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Astroscope + DSLR = Setups! (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter cango
- Start date
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
On the front ring it says CANON ZOOM LENS FD 100-200mm 1:5.6
Paul Corfield
Well-known member
Mine says CANON ZOOM LENS FD 100-200mm 1:5.6 S.C.
On the series 2 lens they added the S.C. letters which stood for Spectra Coating which improved lens flare, contrast etc. The also made some lenses with S.S.C. which was Super Spectra Coating.
Paul.
On the series 2 lens they added the S.C. letters which stood for Spectra Coating which improved lens flare, contrast etc. The also made some lenses with S.S.C. which was Super Spectra Coating.
Paul.
Jim Bennett
Canon User R6 5DMkIIII
My 80ED has been delivered ||
My mount for my tripod has been delivered |
My MaxDSLR and ext tube haven't |8(|
Ordered them from Scopes'N'Skies three days ago but they haven't even taken the money out yet or emailed me confirmation. Has anyone had any experience of the company?
Took 5 days for my Max DSLR to arrive from Scopes'N'Skies, but it was xmas time.
Jim
Tord
Well-known member
I went halfway by drilling extra holes in the plate in such way it is now attached directly to the rings without need of the doveplate. This way I got rid of a few 100g dead weight, and more important lowering the centre of gravity. That made a noticeable difference in the balance of the setup.
/Tord
JGobeil
Nature Photographer
Good idea. I'll try that. Thanks
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
I drilled one hole further back and remounted the plate for better balance. Don't use the rings at all. Just mount it directly on my tripod head.
Tord
Well-known member
Dan,
Since you write about not using the rings at all, do you mean you drilled holes through the OTA? If so, I guess that you disassembled it, was it difficult?
Or did I miss your point?
/Tord
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
Hi Tord,
No, it was very easy. Three screws hold the whole rear bit together. The plate is held on by two small bolts. You can undo them easily from the inside. I actually then drilled two new holes as far to the rear as possible. I had to find a place where one of the baffles inside was not in the way. Not too far back though, otherwise the rear assembly won't fit back in. Very easy job. Took 5 minutes. This will give you a bit of an idea how far back you can go.
No, it was very easy. Three screws hold the whole rear bit together. The plate is held on by two small bolts. You can undo them easily from the inside. I actually then drilled two new holes as far to the rear as possible. I had to find a place where one of the baffles inside was not in the way. Not too far back though, otherwise the rear assembly won't fit back in. Very easy job. Took 5 minutes. This will give you a bit of an idea how far back you can go.
Tord
Well-known member
Dan,
I think I follow, and I am aware of the need to position the attachment towards the rear to achieve balance. Since I use a long plate (12-13 cm?) I guess the foremost screw could be a challenge to get in place (I don't say it is impossible with a long foreceps or some suitable tool).
What I have been thinking of is some clever way to mount the plate on the "inside" of the rings, with a small air gap to the OTA. Maybe cutting out/sawing indentations that would fit the rings...
I also guess that drilling would have generated quite a lot of metal fragments/particles inside the tube. Did you have to disassemble the front lenses as well for cleaning?
/Tord
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
Yes, I unscrewed the lens assembly. There was no mess to speak of, but I did make sure nothing was left inside.
With the longer plate, you might be able to use the existing front hole. I feel that a long plate mounted directly on the tube would be the cleanest way to go. I have a good, sturdy tripod, but the head is crap. Something that would accommodate a long plate would be better. Maybe a gimbal.....we'll see. What head do you have on yours?
With the longer plate, you might be able to use the existing front hole. I feel that a long plate mounted directly on the tube would be the cleanest way to go. I have a good, sturdy tripod, but the head is crap. Something that would accommodate a long plate would be better. Maybe a gimbal.....we'll see. What head do you have on yours?
Tord
Well-known member
Hi Dan,Yes, I unscrewed the lens assembly. There was no mess to speak of, but I did make sure nothing was left inside.
With the longer plate, you might be able to use the existing front hole. I feel that a long plate mounted directly on the tube would be the cleanest way to go. I have a good, sturdy tripod, but the head is crap. Something that would accommodate a long plate would be better. Maybe a gimbal.....we'll see. What head do you have on yours?
I have a Lensmaster GH2 gimbal head and a Giotto quick release + long plate. The long plate comes in handy, 3cm adjustment fully compensates for focuser full extension and even a adding TC.
/Tord
Here is my setup
I built my own refractor around a short-tube fast focal concept for a compact easily portable setup. This setup is less than 21" in length including attached camera and so will fit into super telephoto backpacks like the Tamrac. At the heart of the scope is a vintage Jaegars 76mm f/5 cemented achromat. I designed in two baffles in the optical tube and flocked it. The scope has a 2" GSO linear bearing dual-speed crayford focuser with a +9 lb load capacity connected to a 50mm extension tube + adaptor + Olympus 1.4TC + Olympus e-510. I also have a 2" Baader semi apo filter screwed into the adaptor. Note that I applied adhesive felt to the inside of the TC covering the coupling pins which created a reflective surface.
