P Astrom

Hi. Got an Skywatcher 130, newtonian reflector, EQ2 mount and mirrorless DSLR. Problem is that when I am using that setup I usually need a lot of lenses (see pic)IMG_5939.heic This makes collimation hard to maintain. Also the field of view is quite narrow. Now, I want to take deep sky photos requiring wider field of view and so I got an adaptor for my iPhone. All good. so far but the damn thing won't let med manually manage longer exposures If I put it into night mode I can take pictueres up to 30 secs but the camera software automatically modifies the picture. I have not found any way to stop this. The 30 sex exposure vs the automatically modified picture: The auto-processed image is probably better for night time photos, but not for astrophotografy. I loose all that beautiful light that was the whole point of 30 sec exposure. So please, has anyone found a way to turn of auto processing on the long exposures, or do I need another camera app. If so, what camera app do you suggest?

I solved that quickly and easily. But, first, what an excellent and awesome guide!!! Now, a year or so later... The slop of that axis (or any one of them) can be quickly solved by fixating the axle using a screw that pushes the axle against one side of the shaft. I only had slop in one axle, and of some unknown reason there is a short screw inserted to the side of the mount, perfectly aligned at the bottom of axle. I can see it in your picture just left of the shaft, on the side. I removed that one and inserted a longer one that pushes on the axle, holding it in position thus stopping the wobble of the axis. This does not at all hinder the rotation of axle as long as properly greased. Remember to grind the screw/bolt so it is pointed at the end (see below). Also, I put a locking nut on the screw so it does not move out, see pic. IMG_6067.HEICIMG_6069.HEIC