Setting up spotting scope as live monitor.

[zanemoseley]

How would I go about setting up my Celestron Ultima spotting scope as a live monitor through a iPad or laptop?

[Justin44]

I was looking for the same but found a good alternative, I bought a Sony action can that has its own wifi, so now I have the target 10m always and next to it the camera on a tripod linked via wifi to my iPad which I have beside me. Works great. Only slight down side is the camera is a bit off centre but no real problem. Camera is a Sony av15 action camera

[zanemoseley]

I saw this video of a IZH46M where the guy is using some sort of attachment for the spotting scope, actually it looks like it might be the same scope I have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snve0R4qVdA


I also found this universal spotting scope adapter that I could use to attach my phone to the eyepiece.

http://www.amazon.com/Carson-Digiscopin ... pe+adapter

[poogi]

I just held the webcam to the eye piece using bungee cord. Nothing fancy.

My particular webcam allows manual focusing. Zooming all the way on the spotting scope and adjusting the focus on the webcam allowed me to get rid of vingetting. I used a different webcam before that was showing black corners.

[saktabor]

There were posts a few years back on this topic but I am wondering if recently, anyone has considered/researched or are using a wireless baby monitor or basic home security camera system for a live target monitor.

The plug and play technology is ever evolving and there seems to be a lot of these systems for sale now both with or without their own small monitor and certain camera only options which provide the software to interface remotely with your laptop or I-thing. I guess the issues would be longevity/reliability/battery life, etc. and how close they would focus in order to give you a reasonably tight target view at the shooter's end. Of course, there is the whole quality of image issue as well.

For a hundred bucks or so, Just wondering if it now might be a viable option, especially for a shooter currently w/o a spotting scope and/or a non-computer teckie. Just like the target light source, the camera would obviously have to have a deflector of some sort (for visiting shooters.....)

Bob

[RamoNet]

Hello everyone
As you can see is my first post. I'm a shooter from Spain, and I will thank you all the information and discussions you have in this forum.

Now, it's the time to write and I want to explain my experience regarding the reason of this thread. Not using a scope, of course, but giving ideas to through it away :-)

There are three components that come into play in this issue, one is the camera and another on the display screen in the position of the shooter. The third is the most difficult to manage because not all shooting ranges offer the same conditions or structure, and sometimes it's not easy to "handle yourself" in its use as one would like. In any case I'm talking about a maximum of 25 meters. Not only for optical reasons but for the transmission distance of wireless technology used in consumer products.

Camera: Personally I am now using a SONY QX-30 (30x), one of those cameras that are designed to pair with your smartphone, they are nothing but an objective, electronics and a SD card slot. The 30x zoom of this camera is clearly insufficient for use on the shooting line, so the camera should be placed close to the target, or at least half the distance of the target. Close to the target, in my case, means that my shooting range has a "shoulder" of reinforced wood on top of the targets, where I can hang the camera behind, well protected and about 3 meters far from the target, so it's perfect regarding sharpness (for example using 22lr. or .32WC). A second option could be placing the camera in the middle distance, on the floor, about 10-15 meters far from the target with an small tripod protected with a rectangular lead or steel plate.
Anyway, the best option is, of course, use a normal compact camera with a 60x optical zoom (Nikon P610, Samsung WB2200F, etc) and of course with wi-fi. In this way, the camera can be in the same firing line. I must admit that I have no access to a camera of this type and would have to check whether the sharpness that requires a shot of 22lr will be shown correctly. It's important to remark that the running time of the battery of these cameras is very short, so you have to attach a battery pack of 12000mAh to extend it for about three or four hours without problems.

Display screen: You have to use a tablet. In my case (IPad 2) the wi-fi connection remains consistently smooth at 25 meters. A quality bracket system on the shooter's table is basic for safety and comfort. The advantage of using this system is that you can take pictures and record video very easily. Another option is to use a laptop, but it's very cumbersome if the table of the shooter is small.

Now, my challenge is to find a complete system for our shooting range (10 places). I have to forget wi-fi and look for a high-res surveillance cameras (HD-SDI) with optical lenses (50x) connected with coax cable to LCD HD monitors. It's another story ;-)

I would like to know your opinions and suggestions, and sorry for my very basic english :-)

Ramon

P.D. I will try to take a picture of how is attached the "camera" rear the wood wall, next week. Anyway I use something like the first picture.