Sturdy Mount for DSLR

[MikeSD]

Re: My setup

Canon R7, 800mm fixed Aperture lens. 2x converter. 2580mm equivalent.

My Problem

I tried taking a video of Saturn last night. I think I was lucky to find it on my first attempt. To cut to the chase, the first thing I need to do is get a stable mount.

I thought what I had was sturdy. It's a very sturdy tripod, with a likewise sturdy gimbal. But just touching my camera causes massive shaking. The problem might be the contact points between my camera lens comb. and the mount. It's just a single point rail about 1" long.  The setup is over 22" when extended.

The solution might just be "don't touch it" and control everything remotely. The problem with that is I think I won't be able to get around to having to focus. Auto focus is not going to work on planets, I don't think.  I can probably make a remote manual focus for the camera.

But I think I want to jump to something that will guarantee no shake. I've considered a pro type equitorial mount but not sure which might be best. For me it's camera shake that is most important. Finding and tracking is important but it's the shake I want to fix.

This was a still (first attempt).  I had the pic way over exposed so I think this was more because of exposure than focus. But I could be wrong on that.

Suggestions for eliminating camera shake.

Edited August 13, 2023 by MikeSD
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[Mandy D]

It looks to me like the planet is very low in the sky. You have some colour fringing there, which is likely due to atmospheric dispersion (red at bottom, blue at top). You are also over-exposed.

Digicam control allows remote focusing and is a free download.

https://digicamcontrol.com/

 

[Bivanus]

Hello Mike and welcome ! My setup also includes a photo tripod and it used to include a fluid video head. I let go of the head and replaced it with a Alt-Az mount that uses the 3/8 screw of the tripod to get mounted and never looked back. The set-up is not perfect , you still have some shaking , however as it's an equilibrated mount I find it's less severe and lasts shorter. Also , a big improvement was using a wired remote for DSLR -  I have a Canon EOS Rebel T2i - that allows touch free exposure control and remote shutter release. You are of course right , the focus  is done manually , a trick I've found from other people is using some weights hooked on the tripod trusses or - if it has m mine does - the hook already built in to add mass to the ensemble . Of course , you could go full throttle and buy a dedicated DSLR handling mount like say SW Sky Adventure or similar. 

[Elp]

If the moon's out, it's an easier target to focus on, get the edge of it sharp and you should be focused. Your exposure needs to be quite low on planetary or you loose surface detail. Take lots of photos and stack them to improve the chances of freezing the seeing via Autostakkert or in the unlikely event your camera records uncompressed video take 1-2 minutes of video and repeat, then process it through said software. DSLRs aren't really suited to planets due to their large sensors but if it's all you've got worth trying it out.

[MikeSD]

My last best chance is at end of the month. I'll be trying to get focused shot of Saturn.

I'm going to practice on Jupiter tonight. If I can't get any details on Jupiter. I won't be able to get any on Saturn.

Camera Canon R7, 800mm fixed aperture lense (f22), with 2x extender.

Ill be using Shutter preferred and Manual focus. I'll be under exposing as much as possible. Not sure what I should limit ISO to.

I'm going to take photos and video. Video will be compressed 4k

Any suggestions, if there is a better way to get proper exposure and focus??

Edited August 18, 2023 by MikeSD

[Elp]

Are you using f22 then a telextender (so f44?). Even at f22 it'll be quite dim to see on live preview.

Focusing method is usually do a reasonably long exposure say 0.5-1s on something bright like jupiter so it's a bright dot, then try to get that dot as small as possible (if you were using a telescope you can actually concentrate on the edge of the circle to get it as sharp as possible).

Then dial back your exposure until you can see surface details, the planet can be dim in view as long as you're not clipping any data.

Take as many photos and video as possible.

Note I think with Jupiter you are limited to around 2-3 minutes, if you try to stack images or video beyond that it'll blur due to planet rotation and you need to use software like winjupos to address it.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Elp

[Mandy D]

54 minutes ago, MikeSD said:

Any suggestions, if there is a better way to get proper exposure and focus??

www.digicamcontrol.com supports the Canon R7 and allows full remote control of the camera settings, shutter release and even focusing. Never any need to touch the camera once it is mounted and pointed. You will need a USB cable to connect the camera to your PC.