hello and presentation and small query about svbony scope (1 Viewer)

[zmp]

Dear All birders,

My name is Mathieu. I am french sorry for my English.

I find this forum during my search for a spotting scope to extend my actual camera and optical amateur carrying tool.

I am owner of frenel 8x32 and Leica monovid 8x20 on the optical side. On the camera side I have a canon 6d with 85mm, 40mm, 12mm and 16-35mm (canon and samyang for fisheye) and a Ricoh GR III. The trepied is a Sirius traveller.

So I search for a spotting scope that can help me to watch bird and make some digiscoping and also to narrowed my field of view ;-)... As seen above I have started quite wide. My family want also to start looking at stars and moon.

My search lead me to svbony spotting scope. Specifically this lead me to sv406p the 80mm or the new 100mm or sa401p. For this I would need your advise specially for the astrophotography. Should I keep budget for optical dedicated to astro or spend for the best optical at start...

It is always big dilemma. I will buy in any case a sirui video head the va5.


But I am leaning to pick the sv406p in 100mm.

Feel free to advise me.

Regards

ZMP

 

[KC Foggin]

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

I'm going to move your thread to the Spotting Scope section of the Forum. No worries. You'll get emails when anyone posts an answer to your thread

 

[KC Foggin]

Okay, your thread has been moved and just to show you that you'll be notified when someone posts in this thread I'm sending you this.

 

[wllmspd]

Can’t see the 100mm 406p, only the 406 that is (probably not) ED and (probably doesn’t) take Astro eyepieces. Svbony are consistent in their information, but still there can be questions about what the spec means and if the eyepieces are removable. They do sell a range of adapters to directly connect cameras to their scopes and are very good at replying to emails.

Peter

 

[Binastro]

Hi ZMP and welcome.

For astronomical images you really need a driven mount to follow the stars as the Earth rotates.

For visual views of the stars any scope and tripod will do depending on the magnification.

For planets 100x is needed to show detail.
A steady tripod is needed.

Perhaps you have a local astronomy club.

For serious astro work a 200mm Dobsonian telescope for about 400 euros new or half that secondhand will show more than a spotting scope.

For bird watching the size of spotting scope depends if you are walking or at a fixed location.

Regards,
B.

P.S.
With the 40mm lens one can use about 15 second exposure on a fixed tripod without star trailing.
Using a high ISO and full aperture or one stop down one can get good constellation photos.
With the 85mm lens perhaps 7 seconds.
With the 16mm lens about 40 seconds.

The main thing for astronomy is to have a dark sky.

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Hi Mathieu and welcome to BirdForum.

Rich

 

[SGBirder]

There are hardly any reviews of the new SA401 and it costs a lot more than the SV406P.

SA401 also doesn't take astro eyepieces unlike the SV406P. While the optics may be better with SA401, you'll be limited to the zoom eyepiece.

 

[zmp]

Can’t see the 100mm 406p, only the 406 that is (probably not) ED and (probably doesn’t) take Astro eyepieces. Svbony are consistent in their information, but still there can be questions about what the spec means and if the eyepieces are removable. They do sell a range of adapters to directly connect cameras to their scopes and are very good at replying to emails.

Peter

Peter,

You are right. The svbony mentioned only the sv406 in 100mm. https://www.svbony.com/SV406-25-75x100-HD-Dual-Speed-Focusing-Spotting-Scope/

Amazon translation was misleading.

Thanks for helping me to avoid mistake 😃.

 

[zmp]

Hi ZMP and welcome.

For astronomical images you really need a driven mount to follow the stars as the Earth rotates.

For visual views of the stars any scope and tripod will do depending on the magnification.

For planets 100x is needed to show detail.
A steady tripod is needed.

Perhaps you have a local astronomy club.

For serious astro work a 200mm Dobsonian telescope for about 400 euros new or half that secondhand will show more than a spotting scope.

For bird watching the size of spotting scope depends if you are walking or at a fixed location.

Regards,
B.

P.S.
With the 40mm lens one can use about 15 second exposure on a fixed tripod without star trailing.
Using a high ISO and full aperture or one stop down one can get good constellation photos.
With the 85mm lens perhaps 7 seconds.
With the 16mm lens about 40 seconds.

The main thing for astronomy is to have a dark sky.

