This is an extreme crop at an extreme distance (500' +?) across open water (much air turbulance) but I thought I'd see what I could do with it just for the challenge.
With soft shots like this I have often found "Focus Magic" to work well.

[Des]

Lots of CA/PF of course, but amazing to get that resolution from such a distance. You just shouldn't be getting images like this with the *ist !!!

I wonder how a K-3 would go attached to the scope?

[eaglem]

You've managed to keep a lot of detail in such a heavy crop.

[wildman]

Lots of CA/PF of course, but amazing to get that resolution from such a distance. You just shouldn't be getting images like this with the *ist !!!
I wonder how a K-3 would go attached to the scope?

My guess is that a "better" sensor would make little difference.

The problem is the raw primary image data as first delivered to the sensor - first through 500 feet of air turbulence, then through a two element achromatic objective that's only corrected for 2 primary colors, then through a 2x TC that further degrades the image that the sensor sees to the final image that the sensor records.

I'll put it this way - for this kind of extreme shooting I'd rather have the DL plus Photoshop with 500 bucks worth of plugins and some PP skill than a K1 (ignoring the difference in crop factor) with no ability to correct later in PP.

So far as a camera and it's sensor is concerned - garbage in garbage out.

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Last edited by wildman; 10-08-2016 at 05:50 AM.

[Des]

Great to hear the voice of experience @Wildman.

I've got a Pentax spotting scope but I've never thought to try a K-mount adapter with it. Hmmm...

[wildman]

I've got a Pentax spotting scope but I've never thought to try a K-mount adapter with it. Hmmm...

Check this out if you are going that way. It's the gold standard for use with Pentax spotters but pricey. I use it on the big 100mm ( objective size not FL) pentax scope.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/220977-USA/Pentax_70510_PF_CA35_K_Mount_SLR_Camera.html#!

[Des]

Thanks a lot for the link and the advice Wildman. This is all new to me. I see from the Ricoh site that it would work on the PF-65ED as an 1190mm f12 lens (PF-CA35 : Spotting Scopes : Binoculars / Spotting Scopes | RICOH IMAGING). Maybe that is the FFE focal length, because it says 780mm for a 35mm film camera.

I don't see a lot of enthusiam on this site for scope adapters compared with other options:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/22-pentax-camera-field-accessories/215712...ca35-gone.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/136-pentax-q/212338-help-noob-relate-reac...adapted-q.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/29-welcomes-introductions/282034-digiscop...t-adapter.html

If you don't mind me picking your brain, have you got a view, from experience, of how the results of using the scope adapter would compare with using say my FA*300 f4.5 on a Q-series camera, or even say that lens or the Sigma 400 f5.6 tele macro with a 1.4x TC on the K-3 and cropping?

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Last edited by Des; 10-08-2016 at 06:28 PM.