Help!

[thing]

I'm totally new to imaging (and observing) but my dad has offered me a camera to stick on the eyepiece. It's a Konica Minolta D7 with a Minolta autofocus mount. My scope is a Celestron C8-N.

What I would kindly like to know is:-

Is this camera any good for imaging?

What sort of adapter do I need for mounting it?

Doing prime focus shots, what sort of magnification would it give?

How do you alter the magnification (lower or higher) when doing prime focus or is it fixed?

Thanks in advance.

[daz]

Thing

'Fraid I don't know the camera so can't comment on its astro ability, however............

You would a T mount for the camera. This goes in place of the lens and allows you to attach different adapters to it. You then need a T mount to focuser adapter (either 2" or 1.25" - depending on your scopes focuser).

The camera is normally attached straight through - i.e. no diagonal in place.

To alter the magnification, you'll need a barlow (increase) or focal reducer (decrease). However, you may need another adapter to attach them to the focuser. It all depends on the focuser and which adapters you end up with!!

HTH

[steppenwolf]

Konica Minolta D7

If this is a Dimage 7 then the lens is not removable so you will only be able to do piggy-back mounting to take widefield images. Although in theory you could try afocal photography (projection of the light from the eyepiece into the camera) because the Dimage 7 has such a wide lens, it would not work at all well.

[barkis]

jgs001 Has had some success with his camera, a Konica Minolta Z2. He has just posted a good image of the Pleiades using the afocal method.

I don't know how different your camaras are mind you.

Ron.

[jgs001]

Ron, That picture of the Pleiades wasn't afocal, it was direct with the camera (the lens is the equiv of my scope with a 40mm ep). I've looked at afocal with it during the day, just to see what the image would look like. The objective on the camera is so much larger than the ep lens that there is a huge ring of black surrounding the image. I'll try it out one night when the clouds go away.

[barkis]

I beg your pardons both John and Thing. I was too eager to draw the comparison between the two cameras, and should have been more careful.

Sorry guys. :oops:

[jgs001]

Ron, In terms of the cameras, I don't think you were that far wide of the mark. They seem quite similar. The D7 has a bigger sensor but a smaller optical zoom. I think it would work well in the way I used mine for direct wide field imaging.

[thing]

Konica Minolta D7

If this is a Dimage 7 then the lens is not removable so you will only be able to do piggy-back mounting to take widefield images. Although in theory you could try afocal photography (projection of the light from the eyepiece into the camera) because the Dimage 7 has such a wide lens, it would not work at all well.

It has a removable lens. Thanks for the replies everybody, some jiggery pokery to be done then!

[steppenwolf]

It has a removable lens

In that case, it must be a Dynax, not a Dimage so you need a Minolta to 'T' adapter if there is a male 'T' on the focus tube. If there is no Male 'T' on the focus tube then you will need a Minolta to 1.25" nosepiece adapter.