Astrophotography Question: Zoom eyepiece for dslr camera & t mount?

[Carla]

Hi folks, I'm very new to astrophotography. I'd like to take some photos of planets with my dslr camera. At present I'm attaching my camera to the x2 Barlow Lens using the t mount system. This isn't giving me enough magnification.

I've been looking at the Digimax Zoom Projection system 7-21mm which can be attached to my camera ('Scopes n Skies' website). However after looking around on the internet, it doesnt get very good reviews with most people recommending an 8-24mm zoom eyepiece. My question is, where can I find an 8-24mm zoom eyepiece that can attach to a camera? Are there specific zoom eyepieces for attaching to t mounts? I'd be very grateful for some advice! Many thanks.

[Psychobilly]

Hi Carla welcome to SGL

I have a generic 8-24 zoom its an MZT type that has a t-thread underneath the rubber eye cup.. the same zoom was also available as an MZ which doesn't have the T thread...

Budget zooms aren't renowned for producing quality images..

Billy...

[RyanParle]

I would consider spending a few quid on one of these Cheap Philips SPC880 webcam - 49269 - discounts & offers

and then buy one of these Adaptors - 1.25" nosepiece to webcam lens thread (ToUcam Pro SPC900NC)

then you will find that you get a much better image of the planets.

a webcam has a chip that is aprox 6mm diagonal where a DSLR has a chip that is MUCH larger, thus the planet appears very small.

[Adz]

Yeah + 1 for the cheap but great webcam vote. I have just bought one myself Carla. I have been having the same issues as yourself (check my sig for some of my images like planets).

I dont think you get a good zoom if you buy cheap and connecting the DSLR through longer barlows is not ideal.

What kind of thing are you wanting to photograph? The rough rule is DSLR for wider angle shots, webcam for specific planetary etc and CCD camera for serious stuff.

HTH

Adam

[Carla]

Thanks for all the advice, it's very helpful. Have purchased the webcam as advised as I'm mainly interested in photographing the planets to start off with. Then I'll try some deep space photography with the DSLR if I get the hang of it all..

Carla

[Adz]

Thanks for all the advice, it's very helpful. Have purchased the webcam as advised as I'm mainly interested in photographing the planets to start off with. Then I'll try some deep space photography with the DSLR if I get the hang of it all..

Carla

Sounds like the same plan as me! Race you to the good weather!

[milkyjoe]

Don't forget, a webcam will only be useful depending of the focal length of your telescope. For example, a slow f/6-7 and above, the webcam will be useful to image the moon and planets, but if you have a fast scope, say f/5 and below (I own an f/5) then webcams don't give very good quality pictures, as I've found out! :-(

[Carla]

Thats interesting, I'm still learning my way around all the different scopes. I've got a Skywatcher 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain AZ Goto. Any thoughts on how the webcam will get along with it?

[milkyjoe]

You should be fine with that scope as it's a f/12.74, which is a slow scope and should be good for imaging the moon and planets with a webcam. ;-)

[Adz]

Don't forget, a webcam will only be useful depending of the focal length of your telescope. For example, a slow f/6-7 and above, the webcam will be useful to image the moon and planets, but if you have a fast scope, say f/5 and below (I own an f/5) then webcams don't give very good quality pictures, as I've found out! :-(

Thanks for the advice, why is this Joe?

At least it was only 30 quid if it doesn't work out. I wonder if anyone had any success with an f5 :S

[milkyjoe]

Thanks for the advice, why is this Joe?

At least it was only 30 quid if it doesn't work out. I wonder if anyone had any success with an f5 :S

In a nutshell...

The smaller the f-ratio, the faster the telescope. Fast telescopes (e.g. f/4 or f/6) provide wider fields of view (FOV) making them most suitable for deep space observation.The larger the f-ratio, the slower the telescope. The FOV becomes smaller as the f-ratio gets larger. Telescopes with large f-ratio's (e.g. f/8 or f/10) are most suitable for high power planetary work.

[brantuk]

For a DSLR you'd find it hard to beat the Baader Hyperion 8mm-24mm zoom. The new Mk3 has been out for a while now but the Mk2 second hand is a bargain at around £100. See here for connectivity possibilities to Cannon cameras:

Stargazers Lounge - brantuk's Album: Photography

All the Baader Hyperion range have a camera attachment thread at the viewing end of the ep for adaptors and T-rings

[Carla]

Great stuff, thanks for all the help and advice!

Carla

[RyanParle]

I would have thought that focal length is more important than focal ratio.

for arguments sake, if you had a 5" f/8 & a 10" f/4 they would both have the same focal ratio (1000mm), giving the same FOV on the webcam. the only difference is that the 10" will let in more light so you can get away with shorter exposure times.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Tonight i am going to give my "imaging setup" a go for the 1st time.

It goes something like this:

camera t-ring on the camera>t-ring attached to mount adapter>LPF attached to mount adapter>mount adapter inserted into 2X barlow>2X barlow inserted into focuser.

I know the adapter is supposed to go into the focused but if i want to use my Tal 2X then i have to insert that into focuser and adapter etc into the TAL.

*EDIT*

Not a successful test. With the barlow in the equation i cant bring the scope/camera to focus. I'm going to forget the barlow and just go with the 5x,10x zoom facility on the camera.

It would help if i could see the moon or some stars. I tested it out on a streetlight that is close by.

Scope = Celestron Travelscope 70 (f/l 450)

[Adz]

Tonight i am going to give my "imaging setup" a go for the 1st time.

It goes something like this:

camera t-ring on the camera>t-ring attached to mount adapter>LPF attached to mount adapter>mount adapter inserted into 2X barlow>2X barlow inserted into focuser.

I know the adapter is supposed to go into the focused but if i want to use my Tal 2X then i have to insert that into focuser and adapter etc into the TAL.

*EDIT*

Not a successful test. With the barlow in the equation i cant bring the scope/camera to focus. I'm going to forget the barlow and just go with the 5x,10x zoom facility on the camera.

It would help if i could see the moon or some stars. I tested it out on a streetlight that is close by.

Scope = Celestron Travelscope 70 (f/l 450)

Paul the street light might be too close? I think I am right in that the closest an object has to be is at least 400m away...?

I tried using my barlow with my webcam for the first time this evening, it couldn't focus down far enough at all. But I still got some good pictures without it

[LukeSkywatcher]

Yeah i think the light is too close. Then again maybe it was perfectly focused but i didnt notice because the bulb in it (or part of the bulb) filled my whole screen. I could see big chunks of dust. I know they are not on my optics.

I'll try again tomorrow in day light and on a few different objects.

*EDIT*:

Today i tried the same configuration on my scope/camera and was able to bring objects further away then the streetlight into perfect focus using the 2X barlow.

Its amazing how much weight a 2x Barlow adds to the load. Without it everything runs smoothly. With it added on, the gears (cogs) on the focuser tend to slip and grind a bit. But it works.

[gustavo_sanchez]

Hi,

The Celestron 8-24mm zoom eyepiece has a t-thread below the rubber cup that attaches directly to the t-mount of the camera. So the setup would be: camera, t-mount, zoom eyepiece, scope focuser. You don't need anything else. I use it a lot, it's a lot cheaper than the Hyperion Zoom, and for general use it's a better buy for me.

[milkyjoe]

I tried attaching my dslr to my scope, but i couldn't achieve focus. It turned out that I needed an extension tube! :-\

[Adz]

I tried attaching my dslr to my scope, but i couldn't achieve focus. It turned out that I needed an extension tube! :-\

I can recommend the 2" skywatcher one from FLO. Even if it was a wrong purchase