How and with what can I photograph?

[K9Lewis]

My scope is only a Jessops 800x80 cost £50. But what are the best and/or easiest types of cameras to use ( I have DSLRs & compact type digital cameras) - Do I have to buy special mounts or are there DIY ways of using cameras?

[John]

The lowest cost way might be to use a web cam in place of the eyepiece. You can get snapshots of the moon and planets that way. The scope should ideally be on a driven equatorial mount so that it tracks the objects but I believe simple snapshots of the moon can be made without tracking.

Getting images of deep sky objects (nebulae and galaxies) is a different matter and needs accurate guiding for long periods. I'm not an imager but I suspect you would need to invest many times what your scope cost to get into that game.

[K9Lewis]

Thanks for that John, I will give it a try.

[LukeSkywatcher]

You could use a compact digital camera coupled with a Universal Digital Camera Adapter.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/adaptors/skywatcher-universal-camera-adapter.html

[John]

I wondered about that Paul but the focuser on the Jessops scope is plastic I think and I was not sure it could cope with more than a web cam. I might be wrong of course

[LukeSkywatcher]

I am not familiar with the scope in question but the adapter i mentioned above, i cant see it not working.............even on a plastic focuser. The added weight of it and a digicam might make the object you want to image vanish from your FOV...............but that is easily solved by pointing the scope a bit above/below the object and then letting it drift into view.

I cant see why it wont work perfectly.

P.S.~~A web cam is not be the cheapest way. Not everyone has a laptop that they can connect web cam to and then connect to the scope.

I think any version of the Universal Digital Camera Adapter will work. Given that the focuser on the Jessop scope is plastic....................i think i would rule out uding a DSLR. It just may not be sturdy enough.

Granted.................you will be limited to taking quick snapshots of the Moon and maybe even planets.

Still very pleasing to get ANY image you take with whatever setup you have.

[John]

I am not familiar with the scope in question but the adapter i mentioned above, i cant see it not working.............even on a plastic focuser. The added weight of it and a digicam might make the object you want to image vanish from your FOV...............but that is easily solved by pointing the scope a bit above/below the object and then letting it drift into view.

I cant see why it wont work perfectly.

P.S.~~A web cam is not be the cheapest way. Not everyone has a laptop that they can connect web cam to and then connect to the scope.

I think any version of the Universal Digital Camera Adapter will work. Given that the focuser on the Jessop scope is plastic....................i think i would rule out uding a DSLR. It just may not be sturdy enough.

Granted.................you will be limited to taking quick snapshots of the Moon and maybe even planets.

Still very pleasing to get ANY image you take with whatever setup you have.

Fair enough Paul - I did say I might be wrong

[gdheib0430]

Getting images of deep sky objects (nebulae and galaxies) is a different matter and needs accurate guiding for long periods. I'm not an imager but I suspect you would need to invest many times what your scope cost to get into that game.

You can get some decent wide field shots with your dslr on a standard tripod and the lense it came with...settings and exposure time depends on the camera...

John, you are pretty much right about really good DSOs...can get some rather pleasing pictures with 30sec exposures without needing to track and not loose anything with startrailing, but wont be like the amazing pictures guided imagers on this site can do (can't wait to be like them). Regardless though, that scope probably wont be able to handle using a DSLR they are probably a bit to heavy for the scope and mount that you have.