FAQs by Nipon Scope & Optics
Can I attach a digital camera to the scope?
There is an increasing
requirement for attaching digital camera to a scope to take pictures of distant
objects. You can achieve this by hand holding the camera, for example, or
mounting the camera on a tripod next to the telescope eyepiece, building or
buying an adapter to hold the camera over the eyepiece, using a universal
camera adapter to attach to the camera lens, or using an eyepiece with built in
adapter to attach it directly to the digital camera. Or simply, you can use a
digital eyepiece which takes pictures and video footage directly through the
scope.
The Nipon
26-78x78 compact scope can be fitted with an eyepiece
adapter which has a 1.25" (31.75mm) slip socket as an eyepiece holder. The
adapter is CNC precision-machined from aluminium and has a black anodised
finish. With this adapter, you can either fit a digital eyepiece/camera (eg. digital eyepiece EE210) or fixed power optical eyepieces
to this scope (these products are available from this shop). This adapter also
allows a standard-design T-mount SLR and CCD camera adapter (with 1.25"
fitting) to fit into its eyepiece holder.
You will need to purchase a
standard T2 mounting ring separately for your particular camera brand from the
camera's manufacturer. Please contact us (sales@nipon-scope.com) should you need
further information about the adapters of your particular type of cameras.
What is the
USB digital eyepiece/camera for Nipon scopes?
This is a digital device
which can fit the Nipon 26-78x78 scope,
and the Nipon 70/350mm scope, and connect the scope to
a desktop/laptop computer through a USB cable. You can see a distant object on
the computer screen, adjust the scope's magnification power from your computer
and take pictures. You can also make a video recording of distant scene and
save the video file (.avi) into the computer. This
digital eyepiece has a standard fitting interface with eyepiece adaptor (i.e.,
diameter=1.25" or 31.75mm) that can be fitted to a spotting scope or
telescope as long as the scope has such a 1.25" eyepiece holder.
This digital device comes
with relevant software programme and it works under Windows 2000, XP and vista.
There is also a detailed user guide about how to set up and use the system.
Please view the Product Details page for more information about this product.
How to
calculate magnification (power) of a Nipon scope?
1. Identify the focal length
of the scope. This is often marked on the body of the scope or it should be
given in the user manual. For example, the Nipon
26-78x78 scope's focal length is 780mm.
2. Find the focal length of
the eyepiece. For example, for the PL16, PL26 and PL32 eyepieces as
listed at nipon-scope.com, their focal lengths are 16mm, 26mm and 32mm,
respectively.
3. Divide the focal length
of the scope by the focal length of the eyepiece to get the magnification of the
scope. For example, if you wish to use a 16mm eyepiece to replace the 26-78x
zoom eyepiece of the above Nipon scope, the
magnification of the scope will become: 780/16=49x.
It is desirable to have a
range of eyepieces with different focal lengths to allow viewing over a
range of magnification levels.
Please keep in mind that, as
a fundamental law of optics, at higher magnification powers an image will
always become dimmer and less sharp. With every doubling of magnification
you lose about half the image brightness and 3/4 of the image sharpness.
Therefore, it is best to
begin viewing with the lowest power eyepiece (with longest focal length, eg. 32mm of the above example) or with the zoom eyepiece
being adjusted to its lowest power level. This will provide the widest
true field of view which will make target finding and centring much easier.
After you have located an object, you can switch to a higher power
eyepiece (with smaller focal length) to see more detail (if atmospheric
conditions permit). If the image you see is not crisp
and steady, reduce the magnification by switching to a longer focal length
eyepiece, or for a zoom eyepiece, zoom out. In general, a small but
well-resolved image will show more detail and provide a more enjoyable view
than a dim and fuzzy, over-magnified image.
Please refer to "How to
calculate the field of view" for more related information.
What is the
maximum magnification power a telescope or spotting scope can achieve?
As described above, the
higher the magnification level, the dimmer an image becomes. There is thus a
golden rule for the maximum usable magnification (Mmax)
of any scope: Mmax=2
x D (mm)
Where: D is objective lens
diameter measured in mm.
