Scott R
super member
Reged: 01/18/05
Posts: 196
Loc: Atlanta, Ga
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Has anyone had any luck using a Nikon Coolpix 5400 to take astro images?
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A very understanding wife!!! 
TV NP101 #1689 
TV Focusmate
DiscMount DM-4
Bogen 3051 tripod
8x56 mm Orion binoculars
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Chris_H
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/24/03
Posts: 4634
Loc: Norway
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Lots of people, just do a Google. Some people in here use it as well.
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Chris
Celestron C8 XLT
TS 65mm EDQ
Orion 80ST
NEQ6 GoTo Mount
DMK21AU618 with Astrodon LRGB filters
ASI120MC
Orion StarShoot Autoguider
Canon 550Da (modded)
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Oldfield
Postmaster
Reged: 03/20/02
Posts: 6310
Loc: Hong Kong
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It can do some deep sky imaging, probably the best consumer grade DC without going for a DSLR.
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The Home Astronomer from a city where most people are proud of the light pollution
Toys: Tele Vue Ranger, GOTO Mark-X, Lumenera LU070M, Canon 10x30 IS...
My observation log and ideas My General Blog
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bomo
member
Reged: 03/14/05
Posts: 16
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Hi folks,
I would have to respectfully, but emphatically, disagree.
I had a Nikon Coolpix 5000, until it was stolen from my luggage on a domestic flight a month ago. The insurance company determined that the 5400 was the best available replacement for it, after I carefully explained the absolute "must haves", ie;manual operation, manual focaus, long Bulb time, etc. Despite some of the new features on the 5400, as well as the shortcomings, I figured it was an OK settlement.
Boy was I wrong! I had machined 2 adapters for the 5000, so that I could couple directly and solidly to a 40mm and a 22mm WA eyepiece. At max optical zoom on the 5000 (3X, 85mm eq.), both systems allowed me to completely fill the frame of the camera. When I hooked up the 5400, much to my dismay
and surprise, the field is so severely vignetted that on the 22mm the frame is basically black, with a little hole in the middle, a diameter probably about equal to 1/4 of the vertcal size of the frame. Sort of like a nickel on a playing card.
That just plain *bleep*! To shoot the moon, I'd have to just get it into the middle of the little "hole of visibility". It's practically useless. And this adapter brings the lens incredibly close to the eyepiece.
I suspect there is something very different about the lens design, how far it's set back into the barrel, the diameter of the outermost element, a whole slew of optical interactions. Even with the big 40mm eyepiece, if I move the camera lens so that it's just touching the eyepiece glass, I can just get rid of the vignetting. Very impractical.
I'm planning to call the insurance today and see if something else can be worked out, but I honestly don't know what.
The 5400 is a nice digicam for other uses, to be sure, but when I bought my 5000 originally, it was specifically for doing afocal photography.
I would never recommend the 5400 for that use.
Bob
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Scott R
super member
Reged: 01/18/05
Posts: 196
Loc: Atlanta, Ga
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I would tend to agree with bomo. While I have not taken it outside yet with my refractor, I did do a quick test of some shots with an Orion SteadyPix™ Universal Camera Mount holding my 5400. I saw heavy vignetting as well. This was AFTER I got the lens as close as possible to the eyepiece as I could.
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A very understanding wife!!!
TV NP101 #1689
TV Focusmate
DiscMount DM-4
Bogen 3051 tripod
8x56 mm Orion binoculars
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bomo
member
Reged: 03/14/05
Posts: 16
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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I did some more experimenting today after work, and this camera just will not do at all. The only eyepiece I can get a full frame with is a 40mm, and only when the camera is zoomed out almost all the way, and with the lens right up against the from element of the eyepiece. Not very useful. Any smaller eyepiece, regardless of FOV, is just unuseable.
I'm pretty sure it has partly to do with how much the front glass on the 5400 lens is recessed. It's not deep, but I recall that on the 5000 it was almost flush.
