worth several grand to the picture desks, but far better to concentrate on getting closer and using something sharper and more practical. A bird table, a hide, whatever at minimal cost. However, part of the fun and learning process is in the experimentation. Personally, and meant in the nicest possible way, I'd suggest you concentrate on quality images within the limits of your camera rather than any image considering the subject matter you are doing.

Lenses for bird photography at any distance must cost a fortune and be an incrediable size and weight if you are talking fast and high magnification. I have a Nikon 300mm f4 worth a few hundred quid, and when mounted on my D300 equals effectively a 450mm f4. Even that is almost useless for a bird table less than a quarter way down my garden. I think some people find the Sigma 150-500mm 'bigma' quite good value and compromise so long as you get a sharp one.

Thanks BC for your input Very much appreciated.
I have to agree with you when you say that i would be better concentrating on quality images within the limits of the camera, using the foreign object, the scope, on my camera is never going to give me the quality that my normal 300mm lens would, a scope was never intended to be used as a zoom lens for terrestrial photography, although its a necessity in astro photography to be used in just this way.
When it comes to cost, I think once you go over 400mm, the cost of lenses increase in price at an alarming rate, too expensive for my taste at the moment.
One thing i do have are plenty of bird feeders in the garden, all i need now are more species visiting, even though images are not that close up when i capture our visitors, it is giving me good practice with my camera.

Whilst 400mm is usually regarded as 'suitable minimum' for bird photography there are plenty of fantastic images taken with far shorter lenses.

Improving your 'field craft' will reward you in spades.

As a once keen rabbit hunter I would absolutely agree with this.

I don't shoot these days, except for my camera, but the skills can be learned with practice and a little know how.

If you'd like more information pm me and I'll see what I can do.....

Dave

Thanks Phil & Dave.

If i can create Bird photographs half as wonderful as your Bird photographs Phil i would be very happy indeed, there are lots of outstanding images captured of our feathered friends by yourself and other members too, again it comes down to practice and learning the limitations of the equipment i use.
It is difficult to get close enough to your target when doing bird photography as a lot of birds are too timid, any movement and they have gone. The added problem is the camera being noisy when taking each shot as well.
I hope with a little more know how i may one day be at a level i am happy with It would be great if you could help point me in the right direction Dave, thanks.