DIGISCOPING By Rick Jordahl At last, the new Nikon P1 digital camera/field scope system is here! I recently entered the new and exciting digiscoping arena and it is a fun and challenging hobby that has great rewards! As an amateur photographer and avid birder I’ve wanted to capture some of those great images we have all seen through our binoculars! Digiscoping offers us a great and affordable way to do just that! The system features the new Nikon P1- 8 megapixel camera and a mounting device that attaches quickly and easily to the Nikon ED-82 field scope. The system is easy to assemble and the outstanding Nikon optics (camera and field scope) are capable of superb results! Ask Mark for all the details. It provides all the tools for great, sharp digital photographs of those once-in-lifetime sightings we have all had! Nikon has put it all together. And it is now available! Simple, right? Well…let me tell you! First off, digiscoping requires patience! No one is going to produce National Geographic quality images the first time out. For one thing, birds move! This Red-headed Woodpecker was photographed at Wyandotte Co. Park at a distance of about 40 yards. The system, as with all field scopes, requires a tripod, which can be cumbersome at times. And for us beginners, it takes a few seconds (or more!) to find the bird in the scope and to focus. Now, you’re all set to click the system’s cable shutter release, and, of course, the bird flies off! Sometimes you don’t even get the system set up before that Cooper’s Hawk is off on a mission! But, do not become discouraged. And start on those birds that sit awhile. The red-headed woodpecker and white-breasted nuthatch, my first shots with the system, were not camera-shy birds. Before my first outing I also opted for a 1 gigabyte memory card, which allows for lots of shots that can be used or discarded later. I also picked up an extra battery for the camera. As with many electronic devices, the Nikon P1 (a highly complex camera) is power-hungry. This male Belted Kingfisher was Digiscoped from at least 75 yards away. The batteries re-charge quickly with the system’s re-charger which is included. But, you will be happy that you started your outing with two batteries! After a month, I still am reading the User’s Guide and am trying to understand the many settings and possibilities with the camera! This is a learning process! A home-computing system is also a must! The camera requires an SD memory-card and, fortunately, my printer has an SD-port which was a very lucky thing and provided an easy way to download images to my computer. (Although the P1 is wireless-enabled, I have not used that feature as yet). Trumpeter Swan at Squaw Creek NWR taken at a distance of 30 yards. The beauty of the system is that both camera and field scope can be used independently. As a beginning birder, I did not own a field scope which was high on my want-list. Plus, I love cameras. So both the field scope and the latest, portable Nikon P1, which fits easily in your pocket, were things that I could use! The easy-to-use attachment device brings the system together for great digiscoping results! I plan on years of great bird viewing with the Nikon ED-82 field-scope and lots of great photos from the versatile Nikon P1 camera. And, I also plan on getting some great shots of birds when the two are hooked up for the Nikon digiscoping experience. It’s a challenge but one that can pay great rewards in enjoying bird photography!

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