Taking pics

[Daniel3]

Hi guys, I have a sky-watcher Explorer 130 is there any way to take pictures by adding an adapter or something....thanks

[Gerry Casa Christiana]

Hello there 

Sure you can buy a t ring adapter to attach a dslr you can buy them from FLO but what camera will you be using? Also what mount is the telescope on which is important for AP are you just thinking of the occasional snap or DSOs? 

Gerry

 

[JOC]

Some barlows dismantle to give a point at which the T-Ring adapter on your camera (when you get one) can attach.  Not all do, but if you have a Barlow it might be worth a fiddle.  If not a couple of inexpensive adapters should enable your camera to attach (NB.  That presumes you are talking about attaching a DSLR - some people get results just holding a mobile phone up to the eye piece)

[Daniel3]

2 hours ago, Gerry Casa Christiana said:

Hello there 

Sure you can buy a t ring adapter to attach a dslr you can buy them from FLO but what camera will you be using? Also what mount is the telescope on which is important for AP are you just thinking of the occasional snap or DSOs? 

Gerry

 

Hi I have a az5 mount also not sure name on camera but does have movable ring for attaching something to sure that would work

[Daniel3]

4 hours ago, Gerry Casa Christiana said:

Hello there 

Sure you can buy a t ring adapter to attach a dslr you can buy them from FLO but what camera will you be using? Also what mount is the telescope on which is important for AP are you just thinking of the occasional snap or DSOs? 

Gerry

 

Just checked my camera no use it’s a Panasonic DCM FZ28 might have to look for a cheap camera  that’s compatible with Sky-Watcher Explorer 130 

[JOC]

Mmmm.....I don't know if you could get an adapter for that, with my DSLR you take off the lens and then add the adapter directly to the camera body - the telescope itself serves as the camera 'lens'.  Keep an eye on the buy and sell section - SGL classifieds, suitable cameras often come up on there.

[Cornelius Varley]

1 hour ago, Daniel3 said:

Hi I have a az5 mount also not sure name on camera but does have movable ring for attaching something to sure that would work

The AZ5 is a non motorised alt-az mount so unsuitable for any astrphotography except possibly photographing the moon using short exposures.

 

8 minutes ago, Daniel3 said:

Just checked my camera no use it’s a Panasonic DCM FZ28 might have to look for a cheap camera  that’s compatible with Sky-Watcher Explorer 130 

The DCM FZ28 could be attached to an eyepiece via a suitable adapter IE or a digiscope adapter.

[happy-kat]

The Moon and Jupiter can be captured using short video clips and then processed. This can be done using a webcam to great effect.

If that is the 130ps that comes with the az5 it may not reach focus with a dslr or it might with the use of a x2 barlow though that would make things even trickier with the increased focal length.

You might be able to fashion a holder to use a phone camera looking through the eyepiece.

[Louis D]

I use my 22mm AstroTech AF70 (same as Omegon Redline, TS Expanse 70, etc) with the eyecup screwed off to reveal M43 threads.  I then use step rings to adapt my fixed lens camera's filter tube to that thread.  I leave the camera lens set to its widest setting.  The Baader Hyperion also come with 43mm eyecup threads for digiscoping as well.  I think the DMC-FZ28 has 46mm filter threads on the front of the lens, so you could look for a 46mm to 43mm step down ring.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Are you planning on afocal (i.e. eyepiece to camera) or prime (i.e. using your 'scope as a lens)?   

[SilverAstro]

12 hours ago, Louis D said:

 the eyecup screwed off to reveal M43 threads.

I think the DMC-FZ28 has 46mm filter threads on the front of the lens, so you could look for a 46mm to 43mm step down ring.

That is all very interesting, thanks, I will have to examine my eyepieces ( and if not buy one that has !). I have the FZ18 (the previous model to @Daniel3 's ) which I know like the back of my hand, whereas my Canon confuses me and takes a long time to navigate all the options ! It is considerably lighter as well.

I dont need APOD results every time ( ! as if, lol) just a diary record sort of

 

[ollypenrice]

It might be worth taking a step back and reading up a bit more on how astrophotography works. There's a lot more to it than attaching a suitable camera to a suitable telescope tube, the big problem being that the Earth is rotating. Either you need to shoot the brightest targets which can be captured in short enough exposures or you need a mount which rotates counter to the Earth's rotation so as to keep the target centered during exposures long enough to capture the faint targets. An alt az mount, even when motorized, doesn't track the sky in this way but is a kind of half way house.

Your other option is to forget the telescope and just use a camera and short focal length lens to capture and stack lots of short exposures to create widefield images of the stars.

Olly

[SilverAstro]

If going the afocal route (yes lots of threads on dpreview confirm 46mm filter mount )

BUT : it is a lightweight bridge / consumer cam so the moving (with the zoom) lens will support a filter in normal use but will it support the weight of the camera when attached to the eyepiece only ?

I think I would be nervous,  and extra support via the tripod screw would not work for risk of hitting the zoom or inadvertently powering off (which retracts the lens).

Hmmmm

 

[Louis D]

3 hours ago, SilverAstro said:

If going the afocal route (yes lots of threads on dpreview confirm 46mm filter mount )

BUT : it is a lightweight bridge / consumer cam so the moving (with the zoom) lens will support a filter in normal use but will it support the weight of the camera when attached to the eyepiece only ?

I think I would be nervous,  and extra support via the tripod screw would not work for risk of hitting the zoom or inadvertently powering off (which retracts the lens).

Hmmmm

 

I understand that there is a hood support tube with a really odd sized filter thread that might work better if the proper step ring could be found.  The tube attaches to the camera body.

[Louis D]

3 hours ago, Louis D said:

I understand that there is a hood support tube with a really odd sized filter thread that might work better if the proper step ring could be found.  The tube attaches to the camera body.

I found this aftermarket 58mm filter adapter tube for the DMC-FZ28 on ebay.  You could then use a 58mm to 43mm step down ring.  For less than $20, you could give it a try to see if it works on photographing the moon at least.  With a solar filter, it might also work for sunspots and Mercury transits.

[Daniel3]

On 25/01/2018 at 01:52, Philip R said:

Are you planning on afocal (i.e. eyepiece to camera) or prime (i.e. using your 'scope as a lens)?   

 

On 25/01/2018 at 01:52, Philip R said:

Are you planning on afocal (i.e. eyepiece to camera) or prime (i.e. using your 'scope as a lens)?   

Hi not sure what would be easiest 

[happy-kat]

The easiest approach is hold a phone camera above the eyepiece and take a photo of the Moon, this is afocal.

 

[Stu]

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

The easiest approach is hold a phone camera above the eyepiece and take a photo of the Moon, this is afocal.

 

Yep, like this

Taken last night through a tiny 65mm Newtonian, hand holding the phone up to the eyepiece.