Basic astrophotography using Panasonic Lumix FZ72

[mrfishyfingers]

Hello everyone.

I've just inherited a Panasonix Lumix FZ72 camera from my Dad. As a keen stargazer, my first thought has been to couple it with my Skywatcher 200p dobsonian telescope and take a few shots of the things that I normally like having a gander at of an evening. I appreciate the limitations having an unguided/unmotorised telescope will impose on me when it comes to taking photographs. 

As a total novice when it comes to cameras and photography, I'm really just asking for advice in how to couple the camera with the telescope. I've seen a plethora of t-rings, adapters, etc, with all sorts of nomenclature when I've been searching on the web and I'm just concerned that I'll probably spend money on the wrong piece of equipment altogether, or the right piece of equipment but one that's unsuitable for my camera. I have a barlow lens that I use with my eyepieces, so that seems to be one requirement ticked off the list if I'm going to use the camera for prime focus photography. I'm just confused as to what rings/adapters I would need with this camera to be able to insert it straight into the focus tube instead of an eyepiece. An help would be very much appreciated, especially if anyone could point me in the direction of the specific products required. I'm also probably best asking if my telescope would actually be suitable and enable me to get focused pictures before I took the plunge and invested in some extra equipment!

I've noticed that some adapters enable you to still put the eyepiece in before the camera and give you more flexibility in how you use and image with the camera. Does anybody have any experience of these? Are they suitable/any good?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

 

 

[Cornelius Varley]

The Panasonic FZ72 is a digital bridge camera with a non removable lens. This means that prime focus or eyepiece projection photography is not possible with your camera.  The only option for you is afocal imaging through an eyepiece. You will need either a suitable bracket or a digi-scoping adapter to hold the camera in line with the eyepiece .

[LeoLion]

The Panasonic Lumix FZ 72 has a 60X optical zoom so can take pics of the moon without the use of a telescope (at all) with great views of the craters and mare . Have a visit here http://bridgecameraastroimaging.blogspot.com/  and see what the camera can do with just a tripod and no drive. The blogger is Dr Steve Wainwright who originated the QCUIAG (web cam imaging etc).

[LeoLion]

Here is my very first single  shot with the Panasonic Lumix FZ72  camera (slightly out of focus) as a straight download with no processing at all. Camera at  60X optical zoom on a fixed  tripod.

 

[mrfishyfingers]

Ah! Damn, that's a shame. Thanks for the info - told you I was a complete novice when it came to photography!

Great detail on that moon shot by the way - never really considered using the camera in that way but definitely worth a shot or two.

Thanks again all.

[mrfishyfingers]

Just another thought on the above:  is the reason that I can't use the camera for prime focus photography the fact that the lens is non-removable and therefore you can't strip the camera down to the bare body alone? Or is it the pure logistics of being unable to remove the lens to fit the necessary t-rings and adapters to mount the camera onto the telescope that is going to be the problem?

If it's the latter, I've seen a relatively simple DIY adapter that can be used to mount the camera in place above the focal tube. This will obviously enable me to take photos of the images with an eyepiece in place, but I can remove the eyepiece holder from the top of the telescope completely, leaving just the body of the focal tube. I can slip this adapter over the focal tube in a way that I can still move the focal tube up and down to change focus - could I just mount the camera, lens and all, atop it and basically achieve prime focus photography that way?

Put simply, must you have just the camera body in place to image using the camera for prime focus? Will a non-removable lens stop you completely from doing this if you can find another way to mount the camera?

(Hope this lot makes sense!)

[Cornelius Varley]

22 minutes ago, mrfishyfingers said:

Just another thought on the above:  is the reason that I can't use the camera for prime focus photography the fact that the lens is non-removable and therefore you can't strip the camera down to the bare body alone? Or is it the pure logistics of being unable to remove the lens to fit the necessary t-rings and adapters to mount the camera onto the telescope that is going to be the problem?

If it's the latter, I've seen a relatively simple DIY adapter that can be used to mount the camera in place above the focal tube. This will obviously enable me to take photos of the images with an eyepiece in place, but I can remove the eyepiece holder from the top of the telescope completely, leaving just the body of the focal tube. I can slip this adapter over the focal tube in a way that I can still move the focal tube up and down to change focus - could I just mount the camera, lens and all, atop it and basically achieve prime focus photography that way?

Put simply, must you have just the camera body in place to image using the camera for prime focus? Will a non-removable lens stop you completely from doing this if you can find another way to mount the camera?

(Hope this lot makes sense!)

Prime focus imaging is the domain of dedicated imaging devices and dslr bodies (think of the telescope as the camera's lens). For bridge cameras and other cameras with non removable lenses the only option is afocal imaging through an eyepiece.

[mrfishyfingers]

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Okay, thanks again.