Dot Sight

[PCRATE]

Spurred by the launch of a dirt-cheap dot sight from TTartisan: does anyone here use a dot sight for wildlife photography? Or know someone who does? These things have always been marketed to wildlife photographers, but I hardly ever see them discussed/mentioned in any forum/group/channel. If nobody is using these sights, why do companies keep making them? This is almost reminiscent of the situation around mirror-reflex telephoto lenses.

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They are mostly repurposed rifle sights. The cheap plastic ones mostly air rifles. They are very popular for amateur astronomy for aiming telescopes. And mirror lenses were used a lot before the camera companies developed ED, extra low dispersion glass. Long refractive optics telephotos in the 60s and 70s were really hampered by chromatic aberration and mirror lenses are free of chromatic aberration. My old Nikkor 500 mm f/8 is actually pretty sharp with decent color saturation. But very weird out of focus bokah

 

[DBalaur]

I think there are valid concerns regarding the reaction of law enforcement. I've already been detained because some moron thought I was wielding a rocket launcher (my 600 EFL with hood covered in camo). Guess it didn't help I was in camo as well but I can only imagine the mess any form of laser sight would create. I'd rather practice my technique.

I have heard somewhere (maybe DP Forum back in the day?) that some people have boarding on flights while having a rifle sight in their photography kit. Not sure if there is any truth to that.

How I do it:

Steve responding to a thread I made? Maybe I should pop out a champagne.

My first post here. Hi bcgforums

I wasn't very interested in one at all and I even have a holosun at home for non-photography use so could basically use it for next to free if I wanted. Then someone I met while I was whale watching was raving about it, so for $15 for a cold shoe mount, I thought why not and I tried it. Turns out it's a game changer for whale watching and I would highly recommend it for that. I don't know that I will use it otherwise...

Very in-depth post! Thank you for sharing. Your example hit quite close when I just missed my first breaching humpback whale last Sunday.