How to Correct Common Problems in Digiscoping

There will always be trouble when it comes to taking pictures using a combination of your spotting scope and your camera. This technique, known as digiscoping, is useful for birdwatchers, wildlife photographers, astronomy photographers, and landscape photographers.

Today, we’ll tackle the most typical problems and how to correct them.

Problem: Blurred Image

This occurs when the camera is being moved as the picture is being taken. It can also be caused by the buffeting of winds, the shaky hands of the photographer, the lowness of light coming through the scope, and other factors.

Solutions:

• Get yourself a sturdy tripod not made of plastic as this type is lightweight.
• Ensure that your tripod can handle the weight of your spotting scope and camera too.
• Set the shutter on timer if you have unsteady hands.
• You can also use a Bluetooth shutter or a remote to reduce the vibration.
• Use a bigger, brighter scope (85mm instead of 65mm).

Problem: Darker image

When you zoom the camera, you might not have a vignetting problem, but you’ll deal with murkier, frizzier images, plus the increased susceptibility to vibration.

Solution:

• Readjust the focus and exposure to make up for dimness.

Problem: Shadows

This happens when the light leaks between the scope’s eyepiece and the camera lens.

Solutions:

• Get used to holding the camera next to the scope eyepiece.
• Make use of an adapter.

Problem: Vignette

This is when the image doesn’t fill the entire field of view, allowing black corners to show up.

Solutions:

• Crop them after taking the shot.
• Keep the scope lenses and the camera as close to each other as possible.
• Zooming in will lessen the vignette effect, but it may result in a darker image.

Bonus Tips:

As much as you can, resist the temptation of zooming in. When you zoom, you rapidly lose light. Although the human eye is good at atoning for this, cameras aren’t as good.

Try using your binoculars as a substitute. While digibinning is considered an advanced method to take decent pictures, you should know that it’s difficult to combine binoculars and a phone for photography.

To avoid having to correct any digiscoping or spotting scope mistake in the future, spend some time for practice. If you have the equipment, then practice as often as you can, and you’ll notice yourself improve. Don’t be scared of experiments, too! Just be as creative as you can be.