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Camera question


Cashman

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Thanks!

There's actually a ring that came with the scope that fits in place as a swap for the ring that holds the supplied eyepieces in place. Is that perhaps going to be any use to me? Or is it just a mount for larger eyepieces or something?

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There is no reason why not.

If it's 1.25" eyepiece the you need a one of these (if not then the correct sized one but i'm fairly sure the 130p uses 1.25" eyepieces from a quick google)

Adaptors - FLO 1.25-inch T mount camera adapter

And assuming that all nikon use the same lens mount (i have no idea about this i'm a canon man i'm afraid so you would need to double check this) the nikon fit one of these, if nikon have different fits for lenses then the appropriate one for you camera.

Adaptors - T Rings

screw the 2 together into a single item and then one end mounts to the camera and the other end goes in place of an eye piece for prime focus shots.

There are other options to do imaging but this is the only one I have done myself so I wouldn't like to comment.

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When you use the camera in this way, am I correct in thinking you do away with your regular scope eyepieces and use the lens in the camera? Or are you just using the camera body?

Or a something like that? Should that kind of camera also work with the imaging software everyone uses?

I'm thinking of buying one simply for use as a normal camera but it would be great if it fits all the requirements for astronomer imaging.

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With the prime focus method you do away with EPs, and lenses magnification depends on CCD(cmos) sensor size I think. there is no apature to worry about on the camera ( I asume nikons also set this in the lens) , just whack it in full manual mode set the iso and exposure (a timer remote is very handy, lets you set and forget if the scope has tracking) Settings the focus on the scope is the hardest part.

You can also do A-focal where you point the camera down the EP, and I did see a thing that allows you to use an eyepiece but I think this may have been a fancy way of doing afocal that makes it easier to line up, but it was £70 odd quid so I didn't look further.

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Oops missed another part of question trying to make sure no-one beat me this time. Sorry about that. I havn't done much of this myself, but generally what you do is take lots of exposures (have seen anything from 5 seconds up used this depends a lot on how well your tracking is set and if you have any kind of guiding.)

The more total added exposure the better and then you use these subs (sometimes with dark frames, bias frames and flat frames as well) in something like deepsky stacker.

I was shocked when I saw this done the first time as at first glance you seem to have less detail than with the subs.

then you use photoshop or gimp or something to adjust the levels and curves. This is where you really start to see the magic happen.

Looking at other images on here is a good way to go so you can see examples and rough info of what people end up with using different kit and settings.

There are loads of guides that can probably do a better job of explaining things than me.

Hope this helps and good luck. Look forward to seeing what you get.

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Changed camera choice to a canon 550D. I want it for landscape photography too.

If I use this for imaging, will I be taking the pictures with the camera itself or will I need it hooked up to the computer to 'take' the (multiple) photos? (if you get what I mean)

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You can use the onboard card to store pics if you want. You will, however, need a camera control cable (so as not to cause vibration when you take the pic). If connected to a laptop, you won't need this. You can also run out of space taking lots of subs (they go onto your HD when connected to your laptop). Also, with the bigger image you get on the screen, things like focussing are easier.

HTH

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Will most dslr cameras happily plug into the software in a 'webcam' type arrangement then?

I know my current compact doesn't. I'll be a bit of a fool if I buy the 550d to find it doesn't. I'm not sure what you call that kind if functionality in the tech specs list though.

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Most canon cameras come with a software prog called 'Canon Utilities' (or something similar) and you plug the USB lead from camera into the laptop and run the utilities program, setting all the camera parameters and giving the camera instructions from there.

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I use a Canon 450d and either, a timer remote (ebay cheapy), Nebulosity 2 (set to store to card as well as PC), or APT (set as neb2). Canon's Eos Utilities will also work of course. The benefit of a timer remote over the others, you don't need to have a PC handy.

The more subs (exposurse) you get the better (within limits)... The mount and tracking will define the maximum exposure per shot. If you don't have it, you'll need a motor drive of some sort for anything other than the moon.

As for the attachment to the scope, therein may lie the only real issue. This is something I have no direct experience of, but I've heard of people having focus issues with the small reflectors, in that the focuser doesn't go far enough inward to allow you to achieve focus. The normal recomendation of using a barlow, will allow you to focus, but at a price. If you use a 2x barlow, you need to mulitply your exposure times by 4 to get the same exposure. I've also heard that if you can remove the top of the ep holder, then you should be able to achieve focus.

Good luck.

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you will find you can't achieve focus by attaching a camera directly to the 130p, the focusser can't get the camera close enough to the secondary mirror. You need to use a barlow or change the focusser for a low profile one.

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