Telescope Setup with D60 and 707

05/14/2003 09:59:02 PM · #1

some asked for it so here it is. This is the setup of my new little 80mm Celestron spotter scope with the Canon D60 and the Sony 707

The Setup

if you click the UP link it will take you to my Meade LX-90 telescope setup. there is also a sample image link

James

scab-lab

Canon EOS-D60

05/14/2003 10:11:58 PM · #2

So it looks like the only thing you need other then the spotting scope is an EOS t-mount?

05/14/2003 10:38:40 PM · #3

yep..this little spotter scope has a built in T-thread, so the T-mount screws directly onto the scope.

I had to losen the set screws on the T-mount and rotate it so the camera was not tilted off to one side.

James

n0c0ntr0L

Sony DSC-F717

05/15/2003 03:56:20 AM · #4

Great shot of the moon there :)) Remind me to pick your brain about that set-up on the 707 a bit later on :)

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM

05/15/2003 05:02:25 AM · #5

Thanks for the pics. I note that Scopetronix now have an adapter for the '707/'717 which screws straight into the 58mm filter thread - no adapter. Only problem is it needs a 'scope which will accept a 2" eyepiece. Do you get much vignetting with the Maxview 40?

Could you post a full-size version of your moon shot? I'd like to see how sharp it is - that Celestron scope is waaaay cheaper than the Pentax I was thinking of and if the optics are up to it, I may be able to convince my wife that it's an essential purchase :-) It's a bit hard to judge sharpness and CA on a small pic.

Oh, and keep the shots coming.

Cheers

Message edited by author 2003-05-15 05:03:55.

Refracted

Canon EOS-50D

05/15/2003 08:15:13 AM · #6

that looks like a great setup!.. i wonder how the celestron would do as a telephoto? is there much chromatic abherration? does it focus well? i'd love to get photos like you have of the panets and all, but i'd love to be able to use it for just a bit more than that.. do you have any photos from your other galleries taken with the celestron?

05/15/2003 10:06:53 AM · #7

Originally posted by Refracted:

This was my thinking - I'd really like a spotting 'scope for wildlife shots as well as astro work (especially the moon). James's post prompted me to do a bit of research. It depends on your budget restrictions and how picky you are over quality, but the Celestron C5looks like a pretty good choice for both (it is about 3 times the price of James's though, but still only about the same (or less) as a good standard field spotting scope). There is (was?) also a G5 model for astro use which comes with equatorial mount, star diagonal etc but this isn't on Celestron's site, so I guess they've replaced it. This looked like it would be easy to use as a spotting scope too (assuming you could mount it on a standard tripod).

I'd be interested in James's opinion of his little Celestron spotter compared to his Meade for astro use.

Some interesting links I found:
Living Bird Guide to Spotting Scopes
Unofficial Home for Celestron 5" SCTs
C5 Spotting Scope Images
Celestron Customer Astrophotography
Better View Desired - there's a good comparison review here of Meade, Questar and Celestron scopes

What fun! Now, where do I find £700? :-)

PS I don't work for Celestron :-)

Message edited by author 2003-05-15 10:09:11.

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM

05/15/2003 12:42:55 PM · #8

thanks for all the comments.... and to answer a few questions here....

the sample image I posted was full size, I just cropped it (no image resizing) and did a little sharpening, the original was not as sharp as the sample but it came out nice. No noticible CA in the image either. I will look at my day time test shots and post a full size unedited sample soon.

Yes Scopetronics does have the bigger Maxview40 for the Sony 7x7 series camera ( i have both the 1.25" and 2" maxview 40's) , that threads directly to the 7x7 cameras with no adapters, but it is a 2" eyepiece and your scope will need to be able to accept 2" EP's.

The 2" maxview 40 has VERY little vignetting, you really have to look at the outer edges of the image to see it. for day use you would notice it a little, but on night shots I dont think you would see it at all. I have a poor sample image, but will try to get some better images with it tonight of the eclipse.

The 1.25" Maxview 40 does vignette when at wide angle... see example
MaxView 40 1.25" eyepiece on a Sony 707 using a Meade 8" LX90 telescope

but you can zoom past it.. see example
Moon with Maxview 40 zoomed out to eliminate Vignetting

I did some test shots the other day using the Celestron as a telephoto lens on the Canon D60. I will try to get the images up in a sample gallery soon.

I think the C5 spotter scope would be nice and do a good job, but will not do very well on the dim astro objects. It will be good for the moon and planets and some brighter objects. It could also do good on wide fiels objects and star clusters, but you will need some type of mount to track the object as you image.

I chose the 80mm one because it will be soon be mounted on top of my LX90 as finder scope/guide scope and I did not want to overload the LX90's drive motors and fork mount.

Hope i answered every thing..if not you know where to find me..

James

Refracted

Canon EOS-50D

05/15/2003 01:37:40 PM · #9

thanks for the info jab.. how much was the celestron again? now i'm really interested. as you can see under my name, i have the 717, so i'll prolly want the adaptor for that too.. any idea how much that would cost me? ever since i got this camera, i've been zoom greedy :) at this point i dont think a 1.5x telephoto adapter will be enough for me hehe.. this might just do the trick, but i'd definatly love to see more daytime wildlife/etc celestron shots with the 707 you have there.. i've seen some telephotos for my camera that have horrible chromatic abherration, i just dont want to do a mistake when i get accessories for my camera :)

edit: also, you mentioned 2 sizes of adapters for the F7x7.. which does the celestron accept? and which telescope did you take that moon shot with ? //www.james-benton.com/photography/astro/moon/Images/Dsc01026.jpg

Message edited by author 2003-05-15 13:40:29.

05/15/2003 02:08:59 PM · #10

Yeah. Thanks for the info (and pictures). I read your post a while ago and completely forgot to say 'thanks'.

Looking forward to seeing the daytime shots.

05/15/2003 02:22:23 PM · #11

I put a few day time full size samples up using the Canon D60 with the 28-200mm lens and the Celestron
New Samples

the celestron was $166 delivered (149.95 for the scope + shipping) however it will not accept 2" eyepieces, only 1.25" eyepieces.

I will try to get some samples up this weekend using the Sony 707 and the 1.25" Maxview 40 on the Celestron 80mm scope, I will cover all zoom ranges.

Refracted...the shot of the moon you asked about in your post was taken with the Sony 707 and the 1.25" Maxview 40 on my Meade 8" LX-90

forgot to mention my tripod was a little wobbly with the scope and camera, plus it was a little windy...
James

Message edited by author 2003-05-15 14:24:33.