I am interested in buying the 700x60 Refractor Astronomical Telescope, with 28x to 315x magnification, and the Nipon 20-60x70 spotting scope. Is there a need to have both and can a camera be fitted to each one?

Answer from Nipon Support: Hello, thanks for your enquiry about these scopes. The 700x60 refractor telescope is designed for astronomical observations with high power, while the Nipon 20-60x70 zoom scope is a spotting scope which is mainly used for viewing objects on land. It can take a little time to set up the 700x60 scope so it is best to be kept in the same place if possible, while the 20-60x70 scope is very easy to set up so you can take it around and set it up in seconds. So you may need both of them if you have got the interests in both aspects.

       700x60 telescope                                                Nipon 20-60x70 spotting scope

Both scopes can be fitted with a digital camera (using a universal adaptor for example) or with a digital eyepiece. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need further information.

Question: Thank you for getting back to me. Do you sell the connections (adaptors) I would need? My camera is a Nikon D60.

Answer from Nipon Support: Hello again, thanks for your new message. With the further information that you have provided about the type of camera that you wish to use for digi-scoping, here are some technical aspects for you to consider:

For your Nikon D60 camera, there are two options to connect it to the scope: one is to use a camera adaptor which is specially designed for Nikon cameras (click here to view this device); the other option is to use a universal camera adaptor with extended stand (click here to see it), which can not only connect this Nikon camera, but also other types of cameras to scopes.

With the first option, you replace the camera's lens with the Nikon camera adaptor and then connect the adaptor to the scope’s 1.25” eyepiece holder. With the 2nd option, you do not need to remove your camera’s lens, but attach the camera to the scope’s eyepiece by using the universal adaptor.
However, for the images through the telescope to be visible from the camera’s large lens, you would need to use a larger eyepiece on the scope. We recommend a 32mm eyepiece as a minimum. This large 32mm eyepiece can be directly inserted into the eyepiece holder of the 700x60 telescope, but for the 20-60x70 zoom scope, you would need to replace its zoom eyepiece with a specially made eyepiece adaptor so that other types of eyepieces such as the 32mm eyepiece can be inserted to the adaptor.

It seems that the 2nd option (i.e., using a universal camera adaptor with extended camera stand in order to fit your camera model) is more practical because you will have a flexibility of connecting different types of cameras, and there is no need to remove the camera lens. However, you may also wish to consider the 1st option if you prefer. Please do take your time to understand these technicalities and contact us again should you have more questions. Best regards from Nipon Support Team.