Eyepiece Projection

[Relpet]

Some months ago I asked for advice on a Pentaflex Planetary webcam.  No one had ever heard of it but it turned out to be identical to the Orion Starshoot Solar System Colour Imager.  It was being sold in France for two thirds the prie of the Orion so I bought one.  I'm a beginner.  What did I know?  Complete waste of money in my view.  Lunar images not bad but fiddling around for nights on end trying to catch a wobbly Saturn as it flashes across the laptop screen is a waste of my declining years.  From AstroBuySell some time afterwards I bought, at a good price, a GSO 32mm 1.25" EP which, after unscrewing the eye mount, screws straight into a T-Mount.  A cousin recently lent me a Nikon D5100 which had been lurking at the back of his cupboard and after nearly a month of clouded skies suddenly, last night, I got a chance to put the two bits of kit together.  The EP, sadly, turns out to have a defective compression ring so can't be tightened properly but, neverthless, having climbed a steep learning curve with a dSLR (never used one before) I was pretty thrilled with the results.  However, when I scrabbled around the internet looking for other EPs which offer the same connection I found only GSO 1.25" and 2" versions.  I did, though, discover something called an Eyepiece Projection Camera Adapter which is supposed to accommodate a range of different focal length eyepieces, some of which I probably have.  These adapters are not cheap.  I've already wasted money on the webcam, never mind the laptop to go with it, and sooner or later I may have to buy my own dSLR.  Before I shell out any more of the dwindling pension fund can anyone tell me more about Eyepiece Projection please?  Positive verdicts may get me into serious trouble with the fund manager (my wife) but don't let that stop you.  Negative verdicts, while unfortunate for the makers, may preserve harmony in the household.  MAny thanks.

[jambouk]

The Baader Hyperion eye pieces allow (with an adapter) a camera to be attached to them. I have tried it, but it is a bit of a faff, but if it is the only way you can image smaller objects through your telescope then go for it. There are some links here which may help:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/137712-baader-hyperion-eyepiece-projection/

http://www.baader-planetarium.de/com/pdf/hyperion_brief_description_e.pdf

http://agenaastro.com/media/documents/hyperion-manual-back.pdf

If you want to image things other than planets, you can use a DSLR camera at prime focus, and can even use this method for planets, though requires a longer focal length scope for the latter. Here is a very simplistic document I pout together about imaging:

astro imaging with telescope.pdf

You don't say what the scope is (and its focal length) or what sort of mount you are using (is it a motorised tracking mount?). 

But if the question is simply about eye piece projection, yes it can be done, there are lots of examples on SGL of images people have taken with this method, but like all things, there are pros and cons, I found it a faff and found other ways to image planets (longer focal length, wider apperture telescope with a rapid frame rate camera and a barlow/Powermate on a well aligned tracking mount).

Good luck.

James

[Owmuchonomy]

James is right but I am one of the likely minority who thinks EPP is underrated. Once you have found the combination that works I find I can get decent movie files in minutes. Definitely a contrast to my DSO experiences and sometimes I just find it refreshing. There are loads of threads on here and if you use the search function you will pick them up. If you check the gallery on my link below all the solar and planetary images are taken by EPP. I would urge you to stick with it.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I used an EP projection adapter from Celestron (special fit for 1.25" visual back of C8) and a variable EP projection adapter from Meade. Both had problems accepting all EPs especially ones with thicker barrels. Plossls and quite a few orthoscopics  were generally OK, but many others wouldn't fit. I later switched to using Meade TeleXtenders (now sold as Bresser SA Barlows). Easier to use and much better results, I found.

[Relpet]

The Baader Hyperion eye pieces allow (with an adapter) a camera to be attached to them. I have tried it, but it is a bit of a faff, but if it is the only way you can image smaller objects through your telescope then go for it. There are some links here which may help:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/137712-baader-hyperion-eyepiece-projection/

http://www.baader-planetarium.de/com/pdf/hyperion_brief_description_e.pdf

http://agenaastro.com/media/documents/hyperion-manual-back.pdf

If you want to image things other than planets, you can use a DSLR camera at prime focus, and can even use this method for planets, though requires a longer focal length scope for the latter. Here is a very simplistic document I pout together about imaging:

astro imaging with telescope.pdf

You don't say what the scope is (and its focal length) or what sort of mount you are using (is it a motorised tracking mount?). 

But if the question is simply about eye piece projection, yes it can be done, there are lots of examples on SGL of images people have taken with this method, but like all things, there are pros and cons, I found it a faff and found other ways to image planets (longer focal length, wider apperture telescope with a rapid frame rate camera and a barlow/Powermate on a well aligned tracking mount).

