Super-zoom vs Digi-scope

[thru-hunter]

I have been pretty set on a plan to get a point n shoot and add a digiscope adapter to it. Recently I have seen some pretty incredible images coming from some of the "hybrid" point and shoot cameras with ridiculous zoom. The Canon SX50 for instance seems like it would be an extremely useful piece of kit for everything from snapping pics of my kid snot bubbling the QB on 3rd and short to capturing rams on a distant hillside with almost zero setup time.

The flip side argument is that I use my spotter frequently in the hills so having a camera that easily pops on it when I spot something would be handy vs having to completely swap the spotter out to get a pic.

Anyone choose one or the other and care to explain why they feel they made the "right" (or wrong) decision??

 

[Jake Leibke]

I have both... a canon with 35x optical zoom and last year I bought a tines up adapter for my razor hd 85 spotter and use it with a sony cam....
The tines up is handy because you just slip it over. I have not been able to get good longer distance pics (1 mile plus) with it. With the high zoom cam at full zoom the pics are a bit grainy but seem better than with the adapter through the spotter..... might just be me though. I have got some great pics with the tines up at closer distance though.

 

[tstowater]

I would suggest PM'ing Bitterroot Bulls. He should be able to help point you in the right direction. This issue has been discussed before.

 

[thru-hunter]

I would suggest PM'ing Bitterroot Bulls. He should be able to help point you in the right direction. This issue has been discussed before.

Always sucks to repost a topic that has already been beaten up on the board. I scanned the other posts in this forum and didn't see any directly covering pros and cons of the 40-50x zoom cameras vs Digi-cam setups. Do you happen to have a link to the other threads on the topic?

 

[flyinsquirel]

Always sucks to repost a topic that has already been beaten up on the board. I scanned the other posts in this forum and didn't see any directly covering pros and cons of the 40-50x zoom cameras vs Digi-cam setups. Do you happen to have a link to the other threads on the topic?

I disagree. These days new products hit the market every week. A good rehash now and then doesn't hurt anything. You might even find something that's exactly what you're looking for.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Nothing wrong with going over the same topics, IMO.

The superzooms are cool because they do a lot of things pretty well. The digiscoping setup is cool because you get much better long distance viewing with the spotter, and much longer focal lengths with the digiscoping setup.

I have had excellent long-range video results with digiscoping setups.

It is easier to get sharp photos straight from a superzoom camera, but you can get good results at much longer focal lengths out of a digiscoping setup if you practice.

My .02.

 

[Cindy]

Just remember, photography is a skill.
Taking quality photographs usually requires practice, even with a super telephoto lens, or digiscoping with a spotting scope, or even a simple "super zoom" camera.
I have viewed photographs captured with several different methods. Some are terrible. Some are superb. Many are simply good enough to tell what you are looking at.
The individuals who put in the most time and effort, consistently have the best results. Regardless of the method.

I would recommend that you compare the differences between the equipment available to you. Decide what will give you the best result.