21.06.2020 Grebes, shelducks and camera problems.

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Sunday 21st June. First outing with the Kowa 884 'scope and Lumix G9. I had the Lumix 20mm F1.7 'pancake' lens on the camera. With the Kowa DA-10 digiscoping adapter on the 12-60x Kowa zoom eyepiece to join it all together.  

The initial problem was not pushing the DA-10 adapter together firmly enough. There is some leeway thanks to the broad groove inside the outer barrel. So that I had vignetting of the first few images. Once discovered, I pushed the DA-10 fully together and this raised another problem. 

The 20mm lens is not completely static in operation. It actually telescopes/trombones slightly during an auto exposure. This may have caused the G9 shutter to refuse to operate after [say] half a dozen exposures. The shutter button simply did not respond. So that I had to turn the camera off to reset it. Then it was good for another half a dozen snaps before refusing a shutter press again. Just occasionally there was a rough sounding buzz. Suggesting a stepper motor struggling or stalling somewhere.

Setting the camera to Manual focusing did not help. I was adjusting the 20mm focus ring but the camera shutter still stalled after another half dozen shots. Could there be a mechanical clearance problem within the Kowa DA-10?

Standing in long grass under a shady tree beside a small lake is not the ideal place to be checking clearances. The sound and the odd refusal might have been the result of how I was holding the camera.

Or how I was resting my hands on it to reach the shutter. This might have put strain on the 20mm focusing mechanism by increasing friction above the mechanically tolerable level. I have seen digiscopers using a long, camera plate extension. This reached right back to the underside of the camera body to provide extra support at the tripod bush. Not a difficult task to whip one up out of scrap aluminium to see if it helps.

It certainly isn't normal to hang a heavy camera, like the G9, from its lens, filter thread. The image shows the Kowa TSN-PS1 camera support bracket for their straight-through 'scopes. Now shown as discontinued by some dealers. Kowa pricey in those still with stock. A similar support device is easily copied in aluminium [or carbon fiber?] to take most of the camera's weight off the pancake lens. 

Despite all these setbacks and frustrations I still captured 204 more images and some videos. The grebe at the top was one of today's first and the best of my captures so far. Probably 60 yards away at the time. Though the image was heavily vignetted just behind the bird. Fortunately I was able to crop the original images down to 2000 pixels and then resize further for the blog. I usually post images at 1000 or 1200 pixels maximum. [3:4 or 16:9 respectively.]

I have years of very basic, image processing experience for my blogs. For which I still use PhotoFiltre7 to crop and resize.

Many of my other images today were poor to below average. I see this as all part of the steep learning curve. Both the new camera and the new telescope need much more familiarization before I will feel fully comfortable at operating them to a sufficiently high standard on "auto pilot."

The Kowa '884 is stunningly sharp and clear when used visually. It never fails to delight at the incredible purity of its images. Similarly, my ageing Nikon Monarch 5 binoculars truly excelled in today's brightly sunlit conditions on the lake.

The clarity and sense of depth and immersion in the scene was almost magical. I have found the Nikon supplied, bino-bag. Which was put away as unnecessary for my usual walks. So now I can carry the binoculars safely in my saddle bag without worrying about capping the lenses.

This was one of my average images of a 100 yard distant Shelduck. A pair with young were cruising up and down near the opposite shore. The sun was in completely the wrong direction for most of the time. With their faces in deep shadow. Just occasionally they would turn round to check their chicks which were following the adults.

The Lumix G9 is still only a few days from arriving in the post. A superb camera in the right hands. Though mine are still fumbling, despite having watched dozens of YT videos on the camera and its settings and use.

I am already up to 1300 images after only three days of intensive familiarization. Mostly landscapes and garden shots to try out the complex settings.

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