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The best and quickest way to get into the fascinating world of astro-photography is to use a modern digital camera. Don’t worry if your camera is quite basic - you’ll be amazed at the results! Let us show you just how simple it can be to fit your camera to your LX90.
 
Click on the images above for enlarged views
All images taken by RJ Dalby FRAS unless otherwise stated.
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Left: ETX125 Nikon950 digital camera and DigimaxT 40 (AC520 and AC521)
Right: The recent transit of Venus (8 June 2004) shot with Canon digital IXUS mounted on a ETX105 with Ultra (PH047) |
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For truly stunning wide-field deep-sky images of star fields, nebulae and galaxies using standard film cameras (or new digital SLRs!) check out our piggyback camera bracket. Remember, the telescope well need to be equatorial mounted for this kind of astro photography.
The PH026 tiltable piggyback mount has a unique design and allows the camera to be pointed in any direction regardless of telescope attitude. Wide-field astro-photography is easy and rewarding and doesn’t need much additional equipment, apart from the piggyback mounting and the great telescope you already have; the only other gadget you’ll need to try this kind of sky-shooting is a locking cable release. Simply select a short focal length lens (24, 28, and 35mm are great but a 50mm standard lens can be used), load the camera with ISO200 speed colour film (Kodak or Fuji transparency film is ideal) and attach the camera to the piggyback mounting. Working on a moonless night, align the telescope as normal and select a suitable target. Set the camera shutter speed dial to “B” for bulb, and with the telescope tracking simply open the shutter and expose the film for three minutes. Being careful not to kick the tripod or jog the camera when you open and close the shutter. Experiment with a series of exposures of the same target, increasing the exposure by three minutes each time. Work you way up to a 15-minute exposure, then move on to a new target and start the same sequence again. When you see the finished result back from the lab you will know a lot more about your telescope and your site. You may find that exposures over, say 6 to 9 minutes have started to show trailing (stars that look like little lines rather than dots) and the images may show sky fog or light pollution. These are things that you can work on correcting - but meanwhile you’ll have shot your first good wide-field images.
For great film images using SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras you have a choice of fitting the camera to the visual back thread, or to fit the camera to the eyepiece holder. Photography through the eyepiece holder is normally more convenient, as the adaptors that fit the eyepiece holder are more versatile and can achieve many different image scales and magnifications by allowing other accessories to be used with them (Barlow lenses etc). Remember to remove the star diagonal before attaching the camera. |
Wide-field image in
the constellation of Scorpio. The bright orange star upper left is the planet Mars. Shot with 50mm f1.8 Zuiko lens on OM-1 35mm SLR camera piggybacked via our tiltable piggy-back bracket PH024 on a Meade 10” LX200 SCT. |
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For prime focus photography (no other optics used except that of the main instrument) the Deluxe low-profile T thread camera adaptor (AC572) is ideal. The adaptor screws directly to the rear cell thread (visual back thread). A precise rubberised grip ring allows the camera to be rotated to any position, and of course the device is threaded for SLR T mounting rings. To increase the magnification when imaging the Moon and brighter planets etc, a photographic 2x teleconverter can be attached to your camera (available from camera shops). This type of camera connection is probably the most robust and secure available - but it is not the most versatile.
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SBIG ST-8 and AO-7 CCD image, 10” LX200 SCT. |
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If you just want to attach an SLR straight to the eyepiece holder of the LX90 for general photography our Basic camera adaptor (AC457) may be all the equipment you’ll need. This low-cost adaptor will allow a T-ring camera adaptor (for your particular brand of SLR) to be fitted at one end; the other end is a straight 1.25” nosepiece and simply pushes into the LX90’s eyepiece holder. To increase image magnification a 2x Barlow lens and many other image amplification accessories (AC555, AC519 etc) can be fitted to the adaptor.
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The planet Jupiter with satellites Io and Europa. 10” Meade LX200 SCT plus SBIG ST-7 CCD camera. Some further details on image. |
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Probably the most sophisticated way to image planets with your LX90 is to use a webcam. Webcam results can be fantastic; however, great results take a bit of work - we’d recommend you try your hand at a few basic astro-photography projects first. Learn how to find and follow targets closely with the Autostar handset, as this will pay dividends when you move up to the rather more challenging task of webcam imaging. However, if you are ready to advance, we have everything you need to connect popular webcams to your Meade LX90 telescope.
 
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Left: A transit of Mercury across the solar disc. One a in sequence shot with a Philips ToUcam Pro Webcam + AC378. Image by N Szymanek. Click Picture for full sequence view
Right: The planet Mars - Philips ToUcam Pro Webcam image - 10” LX200 SCT Image by D Peach and J Mills.
Click Picture for larger view |
