Bought a new digicam!

[iceman]

Well after losing my Sony DSCP100, I couldn't go without a digital camera for too long..

After all, there's family happy snaps to take of the kids, and there's widefield, planetary and moon astro shots to take!

So I've just bought a 2nd hand Nikon Coolpix 5700.. 5mp job with 8x optical zoom and a bunch of manual features. Pick it up today. It can do a bulb mode of 5 minutes! The sony only had a max exposure time of 30 seconds.. But I need a remote control for it.. or, I did find some software that lets me control it from my computer, but I still have to buy a serial cable to hook it up with..

Now if I had a tracking mount, I might be able to do some nice widefield shots without startrails.. but I don't.. But my next project is going to be a barndoor mount!

Anyway i'll post some pics when I get the chance to play around with it!

[Starkler]

Good stuff .

If I work out how to do it , i might try my hand at snapping the moon when it comes back.

Do you use any special adapters?

[iceman]

Got the 5700 yesterday, haven't had much of a chance to play around with it yet, still reading through the manual.

Looks like it should be pretty good though, but the shutter lag is a little too long for my liking -the Sony was really fast.

You wouldn't believe it either - the police rang this morning and someone handed in my Sony yesterday! 2 days after I bought a new camera! aarrgh! Now I have to decide which to keep and which to sell.. i know my wife will want to keep the sony for it's speed and simplicity.

But the nikon is good for 8x optical zoom and 5 minute bulb mode! :)


Starkler to answer your question, *I* don't use any adapters, though I wish I was using one.

I've been using a fixed tripod with the camera on top, and pointing the camera into the eyepiece. However it's a pain in the neck with the dob because you have to continually move it.

I'm going to get (or make) a steadypix adapter:
https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=6705

There's also some adapters at www.scopetronix.com - quite pricey though, around AU$300 with includes an eyepiece and the adapters required.

Good luck, and post your results!

[youngwalls]

Hey iceman,

Once again, an excellent website and great for the beginner. Thanks for the digicam feedback- much appreciated. Budget constraints limit me to the Sony but im sure it will do the job.

I noticed that Orion was up-side down in your images, I had never considered that the constellations would be different from other parts of the world!

[iceman]

Orion is not upside down for us, it's upside down for you! :)

Welcome to the site and forum, and thanks for the feedback. The aim of the site and forum is to hopefully spread some knowledge around, bring knowledgeable people to a central location where they can share ideas and views and hopefully bring beginners like yourself in.. hopefully popularising astronomy because we all know how great a hobby it is!

So spread the word, bring your friends back! :)

Regarding the Sony DSCP100, it is a great camera. it's getting quite cheap these days too, because the P150 (7mp) has just come out. If your budget can extend a little further, the Sony DSC-V1 is probably a better camera for astro-work with a few more manual features, but there's not a significant difference from the P100.

All of the photos in the images section of IceInSpace were taken with the P100, so it can do a fairly good job, but to get the most out of your shots you need to take multiple shots and stack them and do a fair amount of post-processing as well.

It just takes time and practise, and I learnt lots of tips and techniques from other forums around the place, and I'm happy to share whatever knowledge i've learnt.

Good luck and hope to see you back!