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Franklink
member
Reged: 07/19/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Somewhere Dark
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I have an orion xt 4.5 that I have been using for observing 2 years now, and i love it. It shows me loads of globulars, nebulas, and galaxies. I would love to image these objects.
rummaging through the basement, I found 2 slrs (one a canon pellix, the other a minolta) I was wondering, what a cost effective (under $300) imaging setup would be (that would allow me to use the slrs). I realize that this can be a "big $buck$" hobby and it might be difficult to get good images on that budget.
I am currently looking at the orion 4.5 inch imaging reflector and a eq1 orion mount. I'm not familiar with any optics company other than orion celestron or meade, so if you have a setup that fits the budget aforementioned please describe it.
any advice is greatly appreciated.
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fishmagnet
sage
Reged: 12/11/07
Posts: 236
Loc: Satellite Beach Fla
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In order to image deep sky objects the most important item is your mount. It will be tough to keep your $300 limit. You can do lunar and planetary imaging with a webcam for under $300.
****John
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Vixen ED 103S refractor
Vixen VC 200L
Takahashi EM 11 Temma II Jr
Astro-Tech AT66ED
SBIG ST-10E CFW-8
Meade DSI Pro II monochrome CCD
Atik filter wheel
Philips PCVC 740K ToUcam
Registax 4.0
Photoshop CS3
MaxIm DL4
The Sky 6
Astro-Lab Roxy
Member Brevard Astronomical Society
"Starin' at the stars in a distant galaxy; wonderin' if there's someone out there starin' back at me!"
Fountains of Wayne
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Al Canarelli
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/06/07
Posts: 1344
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Using a film camera these days would be an excellent way to "make your bones" in astrophotography in that it would be next to dirt cheap. The requirements which make a good film camera for astro use are, interchangeable lenses, interchangeable viewing screens, fully mechanical shutter, compact and light weight, mirror lockup, and a bulb setting on shutter. A camera which has all of these features is the Olympus OM1. These days you can buy one (without working light meter) for as little as $50 (I have several if you're interested). In addition to the camera, you will need a camera adapter and a camera ring (about $50 for both) and you are ready to start taking pictures...not just images, maybe great images! As you become more experienced, you may want additional equipment, but you certainly have enough with the equipment I mentioned to get a flying start.
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Franklink
member
Reged: 07/19/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Somewhere Dark
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my minolta has mirror lockup, bulb settings, interchangeable lenses, mechanical shutter, and is fairly lightwieght. so it should be good. what mount would be stable enough to hold the 4.5 imaging tube, and has a polar scope.
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s58y
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/12/04
Posts: 4532
Loc: Eastern NY
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When rummaging around, did you find any lenses that fit the SLRs? If so, perhaps you could start with a barndoor mount, an SLR, and a camera lens. Widefields would probably be the best targets for a setup like this.
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Hutech 30D, SBIG ST-402 autoguider
SV80S, SV66 guidescope
AP900, G-11, Barndoor tracker
http://www.pbase.com/s58y
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DonR
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/15/06
Posts: 635
Loc: Georgia, USA
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That's a fairly long tube at f/8 - I don't think you can mount it satisfactorily for $300. The Orion SkyView Pro at $370 would be marginal, and you would still need a single axis drive motor for another $80. An Orion Sirius mount at $850 would be better.
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Don
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Atlas EQ-G
Orion 8" f/4.9 newtonian
Orion 127mm Mak-Cass
Orion Skyview Pro mount
Orion 80mm guide scope
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Meade DSI
Philips SPC 900 NC webcam
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Al Canarelli
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/06/07
Posts: 1344
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my minolta has mirror lockup, bulb settings, interchangeable lenses, mechanical shutter, and is fairly lightwieght. so it should be good. what mount would be stable enough to hold the 4.5 imaging tube, and has a polar scope.
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Your Minolta is okay for openers. It only lacks interchangeable viewing screens, which makes it more difficult to see and focus your target...particularly if you're photographing a dim object. But that's not a big problem at this stage.
In regards to the mount, the Celestron Advanced GT is affordable and fairly good for photography. I use one for digital photography and I have no serious complaints. You can buy one new for less the $600...and that's a good price.
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Franklink
member
Reged: 07/19/08
Posts: 47
Loc: Somewhere Dark
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Donr,
i beleive the 4.5 inch scope is f/4, because it is practically a starblast tube.
s58y,
yes I have lenses for them.
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DonR
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/15/06
Posts: 635
Loc: Georgia, USA
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OK, well the 4.5" f/4 should work fine on a SkyView Pro, and should give you good widefield views. There will be some vignetting on a 35mm camera with a 1-1/4" focuser, but it's nothing you can't live with. That's how I started astrophotography a few years ago, but I started with a much slower telescope - 127mm f/12 Mak on a SkyView Pro, with a 35mm film camera.
One thing you need to determine though is if you can reach focus with an SLR. If yours is the Starblast Imaging Reflector it shouldn't be a problem, but it may be a problem with the regular StarBlast, sold as a dob. They are not the same.
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Don
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Atlas EQ-G
Orion 8" f/4.9 newtonian
Orion 127mm Mak-Cass
Orion Skyview Pro mount
Orion 80mm guide scope
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Meade DSI
Philips SPC 900 NC webcam
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Patrick
Postmaster
Reged: 05/16/03
Posts: 6598
Loc: Franklin, Ohio
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Quote:
I was wondering, what a cost effective (under $300) imaging setup would be (that would allow me to use the slrs).
To keep the cost down to $300, the easiest thing would be to mount the SLR and a wide field lens on an EQ1 mount and snap away...or make a Barn Door Tracker.
Patrick
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Discovery 10" f/6 Split Tube Dob
Celestron C6S-GT SCT
Denk Binoviewers
AT66ED Refractor
Oberwerk Ultra 15x70 Binocular
475B Geared Tripod & 501HDV Head
Oberwerk 9x60 Binocular
Celestron Regal 8x42 Binocular
Canon 30D DSLR
My Astronomy Pages
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tommyhawk13
sage
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 375
Loc: Jacksonville, Fl
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It is entirely possible to do for around $300.00. The old Meade Starfinder mount is good for piggyback photography. I bought mine through craigslist for $350.00. The mount is plenty sturdy, but very unfriendly for prime focus stuff, however it is possible.
I believe the user Microbes did some excellent widefield shots of the Milky Way using a polar aligned motorized EQ-3 and an old Yashica camera with a normal lens. I don't believe he used a scope at all.
If you can find a sturdy mount with an RA drive corrector, and a reticle eyepiece, you can piggyback the camera to the 4.5 and use longer lenses. You will need to manually guide, but you would be surprised at what a 135mm lens will capture.
Read as much as you can in the film section. It's helping me progress, and there are plenty of experienced film users.
One last thing, pick up some rolls of Kodak E-200, don't bother with anything else. It does not have to be the professional grade, you can find it online at B&H photo, Adorama, and plenty of other places.
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Meade Starfinder 8,Meade SN-8 OTA, Orion Atlas, and a handfull of film cameras
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