For example, for the Nipon 26-78x78 compact zoom scope,
its objective lens is 78mm, so the maximum usable magnification power of this
scope is 2x78=156 times.
How to
decide the smallest eyepiece a scope can use?
Based on the Mmax value as calculated above, you can decide the
minimum eyepiece focal length that you may wish to use for a scope. The
equation is: f = F / Mmax
Where: f is the minimum
eyepiece focal length (mm); F is the focal length of the scope; Mmax is the maximum usable magnification of the scope.
For the Nipon
26-78x78 scope, the minimum eyepiece which can be
used is: f=780/156=5 mm. This would provide about 156x power
which is nice for viewing Mars or resolving the rings of Saturn. To resolve
Saturn's rings, you may only need about 30x power, but
to see them more clearly, higher magnifications are required.
How much
magnification do I really need to get a good image?
If the visual condition is
good (eg. on nights when the sky is clear and
stable), the top usable magnification for a 60mm (2.4 inch objective lens)
scope will be around 2x60=120x. This is more than enough to see the rings of
Saturn, cloud belts on Jupiter and many star clusters and nebulae. So, 60mm
scopes have been the standard size for a wide range of applications.
Two types of these models are available at nipon-scope.com, one
is Nipon 15-46x60 Spotting Scope, the other is Nipon 700x60 Telescope.
With a 70-80mm scope,
however, the amount of light it gathers is about 55-65% more than a 60mm scope.
This improves image quality especially when viewing at high powers and under
low light. A selection of these models includes Nipon
20-60x70 spotting scope, 70/300mm refractor scope, 70/350mm refractor scope, and
26-78x78 compact zoom scope. In general, larger scopes
outperform smaller ones, but they also tend to be bigger and heavier,
and more expensive.
How to
calculate the field of view of your scope?
1. Find out the value of the
apparent field of view of the eyepiece. Every eyepiece has its own value of the
apparent field of view and this value is supplied from the
manufacturer. For the optical eyepieces PL16, PL26 & PL32 as
mentioned in the above example, their apparent field of view is 52
degrees.
2. Find the value of
magnification. This is calculated by dividing the focal length of your
scope by the focal length of the eyepiece. For the Nipon
26-78x78 scope (focal length=780mm) with a 16mm eyepiece, for example, its
magnification will be: 780/16=48.75.
3. Divide the value of the
apparent field of view by the value of magnification. For the
above example, 52/48.75=1.06 degrees. This is the value of the field of
view for this scope using this eyepiece.
What's the
difference between angled and straight eyepieces?
The Nipon
20-60x70 scope comes in either straight (horizontal)
or 45 degree angled eyepiece designs. Straight scopes used to be the norm of
these scopes, but angled scopes seem to have taken over for a majority of users
nowadays.
With a straight eyepiece design,
you can view the target in line with the central line of the scope. It is
thus convenient to use the scope with straight eyepiece to locate and track a
target, especially when the target or the viewer is moving.
Angled scopes can better
accommodate people of different heights, and they seem to be easier to use
for digi-scoping (eg. to
mount a digital camera). Nevertheless, either option is
strictly a personal choice, and both options are available from this
shop.
Should I go
for zoom or fixed power scopes?
Most Nipon
scopes are available with zoom or fixed power eyepieces which can range from 15x to 78x. Zoom eyepieces have become popular in recent
years especially for many birders. It's easier to find your object at low power
(with a wider field of view) and then zoom in to see more details. This gives
you much convenience and saves you trouble changing eyepieces for different
magnifications.
However, it should be noted
that even though zooms are optically very sharp, they have a relatively
narrower field of view as compared with fixed power eyepieces at the same
magnification level. Looking through a good scope with a fixed wide angle
eyepiece (eg. 32mm) is a joy! If you put two scopes
together, one with a 20-60 zoom set at 30x power, the other with a 30x fixed
power eyepiece, the difference is striking. You can actually get a wider field
of view in the 30x than you will with the zoom even at 20x.
That's why we have provided a set of fixed power eyepieces to you as
optional accessories in nipon-scope.com, with 16mm, 26mm
and 32mm focal lengths. They can add greater values to your scope.
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