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Recording noc-mig direct to laptop
If you can handle a soldering iron, get yourself some PUI Electronics AOM5024L omnidirectional microphone capsules and TRRS connectors with soldering tabs. Equipped with shrink tubing and a funnel, these DIY microphones, pointing downwards, can withstand continuous rain and deliver excellent...- Vollmeise
- Post #9
- Forum: Bird Sounds Recording
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Recording noc-mig direct to laptop
@Col1: when buying a mic to be used with the composite input (headphones / mic), be sure Your mic has a TRRS-jack (tip/ring/ring/sleeve). TRS microphones will not produce any sound from your composite input due to the different pin assignment.- Vollmeise
- Post #8
- Forum: Bird Sounds Recording
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Night vision equipment for mortals
@nmerc_photos: Well, I just strap my Pulsar XP around my neck. Eyepiece facing up, lens down. So it's 1 second with my right hand to grab and use it. A chest mounted carrier needs two hands to unlock the thermal by turning and pulling it out and to take it the right way to use it then?- Vollmeise
- Post #223
- Forum: Night Vision
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Best bird recorders for field recording
Depends on the recorder. The excellent, low-noise preamplifiers of the MixPre series are only available via the XLR inputs. For the best quality, you need a Y-splitter from 3.5mm stereo to 3x 3.5mm mono, then 1 adapter each from jack to XLR.- Vollmeise
- Post #72
- Forum: Bird Sounds Recording
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Equipment suggestion for recording owls for research
@nochurnal birder: as Jon mentioned, the sensitivity of your microphone determines whether the signal levels of your recordings are strong enough to meaningfully measure and compare the amplitude. You should try to get an external Mic using one of those condenser mic capsules, which both are...- Vollmeise
- Post #9
- Forum: Bird Sounds Recording
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BirdMic Audio Demo
@Elkhornsun: I don't think it's that simple. As an iPhone user from the very beginning, I've found that very good sound recordings can be made with external microphones. Which app did you use to record? Which recording format, sampling rate, preamplification? Did You deactivate all...- Vollmeise
- Post #7
- Forum: Bird Sounds Recording
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Thermal "spotting scopes" - the experience thread
the mounting rail is around 30 cm long. Arca-Swiss is a dove-tail shaped system which enables mounting those parts directly on top of a dedicated tripod header without any further accessories. Anyway, You can choose any mounting rail You lke. A leveling device is a kind of very flat ball head...- Vollmeise
- Post #31
- Forum: Spotting Scopes & tripod/heads
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Thermal "spotting scopes" - the experience thread
Well, as shown in some of ghe images I mounted both the scope and the thermal imager on an Arca-Swiss mounting rail. As a fine alignment of the thermal and scope's image center is compulsory, the thermal itself is mounted on a leveling unit. The alignment is done by centering a landmark with...- Vollmeise
- Post #29
- Forum: Spotting Scopes & tripod/heads
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Wishes: a new scope like the AX Visio
The AX Visio doesn't use the bino's optics to take the photo. It uses a digicam with it's own tiny lens attached centered on top. The digital aids and ultimately the species ID are reflected into the optical system in the right tube. That's why the path to a digital eyepiece will be a long one... -
Night vision equipment for mortals
Just as traditional cameras corrected exposure based on the average brightness of the subject, thermal imaging cameras adjust the display of objects of different temperatures based on the average temperature of the entire subject. When looking at branches against the cold sky, you can easily...- Vollmeise
- Post #207
- Forum: Night Vision
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Night vision equipment for mortals
right, I bought my XP50 and the interchangeable 28mm lens in late 2017 and I'm still happy with it. I do prefer my XP50 in comparison, not least as I don't know anything about Infiray's durability when in everyday use. Once I'd change my XP50 I'd choose a Pulsar Merger XP50 or even XL50, due to...- Vollmeise
- Post #201
- Forum: Night Vision
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Night vision equipment for mortals
Well, I could compare an Infiray ZH38 vs my Pulsar Helion XP50 (and its 28mm interchangeable lens) side by side. The Infiray's viewfinder seemed even worse than my Pulsar's when wearing glasses. The image itself was ok, with some visible resolution falloff and vignetting towards the edges...- Vollmeise
