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Introduction to Digiscoping vol-2(From digiscoping equipment to tips on photographic techniques)
1,Welcome to the digiscoping world! Selecting digiscoping equipment How to improve your digiscoping skills FAQ
Digiscoping with SLR cameras

How to improve your digiscoping skills

Before you start taking pictures Taking a picture Improving your technique Quick photographic tips

Quick photographic tips

The main obstacles to digiscoping are vignetting and blurred images.

What is vignetting?

vignettingA dark shadow around the edges of a photo is called vignetting. Usually, vignetting disappears if you zoom the lens towards the camera's telephoto end, but this can make focusing more difficult. In order to reduce vignetting, Nikon has made many design improvements to Nikon DS eyepieces and brackets, and we recommends DS eyepieces for digiscoping. Whether vignetting will appear or not will depend on the combination of the eyepiece and the camera, so please check catalogues or product information pages, for details.


Causes of movement blur -- Subject movement and camera shake
Subject movement
Subject movement		 camera shake
camera shake
Movement-related blur can be broadly categorized into blur caused by subject movement and blur caused by camera shake. It is difficult to avoid subject movement blur when wild birds move or flowers sway in the breeze, so we recommend that you make use of the continuous shooting function of digital cameras to take many shots, to ensure that you get a successful one. A strategy to avoid camera shake is to use a solid tripod and tripod head with feet firmly set on the ground, keep your hands away from the equipment and use the cable release, taking the photo by gently releasing the shutter.

How to take photos more easily

To quickly frame your subject and control blur caused by movement when you take photographs, in addition to using a tripod and tripod head, if you have an optical sighting device and an LCD hood with attached magnifier, your photography will become even easier.

Optical sighting device

It is easier to photograph birds and other small subjects using an optical sighting device, which allows you to confirm the subject's location in a similar fashion to using the naked eye.

Magnifier-equipped LCD hood

By enlarging the small liquid crystal display of a compact digital camera [with a magnifier-equipped LCD hood], you can focus accurately. Further, a hood reduces light reflected on the LCD, making it easier to see.


*Nikon does not sell optical sighting devices and magnifier-equipped LCD hoods.

Understanding the specific characteristics of digiscoping

How to make great photographs using digiscoping

Try to take as many photos as possible, taking full advantage of the fact that digital cameras do not require the purchase of film. You can then select the best one.

Fields in which digiscoping may not yield ideal results

In comparison to SLR cameras, compact digital cameras have longer shutter lag times, and continuous shooting speeds are not very fast. For these reasons, digiscoping is not suited to situations where the subject is moving quickly. It is extremely difficult to take perfect pictures of subjects such as birds on the wing.


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