CrystalVue LX as good as CrystalVue Sharpshooter?

[lucky2505]

I used the CrystallVue Sharpshooter on my Nikon 995, and it was fantastic; but I've purchased a Minolta 7Hi, and it doesn't work with it. Does anyone know if the LX monocular is comparable in quality to the Sharpshooter?

[shene]

Originally Posted by lucky2505

I used the CrystallVue Sharpshooter on my Nikon 995, and it was fantastic; but I've purchased a Minolta 7Hi, and it doesn't work with it. Does anyone know if the LX monocular is comparable in quality to the Sharpshooter?

It is very likely that the LX is not compatible with the 7Hi and A1, although there is not definite word from CKCpower. The CrystalVue 8X is definitely not compatible (i.e., vignetting) with the A1 for sure because I have both and tested both.

CK
http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam
Nikon Coolpix 950/990/995/2500/4500/5700 User Guide

[Pooperdog]

It seems that digiscoping is limited to the small diameter lens cameras such as the Coolpix 99x, which is quite annoying.

[Nickagain]

Originally Posted by Pooperdog

It seems that digiscoping is limited to the small diameter lens cameras such as the Coolpix 99x, which is quite annoying.

Its not quite hopeless. As you know I am chasing this. It is possible to get only minimal vignetting with even the Oly 750, as long as you zoom in to 8-10X. But you need to use eyepieces that are large in diameter (the optics' diameter) and this means longer FL eyepieces, and lower magnification. There are also eyepieces that allow your "eye" to get much closer to the optics than others.

I have taken a photo using a 25mm 1.25" Skywatcher eyepiece. Vignetting was such that about 1/2 of the top and bottom of the picture was not affected at all. I am actually not sure if I had full zoom. It's not easy to work with the scratched up device I was using to test. I will have to try again. :-<

You may get away with 2" eyepieces, but these are $$.

Actually I remembered that I had a couple of Raynox add-on lenses from a video camera. I tried them on the Oly 750. the Wide angle gives no vignetting. The 2X lens starts to vignette again at about 8X zoom on the Oly. I think I am seeing the ffar end of the lens, as the back end is about 45mm across and nearly matches the oly's lens in width.

[Pooperdog]

When you say it "starts to vignette at about 8x" you mean when backing down from 10x to 8x, right? If so that is not too different from the 1.7x TCON17.

[Nickagain]

Originally Posted by Pooperdog

When you say it "starts to vignette at about 8x" you mean when backing down from 10x to 8x, right? If so that is not too different from the 1.7x TCON17.

Yes. That's correct. I suppose I _am_ using this thing for long tele shots<G>

Actually it's very strange. I cannot focus on infinity with this tele doubler. trying to get my head around that problem. Funny thing is I can focus on _cloer_ stuff (20-30metres) but not further, and if I am not mistaken, the camera goes _through_ a shrap bit, then settles elsewhere. (shrug)

Must try focussing manually.

[Pooperdog]

>lucky2505 wrote: I used the CrystallVue Sharpshooter on my Nikon 995, and it was fantastic; but I've purchased a Minolta 7Hi, and it doesn't work with it.

I've decided to buy a used Coolpix 950 (2mp) so that I'll have a small lensed camera for telescopes/microscopes. Really the photos are quite sharp.

I wish I knew if this guy was really getting good results with the 750;

http://www.timotk.net/crystalvuetest.htm

I definitely notice the change in the minimum focus distance with the TCON17. It jumps from 4ft to about 9ft. I've also noticed that sometimes it won't focus at 9ft until I zoom out and then back in again, as if the lenses don't always reach the same internal position needed for close focus. Auto-focus is hopeless at distances less than about 20 ft.

I had initial concerns about infinity focus but TCON17 moonshots seem to work. The C750 manual infinity focus is still a mystery. I will experiment more the next warm evening with a clear sky.

[Nickagain]

Originally Posted by Pooperdog

>lucky2505 wrote:
I wish I knew if this guy was really getting good results with the 750;

http://www.timotk.net/crystalvuetest.htm
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I may email the guy. I can't understand the vignetting he is getting with that setup. It gets woprse at mid-zoom, seems OK at wide, and jumps all over the place in the last series of photos, which were supposedly taken all with 8X magnification on the C720

I had initial concerns about infinity focus but TCON17 moonshots seem to work. The C750 manual infinity focus is still a mystery.
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If you mean that you don't "infinity" to get infinity, then that is no surprise to me. Most cameras need to go just past infinity to allow for temp variations etc. the Oly's long zoom will make that worse. I had a 500mm tele at one time (35mm camera) and it just would NOT focus on infinity. I had it serviced and it helped, but in the end I gave up. It was a cheapo lens. At best it was "soft". BUT when they had set it up they simply stopped at some "infinity" that was possibly spot on when they did it.

I will experiment more the next warm evening with a clear sky.

[Dacol]

Originally Posted by Pooperdog

>
I wish I knew if this guy was really getting good results with the 750;
http://www.timotk.net/crystalvuetest.htm

Timo's test photos with the C-750 and the CV-LX are at

http://www.timotk.net/crystalvuetest2.htm

[Nickagain]

Yes. It would appear that there is no avoiding vignetting using the Oly cameras :-<. The more you zoom in, the further the lens gets from the EP. That was what I did not realise until recently (it was pointed out to me)

It seems to be such an overwhelmong factor in the vignetting problem that evena 2" Ep will not help much. You are simply way out of the EP's eye relief.

BUM!

Timo did suggest that he had tried Digital Zoom to overcome the problem. Only a little is needed, but of course you start to lose quality.