first pics soon but 1st what to buy? cheap but good,webcam/cam?

[audiobull]

hi all so i know i need a t adaptor or something along those lines.at the mo im not the richest person but to start off i would like something cheap that will take pics such as the moon etc.what can people suggest? someone mentioned you can pic up a webcam thingy for £40? is that true and what webcam is that? do i need a laptop for that?would it work out cheaper to buy a cam? what cam? cheap as possible just for the moment till i get the hang of it plus knowing me i will probably be upgrading my scope very soon so will get a very good camera at the same time.

thanks in advance

ben

[FLO]

cheap as possible just for the moment...

Use whatever camera you already have. There are people here producing remarkably good pix of the Moon with a mobile phone!

If you let us know which camera you have, we can advise on settings and whether an adapter would help.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

If you don't have a webcam, get the Toucam version 1 or 2, or the Creative Labs pro Ex. Then you need the cheapy adapter to stick it in the EP hole, then the free software (K3CCD) and you have a system for imaging.

If you have a webcam you just need the adapter.

Captain Chaos

[SteelRat]

My last decent 'moonie' was with a 3 mega pixel Samsung camera phone - but any 1.3 Nokia would do the job for luna stuff. Whatever your choice, best of luck with it - will look forward to seeing some results 8)

[audiobull]

wow i didnt know i could do that.i have a nokia 6111 or a digi cam which is an olympus ir-500 which has written on it 2.8x optical zoom and 4.0 megapixel. any good?

[FLO]

I am not familiar with that model (grey import?).

I am guessing that it is similar to the UK Mju models with a periscope type lens that doesn't protrude. Either way, set the ISO to 400,

switch the flash off, select macro (close-focus) and set the colour temperature (white balance) to shade. At the scope, choose a magnification/eyepiece that frames the Moon nicely (try to fill the eyepiece field of view). Hold the camera to the eyepiece, zoom in to fill the frame (don't use digital zoom) and fire away.

If it works, you might want to consider one of these:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=swinivcamadaptor

Hope that helps

[SteelRat]

The Nokia 6111 has a 1mp camera so you should be ok for some moon shots - you really will want to use a moon filter with your eyepiece though, else the phone will just white out - and steady hands are required. Have fun

[audiobull]

thanks for the replys. does this link help?

http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/29_Digital_Camera_IR-500_Specifications.htm

[FLO]

Thanks,

I have only been out of the photo trade 3 months and they've changed all the models

It does have the periscope style lens - the advantage being that the zoom mechanism is internal and the lens does not protrude. It is good in that it prevents you accidentally hitting the eyepiece with the camera lens

[audiobull]

hi steve.quick couple of questions again.i can sort the macro out as it also has a setting for supermacro. i do have a moon filter or will i still need to change the white balance(do i turn it all the way off or just slight grey)?

also what is iso or iso 400? ive read the basic and advanced user manual and there isnt a mention of iso anywhere,is there maybe a different name for it?

do i shoot in normal mode and set the settings up as i have different modes on mine such as cuisine,fireworks,sunset,document,candlelight well loads of different settings for different photos.

[FLO]

You might have to experiment with the best focus setting. Usually, when you set a camera to macro, it extends the af range to permit close focus (the camera won't necessarily choose to focus close but at least it will have the option). Super macro will probably limit the focus to only close focus (it will probably try to focus on the eyepiece itself!).

ISO (or ASA) is an indicator of a cameras sensitivity to light. Normally you would choose the lowest setting for the best quality as increasing sensitivity introduces image noise (looks similar to film grain) which lowers image quality. Again, you will need to experiment. Put the camera on 'normal' (not one of the 'Scene' modes) and look for ISO in the settings menu. If you can't find it then Olympus probably are using a different name and you will need to ask your dealer.

[audiobull]

ok thats brill steve thankyou.i might get the chance ....one day....when clouds find somewhere else to live... to experiment and use my new eyepieces. thanks again

ben