14 replies to this topic

[RMay]

Questar Seven close-coupled at the (16mm) eyepiece to my iPhone 12 Pro, taken last night while waiting for Saturn to rise; final image compressed.

Ron

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Edited by RMay, 22 June 2022 - 01:54 PM.

[Mike Allen]

It’s amazing how three dimensional it looks.  Very nice.

[RMay]

Thank you; your compliment is more than generous.

Ron

[rcwolpert]

Very nice! Not easy to do with the iPhone.

[ETXer]

Nicely done!

 

Were you using any particular photo mode with your phone or just normal everyday shooting?

[RMay]

Nicely done!

Were you using any particular photo mode with your phone or just normal everyday shooting?

Thank you for the kind words. Once the phone camera enters Night mode you can adjust exposure times between 3 and 29 seconds. I have the Night Cap app, but frankly I have never been satisfied with its long exposure modes, so I stick with standard iPhone settings.

As another aside, I have found that the 16mm eyepiece is best since its eye relief requirements are perfect for close coupling to the phone.

Ron

Edited by RMay, 25 June 2022 - 06:49 PM.

[ETXer]

Thank you for the kind words. Once the phone camera enters Night mode you can adjust exposure times between 3 and 29 seconds. I have the Night Cap app, but frankly I have never been satisfied with its long exposure modes, so I stick with standard iPhone settings.

As another aside, I have found that the 16mm eyepiece is best since its eye relief requirements are perfect for close coupling to the phone.

Ron

Ron, apologies for the late response, thanks for the info!
 

I have a Galaxy S8, I’ll check to see if it has similar capabilities.

 

Cheers, Allan 

[jag32]

Do you use any sort of mount or adaptor to connect the iphone to the eyepiece or do you just hold the phone?


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[RMay]

I use a Svbony-style mount that is the best I’ve tried of four or five that were quite terrible.

 

Ron

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[jag32]

I use a Svbony-style mount that is the best I’ve tried of four or five that were quite terrible.

Ron

Thanks! I just looked and saw about 10 different versions of the Svbony mount. Do you have the model number or version or Amazon link? Thanks buddy


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[RMay]

Thanks! I just looked and saw about 10 different versions of the Svbony mount. Do you have the model number or version or Amazon link? Thanks buddy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, I’m afraid I don’t have a model or style number, and looking online I see more versions than there were when I bought mine, so I understand the confusion. I think if you can pretty closely match the features on the one on my 3.5 with what you’re looking at, you’ll probably get close or even spot on.

Ron

[Pjmjrastro]

I have the. Celestron version. I haven’t used it outside sat night yet, but it is easy enough to use, and it can be adjusted in 3 axes. A bit more expensive than the others, however.

 

https://www.amazon.c...101&sr=8-2&th=1

[rcwolpert]

I also have the Celestron camera mount. Haven’t used it yet, but it looks excellent.

[ETXer]

I can't say enough about the Celestron NeXYZ Smartphone Adapter, it's the best I've ever tried/used. It enables easy and precise adjustments in all 3 axes and comes with accessories to allow mounting to pretty much any eyepiece. I'd say the only disadvantage is it can be a little on the heavy side with the phone mounted, but I've never had any trouble with it in that regard, whether on my Questar or any other of my scopes.

[RMay]

Thank you all for the comments. I believe that the primary drawback of the Svbony mount is lacking Z axis mobility. This makes eye relief critical, and hence my focusing (no pun) on using most often the 16mm Q Brandon eyepiece, which fits snugly against the eyepiece and is spot on for photography. The 24 is pretty much ok, but the 8, 12, and 32 mm eyepieces fall outside the Goldilocks zone.

I do believe I once had a Celestron-style mount, but was unhappy with how cumbersome it was, and yes, the weight. Given the opportunity, I might try one again…

Ron