Good luck.

James

Thanks, James,

It's an 8" reflector, f6 on Dobsonian mount.  After several frustrating evenings with the aforementioned webcam I was just blown away with the ease with which I could use the Nikon dSLR.  Being able to view and focus on any particular feature of the moon, switch ISO ratings and shutter speeds until I got the image I wanted was such a happy experience.  Apart from the GSO EP I used a 2" Barlow, then doubled up with a further 1.25" Barlow to get high magnification.  Unfortunately the remote did not work so it was tricky to get a completely clear image at that magnification with a heavy finger on the shutter button.  That's easily solved, though.  The camera shoots in HD video also, for planetary imaging and stacking after, but I was hoping to be able to use something like a 6mm EP rather than the 32mm GSO or the Brlow combination.  I have saved your guide, for which many thanks.

Peter

[Relpet]

James is right but I am one of the likely minority who thinks EPP is underrated. Once you have found the combination that works I find I can get decent movie files in minutes. Definitely a contrast to my DSO experiences and sometimes I just find it refreshing. There are loads of threads on here and if you use the search function you will pick them up. If you check the gallery on my link below all the solar and planetary images are taken by EPP. I would urge you to stick with it.

Your gallery is recommendation enough but your encouraging words pretty well settled things.  My progress down this path will be dictated, though, by what I can spend rather than what I would like to spend!  Thanks.

[Relpet]

I used an EP projection adapter from Celestron (special fit for 1.25" visual back of C8) and a variable EP projection adapter from Meade. Both had problems accepting all EPs especially ones with thicker barrels. Plossls and quite a few orthoscopics  were generally OK, but many others wouldn't fit. I later switched to using Meade TeleXtenders (now sold as Bresser SA Barlows). Easier to use and much better results, I found.

Thanks, Michael.  I have been buying stuff from Bresser this year.  They have some amazing offers at times and the exchange rate is favourable.  I'll check that out.

[D4N]

It sounds like the reason you find the DSLR easier is that it has a much bigger sensor, this means that the target can move a lot further before it leaves the field of view.

Having tried manually tracking planets on an eq mount I can well imagine that it even more troublesome on a dob. The small sensor of a planetary camera works best with a tracking mount.

The only EP I have used projection with is the Baader Hyperion zoom. The advantage of this one is you can get yourself centred up then just rotate it to zoom in. When trying to find a planet this is really helpful! Mine came supplied with an adaptor ring so you can remove the eyecup to change it to a T2 fitting. Some T2 spacers are also helpful as you will want to adjust the camera spacing to make the most out of the available light cone.

A big advantage of EPP is that it can let you achieve focus when otherwise it may not be possible, Newtonians are notorious for being unable to achieve prime focus with a DSLR unless they are designed for it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Owmuchonomy]

The odds are somewhat stacked against you with a Dob mount. Best results are from hundreds of stacked movie frames so as pointed out above that is going to be very difficult without an EQ tracking mount.

[Relpet]

It sounds like the reason you find the DSLR easier is that it has a much bigger sensor, this means that the target can move a lot further before it leaves the field of view.

Having tried manually tracking planets on an eq mount I can well imagine that it even more troublesome on a dob. The small sensor of a planetary camera works best with a tracking mount.

The only EP I have used projection with is the Baader Hyperion zoom. The advantage of this one is you can get yourself centred up then just rotate it to zoom in. When trying to find a planet this is really helpful! Mine came supplied with an adaptor ring so you can remove the eyecup to change it to a T2 fitting. Some T2 spacers are also helpful as you will want to adjust the camera spacing to make the most out of the available light cone.

A big advantage of EPP is that it can let you achieve focus when otherwise it may not be possible, Newtonians are notorious for being unable to achieve prime focus with a DSLR unless they are designed for it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Having read about prime focus and how the telescope just works like a telephoto lens I was convinced that it was my beginner's incompetence that made it impossible to focus without an eyepiece of some kind.  Maybe it's just the scope after all.  I have already discovered that EPP is magic when it comes to focussing on something as big and bright and relatively stable as the moon.  Fast shutter speeds help to get a crisp image.  It will be a while before I progress beyond that now that I can see the investment I might need to make but, as ever, incomparable advice from SGL puts me on the right track.  Many thanks.

[Relpet]

The odds are somewhat stacked against you with a Dob mount. Best results are from hundreds of stacked movie frames so as pointed out above that is going to be very difficult without an EQ tracking mount.

When I was buying my 'scope the dealer asked if I was planning to use it for astro-photography.  "Not for a long time yet." I replied.  Looks like that was the right answer!  I'll stop looking for a cheap solution to imaging and concentrate on observing for the time being.