Nicely done Chris. Damn fine shot that first one. The second shot looks pixellated on my screen. Great start for the season though
It looks like you zoom at 10X is an interpolated zoom and not an optical zoom. Is this the case?
You're right about the magnification. If the eyepiece/scope combo gives 50X magnification and you are using 10X zoom on your camera that will equate to 50X mag. FWIW try to avoid using high zooms with your camera. You will more than likely get a better image is you increase your magnification by a shorter focal length eyepiece and a moderate zoom increase (no more than about 3X) rather than using high zooms.