Astronomical Photography Sessions

[Big V]

Hello All, there seems to be enough interest to organise an evening where we try some astronomical photography...So I am happy to help with this. The essentials will be: A tripod, cable release if you wish to shoot longer than 30 seconds, some warm clothing, a sense of humour, patience, some more patience, fully charged batteries and the ability to remain awake during the evening hours.

The desirable is a T-Adapter, this would allow you to fit your camera to the back of my telescope. I will try and see if any of the ASSA members have one for a nikon camera to help you out. There will be the opportunity to piggy back your camera to the telescope, which will allow you to use your camera lens but the sky will be tracked allowing for long exposures and no star trails.

I am open to suggestions as to where to do this and it can be done on more than one occasion. I will get access to the 20 inch scope at Stockport for us and I am also thinking about the saturday night before gluepot for those of you who are going up early - some good skies up in the riverland.

This will be a new element of photography for most of you and it can be very rewarding. It also allows you to push the envelope so to speak..
Looking forward to it
Big V

[fozzie]

Big V,

It is my intention to be in Waikerie late afternon to early evening on 29 October. So count me in

[nat]

Thanks BigV.
I'm pretty keen to go to Stockport.
I'm not sure if I can get to Glupot at this stage. Its "still under discussion" in the household (the 29th is my wifes birthday) I will confirm later, but am quite keen.

[johndec]

Geez, tempted to book a flight with the OTHER Big V to join in

[fozzie]

Big V,

Even if you can not get a T-Adapter for a Nikon, I am still interested in going to see your setup

[birddog114]

Big V,

Even if you can not get a T-Adapter for a Nikon, I am still interested in going to see your setup

Is it a right angle viewfinder attached to the Nikon D70 viewfinder?
How is the T adapter work?

[Marvin]

Thanks BigV.
I'm pretty keen to go to Stockport.
I'm not sure if I can get to Glupot at this stage. Its "still under discussion" in the household (the 29th is my wifes birthday) I will confirm later, but am quite keen.

Nat, bring her up for the weekend. You can stay in the Riverland, take her to Banrock Station for lunch (great setting - good views, food and wine). It should be great weather by then. We can get a couple of tinnies and go out in the backwater for a bit. Or you could take her on the River Rambler cruise in Renmark for a couple of hours. Lots to do for a weekend away (and throw the photography bit in too). Besides, its only a short drive away from you!

[nat]

Thanks BigV.
I'm pretty keen to go to Stockport.
I'm not sure if I can get to Glupot at this stage. Its "still under discussion" in the household (the 29th is my wifes birthday) I will confirm later, but am quite keen.

Nat, bring her up for the weekend. You can stay in the Riverland, take her to Banrock Station for lunch (great setting - good views, food and wine). It should be great weather by then. We can get a couple of tinnies and go out in the backwater for a bit. Or you could take her on the River Rambler cruise in Renmark for a couple of hours. Lots to do for a weekend away (and throw the photography bit in too). Besides, its only a short drive away from you!

Thanks Marvin - I've been trying to take that tack! I'll keep working at it! If it were just the two of is it would be fine. Its thinking through the implications of having an 18month old with us as well that is the complicating factor.

[Marvin]

Yep, I'm hearing you Nat. Good luck! I think we should still have one at Tony's place anyway as I think there would be quite a few people who can't make it to Gluepot but would still like to see the astro photog. Perhaps between now and the end of October? Up to you Virgs.

[Glen]

Birddy, the T adaptor is a lens attachment device, like putting a Nikon lens on a Canon camera. Or a telescope on to a Nikon f mount. They are often seen s/h on ebay for $20-$30.

[sheepie]

Birddy, the T adaptor is a lens attachment device, like putting a Nikon lens on a Canon camera. Or a telescope on to a Nikon f mount. They are often seen s/h on ebay for $20-$30.

OMG - looks like I finally found something that I have that Birdie DOESN'T!!!

[birddog114]

Is it the real word which Nikon uses to say? Adapter or adaptal or something else, could not find the "T adapter" within Nikon family wording or its catalog, is it genuine Nikon part?

P.S: I thought something related to plumber, T Adapter for waterpipe

[Glen]

Not a Nikon part, used to put third party things on to the Nikon mount.

A plumber would have something close, they are always adapting stuff to fit

[birddog114]

A plumber would have something close, they are always adapting stuff to fit

I only know the T adapter from plumber, let me try to find one big enough to mount on the front of 200-400VR or the 500 AF-S II and hook up to one of those telescope

Does man need T Adapter?

[Big V]

A T-Adapter looks like this,
https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=5439
and when camera is attached to the scope it looks like this,
https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=5461
You also need the adapter ring which fits inside your camera and allows the t-adapter to screw into it. The adapter ring is specific for each brand of camera, whilst the t-adapter is generic...
Naturally I have nothing to do with bintel, it is just a link provided for information. Most camera stores which also sell telescopes should carry these two accessories, if not use the above...

[Big V]

yes there will be a night organised at my house as well as the Gluepot weekend and we will throw one in at Stockport as well. This will give the maximum opportunioty for those who are interested to be able to make one or more of the sessions.]

For those of you who are unsure about Gluepot, there are many other things to do up there, uou could have your significant other half doing the tourist thing whilst you do the photo thing....

