Friday, October 12, 2007

Adapter update!

I've completed the first prototype of my adapter to connect my camera to my scope! Here are some shots I took during the process:

First, after realizing that PVC pipe doesn't come in the best dimensions for the task, I tried something else.

I believe this little container once held season salt. It still smells like that.

That wasn't right. Besides, a clear adapter probably wouldn't keep light out. So I went back to the PVC. I had a small piece, into which I drilled three holes per end to accept the clamping knobs.

Here's a close-up of my beautiful cordless drill:

Kat and Emerson gave it to me for my birthday last month. My old one's batteries had stopped charging, and getting new ones cost almost as much as a new drill--a fact I find quite ridiculous. Anyway, this drill rocks.

Here, I've just put the screws/knobs in to the camera end of the adapter:

It looks pretty convincing, doesn't it?

That's when it started to get hard. The scope's eyepiece was quite a bit smaller than the camera's lens, so I was going to have to use the rubber strips (read: vacuum cleaner belts) to step the inner diameter down. After quite a bit of scavenging around my shop, cutting up stuff, and generally playing McGyver, I put together enough rubber to get the job done.

The finished prototype could not be photographed, as it was on the scope with the camera connected!

Now--all that remains is to go out tomorrow morning and get some shots. I don't know how durable it is, how well it will hold up in the field. It's almost impossible to remove it quickly, but I suppose that's what I have binoculars for, right?

We shall see on the morrow what my toiling hath wrought. In the meantime, I'm hoping someone can tell me what kind of bird belongs to this feather I found in the backyard. Help?

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