javajunkie2121 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Hi All:right now I have a Celestron 130mm newt..can't play with astrophotography with this..so thinking ahead to what I'd like to learn how to do..imaging DSOs (also planets and moon but honestly I like the satisfaction of the hunt for the frustrating DSOs out there the most) with the next round of equipment:I didn't see a sticky post..so I'm wondering..if I were leaning toward an SCT with EQ mount for viewing and imaging...- are there particular lines of DSLR cameras best suited for this? I see a fair number of Canons used..is that because of supporting software or quality for DSO imaging? Or just preference? I noticed in a Forrest Tanaka youtube video that he liked the canon mainly because the software that manipulated the camera for astrophotography was canon specific...- I see folks using DSS and Registax..are there restrictions if you use either of these with the hardware you need to have? (I'm a PC user) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javajunkie2121 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 sorry..not seeing how to edit postother question was whether folks found a particular book helpful to learn the basics of astrophotography? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guiseppe Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Hello and welcome to the forums!First of all, you CAN use a 130mm scope for imaging. Some (many) DSOs can be imaged with just a DSLR. As long as you have a steady mount, and tracking will also help. I'd recommend trying with your current gear before you go out and make a big purchase.As for what scope to get in the future, it depends on your budget.I personally use a Canon for regular photography as well, so I just went with what I had. That said, Canon cameras are supposedly better suited for astrophotography. And if you're getting one for the sole purpose of just that, it can be modded to better suit it.DSS is used to combine a lot of still images into a single frame, while Registax is used to extract frames from videos. Typically with lunar and planetary work with a Webcam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swag72 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 A book for the basics of astrophotography is 'Making Every Photon Count' - it is an imagers bible for DSO imaging and will help you immensely. Read it ................ twice or thrice ................ before spending a penny.Canon's are well supported in the astro world, hence their popularity. There's various 3rd party software that is developed that is very useful.An EQ mount is really the mount to have for imaging. It's all about the mount and you need a good solid one.The general recommended set up for imaging is a short focal length refractor such as an 80ED - these are the basis for many starters in AP. But you won't be finding many obscure DSO's with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javajunkie2121 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Hello and welcome to the forums!First of all, you CAN use a 130mm scope for imaging. Some (many) DSOs can be imaged with just a DSLR. As long as you have a steady mount, and tracking will also help. I'd recommend trying with your current gear before you go out and make a big purchase.As for what scope to get in the future, it depends on your budget.I personally use a Canon for regular photography as well, so I just went with what I had. That said, Canon cameras are supposedly better suited for astrophotography. And if you're getting one for the sole purpose of just that, it can be modded to better suit it.DSS is used to combine a lot of still images into a single frame, while Registax is used to extract frames from videos. Typically with lunar and planetary work with a Webcam.thanks allGuiseppe: you mean using the telescope as a mount for the camera and using the tracking of the scope? that's a good idea....unfortunately can't use a DSLR on this scope at the eyepiece adapter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langy Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 thanks allGuiseppe: you mean using the telescope as a mount for the camera and using the tracking of the scope? that's a good idea....unfortunately can't use a DSLR on this scope at the eyepiece adapterYou use an adaptor to fit to a DSLR and then fit that in a normal 1.25" focuser. Therefore you remove the EP and put the camera in its place.You can then use that for Lunar and Planetary images. However for better results on those you really need to record video but I've got some reasonable results with static images of the moon.When you move to DSO then you really need some money spent on a very good mount and tracking is key to the whole thing. All this is covered in Making Every Photon Count. You could also sit a camera on top of the scope using the cameras own lens and take images that way. Depending on the focal length of the lens and if you have any MD on the scope governs the exposure times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugal Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I presume that you have the Astromaster 130 EQ? If so, then it is a 650mm focal length and F5 which is pretty good for DSOs. The scope that gets recommended most often for beginners seems to be the ED80, which has a focal length of 600mm at F7.5, so not far different.If it is the Astromaster then the thing that will restrict you the most is probably the mount. If it is anything like the mount on the 114EQ then it will wobble if you so much as breath on it, and it is the mount that is the important part for photography. If you have the motor drives, then I would say, give it a go, it will not be the best set up in the world, but it is what you currently have, so make the most of it.The only thing you will need to check out is if you can focus your camera easily. Some Newtonians are not built to allow enough back focus to achieve focus on a camera lens. If you can achieve focus then all you will need is a T-adaptor that attaches to the camera where the lens normally goes and then slots into the eyepiece holder on the telescope.A lot of people say that you can not do any astro-imaging until you have spent at least £600 on a mount and £300 on the scope, however if you currently have a scope and a mount then try using what you have. Yes, you will probably not get 10 minute subs like some people, and you will probably have to throw away a lot of shots due to wobble and tracking issues, but use what you have. You might surprise yourself as to what you can achieve with what you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langy Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 If it is the 130EQ like mine then you will need a 2x Barlows to get focus with a DSLR.It is possible to get a few seconds with just the RA drive and good polar alignment. However having a long lens (300mm in my case) and piggy backing the scope is more practical and just as much fun. I think the best I've achieved this was so far is around 20 seconds when well away from the pole. Shooting near the pole will obviously increase this time, but AFocal through the scope will halve this time at best as it's more than double the focal length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
condorman Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 A book for the basics of astrophotography is 'Making Every Photon Count' - it is an imagers bible for DSO imaging and will help you immensely. Read it ................ twice or thrice ................ before spending a penny.Canon's are well supported in the astro world, hence their popularity. There's various 3rd party software that is developed that is very useful.An EQ mount is really the mount to have for imaging. It's all about the mount and you need a good solid one.The general recommended set up for imaging is a short focal length refractor such as an 80ED - these are the basis for many starters in AP. But you won't be finding many obscure DSO's with that.Photoshop Astronomy by R. Scott Ireland is a good image processing book for astrophotography.Get it from a library as it is out of print. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javajunkie2121 Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 You use an adaptor to fit to a DSLR and then fit that in a normal 1.25" focuser. Therefore you remove the EP and put the camera in its place.You can then use that for Lunar and Planetary images. However for better results on those you really need to record video but I've got some reasonable results with static images of the moon.When you move to DSO then you really need some money spent on a very good mount and tracking is key to the whole thing. All this is covered in Making Every Photon Count. You could also sit a camera on top of the scope using the cameras own lens and take images that way. Depending on the focal length of the lens and if you have any MD on the scope governs the exposure times.I appreciate everyone's advice!! thanks for responding..it's really helpfulSo, I have the Celestron nexstar 130SLT..not the Astromaster ..and not EQ mount...so worried i'm out of luck with the focal plane re: just using a T ring adapter.with the focuser..and doesn't have EQ mount and I know the issues with AltAz mounts and photography..Celestron says no astrophotography (lunar/planetary or DSO) with this one..I think Sara's advice re: startign with an ED refractor sounds goodI wish I lived in Europe for many reasons..one of which is that S Richard's book 'Making Every Photon Count' is hard to get over here in US..will look for another Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxsatuser Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 If you intend on using a dslr, then Jerry Lodriguss has an excellent CD book, worth every penny.http://www.astropix.com/GADC/INTRO.HTMPlus he has one for planetary as wellhttp://www.astropix.com/GDPI/INTRO.HTMAs Sara I would go for the setup I have, see my sig, you can do dso, some planetary and solar as well.Here is an image of M101 I did a few days a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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