[birddog114]

A T-Adapter looks like this,
https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=5439
and when camera is attached to the scope it looks like this,
https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=5461
You also need the adapter ring which fits inside your camera and allows the t-adapter to screw into it. The adapter ring is specific for each brand of camera, whilst the t-adapter is generic...
Naturally I have nothing to do with bintel, it is just a link provided for information. Most camera stores which also sell telescopes should carry these two accessories, if not use the above...

Big V,
Thanks for this!
Firstly, I thought it looks like the T adapter from the plumber. but the T here may stand for telescope, though the picture from the provided link, with the wording T-adapter, I'm a Nikon die hard fan and tried to find it in Nikon books, catalogue, etc...Now I know what is the T adapter, but unfortunately I don't and have lot of interests in astronomical photography so I don't want to step further.

[sheepie]

you can borrow mine if you want Birddog, I'll swap it for your 'noc' lens

[birddog114]

you can borrow mine if you want Birddog, I'll swap it for your 'noc' lens

Hehehehehehe!
I have my neigbour, he's a good plumber and friend of mine! I'm going to see him soon, I saw on top of his van with many huge T-Adapters, perhaps he'll give me one for free and I'll try on one of the full lenght of his pipes in a huge diameter, perhaps I can take a very sharp picture of MARS with my D2x and that setup.

[Marvin]

Perhpas the SA chapter who are interested in the astro photography can throw in $10 each and get a shared t adapter to use when we do it. What do people think?

[nat]

Perhpas the SA chapter who are interested in the astro photography can throw in $10 each and get a shared t adapter to use when we do it. What do people think?

Marvin, I did I bit of research this arvo and somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but there are two parts needed to mate a camera to a telescope. The first part is the t-adapter. This bit is specific to the telecsope that is being used. It goes where the eyepiece normally resides. This adapter has a screw thread that attaches to the second part - the t-ring. This bit is specific to the camera as it has a boyonet mount. This means that Canon and Nikon cameras would have different t-rings. I checked out one place in the city and a Nikon t-ring is $29. (The t-adapter is the more expensive part but this depends on the t'scope being used.)
Big V - I'm guessing that ASSA has a t-adapter available to fit the 20" at Stockport and you have one that suits you telescope. This, I think, means that we would just need to get a Nikon t-ring for about $29 - have I missed something?

(sorry guys - I didn't mean to write that much - it just happened!!

[frink]

meerkat:
Your summary is correct, the t-ring is specific to camera mount and screws on to the the t-adapter. The t-adapter is essentially just an open metal tube with a threaded mount on one end to attach to the t-ring. It turns the camera into the eyepiece so to speak..

I have a t-ring and adapter for the old Pentax screw in mount but my scope was never really steady enough to get decent pictures of anything except the Moon and one or two half decent ones of Saturn. Come to think of it my t-ring and adapter might be just one piece..

I'm assuming the 20" scope you're talking about would take 2" eyepieces.. either that or 1.25" so the t-adapter would need to be 2" or smaller (i'm not aware of anything bigger anyway). If using a 1.25" adapter on a 2" eyepiece tube you'd need some sort of adapter (akin to step-down rings for filters) so the t-adapter can sit nicely in the scope, i'd assume they'd have that sort of thing there anyway.
Not sure how a smaller diameter t-adapter effects image circle.. been a long time since I've had much to do with astrophotography.

I hope that's as clear as mud (i've probably mixed up my terms )

[fozzie]

Marvin,

Perhpas the SA chapter who are interested in the astro photography can throw in $10 each and get a shared t adapter to use when we do it. What do people think?

Count me in

If we do not get any other takers, I am willing to share the cost with you.

Just bear in mind we need two things:

T-Adapter

Adapter ring

Let me know what your thoughts are in due course.

[Big V]

I have the T-Adapter which will fit the telescopes. One of you will need to source the T-Ring for the nikon camera or I may be able to borrow one for you. Of course the other alternative is you use my Canon set-up (but then you will want to sell your nikon )

If you have a cable release, you should be able to set your camera to bulb and this will allow you to take an exposure which is longer than 30 minutes...This woould require a manual dark frame though...

What ever the outcome, each of you will be able to use what you have to produce something worthwhile on the night(s)...

[robw25]

lorraine and i are going to gluepot so this sounds great ! .... so i would be able to put this t thingamy on my 200-400 ?? and get a photo of the american flag they left on the moon ???? lol

cheers rob

[Big V]

Rob, your 200-400 VR will pale into insignificance when you hang your camera body of the f10 2000mm telescope!!!! and no you can't photograph the flag on the moon , even with the 10 metre keck telescope, you can't resolve any better than about 3 metres....

[birddog114]

and get a photo of the american flag they left on the moon ???? lol

The alliens who're residing on the moon is now suing the Yank polluted their territory with all the junks and garbages which they left behind

[robw25]

Rob, your 200-400 VR will pale into insignificance when you hang your camera body of the f10 2000mm telescope!!!! and no you can't photograph the flag on the moon , even with the 10 metre keck telescope, you can't resolve any better than about 3 metres....

so big v .... as i helped pay for all this stuff ( tongue in cheek ) i can borrow that f10 telescope to go to gluepot ??? LOL

cheers rob

[Big V]

Rob, you are welcome to borrow it but it does weigh 35 kg... and the blue colour might clash with the black camera body..

[sirhc55]

Just as a by and by - I have just been reading about the cameras used on the last space junket - Kodak 760’s. That includes the pics taken of the bits flying off the shuttle