Jersey Digiscoping with Kowa Prominar

Go beyond the Reach with Digiscoping

2013-05-19T18:57:00.000-04:00

Me and Roy Halpin were talking about certain advantages and disadvantages that both conventional Photography and Digiscoping have one of the main reasons was the focal length reach to small passerines especially in a crowded area such as the Magee Marsh Boardwalk that pretty much hinders the big 500 to 600 mm lens useless exspecially at peak hours . So many Photographers resolve this issue by using a 300 to 400mm hand held system ,,that is good when the Bird such as a Warbler is no more than 15 feet distance from the lens with some cropping maybe adding up to about 700mm .

So me and Roy using both conventional and Digiscoping gear did a test on a Cerulean Warbler at about 100 feet both shots are uncropped .

Roy was using a Canon 7D with a Canon 300mm f4 lens.

I was using a Kowa 884 with the Sony RX100 with the 25/60 Wide Zoom eyepiece.

I was Zoomed to about the halfway on the optical Zoom on the RX-100, the eyepiece was at about 40 power giving me about 2800mm in focal length .

Roy Halpin"s capture.

Kevin Bolton's capture.

Appalacian Trail Blue Winged and Prairie Warblers

2013-05-18T13:18:00.001-04:00

It is the Time of the Year again for myself to venture about to some of the fine Warbler Breeding areas New Jersey has to offer,,,one particular area I enjoy is the Wallkill WMA which is in Sussex county at the North West corner of the state.

The Appalachian trail runs through this stretch of the Wallkill, providing a good Grassland along with Cedar trees dotting the area perfect for Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlark and a few different Warblers being the predominate Blue Winged and Prairie .

Magee Marsh Stunners

2013-05-08T20:49:00.002-04:00

I had a great week at Magee Marsh with Paul Hackett ,Roy Halpin and Annette Cunniffe ,with Kowa and the Digsco adapters.

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I would say my highlight captures are my Blackburnian and Bay Breasted Warbler's.

There were plenty of more sought after species like Cerulean and Cape May Warblers.

There were many Common species keeping low within the canopy Yellow Warblers along with numerous Yellow Rumps .

Kowa+Digisco Turbo adapters @ The Biggest Week in American Birding

2013-04-27T13:24:00.001-04:00

I have been aware of Digisco adapters for about 5 years now and always impressed with the craftsmanship of Yoshi Ishimaru, along with the adaptability with many Scope Camera combinations with Kowa being the main venue .

It is a great honor when Yoshi offered me and Paul Hackett Digisco samples to present and showcase along with all the great Kowa products including the new TSN-11WZ eyepiece at the Biggest Week in American Birding. http://biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/

The products that I have received from Mr Ishimaru .

1. CH-P11 Collete holder fits around the Filter thread base of the scope for support of the Eyepiece.

2: BR-RX-100 Turbo Adapter for Sony RX-100

3: BR-N1 18.5 Turbo Adapter for Nikon 1 V1/V2/J1/J2 coupled with the Nikor 18.5 mm lens

4: BR-N1 1030 Turbo Adapter for Nikon 1 V1/V2/J1/J2 coupled with the Nikor 10-30 mm lens.

5: P2 Turbo adapter fits the TSN-11WZ/TSN-17WE

6: TA4 Turbo Adapter threads on to each specific adapter .

Here is Yoshi's web page with translation along with links to Digisco for purchasing product .

http://www.digisco.jp/

It is an honor to attend the Biggest Weekend in Birding .
Kevin and Kim Kaufman are the founders of this event and put in an incredible effort for the conservation , to preserve this wonderful habitat for many species of migrants.

Chewink Shrenk Towhee time.

2013-04-24T18:59:00.000-04:00

Had a semi productive time at garret mountain today ,,, but patience paid off and had a chance with a Eastern Towhee,,,

I am really liking the Digisco Turbo adapter for the RX-100 and it makes changing Battery's a breeze .

By the way I will be in Ohio for the Biggest week of Birding next week with Sales Manager Jim Danzenbaker, Paul Hackett,,Roy Halpin along with Annette Jambloski representing Kowa.

More Black and White Warblers

2013-04-20T18:39:00.001-04:00

Lighting was a bit on the better side today did mange one lethargic Black &White due to the cold weather.