The system rides on a Vanguard ABH-230L ball head (discontinued) and Vanguard Alta Pro 264AT tripod. Notice that I folded the ball head over into its side slot and use it as an Alt/AZ mount. To enhance motion I installed a thin teflon sleeve over the stem of the ball head creating a teflon bearing.
I am still testing performance but hope to post some bird shots soon in the gallery.
I built my own refractor around a short-tube fast focal concept for a compact easily portable setup. This setup is less than 21" in length including attached camera and so will fit into super telephoto backpacks like the Tamrac. At the heart of the scope is a vintage Jaegars 76mm f/5 cemented achromat. I designed in two baffles in the optical tube and flocked it. The scope has a 2" GSO linear bearing dual-speed crayford focuser with a +9 lb load capacity connected to a 50mm extension tube + adaptor + Olympus 1.4TC + Olympus e-510. I also have a 2" Baader semi apo filter screwed into the adaptor. Note that I applied adhesive felt to the inside of the TC covering the coupling pins which created a reflective surface.
The system rides on a Vanguard ABH-230L ball head (discontinued) and Vanguard Alta Pro 264AT tripod. Notice that I folded the ball head over into its side slot and use it as an Alt/AZ mount. To enhance motion I installed a thin teflon sleeve over the stem of the ball head creating a teflon bearing.
I am still testing performance but hope to post some bird shots soon in the gallery.
Attachments
Tord
Well-known member
Hi,
Impressive setup.
When you write "inside the TC" - do you mean the male connectors, facing the front lens? I use an AF chip in my setup so the pins are obscured and I have not paid attention to this detail. What would you have done if not using a TC?
Cheers,
Tord
Tord
Yes, I covered the shiny pins on the lens side of the TC. I worry about any reflective surfaces. The Olympus TC that I have is their high-end 7 element unit. I see no degradation in IQ so I've stayed with that strategy. If I went with a barlow I would need to retrofit something into the camera adaptor in order to minimize back focus. Paul had mentioned this in another thread on using barlows. In fact I have a GSO 2" ED barlow that might fit into the adaptor tube--would make for an interesting comparison of IQ.
Yes, I covered the shiny pins on the lens side of the TC. I worry about any reflective surfaces. The Olympus TC that I have is their high-end 7 element unit. I see no degradation in IQ so I've stayed with that strategy. If I went with a barlow I would need to retrofit something into the camera adaptor in order to minimize back focus. Paul had mentioned this in another thread on using barlows. In fact I have a GSO 2" ED barlow that might fit into the adaptor tube--would make for an interesting comparison of IQ.
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
The EC14 is in fact very good. I have found though that the TNs work slightly better on scopes. The EC20 was a pig on my scope (SW80/600) and was not all that good with my Oly 50-200, so I sold it.
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
Ordered a LensMaster RH-1 last night.
o
One thing that helped me decide is that I will be able to unscrew the pan bolt and mount it upside down for transporting in my rucksack. according to Rob it will take seconds to do.
Looking forward to it. My old (nearly 40 years) Slik tripod is a bit heavy, but very sturdy, but the head is not well suited for the scope/camera setup.
o
One thing that helped me decide is that I will be able to unscrew the pan bolt and mount it upside down for transporting in my rucksack. according to Rob it will take seconds to do.
Looking forward to it. My old (nearly 40 years) Slik tripod is a bit heavy, but very sturdy, but the head is not well suited for the scope/camera setup.
Tord
Well-known member
Hi Dan,Ordered a LensMaster RH-1 last night.
o
One thing that helped me decide is that I will be able to unscrew the pan bolt and mount it upside down for transporting in my rucksack. according to Rob it will take seconds to do.
Looking forward to it. My old (nearly 40 years) Slik tripod is a bit heavy, but very sturdy, but the head is not well suited for the scope/camera setup.
I am sure you will like it. I have the RH2 myself and am very pleased with it. When I bought it it came with a Giotto long plate, I notice Bob has changed to Arca Swiss.
/Tord
DanC.Licks
AKA Daniel Bradley
Mine will be Arca Swiss. Comes with two plates, short (for the 400 Nikkor) and long (for the SW). Does it really matter? I don't know much about either one. I decided on the RH-1 over the RH-2 for the reason mentioned above. Bit more compact, and I like the idea of it pivoting on the balance point. It should do very nicely. I will have to make a small mod on the scope to turn the rear assembly by 90°, but that will be easy.
