Weekend Digiscoping Spotlight 18

The Weekend Digiscoping Spotlight will highlight some of the fun shots we’ve gotten recently with a camera paired with a spotting scope or binoculars. We welcome submissions of your favorite digiscoped shots to be featured in future spotlights, just use the contact form in the menu above.

I have mainly been working in densely forested habitat in northern Idaho since May, where birds weren’t really conducive to digiscoping. Things changed on my roadtrip back east last week though, and as I was driving through central Wyoming I slowly drove through a small town named Sweetwater Station where Common Nighthawks were basically begging me to stop and photograph them. I found two or three birds that were actively foraging low over the town and would occasionally stop and rest on fence posts or gates, offering close looks. Sneaking over in my car and then jumping out and slowly creeping closer to the nighthawks, I was able to snap a few digibined photos of a male that was perched on a gate.

Common Nighthawk (male) photographed using iPhone 5S and Leica Ultravid 8X42 binoculars. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Common Nighthawk (male) photographed using iPhone 5S and Leica Ultravid 8X42 binoculars. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

I also had my Canon 70D and 400mm lens slung over my shoulder, so I snapped a few photos with that to offer a nice comparison of the photo quality between an iPhone digibined shot and one of an actual DSLR.

Common Nighthawk (male) photographed using a Canon 70D and 400mm lens. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Common Nighthawk (male) photographed using a Canon 70D and 400mm lens. (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

The digibined photo obviously isn’t as high quality as what I could do with my Canon, but I was very happy with the results and I’m looking forward to trying out digiscoping with my Leica gear again when I come across another cooperative subject! I can really see this becoming a valuable alternative, especially when carrying a large camera wouldn’t be feasible such as during rain or when hiking through difficult habitat.