Spotting scope eye pieces

So, I'll admit I really over bought for my spotting scope. It's a Celestron Regal M2 65ED with an angled eyepiece.

Besides how clear the image was in the light conditions when I compared it with what else the store had, what seemed like a really good feature is the removable eyepiece and being able to use any standard 1.25" eyepiece in it's place. Most of the smaller and less expensive scopes either didn't have a removable eyepiece at all or had one with an non-standard diameter.

Another interesting feature of the 16-48X eye piece is the rubber brow piece, in addition to extending and retracting, unscrews to reveal standard T-mount threads.

Maybe the salesman over talked some of these features, but I'm looking into using the T-mount as a way to digiscope and I'm working on a small footprint solution with a direct mount camera.

What other scopes commonly used in bullseye also have removable eyepieces? 

If I get my setup working, I may be looking for a smaller scope more suited to a pistol box. So either the scope has to come with an eyepiece that has a T-mount thread or is removable so I can use the one I have.

I've got the smallest Vortex Razor spotting scope and have no regrets on dropping the coin for nice glass. Pretty sure you can use different eyepieces but not sure what thread they use, you might look into them. You're essentially buying a lifetime piece of equipment especially with the amazing warranty they have.

I also bought a Celstron but a smaller model to be able to fit into
my gun box.
I think it is called the hummingbird.
This scope is fine for out to 25 yards but at 50 yards the 22 cal holes in the black are 
not easy to see.
I would not recommend that scope for anyone shooting long line.
G

checkout the SME WiFi camera that attaches to the scope lens.
82$ on amazon.
I gotta get around to ordering one soon!
look interesting.
G

I researched this for some time. I bought a Celestron MiniMak C70 and installed an Edmund Scientific 28mm astronomy eyepiece that I had laying around. The eyepiece has about an inch of eye relief, which I liked. With that eyepiece I produced a spotter at about 27X (fixed) and a nice bright image at 50 yards. However, the C70 is bulky and somewhat heavy, and took up too much room below the shelf in my box, so I wound up selling it. Celestron also made a MiniMak C50...I found one on Amazon, tried it, and it was junk, so I returned it. There are only a two companies that make spotters with the 1.25" eyepieces (Celestron, Pentax). There is an adapter available that allows you to use a 1.25" eyepiece on a Zeiss Diascope spotter, sold by High Point Scientific ($59). There used to be an adapter sold for Swaro spotters as well (perhaps find one on eBay). A good website to ask questions is "Cloudy Nights." One thing that is a published problem...with some spotters, installing an adapter pushes the 1.25" eyepiece further out, and depending on the eyepiece itself, you may not be able to achieve infinite focus. Thus, you are limiting the effective focus range of the scope. Not a big deal for pistol if, say, you are limited to 500 yards or something like that. Just something to keep in mind. FWIW, I wound up buying that tiny Kowa. Less than a pound, and nice clear image at 50 yards.

Gary Collette wrote:checkout the SME WiFi camera that attaches to the scope lens.
82$ on amazon.
I gotta get around to ordering one soon!
look interesting.
G

I have one. Seems to work quite well, although I have yet to bring it to the range thanks to the current lockdown.
Decent image, camera itself is bulky, but fixes securely to scope eyepiece.

Technically, not legal as per various rules forbidding communications being used by electronics at the firing line. 

The other worry I have is keeping the camera and tablet/phone sufficiently powered for a full day of shooting.

So...

I went down a rabbit hole I've been down before. I've found better quality USB cameras with C-mount threads and discovered that with the correct wiring adaptor Samsung Tablets (and it seems only Samsung) and phones are capable of using OTG USB peripherals and receive a charge simultaneously.

So my idea is to try using the USB Camera (mounted with a T to C-mount adaptor), Tablet, OTG/power wiring adaptor, and Powerpack.

I mostly agree with Slartybartfast's statements above. I recently got my SME (something to play with while stuck at home). I have only tried it on scopes looking out the window, not at the range. It works... but...

It is bigger and heavier than I expected. I should have read the specs closer, but it's not a big deal. It is about 4" in diameter and about 3/4 pound.

The picture quality in mine is good, not great. I think it will be fine for scoping a target, but it is a little bit foggier than when I look with my eye through the same scope. 5 or 10 years ago I would call it very good, but cameras have gotten so good and so cheap my standards have risen. The resolution is decent, but again, not as good as an eyeball.

The 3 fingers that grab the eyepiece work well and once tightened, stay tight. I am a bit worried that long term they may loosen up, but at least out of the box... well done. The eyepiece of an NG scope is too small for the camera. All others I've tried or seen should work fine. I'd like the fingers to be a little longer to get the camera in the right position, but for the most part they work. The only scope that it didn't work on was a LER Pistol scope with which the camera only showed a small circle of image in the middle of the screen. I tried it on a normal rifle scope and the corners were cut off, but it was usable.

I noticed in mine the optical quality is very dependent on the spotting scope it is used on.  I plan on using mine for training.  Videoing the shot strings to see if my shot process works.  I’d really love to find a proper video camera adapter so that the target is displayed on a device via closed circuit.

Wobbley wrote:I noticed in mine the optical quality is very dependent on the spotting scope it is used on.  I plan on using mine for training.  Videoing the shot strings to see if my shot process works.  I’d really love to find a proper video camera adapter so that the target is displayed on a device via closed circuit.

"Proper" seems to me to mean going down the rabbit hole of C/T-Mounts and adaptors and finding a camera you're comfortable hanging off the end of your scope by the lens and a threaded adaptor.

I'm looking at a small USB machine vision camera that will do 1920x1080 @ 30fps and has a C-mount front.

My lack of knowledge on optics is hindering my research on best methods.

Been using this homemade setup for years- a Burris spotting scope, and a lipstick camera in a PVC homemade eyepiece adapter. (Eyepiece removed) The LCD monitor works great indoors, but sunlight makes visibility difficult outdoors. Powered by a small sealed gelcell living in the scope compartment of the gunbox.

jwax, that's pretty much what I'm looking to do. With as many decent quality commercial parts as I can.

Here's a setup for 10 meter air pistol using a Barska Monocular scope. Camera power comes from a gelcell in the base, and the monitor is a battery-powered LCD TV with a Video In jack.