What Shutter Speed for Digiscoping?

Whilst in Thailand, we stayed on the edge of Khao Sok National Park (an absolute gem) where we had a banana flower visited by a number of different spiderhunter species. I had been meaning to make a video on shutter speed and digiscoping for a while, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity.

"All of my digiscoping photos are out of focus" is pretty much the most common thing that digiscopers say to me. This normally has very little to do with focus, and everything to do with camera shake. Camera shake is a killer, and shutter speed its blade.

Now in normal daylight conditions, pretty much anyone can take a half decent (sharp) photo with a digital camera. Just keep it on that little green square (full automatic mode), and away you go. As easy as that.

Digiscoping is something completely different. Focal lengths in digiscoping typically range from long (say 800mm) to the ludicrous (5000+ mm) and this brings with it a whole pile of issues. Professional telephoto photographers deal with these issues all the time and digiscoping is no different. It requires the digiscoper to commit time and energy to start to think more like a serious photographer. To understand what shutter speed, aperture, ISO and all those other fantastic things are all about.

So, what shutter speed do I need to get a good, sharp digiscoping photo?

This is, unfortunately, not a simple question to answer and depends on many factors including:

- type of camera (DSLR with a flapping mirror, or little compact camera?),
- how steady your setup and hand are (just had a Red Bull and espresso?)
- how much your subject is moving (tortoise or hare?), and
- luck (had to add that ;-)

DSLRs have a flapping mirror = need more shutter speed

As the name suggests, DSLRs have a mirror that flaps about all over the place. If you want to take a sharp photo with a flappy DSLR and a focal length of 1000mm, then you will need a shutter speed of a good 1/1000s. Which, unless it is a bright day, will mean that you will have to have a high ISO.

Here is a video on ISO in digiscoping:

DSLR on LiveView cuts out mirror flap.

A trick to use with modern DSLRs is that you can switch to LiveView and take a photo there without the mirror flapping, i.e. the only extra movement comes from the aperture blinking while taking the photo. At the moment, it only seems to be the Canon cameras that do this, which is one of the many reasons why I much prefer Canon DSLRs to the Nikons I have used recently (for digiscoping, that is. For general photography and telephoto photography, I find the Nikons just as nice).

Compact cameras shake less.

The much smaller blinking eye in compact cameras seems to produce much less vibration when taking a photo with a DSLR even on LiveView. This is why you can push the shutter speed even slower with a little compact and still have a chance of getting a half-way sharp photo.

More stability = need less shutter speed.

By making sure that there is as little shake in the entire system as possible, you effectively reduce the minimum shutter speed you need in order to get a sharp photo. This includes using things like a cable release, a countdown timer, a good tripod or bean bag, and avoiding wind:

A good dose of luck never hurt anyone.

Or, as Gary Player used to say, "the more I practice, the luckier I get". Practice, practice, practice. And take lots of photos, some will be keepers!

Happy digiscoping,

Dale Forbes

Rock Climbing Raileh / Prananga Beach

These have got to be some of the most spectacular cliffs I have ever experienced in my life. We stayed in Raileh East at the beginning of our trip, visiting Prananga Beach (the most stunning beach in the whole wide world) but never got around to climbing because we were too eager to get across to the Phi Phi Islands to go diving. Anyway, due to a somewhat embarrassing miscalculation of dates, we ended up with an extra day at our disposal right at the end of our trip. So we quickly dashed back to Raileh to get in some climbing.

nice big walls with ridiculously beautiful views from up high.

A little bit of overhang at Prananga Beach.

Me on the left. The great big island-dotted ocean on the right...

May today be a wonderful day,

Dale Forbes

Living Koh Phi Phi

...and doing a little birding on the side.

ah, the island life. beach. sun. forest. turquoise waters...

I was not expecting much from Maya Bay, famous as the location from the Leo di Caprio movie "The Beach", but it really was a stunning bay. White sand beach, thick forest, remote. Wow.

Going out on the diving boat was not only great for the sheer joy of coral reef diving, but surprisingly good for birds. We did a fair amount of diving around Bida Noi and Bida Nok.

Bida Noi and Bida Nok: Two pillars to the south of Koh Phi Phi Leh, a good area for terns and both Lesser Frigatebird and Christmas Island Frigatebird in fair numbers. The Bidas and Koh Phi Phi Leh are also good for Black nest Swiftlet and Germain's Swiftlet.

A view from one of Koh Phi Phis viewsites (not to be missed). The thick forest should be good for birding, but I kinda struggled. I did find Greater Racket-tailed Drongos and the ubiquitous Pied Imperial Pigeon.

A ghastly photo of the beautiful Pied Imperial Pigeon. Probably the easiest way to find them is to get off the ferry, turn right and head towards the great big Banyan Tree (Tonsai in Thai), right behind Aquanauts Dive Centre. Look up and they will be there.

Happy birding,

Dale Forbes

Crazy creatures and great times...

One of the groups of birds I was really looking forward to in Thailand was the Kingfishers. And I had great hopes to find a good number of species, and to digiscope them. The first place we stayed (Raileh Beach), I quickly found this beautiful Collared Kingfisher. So my hopes were high...

Little did I know these things were quite so elusive. I had unsatisfactory views of Blue-banded Kingfisher, and another unidentified kingfisher in Khao Sok National Park, and just the bum of a Brown-winged Kingfisher in Krabi, I saw Collared Kingfisher all over the place, and once saw a White-throated Kingfisher alongside the road... tough.

Pied Fantail feeding in the mangroves of Raileh East Beach

crazy beautiful caterpillar

view from the lookout point down over Koh Phi Phi Don island

little fish trying their hardest to eat our feet off. I giggled for 20mins straight. It was good for my tummy and facial muscles. My feet survived. Those are my wife's feet, btw, just in case you were wondering.

Happy birding,

Dale

Thailand - first day birding Ao Tonsai

The first place we stayed was Ao Tonsai, famous for rock climbing - with cliffs that made my mouth water and fingers just want to grip.

At dawn on my way out there, were a couple of macaques on the cliff:

Swarovski scope, TLS800, Canon 5D mark II

can you see the monkeys there?

Canon Ixus 130 (i.e. same photo without telescope)

Pacific Swallow

Swarovski telescope, TLS800, Canon 5D mark II

A great start to the holiday

Happy birding,

Dale Forbes

I really like that country

I oftentimes wondered how people could travel to Thailand year after year. It seemed like such a boring choice to always go back to the same place when the world has so much to offer. all over the place.

But after three weeks in the country, I think I kinda understand. We flew in to the country with absolutely no plans other than that at some stage we wanted to visit good friends of ours on the Phi Phi islands. We never travelled far, keeping it all within a very small area of southern Thailand. But what we did see/experience really touched us.

The landscape is dramatic and impressive

The forests are incredible

The birds stunning

And best of all, the people are really really smiley. Apparently, they have a guiding philosophy to laugh/smile at everything. There seems to be a real culture of - and striving for happiness. And this is respected.

I see this in stark contrast to the business environment and society in much of the "western" world (for wont of a better term) which prides itself in seriousness, stress and greed as its ideals.

I will be going back.