• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Search results

thxpress_search_the_forum Search Opus
  1. B

    Tripods/Heads/Telescopes - generalities?

    I have some old tripods and heads (Manfrotto 144/with 166 head, Benbo model 1, Gitzo Reporter with offset ball head, Manfrotto 79 monopod) These have served me well for photographic use. But none of these seem a very good match with my Mirador 22-47 x 75mm telescope. The Manfrotto 144 is just...
  2. B

    Adapter type sought - CANNOT fit to eye piece?

    A long time ago, I bought a digiscope adapter, of this style: Last week, I bought this Mirador spotting scope; https://www.birdforum.net/threads/mirador-22-47-x-75mm-spotting-scope-balance.407341/ Sadly, my digiscope adapter is designed to clamp onto a large eyepiece, either with a separate...
  3. B

    Measuring FOV?

    Since my new-to-me Mirador scope isn't marked with this, I'd like to measure the FOV. https://www.birdforum.net/threads/mirador-22-47-x-75mm-spotting-scope-balance.407341/ Is this as simple as getting a helper to place a garden cane into the the ground at the left/right extremes of the field...
  4. B

    Mirador 22-47 x 75mm spotting scope, balance?

    I just bought a cheap, old-ish cope from eBay, per thread title. (Slightly discoloured rubber sleeve at the objective end) Mounting on my heaviest photographic tripod (Manfrotto #144, #168 ballhead), the views into my garden are bright and sharp - I am well pleased. However, the tripod mount...
  5. B

    What gender is this sparrowhawk?

    My garden groundfeeder had a visitor, which won't please my songbirds much. My bird book allowed me to ID a sparrowhawk, but I'm unsure as to gender. I've retro-spectively measure the bird feeder at 42 cm, and pixel counting allowed me to size this red rectangle at 20 cm high. So - male or...
  6. B

    Table camera clamp - what for?

    I recently got a table clamping camera fixing (ok, it was a car boot, and it was cheap). It's OBVIOUS what it does; it clamps to a table or shelf edge, and provides a ball head mount for a small camera. But under what circumstances it is useful? I'm struggling to find a purpose for it. BugBear
  7. B

    Improving motion on a Manfrotto ball head?

    I have an old Manfrotto #168 ball head, mounted on an equally old Manfrotto #55 tripod. Both car boot bargains. The motion has become rather "sticky" - I have to slack the tension right off before I can move it at all. The ball itself is coated in "something black" and a quick GIS reveals that...
  8. B

    Replacing head on Slik 500 ?

    I was wandering a car boot (yard sale, USA) when I saw a small tripod. I picked it up to take a look, and was amazed at the low weight. Everything seemed OK, so I bought it. A quick bit of research when I got home showed it to be a Slik 500. Sadly, closer inspection revealed that the...
  9. B

    Identification - monochrome goldcrest?!

    I just saw a bird out of my kitchen window on my patio (the sacrifices we make for birding, eh?). It looked, to my inexpert eye, like a goldcrest. It was tiny (wren size) and (as per the books) moving around very quickly, in the shrubs, AND it could nearly hover. It had an eye stripe and a...
  10. B

    Feather Id from garden

    This doesn't look like a pigeon feather (to me...) Can anyone ID it? The photo was taken in a north facing room, with the camera white balance adjusted against a white card, so the colour should be pretty true. My suspicions are raptor-ish. BugBear
  11. B

    relationship of BTO and RSPB

    I'm slightly confused that we have TWO large organisations doing the "bird thing" in this country. Can anyone explain the roles of them, how they differ, overlap, that kind of thing? BugBear
  12. B

    trying to recall tripod review?

    A while ago (possibly 2 years) I read a very thorough review/test of tripods for digiscoping. The tripods were either top end carbon fibre, or wood. No centre columns were used (even if available), and stability was tested by pointing the camera at a point light source, and hitting the tripod...
  13. B

    Buzzard(?) near Sawtry

    whilst visiting a friend in Sawtry on Sunday, we went for a walk. Around a mile west we saw a Kestrel and a "sodding great bird" (circa 4-5 foot wingspan, at a guess) with squarish wings. From my books at home I'd guess buzzard. Anyone else seen this, or know about it? BugBear
  14. B

    basic question on focusing

    I have a "universal" digiscoping adapter, that is slightly cumbersome to set up. e.g. http://www.amazon.com/William-Optics-Universal-Digiscoping-Diameter-Eyepieces/dp/B000AMNZ3M Assuming I have everything (finally) fitted and centred, how do I focus? I'm working afocally, so (as I understand...
  15. B

    Canon a590 - quality

    I note (from googling) that the Canon a590 is quite widely used for Digiscoping, and is considered something of a bargain. Given that my (fairly beloved) Canon a630 had acquired some dirt inside its lens (no, I don't know how). I purchased a a590, and used it to take some holiday shots. I was...
Back
Top