Explore Scientific 80mm camera problem.

[Dinoboy]

Hi I have a Canon 600d and the above scope, I managed to get focus visually through the scope so I tried, using a combination of extension ring Etc. to take pictures. Well I managed to get a good focus through the view finder of the Moon (at 4.35pm) but could not see anything through live view!!! The battery was on charge all night and most of the day, the camera was set to Manual with ISO 800 and shutter speed of 1/125 I clicked off a few shots but when I tried to view them there was nothing to see. I followed the settings Etc. to ensure everything was as it should be with the camera but I must have missed something, any ideas? All I could see on live view was an off white screen nothing else.

First of all I could see nothing through the scope, overcame that with the help of a few people, now this camera issue, who said it was a steep learning curve !!!!! Please help yet again.

[astrofox]

Sounds like live view is being over exposed. Wind down aperture and shorten shutter speed.

[Dinoboy]

Hi thanks for your reply. I have just tried it in home with the same settings but instead of a telescope I put on a camera lens and it worked OK. Do you think I should try as you suggest when the camera is on the scope? if so I'll try it, weather permitting, tomorrow. As I live in a builtup area I do not have anything far enough away to get focus with the scope on so I have to wait until I can see either the Moon or stars.

[astrofox]

I have to admit live view sometimes phases me. The instruction book isn't too much of a help at times. Rather than wait till dark if you can get the telescope out in daylight and focus on a distant object it takes a lot of the variables out of the equation. I have the canon 1000d so not exactly the same model as yours.

when you tried it on the moon and couldn't get any sensible image in live view, what was the image like through the view finder? It could be you have a focus problem. Eyepieces and direct cameras can have widely differing focus points especially if you use a prism on the eypiece and direct connection for the camera. I always need a 2" extention between the scope and my camera to get focus.

Good luck

[Dinoboy]

Hello the image I got was quite sharp through the view finder which I why I'm confused as to why there was no image on live view. I have tried variations of extension tubes even put the diagonal in but that was a no no. I really am lost on this one but I will keep trying what ever is suggested here by folk that know better than me through their experiences.

[astrofox]

If your image in the viewfinder was sharp then it would also be in focus at the focal plane/ccd. you have already got the scope-camera distance correct.

Did you consider firing the shutter and see what sort of imaging came out? . Generally the moon is bright so you could be as fast as 1/250 sec depending on scope aperture and iso speed settings. Try  a range of shuter speeds ?

[Dinoboy]

Yes I took a few shots but when I tried to view them there was nothing. So I will try a range of shutter speeds and I'll post the result here but I will need the skies to be favourable.

[ronin]

Well ISO 800 and 1/125 sounds reasonable, would have expected something moon-like.

I assume the scope was the ES 80 bit of the title, so the image should have been an easy fit on the sensor, about 5mm dia on it at a guess.

What mount were you using and how did you take the picture?

Press the exposure button or a remote release.

If no tracking did the moon simply wander off out of view.

[Dinoboy]

The mount was an eq3-2 I used a remote release cable and no the Moon was in view all of the time. I made sure by looking through the finder scope. As I said I got a sharp image through the view finder on the camera but nothing on live view. I have since tried the camera in home but with a lens on and it was fine, I took a pic and then was able to view on the camera on playback. I just cannot fathom this out.

[salas]

Hi, a couple of stabs in the dark here based on what has been discussed above. Sounds like there could be a couple of possibilities at play. If any of these seem a bit like "obvious" apologies I've often found trouble shooting on my own setup finds straight - forward answers.

I just took out my Canon 100d pointed at the wall, with a fairly bright light shining at that part of the wall with a manual 100 ISO setting in liveview and could tell it was the wall, if I ramped it up to 800 ISO (on screen) I just get a sort of whited out screen. Try a lower ISO, the moon is pretty bright for taking pics, from memory when I tried to shoot it, the ISO was low 100 or 200 and shutter speed pretty fast. Note that Liveview seems to default to Auto which may not always be best (maybe too high)

Is your finder scope aligned accurately with the main scope?

Also something to note and apologies if you already know this, you can't get a view through the viewfinder and have a display on live view at the same time - it's one or the other.

I generally don't bother with live view, line it up in the camera view finder take a shot see what it looks like on the camera screen and in increments lower the ISO and increase shutter speed.

Cheers,

Steve

[Dinoboy]

Just an update. Today, Saturday 28th February I set up my scope in the bedroom, after attaching the camera with just one extension tube, the t adapter and the extension tube,in that order I reduced the ISO to 100 from 800 and the shutter speed to 125, that is as it was. I pointed at some trees, maybe a mile or so away, I could see through the view finder what I was looking at and guess what, I switched on live view and there everything was, unbelievable. Just got to try it now at the night sky. I really want to take some shots of Jupiter and it's moons.

[Geordie mc]

Sounds Locke you're getting there. Check the histogram for your shots to see if you are over/under exposing. The seeing can really effect shots so even though you are in focus they can be blurred. Take lots of shots in the hope that one hits a clear moment. Jupiter will be a very small disk with a dslr so don't expect too much there. Good luck.