new to imaging - Advice needed

[soggybongo]

Hi Guys, gals

I'm new to all this so please no mad tech stuff, Virgin talk only.

I have a LXD75 SN-6ATalong with 2 cameras, one being an unmodded eos350d and a spc880 mod to (spc900) with ir/uv lens. this does not have the exposure mod yet.

is it possible to get:-

1. half decent pic/ vid of neblas with this setup or am i asking too much?

2. easiest nebula to get a vid/ pic of?

3. best settings for both camers?

Also any other tips/ advice greatly received:)

[kentronix]

I dont think you will be able to get decent nebula pics with the unmodified webcam, they are great for planets and the moon but you need the long exposure mod for nebula I think.

The eos should get some nice pics of M42. I am sure you can get others but that is probably a good start because there are lots of shots around to compare with, its quite bright, and very easy to find.

I am a newb myself but grabbing exposures of 5-30 seconds or so then stacking them together should get you started. If your scope has tracking you can go for longer exposures to really bring out some detail.

Obviously, play around and see what you get but thats a starting point for you

[soggybongo]

How much for the long exposure mod in £££

[smoggy]

I believe you need a DSLR camera or a CCD camera for long exposure astrophotography (the latter being more preferable). You can pick up a good DSLR camera second hand for a few £100 rising to £1000s. A CCD Camera can cost a lot of money (£1000s of pounds).

As I'm sure you know already a DSLR camera can also be modified as they absorb a certain wavelength that helps in terrestrial viewing but this is not essential. Your eos350d will do you fine and all you need is a cheap remote release for your DSLR (can pick one up from ebay for 10 quid or so). This means you can keep the shutter open for as long as you need for a decent exposure. Take a few pics (good tracking is needed) and you're away.

The easiest nebula to view is the middle 'star' in Orion's belt as it's so bright and easy to find. You have probably viewed it though your scope but you can make out the fuzz with some small binos too. This is M42 as kentronix has mentioned.

If you don't have this kind of money just slowly build up your collection. It is an expensive hobby and we can't all spend a grand here and there. Within 5 years you'll have an awesome set up with top notch equipment. Just plan ahead of what you think you need, ask questions and work out what you need first.

On a side note. You could buy a cheap guide scope and piggyback this onto your current scope. Using your camera and some software you can use this scope to autoguide. Theres some good advice around these forums about autoguiding but I would suggest just see what your scope can achieve before spending money on this to check you aren't disappointed.