The quality of cameras
built into mobile and smart phones has reached a point where they
have the performance of many pocket sized compact cameras. This has
revived interest in digiscoping with phone cameras and the appeal is
clear, having one lightweight piece of equipment that performs the
roles of communication and photography. Add to this the
possibilities offered by smart phones of uploading photos to the
internet and emailing them out in the field and even live streaming
video and there is great potential for this type of photography.
Just like digiscoping with a conventional camera the results are
greatly improved with an adapter that can hold the phone securely in
the correct alignment. A feature of the iphone
that makes it especially suitable for digiscoping is the ability to
use the volume control on the headphone wire as a remote shutter
release.
Two optics companies have brought out
adapters for the iphone 4 and 4s and below are our findings from
testing them.
The Kowa TSN-IP4S
adapter is made of tough rubberised plastic and clips on to the phone
in the same way that many cases for smart phones do and has a lug for
a lanyard which is provided. The mount that fits on the scope
eyepiece is made of anodised aluminium and there are two sizes of
felt-lined tube, one to fit binoculars and one to fit the eyepieces
of the TSN-880/770 series scopes. The one for the scopes also fits
onto Swarovski and Zeiss zoom eyepieces and with the felt removed
fits (albeit slightly loosely) the latest Leica Televid 65/82
eyepiece. The binocular tube fits in addition
Kowa's own binoculars
and the following models form other manufactures.
Pentax DCF BC 9x42
Minox BL 8x42 and 10x42
Leica Ultravid HD 7x42,
8x42 and 10x42 and the new Trinovid 8x42 and 10x42
Nikon EDG 8x32
Viking ED Pro 8x42 and
10x42.
The Meopta Meopix
adapter is a slightly lighter weight option made from plastic with a
built-in tube for mounting onto the eyepiece.
Two versions are
available for Meopta's own optics, one with a 41.8mm tube for the
Meopta Meostar B1 and B1 HD binoculars, and one with a 48.5mm tube
for the Meostar S2 spotting scope. The larger of the two also fits
the Viking AW 65 and 80mm scopes and the smaller also fits Minox BL
8x42 and 10x42, Opticron's BGA 8x42 and 10x42 and the DBA 8x42 and
10x42. They have also now produced versions sized to fit Swarovski's
25-50x and 20-60x zooms and one for Zeiss scopes.
Digiscoping with phones
is likely to become a lot more popular in the near future and it is
good to see that there are already well made and capable adapters out
there.
In the days before
usable zoom eyepieces if you wanted to change the magnification of
your scope you had to change the eyepiece, with most manufacturers
typically offering a 20x, a 30x and a 40x. The early zooms were not
very user-friendly items, having very narrow fields of view and
lacking sharpness at anything much over minimum magnification.
Things were much improved with the first zooms from Swarovski and
Leica in the 1990s, but these were still a compromise in terms of
field of view over a fixed lenses. In the late 2000s wide-angle
zooms came on the market and delivered a viewing angle comparable
with fixed eyepieces but also giving the valuable flexibility of a
zoom, essentially the best of both worlds. Swarovski's 25-50x
wide-angle zoom is a fine example of this, and now Swarovski only
produce this and the older, but still outstanding, 20-60x zoom,
having discontinued their fixed 20x, 30x and 45x earlier this year.
With the need for
multiple eyepieces removed, their latest scopes have taken a
different approach in having interchangeable objective lens modules
that attach to the front of a combined eyepiece and prism module with
a built-in zoom.
The new ATX 65mm and
85mm objective modules are similar to previous ATM 65mm and 80mm in
that they have the same focal length and so the zoom has a range of
25-60x, regaining that extra 10x magnification at the top end missed
by some ATM users with the 25-50x. The real feature that sets these
new scopes apart from the competition is the addition of a 95mm
version which has a longer focal length making it an outstanding and
improbable-sounding 30-70x wide-angle zoom. There is a price to pay
with the weight of this 95mm piece of glass compared to the other two
models, but in spite of this huge lens it is only about the same
weight as the old Leica 77mm Televid and is 200 grams lighter than
the Nikon EDG 85.
Bright and colourful
The three top European
birding optics firms (Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski) all take a slightly
different approach to colour rendition, each favoured or criticised
by different people. The previous generation of Swarovskis were
sometimes said to have a slight cold blueish colour bias, where as
Zeiss scopes to some eyes seem to have a warm yellow bias. The new
Swarovskis (like the current Leicas) have a very pleasingly neutral image with no hint of a
preference in in any direction which is relaxing on the eye and
removes any doubt about weather you are seeing a true representation.
The light transmission
is class-leading. Not a lot more that can be said about that really,
it simply is. All the modules are as bright as you could wish for
their size. Well done the Austrians.
The big selling point
with these modular scopes from Swarovski's point of view is the
ability to have two or all three objective modules and switch between
them depending on what location or light conditions you are birding
in. The lightweight 65mm module for travel and trekking, the 85mm
for general use and the awe-inspiring 95mm for the ultimate light
gathering and magnification. For me however the best feature on this
scope is the zoom and focus rings being side-by-side. This is not a
first in scope design, the well built but optically questionable
Bushnell Discoverer had this feature, as does the Zeiss Photoscope,
but everything seems to have come together with these practical and
flexible scopes.
Throwing light on
the dark art of digiscoping.
The new DCB II digiscoping adapter
As
well as completely redesigning the scope from the ground up there is
a new simplified range of camera adapters for compacts and SLRs. The
new adapters work just as well with the “old” ATM/STM and the
reincarnated ATS/STS scopes. There are two adapters, one for compact
cameras and one for DSLRs. The compact adapter is an improved design
of the DCB swing-over bracket, allowing users to quickly switch
between viewing a taking pictures. The new APO DSLR adapter is the
most user-friendly adapter of this type I've ever seen, allowing a
DSLR or mirrorless system camera to be simply pushed over the
eyepiece of the scopes without having to mess about with taking the
eyepiece out.
Below is a video from Swarovski showing how the new DSLR APO adapter works.
Swarovski ATS
Back from the
beyond.
As
well as the addition of the new modular scopes the previous range has
been brought back with a aluminium rather than magnesium body and a
lower price tag. This is essentially the same ATS/STS HD scope as
the one launched in 2002 with the addition of the modern “Swaroclean”
water and grease repellent lens coating.
The ultimate
all-rounder?
The Glandford shop's view
All
of the features of the new ATX/STX scopes mentioned above combined
with Swarovski's legendary after-sales service has really raised the
bar as far as scope design goes, and the real surprise is that they
have improved on the outstanding image quality of the previous
generation. Swarovski haven't rendered their competition obsolete
over night, as we know very well there is no one telescope or
binocular that works for everyone, and so the offering from Leica,
Zeiss, Kowa and others at the top of the range still offer a real and
comparable alternative. What they have done is bring out a range of
scopes that is not simply a repackaging of existing technology but a
shining example genuine innovation.
Come
and field test them for yourself at our Glandford shop over the
excellent farmland views.
