Newbie afocal photography which camera

[Amywaters334]

Hi all, i'm new to this site and after trawling through lots of wonderful information here that i mostly cannot understand, i thought i would just throw my question out for some help.

At the moment i only have a celestron astromaster 70AZ and have taken one good shot of the moon. I am on the look out for a next step telescope (was thinking of getting a starwatcher 150) and i need a new camera.

I have a very limited budget. Would a canon 300d rebel be of any use? I wish to use it as a basic camera and for afocal photography. I want to have a go at some simple photos of the moon, jupiter and saturn to start with..

Thanks in advance

[farunj]

Most people would recommend a webcam for planetary and lunar imaging, as a webcam is much simpler to use! You usually take short videos of some 1000 (I think) frames and then use a software called registax to select the best of them and stack them. Other more qualified people will be along to clarify, don't worry!

[Cornelius Varley]

Something you will need to think about is the weight of the camera and lens attached to the focuser and eyepiece. Also, the 300d does'nt have a video function so planetary imaging would be difficult.

[Laurie61]

For imaging the planets you want something that shots video and has a reasonable built in optical zoom with manual focus. I use a Canon G9 and shot 640x480 video at 30fps. Start with an eyepiece producing a lower mag and build up to one with the same focal length as your scope in mm. So an 8mm EP in an F8 scope. The camera has to be square on to the EP and try and stop any stray light getting in between the camera and lens. After that its trial and error This is one of mine with the G9 and a C11sct.

[Astrosurf]

I've not tried video with a DSLR but some people swear by it. I don't know if the 500D has video facility, but if not, maybe have a go with an Xbox cam just to start off with. It's cheap and easy to mod. See here:

Just for you to start off with. A lot of people, me included, swear by the Phillips SPC900NC webcam (or 880 flashed to 900) which is no longer sold but comes up from time to time second-hand. It can be a bit expensive but I got mine for £40. The Xbox is cheap!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Official-Microsoft-Xbox-Vision-Webcam/dp/B0054UMR8O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369695312&sr=8-2&keywords=xbox+webcam

Not great images but a good starter cam.

Let us know how you get on.

Alexxx

[sloz1664]

I've not tried video with a DSLR but some people swear by it. I don't know if the 500D has video facility, but if not, maybe have a go with an Xbox cam just to start off with. It's cheap and easy to mod. See here:

http://stargazerslou...ecam-mod-cliff/

Just for you to start off with. A lot of people, me included, swear by the Phillips SPC900NC webcam (or 880 flashed to 900) which is no longer sold but comes up from time to time second-hand. It can be a bit expensive but I got mine for £40. The Xbox is cheap!

http://www.amazon.co...rds=xbox webcam

Not great images but a good starter cam.

Let us know how you get on.

Alexxx

I agree with Alex look at the webcam option. The Microsoft Lifecam has a good following also.

cheers

Steve

[Amywaters334]

Many thanks for the replies.

Laurie61, which canon G9 please, just had look on ebay and theres all sorts. Also your c11 sct, £1600? Shame but i cannot afford that! A great picture of jupiter you've done.

i am looking for a telescope that i will be able to see jupiter like that.

[Laurie61]

Hi Amywaters334, my G9 has now been replaced by newer models although it would be possible to find one second hand, this is mine- http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong9

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/advice/536456/enthusiast-compact-group-test.html

I think they are up to a G15 version at the minuet. Any camera that gives you manual control of the focus would be good, most compacts will now shoot video. The C11 are an expensive purchase new, fortunately I found a second hand one for half the price and already had a mount that would take it. I think you would need an 8in scope to get something similar to my shot, and a reasonable mount. Something like this-

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-200p-eq5.html