Company Seven | Leica Digital Adapter for Digiscoping with the APO-TELEVID Field Telescopes

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Digital Adapter for Digiscoping with the APO-TELEVID Field Telescopes

The original Leica APO-TELEVID 62 and APO-TELEVID 77 field spotting telescopes and the new APO-TELEVID 65 and APO-TELEVID 82 are each a superb optical instrument capable of showing views that you see around the world that you will not soon forget. And with the appropriate* Leica Digital Adapter and compact camera you can easily take home those images!

Above: Ultratelephoto Digiscoping and Phonescoping with the optional Digital Adapter 3 on the TELEVID telescope (ea. about 143 kbytes).
Click on images to see enlarged view (each about 425 kbytes).

The Digital Adapter makes it easy to take the memories home! This accessory will support most compact cameras, even phone cameras, precisely centered over the eyepiece of the Leica TELEVID or compatible third party eyepieces. The Digital Adapter 2 will work with most eyepieces on the previous TELEVID 77 and TELEVID 62 series: the 20x, 32x and most older 20 - 60 x Zoom. The Digital Adapter 3 will fit those of the TELEVID 82 except the 40x eyepieces or the 20 - 60x Zoom PN 41012.

The Digital Adapter is a mechanical device that attaches onto the top of a compatible* Leica eyepiece. The Digital Adapter then can precisely center, draw in our out, and hold a compact camera or cell phone aligned over the eyepiece to employ a technique known as Afocal photography (camera with lens taking a picture through another lens). The combination results in Ultra-Telephoto performance with effective focal lengths of more than 2,000 mm. The Digital Adapter makes faster changes of equipment between viewing and photographing possible, without having to change the lens or adjustments of the camera. You decide quickly how to compose the photo by rotating the assembly, will your next image be in portrait or landscape format? The adapter gives you the freedom for total creative image design. To learn more about how to calculate fields of view, etc. refer to our Astronomical Formulae / Formulae For Telescopes in our Library. And as with all Leica products the Digital Adapter is overbuilt to provide reliable performance in all extremes of environments where the TELEVID may be employed.

Above: Views of Leica Digital Adapter 2 with compact digital camera installed and camera body aligned so that lens is centered.
Click on images to see enlarged views.

Fun, Easy and Rewarding!

1. Leica TELEVID with eyepiece click image to see enlarged view	2. Leica TELEVID with Digital Adapter attached click image to see enlarged view
3. Camera installed onto the Digital Adapter click image to see enlarged view	4. Or, in a pinch - use your Cell Phone! "Phone Scoping" click image to see enlarged view

Examples of Digiscoping - Good Results Easy

Black Crowned Crane taken through APO-TELEVID 77 with Leica D-Lux 2 (3,271 bytes)

click here

Black Crowned Crane taken through APO-TELEVID 77 with Leica D-Lux 2 (5,176 bytes)

click here

* The Digital Adapter Models Are

APO-TELEVID 77

APO-TELEVID 62. Eyepieces include: 20x/16x, 32x/26x, the VARIO Ocular B 20/16 - 60/48x can also be used. The 40x/32x WW eyepieces PN 41007 and 40x/32x PN 41003 can not be used with this adapter.

Leica Digital Adapter 3 (PN 42304) will support most compact cameras attached onto the current eyepieces of the APO-TELEVID 82 and APO-TELEVID 65. The Digital Adapter 3 will also work with these eyepieces on the previous APO-TELEVID 77 and APO-TELEVID 62 series: the 20x/16x, 32x/26x and most older VARIO Ocular B 20/16 - 60/48x. The Digital Adapter 3 will not fit any of the older 40x eyepieces or the VARIO Ocular B 20 - 60x Zoom PN 41012.

For those who seek even higher-quality images when using a SLR digital or film camera we recommend the optional Leica SLR Photographic Camera Adapter.

For Best Results

For the best quality of image whether in bright daylight or in adverse conditions of low light, rain or haze, Company Seven recommends using the APO-TELEVID apochromatic models over the achromatic TELEVID models since the color correction of the Apo models will provide truer colors, and no false color fringing:

Leica Fluoride lens performance (32,870 bytes)

Above: photograph at left taken with achromatic system and at right with apochromatic system.
Note the secondary false color fringing on the branch and around the bird and the subtly lowered contrast in the achromatic lens,
This chromatism is completely eliminated with the fluorocrown objective of the APO-TELEVID.

Employ a good quality digital camera with good metering properties and reasonably sharp optics. Use the zoom control of the camera and distance spacing between the camera lens and the eyepiece, and or the zoom setting of the telescope to vary the magnification. We recommend you avoid going beyond optical zoom of the camera (usually about 4x) into higher digital zoom ranges. Also choose a camera that does not exhibit great amounts of chromatic aberration,

Example of chromatism introduced by the lens of a pocket digital camera:

Egret image showing chromatism (124,684 bytes)

Above: Enlarged Digiscope snapshot of an Egret. The image shows chromatism (violet false color) overall but especially where sharp contrasts exist.
The violet cast overall and the color fringing come from the pocket camera used to take the picture, the image in the telescope was crystal clear to see.
Click on the image above to view enlarged close up of the Egret where the violet fringing will be more apparent.

Pocket camera models such as the Leica C-Lux and D-Lux are well adapted to digiscoping due to their Leica lenses which are correspond ideally to the optic system of the Leica spotting scopes, their large 2.5 inch LCD control display which stays visible also under bright light conditions, the Mega O.I.S. image stabilizer, and a remarkably low shutter release delay.

Note this is a superb accessory, among the best constructed and well thought out device of its class. But it is a rather bulky accessory that does not collapse into any compact form so it does not readily fit into a typical compact hiking belt pouch. Owing to its relative vulnerability it will be safest to transport this protected in a well padded pouch, or in a compact hard case such as a Tupperware or Rubbermaid style container for example.

Simply Brilliant!

Digital Adapter Features Include:

Fast changes between viewing and photographing, and without having to change the adjustments or lens of the camera.
Precision geared mechanisms to position the camera precisely over the eyepiece.
Clamps hold the assembly onto the eyepiece and camera in place without marring either.
Adapter can be fitted onto the eyepiece either horizontally or vertically to adapt the layout of the image to the camera focal plane orientation.
It is easy to attach the Digital Adapter onto the TELEVID eyepiece and to install the camera even when wearing gloves!
The Digital Adapter 3 adds the provision to use a mechanical Cable Release to depress the camera shutter release button and take the photo. This feature eliminates the need to grasp and touch the camera thereby reducing the possibility of blurring the exposure. The mechanism can be adjusted so that it will work with most typical pocket cameras.
Durable scrape and mildew resistant design and materials.
Provided in soft fabric bag with drawstring.

Digital Adapter 2 Specifications

Focal Length 17.6 to 8.8 mm
Eyepiece Port Max. Dia. 53.49 mm (2.1 inches)
Eyepiece Port Lock Travel 2.2mm (0.08 inch)
Length of Extension 105.7 to 128.7mm (4.16 to 5.07 inches)
Weight 328 gr. (11.6 ounces)

Specifications as measured by Company Seven, subject to change without notice.

Model: Order number:

Digital Adapter 3 PN 42304

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