Mounting a camera directly on a Vixen bar ..

[+Derbyshire Dave]

Hi guys, belated Happy New Year.

 

 

I have a guided Vixen mount on which I have my 8 inch Altair reflector mounted. I do photography through the scope eyepiece.

 

I'd like to be able to mount my Canon SLR directly on the mount, with no telescope fitted. There is actually a camera screw-thread on the outside of the rings of the telescope cradle, but things just seem too far out from the axis to be steady.

 

So I was wondering if I can buy a bit of bar (Is this actually classed as a 'Vixen Bar'?), and mount a camera adaptor on it? Then I though that this must have been done before .. and maybe there's somewhere I can just buy one ..

 

Has anyone any ideas? I'm not that handy, and I would obviously need the end solution to be stable and robust.. Couple of pictures attached..

 

 

Thanks.

[+Graham]

Leave the scope set up as is and mount your camera onto that fitting.

This way it will remain perfectly stable and you can still guide.

Alternatively remove the scope rings and use a screw to fix your camera directly to your dovetail bar. 

[+Derbyshire Dave]

Graham,

 Thanks for the quick response. This is embarrassing, but when I leapt downstairs to have a look just now, I realise that it hasn't got a camera mount, that was my previous EQ3, sorry

 

 What I actually have is two rows of three threaded holes, but I'm not sure that I would know how to find the right thread. When I had looked at this previously, I had thought that the eyepiece, finder and guides scope would be in the way. I now realise I could just swivel the whole rig through 180%, so they are looking backwards, with the camera looking forwards.

 

 It would still be handy to find a separate solution though .. the 8 " scope is bulky, and it would sometime be nice just to take the mount, new Vixen bar, and camera, as car space can get tight..

 

Thanks again ..

[The Bagman]

The thread in the base of your camera is 1/4" UNC by about 9mm deep. Watch the dovetail bar has slot in base to accept the screw head.

This is a possibility http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/geoptik-80mm-universal-vixen-style-dovetail-bar.html

Hope this helps

 

Chris

[+Derbyshire Dave]

Chris, that's really handy, and not bad at around £20 quid. Just called them, and they have six week wait for camera mounts though, AND they want to charge £60-£70 quid for that. Anyone know of a cheaper option, not sure how it would fit though...