Camera Labs

Ok , in another forum I seen some decent pictures of the The Orion Nebula that the user took by positionig his tripod pointing into the eyepiece of a Celestron C6R......
My question is... on Ebay (i know..i know...) there is a Telesope with 25x,50x and 75x settings with an attachment for a DSLR.... would it work? cause his photos seem to look ok.... (see below quote)




I'm embarrassed to say, I don't know the details on the telescope. A buddy of mine is an avid astronomy buff, and I tagged along last night on a start gazing party. All I can say is, it looked big enough to shot someone out the other end. For the first shot, I just piggy-backed on the telescope. On the second one, I positioned my tripod so that the lens was pointed directly into the eyepiece of the telescope. I was really just playing around, trying to learn how to get a good shot. I'm hoping to go back up with him next weekend, and maybe get a better shot or two.

Most of the shots are at ISO 1600, for about a minute exposure. I stacked about 5 1-minute exposures to reduce some of the noise caused by the high ISO.

Glad you all like the shots.

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Digital SLR Photographer as of Janurary 2008
NIKON D90 w/grip || D300 w/grip || D2x || NIKKOR 18-105 ED VR || NIKKOR 50mm 1.8 || NIKKOR 70-300 ED VR || NIKKOR 70-200 2.8 || SIGMA 28-70 2.8 || 2x Teleconverter || SB-900 Flash || SB-600 Flash || SLIK Tripod

I can't comment on the optical qualities of the 'scope but to take minute long exposures you have to use a tracking mount which can follow the stars nd that will add to the cost.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Would I need that if the 'scope was an f4 or f8 ? or is that a total different meaning in 'scopes...... ?

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Digital SLR Photographer as of Janurary 2008
NIKON D90 w/grip || D300 w/grip || D2x || NIKKOR 18-105 ED VR || NIKKOR 50mm 1.8 || NIKKOR 70-300 ED VR || NIKKOR 70-200 2.8 || SIGMA 28-70 2.8 || 2x Teleconverter || SB-900 Flash || SB-600 Flash || SLIK Tripod

Hi,

It isn't directly related to f-number but is related to focal length, declination of the star (how far away from equator) and exposure time. Have a look at this PDF file for the formula. Note that the results discussed apply to a full-frame camera (35mm) so you will need to apply the relevant crop factor.

Bob.

P.S. Yes, f-number is the same but with telescopes "aperture" is usually a measure of the diameter of the telescope's main lens (or mirror).

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

An idea just poped up.
Imagine a telescope with a tracking mount that you can maneuver som your computer with some kind of cool program..

And then a 40D with liveview also hooked up to your computer....

Sitting indoors controlling it all

Now, isnt that thought cool ?

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Canon EOS 40D - Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM - Canon EF 50/1,8 II - Canon EF 70-200/4L IS USM - Speedlite 430 EX - Lowerpro Nova 4 AW
My Flickr

Hi Khol,

Absolutely warm if you are indoors.

Modern GOTO mounts can be computer controlled, usually using a (stone age) serial RS232 interface. I see no reason why one couldn't use an Ethernet/RS232 converter so allow the mount to be controlled via a long Ethernet cable. Of course the 40D can also be controlled via TCP/IP using the WFT-E3.

How do I know this? I am currently on a notification list for an Astro-Physics mounting and plan A is to do precisely that. Being UK based it might be wise to invest in a sensor to detect clouds and/or rain, though.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

hey Bob......

what is the best "starry" photo you ever took? (and don't post a pic of that skanky Pamela Anderson.) ..for reals, what is your personal favorite, that you took...of all the Stellar shots..

thanks

patti

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canon 7D, Mark iii 5D, ef 70-300 f/4-5.6, ef 28-135mm canon 100-400mm L IS 4.5, and a little 24-70 L f/2.8...

Hi patti,

Hmmm. Pamela Anderson ... barge poles ... not wanting to touch with

My astrophotography is a bit like my normal photography in that I am far from profligate in the number of shots I take. It's almost as though "proof of concept" is enough and once done doesn't need to be repeated too often. No doubt the shrinks would have a field day with me! So I'll have to vote for my composite shot of the constellation of Orion in this post. The reason isn't because it's technically good (it isn't) but because, like many in the Northern hemisphere, it's my favourite constellation and it will never look the same again. Each winter as it becomes visible in the evening sky I'll look at it and remember how much there is to see if only our eyes were more sensitive.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Bob, as always the epitome of decorum..whew. I like these stars allot! The Orion ones...had no idea there were THAT many..nice to be able to see what I have been missing, all this time.

Never gave the star gazing photos a try, but they have always intrigued me..I still am light years away from that sort of thing, I think. Great shots, and I can see why you chose them. Beautiful.


patti

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canon 7D, Mark iii 5D, ef 70-300 f/4-5.6, ef 28-135mm canon 100-400mm L IS 4.5, and a little 24-70 L f/2.8...