Jump to content

Dot sight....works on CL.


Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Or any camera for that matter.

DIY....This is a project from a past life, but it still works on my CL. Thought it may be of interest to some.

http://e-group.uk.net/forum/showthread.php?t=37756

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited by Dave in Wales
Link to post
Share on other sites

Looks cool for sure. If it works, great! :) 

A birder friend of mine uses the Olympus EE-1 dot sight finder with his E-M1 II and a very long lens, gets some fantastic results with it hand held. I don't know how advantageous going DIY really is because the Oly unit is small, easy to set up and calibrate, and folds smaller when not in use making it easy to use and carry; you save US$40. If you use it all the time, that extra cost is quickly forgotten; if it's something that you fool with occasionally, I guess the savings and the DIY nature of the aftermarket sight adds to the fun. 

I'm not much of a bird shooter nor do I need one of these kinds of sighting aids for my typical long lens work... For most focal lengths past 90mm or so, I have the camera on a sturdy tripod anyway and the time required to use the EVF is not an issue. :D

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

For hand-held and moving subjects, I guess a well-stabilized lens is more effective, especially a zoom lens. Zoom out to find and center the subject, zoom in to take the shot.

Link to post
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, jaapv said:

For hand-held and moving subjects, I guess a well-stabilized lens is more effective, especially a zoom lens. Zoom out to find and center the subject, zoom in to take the shot.

Good in theory, but it don't work................IMVHO.

Seeing the 'whole' of the scene in front of you is far better...........again IMVHO.

Especially with long lenses.

Edited by Dave in Wales
Link to post
Share on other sites

The point is that these are like a gun sight. Perfect for hitting a static subject from a tripod. But in any dynamic situation you’ll have to move your eye to the viewfinder to check your framing and focus (point). That movement will lose the subject. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

The point is that these are like a gun sight. Perfect for hitting a static subject from a tripod. But in any dynamic situation you’ll have to move your eye to the viewfinder to check your framing and focus (point). That movement will lose the subject. 

I beg to differ, once calibrated and set up for a particular focal length the eye does not have to be moved to the viewfinder. The object is located and tracked by the 'red dot' just as if it were a gunsight and the shutter released, without reference to the viewfinder. 

The last two pictures in my report demonstrate this clearly, the 'red dot' and AF target coincide....and yes it does work.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Even then, with such long lenses one  often needs to adjust the plane of focus. For instance the eye of an animal or bird needs to be in critical focus, but always centering it makes for second-rate photographic composition. Actually I am mostly on manual focus in such situations. The same for furry creatures. AF simply doesn't work on fur, it will pick out a branch or grass stem. I will focus manually on the ground next to the animal. BIF? You'll cut off the tail as standard, as the beak/eye will be your focus point, so in practice you will be working with a shifted one. And framing?  And how  to set it for a particular focal length with a zoom lens?

In other words, I'm happy that it works for you, but it couldn't work for me :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...