Hi all

[kencidj]

Hi.

Have a question :-)

I have an amateur telescope bresser venus 76/700.

Is it good for astrophotography, or should I buy something new?

Want to take pictures of nebulae and stars, but with this one..I cant even focus with my Nikon d80 with t2 ring...when looking at the moon.

[Pete Presland]

I think you are going to find it very difficult to get any satisfying deep sky images from this scope.

I dont now whether it would focus with a webcam though, if it would you possibly image the moon or one of the brighter planets. That said because of the mount it is on this also not going to be easy.

[Marky1973]

Hi and Welcome to SGL!

I am no expert, but I guess you could get some photos of the moon with that scope - if you can't get focus, you may need some sort of extension tube in the focusser to ensure there is enough travel in it to reach focus. You could try getting some moon shots just holding the camera up to the eyepiece to get some moon pics.

But if you want to get into astrophotography in more depth you are going to need a tracking mount of some description as you will need to be able to take long exposures and counteract the earth's rotation, otherwise the stars in your images will blur and stretch. 

You can always start with some widefield star shots with your camera on a normal tripod - you can get shots up to around 20-25 seconds with a wide lens.

Pop over to First Light Optics and have a look for "Making Every Photon Count" which is a great introduction to what you need to get into astrophotography.

It's a hell of a journey, but very rewarding.

Good luck!

[redmoo]

Welcome to the expensive yet rewarding world of Astrophotography! 

I too am pretty new to the hobby, but got hooked pretty fast! As people have mentioned, you will struggle to get any deep sky images with that scope, but more to the point, the mount. You will be able to get some images of the moon and perhaps jupiter, but most people use a webcam for doing planetary. You can pick up a cheap xbox live cam and modify it (there are lots of guides on the interwebs) and that is fairly cheap.

Before going and buying a new scope, do some research. The book suggested above comes highly recommended, and could save you LOTS of money by steering you in the right direction.

Personally, I would at least try with the scope you have, see if you like what you see, then start looking at buying bits. Another option would be to visit a local astronomy club and see if they have any suggestions or see what other people have. 

Good luck!

[Astrosurf]

+1 for the webcam. Here's a tutorial on the Xbox cam modification for AP. You will be able to get short vids of the Moon, but the planets will be very small.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/131246-xbox-livecam-mod-cliff/

Just give it a go. It's fun!

Alexxx

[PeterCPC]

You might be able to get some moon shots by just holding a compact camera/smartphone up to the eyepiece.

Peter

[kencidj]

Thanks all for your answers.

I've already tried my dslr and moonshots. Really nice pictures, but still want some more light, so I can shoot the sky in the night.

Still, thanks for your answers.

[kencidj]

Can I use another webcam, or is xboxlive cam a must?

[swag72]

Hi and welcome to SGL from another imager! Good to have you on board...... good advice so far.

Look forward to seeing you around:)

[Marky1973]

Can I use another webcam, or is xboxlive cam a must?

I think any camera that can be modifed to fit into the focusser is an option, but the XBOX livecam is cheap (I got one for £5) and can be modified very easily - I followed a guide on these very forum pages and it took about 15 minutes. The spc900 is a very popular webcam for using in astrophotography but can go for £50 and up, so is a little more expensive. The Xbox version will give you a cheap introduction to the sport.....I've not done much with mine to date as I have been concentrating on DSOs, but peoplpe have done some good stuff with them!

[kencidj]

I think any camera that can be modifed to fit into the focusser is an option, but the XBOX livecam is cheap (I got one for £5) and can be modified very easily - I followed a guide on these very forum pages and it took about 15 minutes. The spc900 is a very popular webcam for using in astrophotography but can go for £50 and up, so is a little more expensive. The Xbox version will give you a cheap introduction to the sport.....I've not done much with mine to date as I have been concentrating on DSOs, but peoplpe have done some good stuff with them!

So the main thing is to have a webcam with higher resolution.. and of course ok quality in darker places

[Marky1973]

I have no idea to be honest, I haven't done any planetary work - until now!

I shoved the Xbox cam into the scope last night after an imaging session and got the picture below with very little effort. Not sure if it will do much better, but I'll have a try another night. Essentially though, I got my first image of Jupiter and learned about some of the processing for £5 and very little effort. If I can get to grips with some of the more complex processing stuff, then I may invest in a better camera....but it is a good way to cut your teeth!

[kencidj]

I have no idea to be honest, I haven't done any planetary work - until now!

I shoved the Xbox cam into the scope last night after an imaging session and got the picture below with very little effort. Not sure if it will do much better, but I'll have a try another night. Essentially though, I got my first image of Jupiter and learned about some of the processing for £5 and very little effort. If I can get to grips with some of the more complex processing stuff, then I may invest in a better camera....but it is a good way to cut your teeth!

test.jpg

Really nice pic.

[Marky1973]

Ta! It is....as long as you never look at anyone else's efforts! :-)