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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

What adapters needed to take pictures with astro scopes (1 Viewer)

mooreorless

Well-known member
Sout Fork started talking about using astro scopes and such for taking pictures of bird etc. and this is what he said: Thomas is right.
We sort of high-jacked this thread.
If anyone wants to start a new thread I'd be glad to carry on from there.

SF

I have on order a Pentax 100D Super from Camerland , I would like to find out more on what all I would need to hook this camera up to my Celestron 80ED focal lenght 600mm refractor. I know I need a T mount adapter and have looked at Meade variable projection camera adapter. I have noticed what Sout Fork has posted about this and I notice what he has looks like one of these variable projection camera adapters but he has added a 2 inch 50mm extension tube and this has me a little mixed up about what exactly to get.3:) I hope that SF doesn't mind if I post pictures that he posted here. The camera is supposed to be a birthday/Christmas present and I am not allowed [not supposed to] to open it until Christmas, so I have some time to get what I need.:)
Regards,Steve
I tried to change the title to include traditional spotting scopes as well, but couldn't.
 

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In principle all you need is something to mate up to your 2" focuser on
one end and a male T thread on the other.

In between these two is just empty tubing of an appropriate length so you
can achieve focus. The length will vary but 50mm usually works.

So you need three things:

1. 2"x50mm extension tube
http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=7754

2. 2" to 1.25" adapter with male T thread adapter
http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=7744

3. Pentax K mount T ring
I assume you have one of these.

Setup this way you should be in business to take prime focus photos of
about 18x on a 600mm FL scope.

My setup, in the photos, is more complex than you really need because it
allows me to also take close up photos as well.

For now just get the three items I listed and that should be about all
you need.

SF
 
Thanks SF, I did get the camera today and of course opened it and liked what I saw. I have no SD card yet so really couldn't try it. I will have to get the adapters I need. If I bought the Meade variable projection camera adapter and used it without the 1 1/4 inch adapter to mount it in my 2 inch focuser would that give me a little more close focus than what your links would? Thanks again for your information.
Regards,Steve
 
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Thanks SF, I did get the camera today and of course opened it and liked what I saw. I have no SD card yet so really couldn't try it. I will have to get the adapters I need. If I bought the Meade variable projection camera adapter and used it without the 1 1/4 inch adapter to mount it in my 2 inch focuser would did give me a little more close focus than what your links would? Thanks again for your information.
Regards,Steve

If you wanted to use the variable projection camera adapter you would still need item #2. The variable projection adapter has just a male T thread on one end and a female T thread on the other and would not fit directly into your 2" focuser without this item. So on the female end you would screw in item 2 and on the male end you screw in your T ring.

If fully extended the variable projection adapter would give you a closer focus but you would also probably lose focus at infinity. At least that's how it works on all of my scopes.

SF
 
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The Meade var. projection camera adapter does come with the 1 1/4 end that I could just use, is there any problem with using this set up? Also, about how close can you focus. In the spring there are a lot of Northern Flickers that seem to like my "yard" and it doesn't take much to scare these guys and girls. I think they are a very pretty bird and would like to try to photograph some of these, but could never get close enough.Thanks again for any reply.
Regards,Steve
 
The Meade var. projection camera adapter does come with the 1 1/4 end that I could just use, is there any problem with using this set up? Also, about how close can you focus. In the spring there are a lot of Northern Flickers that seem to like my "yard" and it doesn't take much to scare these guys and girls. I think they are a very pretty bird and would like to try to photograph some of these, but could never get close enough.Thanks again for any reply.
Regards,Steve

1.25 would "work". I never would use it this way because of the addition of more and smaller compression fittings. I think you would find your camara less rigid and twisting all the time.

Focus distance varies with scope - I can get down to about ten feet on one of my scopes.

SF
 
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