Imaging With a Dobsonian 200p Goto

[Richardisgreat]

Hi I have a skywatcher 200p Flextube Goto dobsonian, I understand that dobs are not good for astrophotography and i also understand why. My question is if i bought one of these to go with my digital camera (Fuji E550)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261033451598?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Would i get decent results with planetary photography if i took some video and then stacked them in registax. Also if the answer is yes then how long should the video clip be to get enough good frames to stack. Also can i use this method to get some images of some of the brighter DSOs.

Im hopeful as i did manage to get a single shot of the moon by holding the camera up to the eyepiece which i was very proud of (check my photo gallery)

Clear skies

Richard

[Richardisgreat]

i should have mentioned i am not keen at this stage of taking a laptop out into the field for webcam astrophography if i dont have to

[DirkSteele]

If you are using eyepiece projection, precise focus will be key to achieving good results. 30 seconds to 2 minutes (depending on seeing and the threshold quality you select for individual frames) should provide sufficient data to achieve good results using registax. Any longer and field rotation will start to cause problems with stacking images. As for some of the brighter DSOs, I have never tried it, though using an Alt Az mount and an integrating video camera (max 10.24 second exposures) I have put good results straight on a portable TV screen.

I would certainly be interested to see the results you achieve if you decide to purchase this item.

[Richardisgreat]

Thanks Dirksteele Im seriously considering buying one of these. I just wanted to know if it would work or not. I have heard that the dobsonian mount and motors might not like the weight hanging on the eyepiece. To be honest the camera doesnt weigh very much and i think the holder thingy only weighs about 300 grams. It would be cool to get some images of Jupiter and Saturn and some better moon shots. The trouble i have is being able to hold the camera still enough at the eyepeice. I did manage to capture Saturn once but it came out very blurry and not good enough to show anyone. I was hoping that this camera adapter thingy would just be able to hold it nice and still. Then the thought occured to me that i could take some video and stack them in registax. I have never used registax before but i have downloaded a tutorial and im eager to learn

Richard

[Richardisgreat]

I have a follow up question. If i take a photo subject lets say Saturn and take some video of Saturn say 1 minuit and i stack those frames in registax. ok so now i have a stacked image of saturn. Now if i do the whole process again and stack those frames can i add those two images on top of each other. Will i get to a point where i cant pull anymore detail out of the images. I only ask to aviod field rotation with long video/exposures. Do you follow me? Im basically asking if i take a stacked image, can i add more stacked images to it to make one final image. Also can this work with DSOs? Im not sure if i have made my question very clear reading it back

Its funny really, when i first bought my dobsonian i thought i wouldnt be too interested in photography due to the extra expense of a eq5 or heq5 mount and a decent dslr camera. But know i find myself wanting to try with a digital camera and a bracket to hold it at the eyepiece and registax.

Maybe all roads lead to astrophotography with this hobby