[tmacdon]

Hi,

I am looking for a “digiscoping” adapter to link my K10 to an equally-fine Bushnell spotting scope. The Audubon-recommended site (below), however, do not seem to list adapters for the K 10.

Any suggestions? I find it hard top imagine that folks are NOT linking the fine K10 to a scope.


ScopeTronix Quality Astronomy Products

Ted

[Lowell Goudge]

when I bought my Celestron C90, many years ago it came with a T mount adaptor and I bought Pentax K and Nikon F mounts for it (Many of my friends had Nikons)

try edmonds scientific.

[nakey]

Yep. i see a few T-mount adapters there. get one, then get a genuine Pentax M42 to K mount adapter, and you're set

[stevebrot]

Are you inquiring about mounting a lens (usually non-interchangeable) to the telescope ocular (digiscoping) or finding an appropriate telescope mount adapter for your K10D?

Steve

[Rico]

This ScopeTronix adapter works well with the T-mount adapter. The Digi-T adapter attaches directly to the eyepiece on the scope. You then screw it into the T-mount adapter which will have the Pentax K-mount to attach to the camera. I think the advantage with this set up is that there is less vignetting.

[wildman]

Hi,

I am looking for a “digiscoping” adapter to link my K10 to an equally-fine Bushnell spotting scope. The Audubon-recommended site (below), however, do not seem to list adapters for the K 10.

Any suggestions? I find it hard top imagine that folks are NOT linking the fine K10 to a scope.


ScopeTronix Quality Astronomy Products

Ted

Which spotter exactly?

[hinckc]

Hi!

I use my Televue-76 as a lens on my K20D. There are a number of ways to connect.

Visit this page:
BirdScope.Com Images
and go to the link called "imaging methods" at the bottom of the yellow box of text. That link was the most help to me when trying to understand how to connect my camera.

I personally use "prime focus" rather than the afocal "digiscoping" technique, though I do use a TV "powermate" teleconverter/barlow.

I originally planned to go with the scopetronix adapter, but I'm very happy with the results I'm getting now with just my TV-76 and my 2x Powermate. This gives me a 960mm, f/12.7 setup, that lowers down to a 480mm f/6.3 when I need more light..

I've written more about my setup and posted some examples here.

Please do post up some examples of your results after you make a decision!

-Chris

[tmacdon]

Are you inquiring about mounting a lens (usually non-interchangeable) to the telescope ocular (digiscoping) or finding an appropriate telescope mount adapter for your K10D?

Steve

HI, To be honest, I am not sure. I simply want to take pictures through a spotting scope with my K10 . I suspect a simple (?) adapter will be fine . Can you help?

[Ben_Edict]

HI, To be honest, I am not sure. I simply want to take pictures through a spotting scope with my K10 . I suspect a simple (?) adapter will be fine . Can you help?

There are 2 fundamentally different ways to connect a camera to a scope:
1. "Digiscoping" – Using a camera + lens or only the camera to shoot through a telescop + eyepiece

2. using the telescope directly as a camera lens

for 1. you need an eyepiece projection adapter like that: ScopeTronix: Spotting Scopes and Digiscoping Adapters
Look for example at the Uni-T adaptor. If you use the camera lens it helps to screw the camera lens to the mounting adapter with the help of another threaded adapter. You get very high magnifications this way.

You can also mount the camera without lens to the eyepiece, in which case you would need a T2-to-Pentax K adapter (which is NOT the same as a M42 adapter, both have the same diameter, but different thread pitches)

for 2. you usually just need the T2-to-Pentax K adapter, as scopes, that are intended for photographic use provide either a T2 thread diectly or via an optional mounting tube.

The latter option will provide you with a tele lens of the primary focal length of the scope - but without an adjustable aperture. On the other hand, not all scopes can be used as a camera lens, depending on whether the eyepice is removable at all.

Ben

[tmacdon]

Thanks to everyone for the clear explanationsand excellent advise. What would folks do without this Forum?

[Moo]

You can also mount the camera without lens to the eyepiece, in which case you would need a T2-to-Pentax K adapter (which is NOT the same as a M42 adapter, both have the same diameter, but different thread pitches)

An M42 T2-mount ("adapter") may be cheaper/easier to find, especially if you already have the M42-PK adapter.. May also make assembling/disassembling the setup more convenient..

[Gooneybird]

There are 2 fundamentally different ways to connect a camera to a scope:
1. "Digiscoping" – Using a camera + lens or only the camera to shoot through a telescop + eyepiece

2. using the telescope directly as a camera lens

for 1. you need an eyepiece projection adapter like that: ScopeTronix: Spotting Scopes and Digiscoping Adapters
Look for example at the Uni-T adaptor. If you use the camera lens it helps to screw the camera lens to the mounting adapter with the help of another threaded adapter. You get very high magnifications this way.

You can also mount the camera without lens to the eyepiece, in which case you would need a T2-to-Pentax K adapter (which is NOT the same as a M42 adapter, both have the same diameter, but different thread pitches)

for 2. you usually just need the T2-to-Pentax K adapter, as scopes, that are intended for photographic use provide either a T2 thread diectly or via an optional mounting tube.

The latter option will provide you with a tele lens of the primary focal length of the scope - but without an adjustable aperture. On the other hand, not all scopes can be used as a camera lens, depending on whether the eyepice is removable at all.

Ben

Maybe a bit late for this topic, but addressing item 1. above, that is how I do my digiscoping with my K10D and Swarovski AT-80-HD scope.

First of all, the camera lens is critical to do what I have done. (This was based on good advice from a couple digiscopers in Great Britain.) Buy the Pentax 40mm Pancake lens - it is the only one I (and at the time that these advisors) know will work to do what comes next.

Second, find a friend who is a skilled machinist or go to a machine shop and prepare to pay, and have an adapter made to fit. Mine is made from a solid cylinder of Delrin (a brand of Nylon). He bored out the inner diameter to slip over the eyepiece of the scope. Then I had bought the proper threaded sized ring to fit the threads of the larger opening in that 40mm lens, and he turned the outside diameter, on the camera end, down to slip this ring over and pinned it to the Delrin cylinder.

This allows me to thread this cylindrical adapter into the camera, then slip the assembly over the eyepiece, and its a snug fit. It's long enough so that it slips down almost to the scope body, just leaving enough space to vary the eyepiece's magnification. Incidentally, this combo does cause some vignetting if the magnification is set incorrectly, but when set at 20 to 25 X, I get the equivalent of a 1200mm to 1500mm telephoto lens.

More details available if desired.

Olin

[yegnal]

What role would this adapter made by Pentax play in all of this..

Pentax | PF-CA35 K-Mount SLR Camera Adapter | 70510 | B&H Photo

[Ben_Edict]

What role would this adapter made by Pentax play in all of this..

Pentax | PF-CA35 K-Mount SLR Camera Adapter | 70510 | B&H Photo

This is a special adapter, that allows use of the Pentax cameras only on Pentax spotting scopes, not on other brands or standard astronomical telescopes. So, if you have or plan to buy a Pentax spotting scope, this is the right adapter for you.

Ben