 BetterPhoto Member |
Newbie - Telephoto advice needed I recently stepped up to an Olympus Evolt 500. No sooner am I thrilled with all the stuff I can now do, when I locate an active breeding pair of bald eagles very near my home. I simply **must** figure out a way to document them even if no one other than me ever sees the shots. So - now what ? I know I can probably rent, but I am honestly too new to know what some good choices for lenses would be. I appreciate any thoughts and recommendations .... THANKS -Beth
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Alan N. Marcus |
Hi Beth, Without making a big investment: Consider going to a sporting goods shop and buying a spotting scope. Theses are scopes used by target shooters. You can buy one for about $100 ~ $500. Some feature an eyepiece that angles off the main body of the scope. While an angled design might be more comfortable for visual observing, it is difficult to use with a camera. I am recommending a straight through design. Anyway, buy one or borrow one from and try this. Mount the scope to a sturdy stand. A good heavy duty tripod is best. Aim and focus for your eyes. Now hold your digital camera up to the eyepiece and shoot. You can do this with binoculars or any type of astronomical telescope. If you search the web you will find coupler attachments that allow your camera to clamp to the eyepiece of a telescope. Don’t get me wrong, there is no substitute for a quality telephoto. You likely will find you need a 300mm or perhaps a 500mm lens. Coupling directly to a spotting scope can be quite rewarding. I use a Nikon Land Sky. Hope this help Alan Marcus
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BetterPhoto Member |
Hi Beth; There are several new and nearly new telephoto and zoom lenses listed on ebay for your camera.I don't at all suggest that you hold your camera up to a spotting scope without a proper mount since this can cause numerous problems with your images.If you can find the T-mount to attach your camera to the scope you will be okay. Some problems you will encounter when trying to hold the camera to the scope are that you will have light leaking into the camera from around the scope. Also your camera will not to be focus through the eyepeice. You really need to find a lens that will suit the purpose for your camera. Have fun and keep shooting,
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Alan N. Marcus |
Hi again Beth: Mounting a camera to a spotting scope has pitfalls however most can be overcome. Suggest you set-up a pair of binoculars on a convenent fence post or bannister. Binoculars focused on the birds and then hand-hold the camera up to eyepiece of the binocular and take a shot. You will be pleasantly surprised. Follow this link for more advanced scopes and mounts. http://www.opticsplanet.net/spotting-scope-accessories.html Alan Marcus
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