Celestron 114LCM

[leeroy37]

I was bought the Celestron 114LCM as a gift along with a adapter for a Canon DSLR as I am also a keen photographer.

After finding that viewing is pretty good with the scope, although I think it was supplied pretty badly out of collimation and the red dot finder is USELESS!! I just cannot get any satifactory images with the camera.

So OK my DSLR is probably way too heavy for the scope/mount but I appear not to be able to get sharp focus. I have also tried with a Phillips SPC900 and adapter and get the same issues. Is this scope just not suitable for astroimaging or are people using and getting satisfactory results?

[JamesF]

Celestron's red dot finders seem to have a reputation for being less useful than a chocolate fireguard. Anything's useful if it's made of chocolate, after all.

I don't know about your scope, but certainly quite a few of the 130mm scopes struggle to reach focus with a camera because the focal plane of the scope is too far down inside the focuser tube for the camera sensor to reach. One workaround for that is to try using a barlow in combination with the camera. That can move the focal point out far enough to get focus. Another is to replace the collimation bolts with longer ones, effectively moving the mirror up the tube a little thereby moving the focal plane out of the focuser tube. It's certainly worth giving the barlow a try.

Collimation isn't hard to sort out really. I think people get more worried about it than they should be. Given an appropriate collimation tool it really shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

James

[leeroy37]

Thanks James....

I appear to be able to move through a focussing plane but not achieve tight focus. Certainly no where near the quality of looking through an eyepiece. I have given a Barlow a go, it was a low quality one... but no luck.

[JamesF]

What are you attempting to focus on?

James

[leeroy37]

I have tried the moon with DSLR and Webcam.... and Jupiter just as some trials and don't get get focus like this......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29104763@N05/6615802017/in/set-72157628608535665/

Thats taken with the DSLR, and there are a couple of others in there taken with a DSLR

[JamesF]

I'd stick with the Moon for the moment. It's a nice bright target that's easy to find. Jupiter is getting increasingly difficult by the day. Even Saturn is a bigger target than Jupiter now (if you include the rings).

I'm not certain that image is out of focus. It looks like it has some "ghosting", maybe caused by atmospheric distortion. Perhaps you're not using a fast enough exposure. What settings were you using?

James

[Rihard]

I was bought the Celestron 114LCM as a gift along with a adapter for a Canon DSLR as I am also a keen photographer.

After finding that viewing is pretty good with the scope, although I think it was supplied pretty badly out of collimation and the red dot finder is USELESS!! I just cannot get any satifactory images with the camera.

So OK my DSLR is probably way too heavy for the scope/mount but I appear not to be able to get sharp focus. I have also tried with a Phillips SPC900 and adapter and get the same issues. Is this scope just not suitable for astroimaging or are people using and getting satisfactory results?

Not sure if it will help, but you might try afocal / eyepiece projection AP meanwhile.

Although people say it adds "glass" deteriorating the image, It should be good enough with the moon and also with certain planets, it might be OK with some DSO's. I've seen great shots of the moon taken afocal with small telescopes, much better then my 200P + Dslr attempts

Let us know how it goes.

Regards,

Riky