Thanks Dinastro,
I will have too a celestron x-cel lx in 5mm to be at 105x... If I don't mistaken. If you have good advice on filter for the moon and Saturn observation it would be great. It is mainly for observation for now. I have chosen a spotting scope mainly because I want to watch birds and viewpoint as main aim. The star part and moon observation is more the added bonus to get the family involved ;-)
For tripod as mentioned I have a light travel Sirius that I will upgrade for a heavier one with a va5 head (the video fluid head). I live in the back country so issue of darkness isn't an issue. If you have good advice on equipement to clamp on my home barrier it would be nice too. ;-)

Thanks too all and have a nice night or day of spotting 🐦 🌟 ;-)

 

[zmp]

If the passion of sky pick-up... I may play with my 3d printer and openastro... But it might be in few years ;-)

 

[Binastro]

Saturn is very low at present even in France.

Although filters are used by some planetary observers to bring out detail, I think the image in Spotting scopes is too dim at 100x to benefit from filters.
Saturn's features are low contrast and one mainly estimates the visibility of faint bands and polar caps in white light.

But sets of planetary filters that screw into eyepieces are available.
Secondhand would be cheaper as many planetary filter sets have had little use.
They are basically Wratten number filters.

With a spotting scope at 100x one should see the rings and ring gap and faint bands.
Also the Cassini division at the ends of the rings.

Titan is easily visible and possibly Rhea, Dione, Tethys and Iapetus with a 100mm scope and possibly 80mm in a dark location.

For the Moon, filters are only used near full moon if one is sensitive to bright light.
But increasing the magnification lessens the brightness, so filters may not be needed.

Full moon shows the least detail and a half moon is very less bright and filters are probably unnecessary.

If you mean a gate or fence, then there are supports that clamp to fences.
But the fence must be strong.

I have a strong device, made in Finland, from memory called Ergo.
I'll have a look.
This has various options.

There are large Gorillapod devices, but I don't know if any are large enough for a spotting scope.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

Ergo Rest is discontinued.

Regards,
B.

 

[zmp]

For gorilla pod, I have the strongest but will not hold a 2 kg on video head. It could support 3kg in static. I may make something with simple C clamp. Thanks for the advise Binastro

 

[zmp]

It is here with the light tripod.
The better tripod is on his way.
Now time for the training of the owner 😂🐱 🌟 🐦

 

[Binastro]

Enjoy the new scope.

Regards,
B.

 

[zmp]

Quick bird taken with my son and my smartphone at x60. 🐦🐦 ;-)

 

[zmp]

Hello All,

So I have try the svbony sv406 with the celestron x-cel lx 5mm. It is fitted on a Sirui VC and Sirui VA5 fluid head. It is really stable. I have try too the ligther Sirui T 024x, that works up to 60 cm from the ground (I would not advised it).

It is really great for me my wife and kids (the younger is three years hold).

Perhaps I found one small issue that the celestron with the ND filter is too long for the scope...

So stability and great image lots more quality in the occular then picture. So I may try higher magnification or barlow. If you have any advice, for further trial I would be really happy to try.

Thanks all see you soon for further trial with the Canon 6d and sv123...

 

[wllmspd]

Nice picture, especially as it is a camera pointing down the eyepiece!. I’ve never found a neutral density filter necessary in the moon, the brightness helps give a nice high contrast view.

 

[zmp]

It is not needed now but maybe one day with the camera it will... It could be nice to fine tune with one or two stop down ;-)

This small weakness have not been yet mentioned... For color filter, I didn't try I have none.

 

[SGBirder]

Hello All,

So I have try the svbony sv406 with the celestron x-cel lx 5mm. It is fitted on a Sirui VC and Sirui VA5 fluid head. It is really stable. I have try too the ligther Sirui T 024x, that works up to 60 cm from the ground (I would not advised it).

It is really great for me my wife and kids (the younger is three years hold).

Perhaps I found one small issue that the celestron with the ND filter is too long for the scope...

So stability and great image lots more quality in the occular then picture. So I may try higher magnification or barlow. If you have any advice, for further trial I would be really happy to try.

Thanks all see you soon for further trial with the Canon 6d and sv123...

View attachment 1433599

Just a suggestion - you can mount the scope backwards on the VA-5 head (pan control will be on the front, away from you), which will allow you to point the scope directly upwards at zenith.