Black@White and a touch of Yellow + Digisco Turbo Adapter BR-RX-100

2013-04-19T15:55:00.001-04:00

Garret Mountain had some migrants tricking in ,,,but the weather was a bit cloudy with some drizzle,were a High ISO setting was in order , I also had a chance to use my new Digisco Turbo Adapter for the RX-100 which is a wonderful adapter .

Black & White Warblers are one of my favorites and there were quite a few around ,but were a bit of a challenge with the lighting and low shutter speed I did mange a few.

I also had a chance at a Flicker early at quite a distance.

So spring is here and the movement will continue with a myriad of species moving through hopefully I will get some good chances to update my catalog as I did my equipment.

Nikor 18.5mm 1.8

2013-04-12T06:39:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I went out to test the Nikor 18.5 mm 1.8 lens with the Nikon 1V1 .

Larger Birds no problem and decent sharpness is there at medium to far distance ,,,but smaller species like this Hermit thrush and Red Winged Blackbird 20 to 30 feet is in order ..

Bigger species like this Killdeer I was about 50 feet with the Zoom on the TSN-11WZ at about 30 power.

Blue Winged Teal is a specialty of these areas so to get one in my view is always a pleasure.

Here is a Close up of a Female mallard head shot with the Nikor 18.5 mm to show the close up potential .

Hats off to Joe Pescatore

2013-04-12T06:02:00.000-04:00

Joe Pescatore a name that is very well recognized in the Birding community along with being a great up and coming Digiscoper .

I first met Joe about 2 years ago and he asked me for some instruction and tutorial guidance to polish his skills with Digiscoping .
From the beginning I seen Joe had the determination and skill to become a powerful prowess at his craft,we spent many hours out in the field exchanging ideas along with critique and constructive criticism on each others work, which was a great help on both ends.
Joe also had a presentation at the Sherman Hoffman NJAS showcasing his Photos.

It is great having a mentor such as Mike McDowell for me ,,who was a great asset for my success,and I feel honored when Joe speaks of me in the same fashion!

Joes Flickr page. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpescatore/

So with all is due Hats off to Joe Pescatore as a friend and a great Digiscoper thanks for the great outings together.

The New Kowa TSN-TE-11WZ /25/60 Wide Zoom eyepiece has arrived!

2013-03-16T18:34:00.000-04:00

I have the pleasure to announce the Kowa TSN-TE-11Z wide angle eyepiece has arrived.
Here are the Specs for the eyepiece.

Magnification: 25~60 ZOOM

Real field of view: 2.4~1.32

Exit pupil:   3.5~1.5mm (TSN-880)
                  3.1~1.3mm(TSN-770)

Relative Brightness: 12.4~2.2 (TSN-880)
                                 9.5~1.6 (TSN-770)

Eye Relief: 17.0mm

Field of view at 1,000m/yds 42~23m/yds

Length: 111.mm (4.37in)

Weight: 370g (13.0oz)

Being out in the field with this wonderful eyepiece has been an incredible Digiscoping experience.
The Primary Camera I have been using is the Sony RX-100 with the 25/60.

The first day of my outing I had a chance on some Ruby Crowned Kinglets with a Low shutter Speed due to the overcast conditions .

Edge softness with this eyepiece is virtually eliminated which was an issue in the past with other eyepiece models ,,it has a much more flatter field of view.

The next outing I tested the TSN-TE-11WZ on some Belted Kingfishers at a bit of a distance about 60 feet ,,so I utilized the Zoom to about 40x in which I still kept the detail and Sharpness which really was impressive,

Here are some various captures with the Kowa TSN-TE-11WZ ,,,Song Sparrows ,,American Robin,, Red Tailed Hawk,,,The Song Sparrow Portrait close up was at 40xpower.

This Eyepiece in my mind for Digiscoping along with viewing is a wonderful new item from the Kowa lineup , and I expect it to be a big favorite which is certainly one of mine ,,it definitely gets a 10 star rating.

Crossbill Collection/Thanks Annette

2013-02-17T09:26:00.000-05:00

Late 2012 was a blur with the passing of my Mom ,,, but I did have some great help from a Birding friend as to get me back to my sanity along with my some great Birding

This page is Dedicated to you Annette for the wonderful Birding day we had ,and getting my mind out of the Dismal ..

