It all seemed so simple, all I had to do was by a Meade LPI and I already had a scope and equatorial mount..
And so started the journey.
Trying to get deep sky with 12secs exposure, doing some Moon stuff and planets... And finally getting a Canon 300d dslr andilluminated reticule and a co trol box to guide.
. Rebuild the mounts but finally realise I need a eq6... Never got to auto guide but worked on that mount that I giuded with reticle...
NThose were the days... But thinking back, the time learning to that point and to think of the levels after dedicated cameras, the processing... I had to give it in when I started to have tocome to Sydney but even after all tbat time perfecting my little rig I really need a whole new kit from the mount up... Sortta starting all over.. But I cant at the moment.
I think I would go auto guide but stick to a dslr and be happy with what came from such a simple set up.
Probably go for short fl.. I did enjoy my limited proceesing really had little idea and would play with images for hours..
Hi Alex, I know what your saying, it too loved the DSLR set up on my Tak, and did some good stuff, I Think.
Anyway traveling Australia one thing had to give, and it was the Imaging Rig.
I still miss it, but we cant have both, and i was passed on to a member on IIS.
Anyway the speed of the technology and the processing was just a bit much for me to keep up.
However one day who knows, but i would have to re-learn all those skills again, so probably wouldn't bother and be content to look at the beautiful work of others.
I thought about imaging for years before figuring out how to do it with a minimum of stress. I'm in no hurry to move away from a stand alone guider and DSLR - don't want the complexity of mono imaging and laptop.
All I do is take an hours worth of subs on the 600D, stack them and remove the light pollution using levels in photoshop. It's a Winter pursuit with the 600D due to noise, but it's very easy and fun imaging and I'll probably get a less noisy DSLR in future.
On a side note an article in the April Astronomy magazine claims that Canon is king in astroimaging - the author might get some debate on that point I think.
I was also thinking of the various Web cam, pulled down cheap digital cameras fitted to little balsa wood boxs with a tube of an eye piece fitted somehow.
I did a fair bit with those hand made units.
Oh a d the various attempts at cooling the camera.. Starting with the LPI, and scrapping cooler boxes to retrieve a peltie unit. You should have seen some of the set ups to cool thecamera.
When I built my first light tube (baffled extention to scope) I built it in cardboard and newspaper using flour and water for paste and the dog chewed to destruction.
When I started in astrophotography, I used something called "film" with my camera piggy back on a wobbly Tasco 80mm refractor. Used the refractor as a guide scope with a home made guiding eyepiece from some old binoculars. I used the slow motions to guide by hand.
When I started in astrophotography, I used something called "film" with my camera piggy back on a wobbly Tasco 80mm refractor. Used the refractor as a guide scope with a home made guiding eyepiece from some old binoculars. I used the slow motions to guide by hand.
I set up for film, got the adapter the remote cable fast speed film (400) but fortunately web cams started to take over and I never got to try it, but if you were serious film was the go.
Alex
Yeah guys I worked with film also ,400 and 800 iso mainly. Just short moon shots using my 8" at prime focus and longer hand guided using reticle in 8" and piggy backed pentax K1. Mount was AOS samson with drive corrector. Still using same mount for visual. 3-4yrs ago wife found a roll of techpan 2415 in the freezer that I forgot about that I must have bought 30yrs ago Cheers Richard
I think the hypered techpan was ordered from Tas. and sent through mail in cold pack.
Cathy Ryan in mount Druitt, N.S.W started a business supplying hypered film, and if my memory is correct, she sold the business to someone in Tasmania. I bought lots of film from her back then.
Yeah guys I worked with film also ,400 and 800 iso mainly. Just short moon shots using my 8" at prime focus and longer hand guided using reticle in 8" and piggy backed pentax K1. Mount was AOS samson with drive corrector. Still using same mount for visual. 3-4yrs ago wife found a roll of techpan 2415 in the freezer that I forgot about that I must have bought 30yrs ago Cheers Richard
You sound like me. AOS Samson mount, Pentax camera and hypered 2415. Had to clean out the freezer of the stuff recently also. Did you do 1 hour manually guided subs also? Oh the neck pain!
No trial and error in those days, you had to make sure everything was right before you started. For me it was speed, hypered fujichrome 1600 iso. The longest exposure I managed by eyeball guiding was 30 mins.
I even got my local film processor guy to try a bit of stacking for me at one stage, (two 10min subs at 400iso, a bit of field rotation showing or the negs weren't quite aligned)
We are definitely spoilt these days.
You sound like me. AOS Samson mount, Pentax camera and hypered 2415. Had to clean out the freezer of the stuff recently also. Did you do 1 hour manually guided subs also? Oh the neck pain!
No Kevin 15 min and my frustration levels then rose exponentially.
It comes to the point where you say to yourself - "Am I taking these pictures as a hobby, to please myself and family, or am I trying to impress others with my skills, seeking APOD/Award fame and fortune?"
If it is about pleasing yourself, then who cares about throwing in a rotator, an AO unit, a mega mega mega pixel camera, etc etc. Just use an autoguder (no need for OAG - just use a guidescope - or a converted finder), and a DSLR and go for it.
You simply need to find the middle ground you are comfortable with. If it's a hobby, you don't need APOD or Malin Award standard.