alis80b Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 39 minutes ago, Bottletopburly said: May be worth getting a copy of this book https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html did the shop recommend they 5x Barlow if so which shop did you use . Ah thanks. I’ll get that. Yes the shop recommended the Tele Vue powermate x5 and said I would need it to image the planets. I got it all from Widescreen Centre which was recommended in various places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightspore Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 (edited) 29 minutes ago, alis80b said: Thanks. That moon atlas looks good. I’ll get that. I was looking at putting ‘parallels’ on my MacBook so I could run some of the software only available for Windows but in the end thought I’d invest in a new laptop which I will just use for this purpose. It also means I don’t have to take my MacBook Pro outside in the cold (with a risk of damaging it). I am a complete Apple fan though so not enjoying the windows experience!! 😂 There's also a 'Mars Atlas' in the Apple repo. Nobody likes the Windows experience lol. My laptop runs Ubuntu. My desktop is an iMac. https://ubuntu.com/desktop I believe there is some astro imaging software in the Ubuntu repo. If I needed to take a laptop outside I'd probably get an inexpensive Windows one and replace the OS with Ubuntu. Linux and macOS have their origins in BSD so are similar. https://glimpse-editor.github.io/ If you haven't got Photoshop; Glimpse is a decent freeware equivalent. Edited January 28, 2021 by Nightspore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 11 hours ago, alis80b said: Thank you for your reply 😊 Do you use a DSLR/mirrorless camera for your imaging or one of those other astro cameras? (that I don't know the name of) 🤦🏼♀️ I have bought a Canon Ra (and the t ring) and also have the t ring for the powermate. The only way I can connect anything together is by attaching the reducer to the telescope and then the canon t ring attaches my camera to the reducer. That's how I got my first photo of the Moon on Monday. I should probably say that I might go through this whole journey never actually looking through the telescope as I really want to just image everything!! 😂 I would upload a picture of how far I've got (with everything laid out on the floor) but I can't work out how to upload a photo to this site without a URL?! 😫 Hi Alison, It looks like we have a bit in common lol ! I think we have the same camera : Canon Eos Ra. Mine was a Christmas present (sort of) so its pretty new and i'm still learning my way around it (any tips gratefully received ! 😃) Regarding connectivity with a reducer. (I myself don't have a reducer / corrector for either of my refractors ....yet. But its something 'thats on the list') But i think with a reducer, the cameras sensor has to be a certain distance 'behind' the rear of the reducer to work correctly. I'm not sure what that distance is, and others who know what they are talking about with imaging (ie not me) will have a better idea. But i think its a few cm or so. This distance is achieved by using spacer tubes. I'm also an apple Mac user and know virtually nothing about Windows based astro software, which is maybe holding back my imaging aspirations. But i can't contemplate a switch after all these Mac years. Great Lunar image by the way. Maybe just a tad over-exposed, but for a first go, its really nice and loads of detail. Well done 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottletopburly Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 1 hour ago, alis80b said: Ah thanks. I’ll get that. Yes the shop recommended the Tele Vue powermate x5 and said I would need it to image the planets. I got it all from Widescreen Centre which was recommended in various places. I’m surprised they recommended a 5x Barlow for a beginner you would usually use with a planetary camera and use in good conditions as inbound stated ,bad advice IMO . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Welcome to EMS Alison. If you need any advise don't hesitate to ask. I'm also in LE Astrophotography, becomes very addictive and a never ending money pit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alis80b Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, Nightspore said: There's also a 'Mars Atlas' in the Apple repo. Nobody likes the Windows experience lol. My laptop runs Ubuntu. My desktop is an iMac. https://ubuntu.com/desktop I believe there is some astro imaging software in the Ubuntu repo. If I needed to take a laptop outside I'd probably get an inexpensive Windows one and replace the OS with Ubuntu. Linux and macOS have their origins in BSD so are similar. https://glimpse-editor.github.io/ If you haven't got Photoshop; Glimpse is a decent freeware equivalent. Ah thanks. I'll have a look. I bought EOS backyard and got DSS but haven't even looked at them yet. I think I need to build up to that 😂 I have got photoshop and have been using it for years for my normal photography so at least that's one thing I've got in my favour! 