Digiscoping Corner

This is Digiscoping Corner, Digiscoping is an excellent alternative to DSLR photography and you can get great results from something far cheaper. Here you will find the perfect setup I used when I digiscoped. There will also be a link to Budget Digiscoping, this is taking wildlife photos for under £500.

Related Links:

Budget Digiscoping - Digiscoping on a budget
Jackar Universal Adapter


Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 45ยบ









The scope I used was the Celestron Regal 80mm F-ED. This scope offered me a lot of flexibility because of its choice to add a 1.25" barrel to its design. This allows a choice of 30 eyepieces to connect to the scope offered by Celestron, it also allows for third party eyepieces to attach to this scope. To see my full thoughts on this scope view this link here.

A real value for money and extremely overshadowed by the competition of larger manufactures this scope is quietly brilliant.

Manufacturer's Description


The Regal Fluoro ED APO Spotting Scopes are the finest ever offered by Celestron! The APO optical design combined with fully multi-coated glass elements ensure the highest levels of contrast, color fidelity, and sharpness. Celestron’s Regal F-ED spotting scopes feature an air-spaced doublet, one element of which is made from the exotic ineral fluorite. The extra low dispersion from the fluorite provides excellent color correction and razor sharp images while virtually eliminating chromatic aberration. Day or night, Regal F-ED spotting scopes are optimized to provide the sharpest images available. You’ll love them for bird watching, nature observing, long distance viewing and casual astronomical observing. Because they are completely waterproof you can feel comfortable using them in extreme weather. The matte gray finish allows for subtle observation in any natural environment. Regal F-ED spotters are a great companion for any outdoor enthusiast.


Don't just take their word for it here is birdwatching.com's review:


"Among the four $1000-and-under scopes in our survey, the Celestron Regal  deserves special mention. It turned in an impressive performance,  gaining the highest resolution, image quality, and ergonomics scores of  the four. It evidenced the widest field of view and the longest eye  relief at 20x. It's also the only one of this group with dual focus  knobs.  
Most of our survey scopes are available with one or more alternative  optional eyepieces. Celestron, however, offers at least 30 astronomical  eyepieces, with 1.25" barrels, of various magnification, field of view,  price, and quality that will work with the Regal.
By the way, it was the least expensive scope in our entire survey. Great value!"

Baader Hyperion 17mm Eyepiece







To add to my scope I chose a wide angle eyepiece instead of the supplied zoom eyepiece. There is nothing wrong with the supplied zoom eyepiece but with a wide angle eyepiece I can get zero vignetting, this gives me a great advantage in the field and gives me a higher ratio of pictures that are 'keepers' also Baader's range of eyepieces come with hidden threads meaning I can attach my camera directly onto the eyepiece with a stepping ring and Jackar Universal adapter.

Below you can view a video showing exactly how a baader eyepiece makes it easy to attach a digital camera directly onto it.

Manufacturer's Description 


Baader Planetarium Hyperion 68° Wide Angle Modular Eyepieces offer world-class performance and unique photo-visual features, at an unheard of price. Baader Planetarium has worked hard to give the Hyperions the world's finest optical coatings, superb mechanics, and their unique multifunctional design. Viewing through a Baader Hyperion is comfortable and relaxing, due to their forgiving eye-position, generous 20mm of eye-relief, extra large eyelens, and an optical design that is free of 'kidney-beaning' and blackouts. Consisting of 8 elements in 5 groups (3.5mm - 21mm), the Hyperion optical design delivers outstanding sharpness and color correction over a 68° wide apparent field (65° for the 21mm).High grade water-white glasses are used throughout, to deliver a crystal clear view with low scatter and excellent colour fidelity, free of the yellow or bluish colouration exhibited by many other eyepieces of lesser quality. Use of high-index glasses delivers low distortion and astigmatism, even on scopes as fast as f/4 making the Hyperion extremely versatile for all designs of telescope.

To see how a digital compact camera can attach to a baader eyepiece please view the video below





Panasonic DMC LS75




This is my digiscoping gem, a little camera with not many settings it is a complete novice camera but the wonderful thing is that it loves the Celestron scope, when attached it complains not one bit, focuses where I want it to and takes excellent pictures, 95% of my pictures are taken with this camera attach to the Celestron Regal scope.

Unlike most cameras recommended for digiscoping this one does not cost a bomb! so if you are using a Regal I recommend this.

Manufacturer's Description


Successor to the award winning DMC-LS2, the new addition is stylish, sophisticated and packed with features. The 7.2-megapixel DMC-LS75  offers a whole host of features while remaining inherently easy to use making these highly portable cameras perfect for everyday photography.  These compact cameras run on two AA batteries, making them convenient and ideal for taking on holiday.

Jackar Universal Adapter

The Jackar Universal Adapter is pretty much a universal adapter, it is designed in such a away that it will fit most digital compact cameras. This along with a 37-43mm stepping ring is what I use to attach the camera to the scopes eyepiece.






To see how all this fits together please view the video below






Previously Used

Nikon Coolpix P5100







Manufacturer's Description


Powerful 12.1 megapixel camera distinguished by its superior ergonomics and formidable performance. Ideal for photographers looking for a creative edge, its 2.5-inch LCD combined with optical viewfinder, advanced Exposure modes and impressive system expandability provide outstanding versatility. Powerful image stabilization technology, ISO 3200* and a 3.5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens combine to ensure sharp, noise-free shooting even in low light. *ISO 3200 is only available for imag sizes of 5M (2592 x 1944) or smaller. Superior materials & ergonomics : solid, lightweight body with high quality finish and magnesium alloy section on front panel rubber grip for comfortable, steady shooting and Mode dial for more intuitive operation.

Some Pictures taken from the setup above:







Related Links:

Budget Digiscoping - Digiscoping on a budget

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