digiscoping
{{short description|Photographic technique}}
File:Nikon digiscoping set.jpg with a digital camera mounted afocally using an adapter.]]
File:Digiscope - 20x - 24mm - Ystad-2021.jpg has 20x magnification. Camera focal length is 24 mm; distance to the subject is about 90 meters.]]
Digiscoping is a neologism for afocal photography, using a (digital) camera to record distant images through the eyepiece of an optical telescope.
Digiscoping usually refers to using either a digital single-lens reflex camera with lens attached or, more often, a fixed lens point and shoot digital camera to obtain photos through the eyepiece of a birdwatcher's spotting scope.[https://books.google.com/books?id=j7l0CxBUwGwC&dq=digiscoping&pg=PA41 Adrian Davies, The Focal digital imaging A-Z, page 41] The term has also been associated with the use of a digital camera and spotting scope equipped for prime focus photography.[http://www.dphoto.us/news/node/359 DphotoNews's blog - Nikon introduces the Digiscoping System - Fieldscope Digital SLR Camera Attachment FSA-L1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224063308/http://www.dphoto.us/news/node/359 |date=2010-02-24 }}
Origins
The portmanteau term "digiscoping" (= digital camera + telescoping) was coined in 1999 by French birdwatcher Alain Fossé. Less notable neologisms for this activity are digiscope birding, digiscopy birding, digi-birding, digibinning (using digital camera with binoculars), and phonescoping[http://www.ornithomedia.com/pratique/equipemt/equipement_art42_1.htm Ornithomedia - Pratique - Equipement, A new step in ornithology Digital] (using a digital camera phone with a spotting scope or binoculars).
The origins of the activity called Digiscoping has been attributed to the photographic methods of Laurence Poh, a birdwatcher from the Malaysian Nature Society, who discovered in 1999 almost by accident that the new generation of point and shoot digital cameras could be held up to the eyepiece of a standard spotting scope and achieve surprisingly good results.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}} He spread his findings through birding internet discussion forums and one member, French birdwatcher Alain Fossé, coined the name "digiscoping" to describe the technique.[http://longexposurephotographytips.com/digiscoping/, Digiscoping: What is it?] Laurence Poh is sometimes credited with "inventing" the technique[http://www.allaboutbirds.org/netcommunity/page.aspx?pid=1171 Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Birding Basics, Digiscoping] although his contribution may be more along the lines of popularizing the idea and refining the technology.
Using a camera with its lens attached at the eyepiece of optical devices such as microscopes or telescopes, creating an afocal system (technically called afocal photography or afocal projection) had been used for nearly 100 years[http://www.sover.net/~nvmug/news/enews01-04-21.html NVMUG eNews 4/21/2001 Bill Amos’ Digital Photography Presentation and Warren Walker's Photo Editing - "in the 1930s Bill used afocal photography when taking pictures through a microscope"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907093256/http://www.sover.net/~nvmug/news/enews01-04-21.html |date=2008-09-07 }} and digital camera afocal photography was already being employed in the amateur astronomical community.[https://books.google.com/books?id=WTKcbdR-2h8C&dq=afocal+photography+digital&pg=PA243 Michael A. Covington, Astrophotography for the amateur, page 243, afocally video imaging from 1997] This form of afocal photography became more common in general photography in the 21st century with the spread of point and shoot digital cameras[https://books.google.com/books?id=V3tyCXsCCkMC&dq=afocal+astrophotography&pg=PA198 Michael W. Swanson, The NexStar user's guide, page 198] because of the ease of use of this type of setup.[http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/astrophotography/3304336.html Dennis di Cicco, Afocal What?, SkyandTelescope.com] Several companies sell couplers and other devices for mounting digital cameras afocally.{{Cite web |title=Digiscoping Adapters {{!}} B&H Photo Video |url=https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Digiscoping/ci/14671 |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=www.bhphotovideo.com |language=en}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- [https://books.google.com/books?id=zaXQioI2JvcC&dq=digiscoping&pg=PA272 "Digital Photography Hacks" by Derrick Story, pages 272-276 "Hack #94 - Get Close with Digiscoping"]
External links
{{Commons category|Digiscoping|lcfirst=yes}}
- [http://www.laurencepoh.com/static/digiscoping.shtml laurencepoh.com, website of the man attributed as the developer of “Digiscoping”]
- [http://www.digimages.info/ Website of Alain Fosse who coined the word “digiscoping”]
- [http://www.photoinfos.com/Spektiv/Digiscoping.htm German website about digiscoping with very inspiring images]
{{Photography}}
Category:Ornithological equipment and methods