Unfortunately, the insurance guy has his mind set on the idea of just needing the right adapter. He has no clue...
Bob
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++++++++
LX-200 8" "Classic"
WO ZS-80 II ED
Televue Pronto
Skywatcher HEQ-5 PRO
Vixen Portamount
...and stuff.
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Chris_H
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/24/03
Posts: 4634
Loc: Norway
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Some good images taken with the 5400 here
I would say the camera does reasonably well when used right 
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Chris
Celestron C8 XLT
TS 65mm EDQ
Orion 80ST
NEQ6 GoTo Mount
DMK21AU618 with Astrodon LRGB filters
ASI120MC
Orion StarShoot Autoguider
Canon 550Da (modded)
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Oldfield
Postmaster
Reged: 03/20/02
Posts: 6310
Loc: Hong Kong
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Have a look below:
http://www.syynx.de/astroImages/
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The Home Astronomer from a city where most people are proud of the light pollution
Toys: Tele Vue Ranger, GOTO Mark-X, Lumenera LU070M, Canon 10x30 IS...
My observation log and ideas My General Blog
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Chris_H
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/24/03
Posts: 4634
Loc: Norway
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lol - beat you by 1 min! 
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Chris
Celestron C8 XLT
TS 65mm EDQ
Orion 80ST
NEQ6 GoTo Mount
DMK21AU618 with Astrodon LRGB filters
ASI120MC
Orion StarShoot Autoguider
Canon 550Da (modded)
Edited by Chris_H (03/14/05 10:11 PM)
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Oldfield
Postmaster
Reged: 03/20/02
Posts: 6310
Loc: Hong Kong
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haha, so funny is that we all point to the same website within couple of seconds... mathematics are great tool, but many poor students managed to mess them up badly. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to insult anyone, but astrophotography is never a easy thing, the learning curve is steep, let's keep trying! that's also why there's so much fun.
clear skies!
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The Home Astronomer from a city where most people are proud of the light pollution
Toys: Tele Vue Ranger, GOTO Mark-X, Lumenera LU070M, Canon 10x30 IS...
My observation log and ideas My General Blog
|
Oldfield
Postmaster
Reged: 03/20/02
Posts: 6310
Loc: Hong Kong
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concerning vignetting with afocal imaging, find a good matching eyepiece is quite difficult. My 40mm afocal eyepiece works very well with my old 8x optical zoom DC, but now, it won't quite work even with my new 12x optical zoom DC. more optical zoom should work better supposingly, but... 
in general to get closer is better, long eye relief is better, large eye lens is better.
BTW, those steady view mount *bleep*... try to get one that mates with filter thread.
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The Home Astronomer from a city where most people are proud of the light pollution
Toys: Tele Vue Ranger, GOTO Mark-X, Lumenera LU070M, Canon 10x30 IS...
My observation log and ideas My General Blog
|
Chris_H
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/24/03
Posts: 4634
Loc: Norway
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This is too funny!
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Chris
Celestron C8 XLT
TS 65mm EDQ
Orion 80ST
NEQ6 GoTo Mount
DMK21AU618 with Astrodon LRGB filters
ASI120MC
Orion StarShoot Autoguider
Canon 550Da (modded)
|
Oldfield
Postmaster
Reged: 03/20/02
Posts: 6310
Loc: Hong Kong
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actually, that website nearly makes me to buy a 5400 when I upgraded my 4 years old DC last month... but eventually, I made up my mind that my new DC would be more a family oriented camera, will go for a DSLR later for astronomy, so give up.
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The Home Astronomer from a city where most people are proud of the light pollution
Toys: Tele Vue Ranger, GOTO Mark-X, Lumenera LU070M, Canon 10x30 IS...
My observation log and ideas My General Blog
|
Scott R
super member
Reged: 01/18/05
Posts: 196
Loc: Atlanta, Ga
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Quote:
BTW, those steady view mount *bleep*... try to get one that mates with filter thread.
Can you direct me to one that does this? 
--------------------
A very understanding wife!!!
