I think I'm getting sucked into a new hobby, but I'm sure I'm going about it the wrong way.
It's sort of the combination of two toys I've been trying to acquire (or build):
1) I'd like to get a nice observation telescope since we have a nice view, but the good ones seem to cost a couple thousand.
2) I'd also like one of those cool web cams with remote control zoom/pan/tilt, but the network digital cameras I've found with z/p/t, even the pricey ones, all seem to have poor resolution and lousy lenses.
So, I've found a pretty good spotting scope (a cheap Russian thing called the
Yukon 6x100x100).* *The large lens means it has good light gathering, and it'll magnify up to 100x.* *Perfect for peeking into windows 8 miles away.
And then I found that the thing has a
digital camera mount, so I bought one.
I grabbed one of my digicams, put everything together, and snapped a pic.* *Well, it turns out that pushing the shutter release button makes things bounce up and down like crazy at 100x magnification.
So.... I tell myself that I need a remote control for the camera.* *Turns out I have an old Canon G2 that supports a remote control, but I can't find the remote.* *But I did find the remote control software!
The software lets me remote the view finder (good thing, since the G2's LCD broke years ago), lets me control the flash and the zoom remotely, and, of course, let's me shoot remotely.* *Cool!
So, I can shoot pics without jiggling the scope/camera too much, but I'm finding two things are still a pain:
1) Even with the remote setup, I still get vibrations from the floor that prevent me from getting a stable image.* * I'm thinking about cutting out part of our deck and putting a concrete pier in place.* *This would also be cool for astro telescopy as well.
2) Even with the remote view finder, positioning and focusing the telescope is a royal pain.* * Now I want a remote-control digital scope adjuster too (I know these things exist for astro scopes).
Basically, it feels like I'm headed down a slippery and expensive slope.* *What I'm really looking for is a web cam with good resolution, a good telephoto lens, and remote control for pan/zoom/tilt.* *Does such a thing exist?
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