Originally posted by minahasa I'm curious about what's better between using a spotting scope and a regular mirror lens to achieve long-distance photography. I know that there will be loss of image quality, but what's better or worse. Anyone with experience?
I could be wrong, but I don't think too many people are using SLRs with spotting scopes. But "digiscoping" -- using a spotting scope in conjunction with a compact P&S type camera is becoming more and more popular with birders. The reasons are simple:
-- It works reasonably well when you are more concerned with just getting a shot of bird then a "print-worthy" shot, although remarkably good quality can be achieved. But then you're ending up spending $$$ on digiscope adapters, etc etc
-- Birders have spotting scopes anyway, and the range is much greater and at much lower cost than high-end telephoto lenses.