Anybody here using wifi digital telescope eyepieces?

[rcjordan]

like so:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F7R1TCDF

I've ordered this one to play with but I'd like to cast the image (preferably via lan) to an ipad

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFLHTJ27

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My dream setup would be to have the spotting scope totally remote controlled locally. Focus, pan, tilt.

[rcjordan]

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We have a fair amount of wildlife in the back yard and out on the river, most within 100 meters. Easily viewable from the den but full digital control would be a nice feature for the lazy.

The one I've ordered does get decent reviews for low light.

[rcjordan]

Sometimes, you guys suck for answers. hhh

[ergophobe]

I did get intrigued and I did look on Amazon... but no. Not using such a thing.

I have thought about adding more cams though. The neighbor recently got a mountain lion on her cam.

[rcjordan]

We have aa big, lanky fox.  I think it may be living in one of my boats.  Too many squirrels to count.  Deer in the hedgerow or sleeping in the side yard.  The was a mink or very young river otter running along the bulkhead a few months ago (adult river otters can be the size of a long, plump dachshund).  Too many birds to count, but dominated by cardinals & jays --except they don't scare Carolina Chickadees, those fight waaaay above their weight class.  Buffleheads were passing through last week.

I've heard we've always had bobcats ever since I was a kid, but in all my outdoors-ness when I was young I've never spotted one.  No cougars, though, and coyotes are rare in my neighborhood.

[ergophobe]

There is an ebb and flow.

We always have quite a few deer. For a while we had a lot of deer. I'd see 10 in the yard. We also had coyotes come through all the time and at night they would howl like there were hundreds (but a single coyote can sound like a dozen, so the "hundreds" were probably 6-8).

Then I started seeing a lot of mountain lion/cougar tracks and deer and coyote populations fell. I rarely see a coyote here now, and even the mountain lion tracks are fewer. I think when the deer/coyote population was high, we had a trio that roamed the area, but now tracks are less common and the deer seem to be coming back.

A bit of research and it turns out that a large number of coyote deaths are caused by mountain lions. I think it was 40%. Hat tip to the other article you posted today... getting eaten is, for a coyote, dying of natural causes and dying of old age all in one.

We occasionally see bobcats and foxes. I see the tracks a lot.

Bears are a lot more common than bobcats or foxes though.

And squirrels... we have a few varieties. My wife is obsessed with the Douglas Squirrel. Her favorite animal. They are amazing.

We keep the binocs by the largest window, but nevertheless... no wifi eyepiece or spotting scope

[rcjordan]

This is what I have. Bought it in 2013 ($160), it's been good.

Decent views of ducks, otters, etc up to 250m.  It'd be good for the meadows and gorges around your area if you see one on FM for cheap

Celestron 52250 Ultima 20-60x80mm Angled Refractor Spotting Scope Telescope with Multi-Coated Optics, Waterproof Rubber Tubing and Soft Carry Case

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-20-60x80mm-Refractor-Multi-Coated-Waterproof/dp/B0002CTZ70

[ergophobe]

> good for the meadows and gorges

Most commonly used to spot peregrines and climbers

[Rupert]

I could have one at the coast for holiday guests, watching dolphins go by!

[ergophobe]

> Celestron 52250 Ultima

There is a Prime Deal on this scope + phone adapter for $212
https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-20-60x80mm-Refractor-Multi-Coated-Waterproof/dp/B07RQ3DS6F?th=1

Theresa happened to look over my shoulder when I was looking at the page, so it won't be a surprise, but she's excited.

[rcjordan]

It's a good, solid "beater" scope.  That's a good deal with the phone mount, too. I wouldn't want to lose $200 but it's no where near as expensive as what I used to see people lugging around nor do I feel like I have to put it in a secret compartment somewhere to ensure no one will steal it.

It's been around for a good number of years now. That's a pretty good testament.

[ergophobe]

She's been looking and paralyzed by choice. You always get a bit more for a bit more. I took your word that this would be good enough, so that's done.

[rcjordan]

Monocular Telescope High Power,4K Electronic Eyepiece Camera with 3in Full Color Screen,Fits 22mm-46mm Optical Telescopes and Microscopes(4GB Memory Card) for Bird Watching Camping Astrophotography
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFLHTJ27

For $60 (Camel says $50), this is a nice piece of kit.  Good enough that I'm likely to buy a 2nd one after xmas. Read the reviews, one reviewer details the cons pretty well. I like a lot about the monocular. The cam is good for use as a view window but pushing the shutter button makes it difficult to take a photo.

Pix of the other side of the river, 2+ miles with good light. The squirrel & cardinal are 15m in overcast/drizzle. Focus is slightly sharper while just viewing, clicking the button caused tremors on the tripod.

[ergophobe]

This is a bit tough with wildlife photography, but you can use the old photographer trick - set a timer.

Normally in the SLR days you would use the B setting and a remote (either cable or wireless). Do the half click to move the mirror, wait for the camera to stop shaking from the mirror flip, then take the photo.

With mirrorless you can do the same with a timer and hope the bird doesn't move. In any case, most good bird pics are with a remote shutter control.

[Travoli]

Slightly off-topic, but some of the bird feeders with built-in webcams are neat.