Red and White Winged Crossbills at Hammonasset state park

After The Storm

2013-02-10T14:33:00.001-05:00

It was are first major Snowfall of the year ,,,and since February is about half way through the chances of another significant Snow is dwindling down..

Otherwise the Weather was perfect with calm winds and Bluebird sky"s so me and Joe P decided to head down to the Meadowlands and with a big surprise it was closed, next plan was Laural Hill Park which happens to be a great choice for a variety of Birds but the all the Snow cover made it a challenge for Digiscoping due to overexposed shots and back lit conditions ,,but we did manage to get some good ones .

There was a nice flock of 20 or so Horned Larks which I never got a decent shot of but this particular flock was very approachable and out of about 30 shots this one was the best.

There were no shortage of Savanna Sparrows ,,but they were all in the Snow cover which was a bit frustrating so a great deal of my captures were through away files ,I do have some decent ones though.

Mid Winter Doldrums

2013-01-26T17:47:00.002-05:00

In the Mid Winter I should be just Birding or chasing some of the Rarity's that have been sighted around the state ,,a Pink Footed Goose in Ocean County along with Lazuli Bunting in Hunterdon County,, but call me lazy ,I would rather stick around the Local nature center with my Trusty Kowa 884 very close to the back entrance so I can warm up between Battery changing which the Frigid weather is famous for draining .

Red Breasted Nuthatches are a cool subject which eluded me for some time now but I did get one fairly close on a steep upward angle.

The Juncos were a bit skittish and it was trying to get one out in the open was a challenge.

On a tech note Dan from Idaho posted an extender he made out of maple wood for the Vortex PS-100 so the Nikon V1 along with some of the other bigger P&S and mirror-less Cams can fit on the adapter here is the link to the picture of the extender he constructed.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=248296

Barnegat Jetty Variety

2013-01-06T07:43:00.001-05:00

Tom Dunkerton and I went to Barnegat inlet to do some Jetty Hopping ,,although the wind was 14 to 20mph and gusting to 30mph out of the west ,we did manage a few captures on this overcast blustery January morning .

Since Tom lives in Florida he was really excited about this outing and I told him we would definitely would find some Harlequin Ducks like this handsome fellow.

On the Jetty there was some invisible Black Ice which I almost lost my footing and had a nasty Spill, but Tom was a bit more adventurist and managed to make it to almost the end of the Jetty for his Lifer Common Eider along with a few captures.

Why Tom was out and about and the far end of the Jetty I did find some comfy Purple Sandpipers picking away at the rocks.

Since the wind was Kicking my Butt I decided to call it a day ,, this was a short outing with only about 2 hours of shooting time ,,and the last species which I managed to get was a Wintering Common Loon.

Cape May Lapland Longspur

2012-10-28T16:50:00.001-04:00

At the Cape May Fall Birding Weekend myself and Jim Danzenbacker located a Lapland Longspur feeding on one of the many Jetty's in the area ,, It was double excitement for me with Digiscoping and viewing as a lifer, so I gave my 884/Panasonic GX1/20mm1.7 quite a work out.

Since Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on many of the coastal community's on the Jersey Shore I had to scramble to get some decent pics before the overcast demon shows face, along with having the festival cut one day short.So I headed up to the point for some Yellow Rumps with my 884/SonyRX-100 captures, I am really starting to love this Camera with 20 mega pixs of high resolution detail, To demonstrate to true potentional of the Sony the last to captures were not really downsized for viewing the wonderful detail

Cape May Fall weekend

2012-10-19T05:16:00.001-04:00

Hello ,,

I along with Sales Manager Jim Danzenbaker will be at the Cape May Fall Weekend October 26 till 28th with Kowa Sporting optics.

I will be happy to answer questions with Digiscoping along with demonstrating many of the fine Kowa products, or if you feel like stopping by to say hello. It will be great to see some good friends around and some new faces.It's always a good time at the Cape.

Lincolns Sparrow with the Sony RX-100

2012-10-13T17:37:00.000-04:00

I recently picked up the Sony RX-100 from my local camera store and went on an outing.

First impression with the 30wide eyepiece the auto focus is a bit trying ,with accuracy being an issue unlike the NikonV1 but it has potential.

