TargetTalk

I have been using my digital video camera for spotting during practince. It makes spotting easier, to use the view screen than looking through my spotting scope.( have also hooked it up to a small tv) With the new cameras the optics are as good if not better than scopes. My question are they legal for competion? Can not find anything that says they are not.

It depends what event you are shooting and under which rules.

Under strict (i.e. not US) ISSF rules you are not allowed to use spotting telescopes for the Air Rifle or Air Pistol events, rules 7.4.7.11.1 & 8.5.1.

Before anyone says that a camera is not a spotting telescope they should think about rule 6.4.2, especially "Anything (guns, devices, equipment, accessories,etc.) which may give a shooter an unfair advantage over others and which is not mentioned in these Rules, or which is contrary to the spirit of the ISSF Rules and Regulations, is prohibited."

[quote="David Levene"]It depends what event you are shooting and under which rules.

Under strict (i.e. not US) ISSF rules you are not allowed to use spotting telescopes for the Air Rifle or Air Pistol events, rules 7.4.7.11.1 & 8.5.1.

I may be incorrect but under "strict" ISSF rules they are not either using electronic target scoring/viewing of some kind for each shooter or if using paper targets (yike! LOL), only one shot per target .. retrieved after each shot? Please correct me if mistaken.

And of course this does not prevent coaches/other team members from spotting shots/recording (unofficially). But of course they are NOT permitted to communicate (*wink, wink*) to the shooter on the line in any (*wink, wink* again) way unless the shooter leaves the firing line.

Rule 6.2.5 states, "Only sound reducing devices may be used. Radios, tape recorders, or any type of sound producing or communication systems are prohibited during competitions and any training."

This would eliminate anything with a sound playback capability, including video cameras.

2 Cents wrote:I may be incorrect but under "strict" ISSF rules they are not either using electronic target scoring/viewing of some kind for each shooter or if using paper targets (yike! LOL), only one shot per target .. retrieved after each shot? Please correct me if mistaken.

You are mistaken actually. What you have said would allow the use of manually cranked wind-back targets, and no self-respecting 10m shooter would want to use those would they ;-)

As for walking 10m with the other shooters to change the targets and then walking 10m back again, that's just a different sport (and I'm being serious about that).

Manual wind back targets, 1 shot each on Edelmann targets ..yes I have done that. And what a train wreck I had as far as a score in a sectional here in the US. Especially when the shooters to left and right of me seemed to be racing each other to finish the course first. A slow calm (considerate) retrieval of a shot targets was not in their mind-set.

Shooting is in 3p and prone small bore. Some of the rule quotes I do not think apply. a video camera without a cards or tape in it is unable to playback sound, I think you will also find this pertains to spotting and coaching on the line( example headphones with a radio in it to hear the spotter or coach. Therefor it acts as a spotting scope, also when talking about equipment and accessories to a unfair advantage would this pertain to when one competiter uses a $3000 anschutz to somebody using a $200 off the rack gun?. Is it is a unfair advantage to use it when anybody else would have the same opportunity?

Hi nhoj557
A $3000 Anschutz is of the "rack", But I under stand the point you are making.
I think? a digital spotting scope would be legal. A camera been used as a scope to see where the shots are going is just that, a scope. Permissible use would be event specific of course.

I am thinking 10 what are you thinking?

Glen Turner

nhoj557 wrote:Shooting is in 3p and prone small bore. Some of the rule quotes I do not think apply.

The rules I quoted, as I stated, apply to 10m shooting.

There is nothing in the ISSF rules to stop you using a spotting scope (whether optical or electronic) for 50m shooting.

As David says nothing in ISSF rules to prohibit it. Not sure how it would help though and you'll presumably have cables trailing around (unless just on battery - if so how long does that last ?). I would personally prefer to just have my spotting scope somewhere convenient where I don't have to move to look through it. I'd rather shoot on electronic targets, but I don't get to do that as often as I'd like.

Rob.

With a video camera you can mount this to a tripod and by setting the view finder you can look at it without having to move position to look through scope. With the new batteries mine can last at least an hour because you are not taping, you just have to turn the battery saver mode off so it doesn't shut off on you while match is underway, so with multiple batteries you can make through a match easily.

i am interested in using a camera on both 50 and 25m . which model do you have ?

I use a older model Samsung with a 18x optical and a 900x digital zoom. A friend of mine has a Sony with a 60x optical and like a 1200x digital zoom. The viewfinder on mine is about 2x2. and can be turn and and set to any angle to view. If I wanted I could even put it on my offhand stand and look at it there. Both of these cameras are not much bigger than a man's large fist.

so a 18x is sufficient for 50m? i can get a Samsung SMX-F34 quite cheap and it has a 34x optical zoom.

Remember What power spotting scope you use and use the same for the camera. I might go on the digital a little. But at the highest setting 900x is so much you could see a fruit fly walking across your target. I like to see all the bulls at once.