The most important difference between the digiscoping and traditional nature photography is definitely there Focus.
Automatic (AF) using telephoto lenses; strictly manual (and decisive) using the long as super telephoto. This operational difference greatly affects the speed of action and the very approach to wild animals: with telephoto lenses it is also possible to carry out an itinerant photographic hunt, for research; in digiscoping, on the other hand, the stalking (even off stage) is always a winner. Today, however, things are changing.
Levolution of the digiscoping looks with interest at the new ones MirrorLess - compact interchangeable lens cameras - which are halfway between digital SLRs and classic compacts. Operation is typical of reflex cameras, but with the absence of the internal mirror.
So why do Mirror Less in Digiscoping change the rules of the game?
The answer is very simple and technically complicated at the same time. In practice, the Mirror Less combined with the long can maintain their goals (and therefore all the automatisms) and marry the long in afocal, i.e. lens (of the objective) against the lens of the eyepiece, without having to interpose any other lens. This facilitates the camera / long pairing, through simple adapters that have the sole function of making the camera stable and on axis and long.
But not only. With this combination it is possible to obtain the miracle of a particular form of "Autofocus". This happens due to a particular - and surprising - peculiarity of high quality longs: the possibility, that is, to fire on second lens, internal, which is not what we lean the eye on. The Mirror Less, then, is able to read this precise focus automatically, a phase detection/ contrast (forgive the technical term), even if the image that reaches the eye is not perfectly in focus.
It sounds like science fiction, but let's see what happens in practice.
Let's frame the subject. We do a rough focus on the long, which is only needed to be able to follow it on the monitor. So let's forget the long focus ring and press the shutter button. As if by a miracle, the camera automatically optimizes the focus and takes the shot with great speed. Being able to choose between various types of AF, we can also use tracking AF, that is, engaging the subject and following it in its movement, always without having to optimize the focus in the long run (Mirror Less takes care of it automatically).
In the most prestigious models, this operation can also be done in touch screen, taking advantage of the different AF points offered on the monitor (some Mirrors even have more than 150).
Where you touch the focus goes, precise and fast, and at the same time the photo is taken. The accuracy is such that "touching" the face of a roe deer put, for example, a trocar, we will have the focus on the wet muzzle and the back slightly "out of focus". And viceversa. Whatever the point where we touch and taking advantage of the deliberately shallow depth of field.
It's more difficult to explain than to see in the field. For this reason, we invite those interested in this particular aspect of Digiscoping to come to one of ours workshop, on real wild. In addition to the fundamentals of this technique, you can try - without obligation - the miracles of Mirror Less in digiscoping. Here is the list of work shops for the next ones. Hello everyone! For info and other dates on request: [email protected].
Digiscoping Workshop March-June 2016
- 9-10 April 2016
CAPRIOLI IN VELVET - Gazzolo House, Grognardo headquarters (AL)
- 21-22 May 2016
WATER BIRDS WORK SHOP - Oltrepo Pavese (Pavia)
- June-11 12 2016
TIME OF PUPPIES - Gazzolo House, Grognardo (AL)