completely new to imaging and need advice please

[shamba504424]

Hello,I have owned a ZWO120ASI120MC-S for a while now but for one reason and another have only just got round to actually getting to grips with how to use it so have got the latest download of SharpCap on my laptop and set up my scope.I know the camera works as when I have the supplied CCTV supplied lens fitted I get a picture in the frame of SharpCap but when I put the camera into the eyepiece of the scope with the 1.25 nose on it I cant see a thing apart from varying degrees of light in the frame,I am obviously doing something wrong but I assumed that if i focused on a distant object,this is a daytime test by the way,and then put the camera into the eyepiece I would see in SharpCap the same thing,am I being very naive ?,any help will be greatly appreciated,thank you

[Anthonyexmouth]

You're best bet is to put the camera in and focus with that during the day on a distant target. Eye piece and camera will be different focus points

[shamba504424]

So its just that simple then,finderscope will need to be spot on target wont it,thank you

[Marky1973]

The moon is a good target for testing. If you can't get focus on anything then you might need an extension tube?

 

[shamba504424]

Thank you Sub Dwarf

[astrosathya]

You aren't supposed to use any lens with the ASI120 when you want to take pictures of the moon etc. Thread the 1.25" nosepiece to the camera after you remove its lens, then remove the eyepiece from the telescope and insert the camera+nosepiece combo into the same place where the eyepiece was and finally, turn the focuser knob to get a crisp image. Do this during daytime for practice, but make sure that the object you are practising on is about a kilometer or more away because if its closer and you're able to get a clear image of it on the camera sharpcap screen, then you may use the same focus point to aim it at the sky at night and you'll end up disappointed because the moon is further away etc etc... and will not focus at the same point as your neighbors window.

 

[shamba504424]

Thanks for your reply but I was using a lens to get what I was looking at into focus i.e. a distant object during daytime,and then taking that out and putting camera with nosepiece on into diagonal and then expecting to see the same view on the laptop,I realise now that I need to focus the camera in the laptop frame when I have chosen my distant object,I should have worded my post better as it does read like I put the camera into an eyepiece,once again thanks for your replies

[happy-kat]

Generally it goes telescope, adaptor, camera. You might need to use an extension tube between telescope and camera.

You generally don't use a diagonal for imaging, it is used when observing.

[shamba504424]

Thanks to all and have now achieved an image in the SharpCap frame on the laptop,now my journey begins ??