digital camera

[vawnidge]

so..., i'm seriously considering, next time i go out, of gaff taping my camera to my eye piece, they are the same size. should be o k ?

[barkis]

Oh, don't do that. If you intend to make a thing of imaging through your telescope, then buy a proper adaptor to do the job.

You are starting in a poor way, and they can become a habit of make do and mend, which is contrary to good astronomy, whether as an observer, or an imager.

Ron.

[ashenlight]

Start as you mean to go on is my motto do it with passion and enthusiasm, and do it well take Ron's advice... you really won't go far wrong.

[geoff_k]

A Baader Click Stop Adapter is a better way of attaching digital cameras. Forget the gaff tape which probably won't work properly anyway.

[ashenlight]

There's this on FLO

Adaptors - Baader Microstage Clickstop digital camera adapter

Might do the job?

[vawnidge]

so nobody has managed any pix using an ordinary web cam then? I would not use tape with an adhesive that could cause any damage

[barkis]

With all due respect, taping a camera/webcam to a telescope is not good practice, and it would be remiss of us to encourage it.

However, you are in sole control of your own equipment, and therfeore at liberty to do as you please.

In other words, you can ask advice, but you do not have to take it.

Ron.

[vawnidge]

mmm. it's a 1.25 scope lense and a 1.25 camera lense with no chance of fitting a locking ring. unless i make some kinda tube that'll fit around them both and lock them together that way

[vawnidge]

so i adapted an old piece of lens so i can now safely attach the camera to the sope, now focal length has become a problen

[vawnidge]

Bumpidge!

[vawnidge]

k so I'm not talking about buying and/or using good quality equipment, I'm talkin good ole fashioned physics here like in the old days wen all there was were bent lookin pieces of glass, no mead but then they discovered the universe as we know it so ask yourselves, the importance of the latest equipment is...

[Whippy]

k so I'm not talking about buying and/or using good quality equipment, I'm talkin good ole fashioned physics here like in the old days wen all there was were bent lookin pieces of glass, no mead but then they discovered the universe as we know it so ask yourselves, the importance of the latest equipment is...

By all means use a tube/tape/magic to attach a camera to an eyepiece but there's a good chance you'll damage the camera lens or eyepiece doing that or the camera falling off onto the ground. I'm sure the warranty wouldn't cover that . Using an adapter such as the one Amanda linked to would be a nice, secure and easy way to get your camera to the eyepiece without resorting to botching it. FWIW, my first forays into imaging were using a simple camera and an eyepiece. It's a really good way of learning the basics without spending piles of money. So, the importance of the latest equipment is anyone can have decent equipment for not a huge outlay which will easily out-perform anything made back in the good ole days bent lookin pieces of glass .

Tony..

[vawnidge]

not interested in warranties or the cost of things, i obviously (!) usin old eyepieces n an old second hand cheap as chips camera that has fallen to the floor and bounced!! iIneed to change the focal length somehow but i really don't fancy goin in and meddlin with the spider or adjustin my secondary mirror so...

a longer tube plastic magic thingy?!!!

[astrokat]

duck tapes good lol if you say web cam look at some of the planetary images and luna bud there are some good images taken with web cams though i dont know to much about what software you will need ask under the imaging section

[vawnidge]

mm cool ta think i got some good software coming soon that'll help me with all kindsa obs rec. n my camera now fits perfectly but i get no images or just blurry white light cuz it cannot focus properly so i think i need to move the camera lens further away from the secondary mirror but i don't know how far

[vawnidge]

FWIW, my first forays into imaging were using a simple camera and an eyepiece. It's a really good way of learning the basics without spending piles of money. So, the importance of the latest equipment is anyone can have decent equipment for not a huge outlay which will easily out-perform anything made back in the good ole days bent lookin pieces of glass .

Tony..

it is a good point though eh? n well made methinks...

[astrokat]

registax is free processing for planetary avi s

[vawnidge]

cool thankyou

[H2IKXF]

Yes, 'back in the good old days', etc... But the point being made to you thus far is why you are so mule-ish as to re-inventing the wheel rather than a more practical solution.

This being pointed out (albeit more bluntly than others have) I could understand (even cheer) your position if it were because your real aim is to have fun experimenting with the 'what if's' of hacking something together. But, you see, it's not exactly clear to us whether this is the case or not so...

By the way, I am looking forward to reading about what does end up happening and to seeing any photo's you come up with.

[vawnidge]

i am genuinley interested in astronomy and taking good images!!! (believe it or not this being an astonomy forum!!) my point is people should stop shovin themselves up thier a***s for the sake of i got bigger better etc... realise true science, it's what makes the stars and our cameras work!!

http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-image-processing-help-techniques/99069-focal-length.html#post1392378

[vawnidge]

...if you can't get a wheel, how do you make things roll?...

[LukeSkywatcher]

First time i used a digicam (not a DSLR) with my scope i used my hand to "couple" both together. I basically held camera upto the EP on the scope and set the timer. The result was pretty astounding. From then on in i knew that if i invested in the proper gear that my images would improve. I bought a universal digital camera adapter (never used it).

Very quickly i moved from digicam to fixed tripod DSLR photography.

The below image is the first ever photograph i took with digicam/scope...............using my hand as an adapter. Worked out pretty well but i dont recommend it. The proper adapters are so cheap and give far better results.

[Merlin66]

Vawnidge,

Using your camera behind the eyepiece doesn't involve the focal length of the scope....

What it needs is the eyepiece to be focused on the object and then the camera lens focused on infinity; placed directly behind and close to the eyepiece.

If you can remove the lens from the camera, then you can use the telescope as a big telelens ( this is where the focal length/ focal ratio come in...) A suitable plastic container ( old film cassette used to work) gaffa taped to the camera will allow it to be mounted into the 1.25" focuser ( no eyepiece!) the main mirror then focuses directly onto the camera chip and majic happens.

[vawnidge]

right messy moon pix round 2 coming up

thanks

[Space Cowboy]

What exactly is this camera you are trying to fix to your scope? If you want to use duck tape then in my opinion you would be better taping a cheap webcam to a barlow and putting that in your scope focuser. You can download Astrocapture for free to record AVI video onto your computer and then stack the frames with Registax (also free).

I've had good results using a digi camera and universal adapter to clamp it to the eyepiece but if your camera is a pile of junk your wasting your time.