Spotting Scope Adapter

Hi,

I'm looking to do film photography through a Pentax PF-80EDA spotting scope equipped with an 8mm to 24mm Pentax zoom eyepiece (PF 80ED) with a Nikon F6 film camera. What adapters are available to mount the camera on the scope?

Thanks,

Thomas

There are typically two ways to use a telescope as a lens. With a T adapter the scope literally becomes a camera lens with a length equal to the FL of the scope (i.e. a 1000mm telescope worked the same as a 1000mm lens).

The second way is called eyepiece projection. Here the eyepiece is left in place on the scope and the lens is left on the camera. This provides the right number of transitions between real and virtual images. Although it has the advantage of offering higher magnification (due to the eyepiece and camera lens) it was never the preferred method due to the rather fiddly arrangement and the poorer quality of results (the light is going thru a lot of glass).

This has been "rediscovered" by the d!&!#@l crowd, who think nothing ever existed before they came along. The call it "digiscoping". Google that and you will find adapters. Be warned that image quality will likely not be very good.

I've seen some marvellous results from digiscoping.

so with fast enough film you should be able to get something acceptable.

but when all is said and done, this is an area where digital kicks film's arse into the stone age.

you could get yourself over to birdforum.com as that's where the digiscoper expertise hangs out, but don't expect much film expertise from them, though you'll get advice about adapters and whatnot.

still, good luck, have fun and do report back

Thanks for the replies.

After searching the internet I am considering the Novagarde: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...a_00ni_01_nikon_camera_universal_adapter.html Does anyone have any experience with this adapter?

Thomas