I then did some test shots with the Kowa 25LER which you can be farther away from the eyepiece and the focus was more forgiving.

Wears the Macro Mode??? Sony?? I think I have to go to the website to download the PDF on this camera .

Another note on the RX-100 there is no battery Charger that is extra ,
so you have to plug the camera in the wall socket.

Lincolns Sparrow.

With or without the Sun

2012-10-09T18:11:00.000-04:00

Here in the Norhtheast the limited Sunshine has been putting a damper on Digiscoping for me ,,and it can be frustrating at times , but I did manage to get a few decent ones with the Nikon V1 of a Palm Warbler , Yellowrumps and a Common Yellowthroat.

I am also using a different lens for the Nikon V1 ,, the 11/27mm which is a liitle more forgiving with the Vignetting on the 30 wide eyepiece and it can fit on the Vortex PS-100 better than the 10/30 mm can .

The 11/27 has the same Fstop and image quality as the 10/30mm, just a tad bit smaller in size.

A few more Panasonic GX1 captures

2012-10-06T20:08:00.001-04:00

The GX1 is a learning curve for me ,, I am still practicing with yard Birds but getting use to manual focus, also shooting in Jpeg is a waste of time with this mode,l I pretty much deleted an entire outing in JPEG cause I had the Camera set to JPEG by accident.

So Titmice and a mourning Dove were the flavor of the day I should be getting out to more productive area"s soon .

Paul Hackett covers all the bases with Kowa

2012-10-06T20:00:00.001-04:00

Paul Hackett"s Digiscoping talent never seems to surprise me but it always inspired me greatly ,so I checked out one of his many You tube videos this one in particular on a Uk show the Camera Diner with the host Paul Genges .

In this episode Paul covers all the bases of Digiscoping with Kowa from the point and shoot aspect with the DA3 adapter, along with the TSN-PZ Photo adapter, moving along to the IPhone attachment. Paul also showcases the Kowa telephoto lens with the 350/500/850mm adapters.

I hope you enjoy thanks Paul.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qkJTojMpMQ&feature=plcp

Panasonic GX1-20mm 1.4 Lens

2012-10-02T19:48:00.001-04:00

I took some test shots of an American Goldfinch with the Panasonic GX1, and was impressed with the Quality,,Thanks Tara Tanaka for turning me on to this beauty!

2012-09-23T16:49:00.000-04:00

Test ,,,

I think my Nikon V1 LENS has infractions

New Jersey State Record Elegant Tern

2012-09-16T09:06:00.001-04:00

A ventured down to Sandy Hook on Friday for a chase of an Elegant Tern mind you I haven't seen one of these since the early 80"s in Southern California,but I wanted to document and get some nice captures ,ethically I kept my distance which is the correct thing to do, with a stealthy approach I was a camped out at the tidal cut and with luck and patience the Tern landed within about 50 feet from me.

.At the time I was using the Kowa TSN-883 along with the TSN-PZ/680-1000mm Photo adapter attached to the NikonD7000, with this combo you have to be closer to subject than standard Digscoping because of the shorter focal length which comes out to about 1200mm with the Nikon sensor.

Elegant Tern.

Common Tern.

American Oystercatcher

Getting Busy at Brigantine

2012-08-23T21:42:00.001-04:00

Spent a few days in South Jersey for some well deserved time off,so in between family activity's I took about a 1hour drive to Brigantine WMA for some Shorebirds and what ever I can find, I have to say it was quite slow but did manage a few waders along with an Osprey .

Happy 4 years JerseyDigiscoping

2012-07-14T14:08:00.001-04:00

Thanks everybody for support of JerseyDigiscoping. since 2008

Over the years we had to get threw the growing pains along with phrasing my way of writing so you don't have to feel like your are from Mars to understand my post.

I finally feel I have made some progress in that category,I almost went out and purchased Dragon the Voice recognition software but I am starting to get the hang of things.

It almost past me up the 4 year mark I have been out in field more consistent time just fly's by.

Yesterday I went to Mill Creek Marsh to see what opportunity were available although there was a Big movement of Semipalmated Sandpipers along with Short Billed Dowitchers which is a good Bird for Mill Creek , they were all at bad Sun angle ,but the High Tide made the Marsh Wren more visible and vocal and I did manage to get a few captures.