TV NP101 #1689
TV Focusmate
DiscMount DM-4
Bogen 3051 tripod
8x56 mm Orion binoculars
|
Oldfield
Postmaster
Reged: 03/20/02
Posts: 6310
Loc: Hong Kong
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Seems like you need an adapter to have filter thread on the 5400? I don't know exactly since I didn't get my one eventually.
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The Home Astronomer from a city where most people are proud of the light pollution
Toys: Tele Vue Ranger, GOTO Mark-X, Lumenera LU070M, Canon 10x30 IS...
My observation log and ideas My General Blog
|
bomo
member
Reged: 03/14/05
Posts: 16
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Astrophotography is indeed not an easy thing, as many years have taught me. My point was simply that compared to my original 5000, the 5400 is a vastly inferior camera for afocal work. It is much less forgiving in relation to eyepieces, and I certainly have enough of them to try.
The photos in that link are beautiful, but even the first one of the Trifid shows the kind of vignetting even a 40mm eyepiece gives.
Bob
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++++++++
LX-200 8" "Classic"
WO ZS-80 II ED
Televue Pronto
Skywatcher HEQ-5 PRO
Vixen Portamount
...and stuff.
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bomo
member
Reged: 03/14/05
Posts: 16
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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That's funny, because I found exactly the same odd behaviour from the 5400. One of the eyepieces I've used for afocal is a 40mm MK-70. Not the finest glass ever made, but a big fat view, and lots of eye relief. With the 5000 if you started out at min zoom, of course there'd be severe vignetting, but as you zoom to max optical zoom, you'd fill the frame completely and very nicely. With the 5400 it's the opposite, which, as you allude to, defies simple logic. At min zoom, you get a big circle of view almost filling the short width of the frame. You figure if you zoom in, you'll get rid of the vignetting, right? Wrong. You zoom in and the vignetting gets worse. Go figure.
It's pretty clear that it has to do with the construction of the lens on the 5400, and that as you go to a higher zoom, the business element in the lens group is getting faurther away from the eyepiece. It's the only explanation.
Bob
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++++++++
LX-200 8" "Classic"
WO ZS-80 II ED
Televue Pronto
Skywatcher HEQ-5 PRO
Vixen Portamount
...and stuff.
|
bomo
member
Reged: 03/14/05
Posts: 16
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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Some follow-up info people may be interested in...
I lugged my Pronto and the 5400 down to the camera store my insurance company is in bed with today. I set everything up, and all the guy could say was, "gee...". A spot of light against a black background. I got him to pull a Nikon 8400 off the display rack (which is the camera I thought the insurance would cough up in the first place) and we tried it out. On both the 22mm and the 40mm eyepiece, it was beautiful, clear, unvignetted full-frame from about 1/2 zoom to maximum zoom, and even at wide angle it was still pretty good. The 8400 is great for afocal photography. He got on the phone with the insurance guy, and to cut to the chase, they're giving me an 8400! Christmas in March.
Bob
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++++++++
LX-200 8" "Classic"
WO ZS-80 II ED
Televue Pronto
Skywatcher HEQ-5 PRO
Vixen Portamount
...and stuff.
|
Chris Wilcox
super member
Reged: 10/22/04
Posts: 173
Loc: New Jersey
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IMHO, if your going to pay 400+ for the coolpix nowadays, just get a Rebel, no real comparison here.....(of course you'll have to buy a lens for it for afocal work which brings the price to 500 and change)
But too close for a debate here.....
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Chris Wilcox
Orion Atlas EQ6
8" Orion Newtonian
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bomo
member
Reged: 03/14/05
Posts: 16
Loc: Montreal, Canada
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SLRs are a differnt story altogether, and if you have one, there's no point in doing afocal photography. A simple T-adapter and ring is all you need in most cases.
Bob
--------------------
++++++++
LX-200 8" "Classic"
WO ZS-80 II ED
Televue Pronto
Skywatcher HEQ-5 PRO
Vixen Portamount
...and stuff.
|
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