The reviewer missed the point. A red dot camera sight is for use with long lenses, 400-800mm, and FLYING BIRDS which otherwise are hard to find and keep in the narrow view of a long lens. You DO NOT go back to the camera view to fire the shot. You keep the DF-M1 dot on the bird and keep on shooting. The most critical part of the DF-M1 is that it fits well and snug in the flash shoe without any side to side backlash or angular looseness and that it is calibrated well to coincide with the center focus of the camera set up for tracking BIF.
I have adapted a red dot gun sight to fit on the hot shoe. It really helps with fast moving birds like Swifts taking insects from the surface of a pond. The wide field of view help me track the bird as it approaches.
I can't say that has been a problem for me. I just aim my non-shooting eye down the barrel and pick it up with my shooter. I have two eyes. One is for lookin' and the other is for seein'.
I have used this method for 45 years and it works well. I used this method when I was a wedding photographer in the 1970's before pressing the button to take the shot on my Hasselblad. This was to make sure nobody was about to walk in front of the camera. I also adopted this in long lens use with ease and to great effect for locating the subject. Many people struggle with composition when they first get a long lens, using this method improved the speed of target acquisition. Top tip 👍
I sometimes use the Olympus version (EE-1) for long focal length video (camcorder, bridge camera etc) of wildlife where I need to acquire the subject quickly. But having then to move the eye to the camera is a pain so it is as well to learn what sort of framing will emerge on the final image while also allowing for parallax so that you can just use the dot sight. With practice of course with a particular camera/lens combination, just like finding the subject with a telescope, use of the dot sight becomes unnecessary.
Olympus has a similar device EE-1. They need to be calibrated for different focal lengths/focus distances. Best with LCD Live View, not with E/OVF coz by the time you move from the sight to the E/OVF, subject has moved.
I wonder if that device is similar to a "red dot" sights we use for aiming pistols or long guns. I believe they are called rapid target acquisition sights. I have one on a small caliber semi automatic pistol but haven't had time to work with it yet. Military and law enforcement use them also, actually sport shooters get technology that trickles down from military uses. Have a great weekend you two. Oh I had on question about which eye a photographer uses to view the subject through the EVF. I'm right handed and I use my left eye to view the EVF for years. Its a problem when shooting my D5 in vertical mode. Right eye is totally blocked by the camera. Is there a "proper" eye to use?
Yes, it's exactly the same concept...but it's quite clear that the Nikon one wouldn't survive a single shot on anything bigger than a .22 ;-)) Maybe not even a .22 ;-) Oh and on guns they are mostly called RedDot or reflex sight.
U don't think "Frame" your shot is the best way to describe it. "Find" your subject is more descriptive. It helps to quickly find your subject with the Dot Sight when using telephoto lenses with a very narrow Field of View (FOV). It essentially narrows your search area with the cameras EVF, OVF, or rear LCD.
Exactly. For "framing" you would need an actual frame that resembles the field of view of the lens. But at long ranges that would be pretty useless ;-)
Hi Becky, the device seems very similar to lasers sights on rifles. So instead of hunting through the branches with the 500mm you acquire the subject with the red dot and assuming the camera is held steady you can transfer you attention to the back screen to focus and take the pic?
Super cool!! Thanks for the content - a neat device. I just got the DR5 and using it w a d5 for birding is fun on long teles for 2x zoom :) maybe the opposite idea?
Thanks Becks: Does the DF-M1 take information from the camera or nothing? AND -- can it work on Z-mount mirrorless as well? When using super teles - I simply align the screw on the lens hood to the vertical and point while looking over the hot shoot aligned to the screw. I have not tried/needed it for the 300pf YET - but surly a simple application of a white tipex dot on the back of the lens hood would be cheaper/easier. There are other makes/brands that will work with the appropriate attachment -- including rifle red-dot scopes
Kinda pointless on the P1000 because it has the 'snap-back' feature to help with composure/subject location. I can see the benefit on a long prime though. Good stuff
The snap back feature takes too long. Once it is calibrated you can essentially point and shoot immediately because the lens is going to be more or less pointed at the right field of view.
ATG has retro kit for G2C. It's an adapter kit to fit on many gun's laser dot rifles. ATG's G2C (gun to camera) works great. Search under ATG's Pinty 4 in 1 Rifle Scope. ATG & I recommend getting 4-12 X 50 power for longer reach. ATG has shown it under the photo & shooting clinics to thousands of crimes/laws/SAS/SEALS/hunters/photographers. After than Nikon & Olympus have problems in selling their overpriced products.
Sorry, but I think you should do more research on using the dot sight. First, the dot sight is more suited for tracking moving targets versus static targets. Second, it is better to hold the sight at a distance from your eye and not peer through it as if it is a view finder. The whole idea of using a dot sight is to allow you to have a wide field of view using both of your eyes while tracking a moving target. This wide field of view enables you accurately keep the dot on the subject. Third, while you should use the single focus point in your camera to assist with initial calibration of the dot sight, the camera should then be set to multiple focus points to enable the camera to more easily acquire focus of said moving target. If you have a camera with focus tracking, eye focus etc.., even better. Here is a link... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-k54m8AhL9hw.html
I agree. Maybe this works for stationary subjects, but then you've got time so it doesn't matter... I follow Morten Hiller's advice: Practice, practice, practice. Learn your gear. I can't imagine more inefficient way of shooting small birds or motorsport than this "double-take" method!
It's more or less like a reddot sight on a gun. It provides a red or green dot to give you a hint at where to point the camera if eg. you see a bird in the sky you want to get in your frame. So it's only there to speed up finding the subject with your tele. If you are experienced enough to just find the subject quickly anyway, you won't need it. But as somebody mentioned above, it would be better to set it up in a way that circumvents the paralax issue. The problem is, the device is mounted considerably above the tele. So they obviously don't have the same optical axis. Now if you want to set up the dot to meet the optical axis of the tele at a certain distance, it needs to look "slightly downwards" since it sits a certain distance above the optical axis of the tele. Problem: As soon as the actual distance to the subject is different from what you set the dot up for, the dot doesn't resemble the "point of impact" of the tele any longer. So if the subject is farther out, the dot will be too low and if it is closer, it will be too high. A solution to that problem would be to account for the height difference from the beginning and never try to set up the dot for a certain distance but rather set it up in parallel. Now you just need to account for that height difference and always aim the dot a bit above the subject.
