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C9.25 with an EOS 1000D

Gullsrock

By Gullsrock
in Imaging - Discussion

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Gullsrock

Gullsrock

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I would like to start imaging but have no idea where to start. Do I buy a guide package where I can start using the guide camera for planetary? Or do I start with an EOS for unguided imaging on DSO and planetary? Having just splashed out on a new scope and mount a nice Starlight Exp or Atik is well beyond me. An EOS I can use for holiday snaps as well but would a 1000D go with my scope. Help.....

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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At the focal length of a C9.25, even with reducer, you will have a tough time of it unguided. (You really will need the reducer-flattener for DS imaging.) Long FLs are intolerant of inaccurate tracking so I'd get a good guider sorted first off. Possibly an OAG? If you do that a QHY5 would be the guide cam to go for, not a webcam.

If you started on planetary imaging with a fast frame camera you'd be playing to your telescope's strengths and be likely to get good results quickly. No guiding needed.

Olly

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JamesF

JamesF

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OAG = off axis guider -- a guider that works by splitting a small part off the light cone entering the camera rather than having a separate scope for guiding.

By fast frame camera Olly is talking about a camera specifically designed for (planetary) astro imaging. Have a look at the cameras section of FLO's site to get the general idea.

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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If you want to start cheaply, I'd get a webcam and do some planetary imaging, which won't require any guiding. Perhaps a modded Lifecam would do the job. It's a place to start, at least.

The C9.25 is pretty unsuited to DSO imaging really. The Hyperstar unit is one way it's done but I don't think anyone would consider it a good idea to jump in at the deep end with that, and it's far from inexpensive.

Best to stick to the scope's strengths, I think, get some experience and then decide where to go from there.

James

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Gullsrock

Gullsrock

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Would you say the QHY5v (colour) was a good step up from the QHY5 although this seems to have a smaller sensor. This will enable me to start planetary imaging now and later use it as a autoguide with a splitter or guide scope for DS with a better imaging unit and focal reducer

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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The planetary purists use mono and filters but one shot colour is possible. I guide with a one shot colour Atik and it behaves the same as the mono I also use.

An Off Axis Guider is a fiddly thing to use but at long focal lengths, and with reflectors, it is more accurate than a parallel guidescope. I use a separate guide scope for my refractors and an OAG with Yves' big catadioptric.

Olly

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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

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I've got a C9.25 and until recently had a mono QHY5v - together, they were pretty good at lunar and planetary work.

The QHY5v also made a good guide camera.

There's no harm in trying short unguided exposures with the 1000d and C9.25 at f10, but I think you'll soon want to move on.....

If you do, you have loads of options (all of which cost money I'm afraid - but hayho, that's AP for you)

You could get a QHY5v or a DMK21 for use as a lunar / planetary camera, then if you enjoy that add barlows to increase your image scale...then add a filter wheel and LRGB filters later.

You could then get an OAG and a reducer to take the C9.25 done to about 1.2m focal length (f6.3) but I think you may still struggle to guide on your NEQ6....

..or (and this would be my personal preferred option) when you think you're ready to move onto longer exposure DSO work I'd skip the C9.25 as your main DSO imaging scope - I'd piggyback a short focal length refractor & flattener on the C9.25 and image through the refractor with the 1000d using the C9.25 / QHY / DMK as a guider.

I emphasise this only my personal view and I recognise that each of these steps is going cost a few £100's but if you take it step by step, you'll learn along the way and end up with a great set of kit.

Steve

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Mav359

Mav359

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This is pretty much my exact setup

I have a C9.25 with a F6.3 reducer and use a 9x50 finder scope and a QHY5 & a Canon 1000d (Unmodded)

I love it, I've attached my best attempt so far but I'm still at the very beginning of learning so i think there is much much more to come from this setup.

I'd recommend using Align Master to polar align the scope as well as it will help with the guiding, I'm up to taking 10mins subs

post-22348-133877748446_thumb.jpg

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Mav359

Mav359

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The way i understand it you only need a wheel if your using a Mono camera, as a result you need at least a Red, Blue, Green filters, there are more but...

I live in south London so the skies aren't great so i did by a LP filter, so that i could use it i also bought one of these from FLO First Light Optics - FLO 1.25-inch T mount camera adapter you'll need the T-Ring adapter for the camera as well

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Mav359

Mav359

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!!! What ever you do leave plenty of slack on the lead from the Camera to the PC, i didn't and stood on the cable breaking the data port on the camera, its a pain in the .... to image manually and a £200 repair bill so be careful !!!

:):mad::)

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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

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I don't know if a wheel is essential?

Mav359 is right - you only really need filters if you have a mono camera. A filter wheel enables you to load a number of filters (such as LRGB) and rotate the wheel (either manually or by a motor) in front of the camera. If you don't have a wheel and you want to image in colour with a mono camera it'd be a right pain in the neck because you'd have to take the camera out of the scope each time you wanted to change filters. I'm currently enjoying mono imaging of the moon and I don't have a wheel (yet) so - no they're not vital if you're happy to stick with one filter at a time.

If you want a Light Polution filter for your 1000d - I'm very pleased with my Astronomik CLS CCD clip filter - this fits into the camera.

Here's one of my images taken with my C9.25 and a QHY5v mono camera- I used a 3x barlow and an Astronomik 742nm Infra Red filter.

http://stargazerslounge.com/members/steve-1962-albums-moon-picture12831-langrenus-vendelinus-petavius-lucy-richardson-deconv-20-interation-resized-sgl.jpg

Steve

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Steve 1962

Steve 1962

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Hi again Rob

The QHY5 has a bigger chip and the QHY5v has a faster max frame rate.

If you're mainly going to use it as a guider with a little imaging go for the 5, but if you're mainly imaging with a little guiding go for the 5v

I went for the 5v because of the frame rate for lunar work..and the chip was plenty big enough to always find a guide star when used as a guide camera.

I've got a DMK21AU618 from Imaging Source - which is a cracking camera, but then it's twice the price of the QHY.

Hope this helps.

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