- Post #199
- Forum: Night Vision
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Use of Lavalier PiP Mics and Question on power requirements
Jon, I don't know if it is available as a ready to use mic. Did solder my mics by using TRRS-jacks, cables, home made housing and heat shrink tubing. A fiddly job indeed, but You're free in modifications. For example, you can solder two capsules in parallel to further increase sensitivity and...- Vollmeise
- Post #5
- Forum: Bird Sounds Recording
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Night vision equipment for mortals
The Yashica is a night vision device, not a thermal scope. Depending on Your needs, one or the other technology may be advantegeous.- Vollmeise
- Post #183
- Forum: Night Vision
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Night vision equipment for mortals
The XP50 is a great and versatile tool due to it's interchangeable lenses. Try to get a 38 or 28mm lens on the used market to get the wider FOV You talked about. A shame that Pulsar didn't follow that unique feature and discontinued selling lenses for their Helion XP series. Cheers)- Vollmeise
- Post #182
- Forum: Night Vision
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Use of Lavalier PiP Mics and Question on power requirements
Jon, Both tested the Primo EM272 and the PUI AOM5024L @ 2,3V PiP by myself, both working fine. As an alternative You could try PUI's electret capsule AOM5024L. The 5024 is even more sensitive (-24 dB vs -28 dB), has the same SNR of 80 dB and a PiP range from 3V to 10V due to it's specs.- Vollmeise
- Post #3
- Forum: Bird Sounds Recording
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Affordable thermal device that comes with a screen?
OkamotoKeitaSin, You could connect Your Smartphone to any Pulsar Helion and use it as a Display. When mounted on a tripod, You even could align the thermal with a scope or with bins to find the objects you are looking for with ease.- Vollmeise
- Post #2
- Forum: Night Vision
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Comment by 'Vollmeise' in media 'Goldfinch'
Very crisp shot of a male Goldfinch, Olyman. As one can see, You selected the white background and adjusted the sky to a darker finish. Maybe You can try to complete the selection between its wing tips and around its head to reach an even more natural look. Cheers :)- Vollmeise
- Gallery comment
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New Swarovski product announcement in January 2024...?
The Swaro 2x booster seems to be discontinued since 2009. Some guys mounted it to a replacement eye cup to be able to place it on newer models too. Maybe I'll get two of these on the used market and give them a try. At least until my wish for 1.5x boosters was heard 🤗 -
New Swarovski product announcement in January 2024...?
Hermann, isn't it nice how different personal requirements and wishes can be? My wish is to turn a very good 8x42 into a 12x42 that is suitable for everyday use. Or the great EL 12x50 into a still very good 18x50 for comfortable, extensive raptor monitoring. What I personally don't need is... -
New Swarovski product announcement in January 2024...?
Y, and I even do own one of those Zeiss Mono 3x12 T* Tripler for my Zeiss SF. It works, but is no fun to use w/ specs. The exit pupil goes down to 1,75 mm and that is the second no go. It was designed as a magnifying glass, that's what I'm fine with. As mentioned, dedicated extender 1,4 - 2x... -
New Swarovski product announcement in January 2024...?
Would be fine, really. What about an excellent Swaro 2x Extender-Eyepiece, easy click fitting on top of any NL-Pure, eye relief 20mm. Even a 1.4x or 1.7x would be great. I'd buy two of them as a no brainer. Cheers -
What I think would be the perfect birding (rather than bird photography) camera
Did You think about a higher res APS-C camera? The latest Fujifilm X-H2 delivers 40MP which is 1,4x the reach of a 20MP APS-C body with the same lens. There are some lightweight lens gems suited for birder's needs also: Fujifilm X-H2: 40 MP, bird recognition, 660g Lens: Fujifilm XF100-400... -
New Swarovski product announcement in January 2024...?
Dear Swaro engineers, please listen 😀 I'd really appreciate a high mag NL with an excellent field of view and 20mm ER. The SLC 15x56 is a nice piece of bins but no fun if you wear glasses. My Vortex 18x56 UHD is a sturdy workhorse, even with glasses, but optically it doesn't come close to the... -
Best bird recorders for field recording
Any experience with the all new Zoom M2 / M4 MicTrak Recorders? Their specs sound promising and the M2 seems to be most affordable 32bit FP recorder right now- Vollmeise
- Post #42
- Forum: Bird Sounds Recording