😊 Edited January 28, 2021 by alis80b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alis80b Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 8 hours ago, Bottletopburly said: I’m surprised they recommended a 5x Barlow for a beginner you would usually use with a planetary camera and use in good conditions as inbound stated ,bad advice IMO . Ahhh. Maybe I'll hold off on it for a bit. I didn't have a clue what I needed so just took their advice. Maybe it will come in useful one day 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alis80b Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 9 hours ago, Bino-viewer said: Hi Alison, It looks like we have a bit in common lol ! I think we have the same camera : Canon Eos Ra. Mine was a Christmas present (sort of) so its pretty new and i'm still learning my way around it (any tips gratefully received ! 😃) Regarding connectivity with a reducer. (I myself don't have a reducer / corrector for either of my refractors ....yet. But its something 'thats on the list') But i think with a reducer, the cameras sensor has to be a certain distance 'behind' the rear of the reducer to work correctly. I'm not sure what that distance is, and others who know what they are talking about with imaging (ie not me) will have a better idea. But i think its a few cm or so. This distance is achieved by using spacer tubes. I'm also an apple Mac user and know virtually nothing about Windows based astro software, which is maybe holding back my imaging aspirations. But i can't contemplate a switch after all these Mac years. Great Lunar image by the way. Maybe just a tad over-exposed, but for a first go, its really nice and loads of detail. Well done 🙂 Ah, it's good to know someone with the same camera. I read a lot of positive reviews about it and I'm really impressed so far (even though I've only used it once 😂) My old DSRL was a 400D (which I bought when I first took up photography). I bought a Canon G16 a few years back which I've been using for holiday photography. I got annoyed carrying all the heavy DSLR stuff round with me. This Ra is a massive step up. I love the live view and the zoom option on the screen. Have you downloaded the app which goes with the camera on your phone? It seems really good. I used it as a remote shutter release and you can also change camera settings and view the photos on your phone. It connects by wifi or bluetooth and I guess it means you can actually sit inside and control it from there. I may be completely wrong but I think that with the Sky watcher reducer (which is specifically for the 80ED) you can attach the camera straight to it and it's made to be the correct distance from the sensor. That's what I read and the instructions seem to imply that (although a they were a bit vague). I think that's the benefit of buying the Sky watcher one rather than a 3rd party one but like I said I might be wrong. Thanks. I need to have a play around with exposures a bit. It's good to know that you think it's a bit over exposed as I'm not really sure what makes a good lunar photo? There are lots of photos on the internet but they are all very different. I'm annoyed that the weather is forecast to be rubbish for the foreseeable future as I'm desperate to get back outside! 😊 +Bino-viewer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alis80b Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 8 hours ago, Alec said: Welcome to EMS Alison. If you need any advise don't hesitate to ask. I'm also in LE Astrophotography, becomes very addictive and a never ending money pit. Ah great! Thank you! I know I'm already a bit addicted! 😫 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightspore Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 31 minutes ago, alis80b said: Ah thanks. I'll have a look. I bought EOS backyard and got DSS but haven't even looked at them yet. I think I need to build up to that 😂 I have got photoshop and have been using it for years for my normal photography so at least that's one thing I've got in my favour! 😊 Cartes du Ciel (freeware) runs on Linux and Windows, not sure about macOS. It's very useful for planning sessions and you can print maps out. https://www.ap-i.net/skychart//en/start Regarding the 5x TV Powermate; most TV products hold their value on the second-hand market. If you decide it's superfluous to requirements you'll probably get a good price for it. The 80ED does only have a 600mm focal length though (focal ratio is f/7.5). It's not always easy to get high visual magnifications, I often use a Barlow with mine. So the 5x Powermate might be useful. Many people forget that the 80ED doesn't have a particularly long focal length and tend to react to 5x Barlows like vampires to garlic. I've even seen forum topics asking why 5x Barlows or eyepieces between 2-3mm actually exist. There's definitely a reason why they exist. We don't all own giant Newtonians. I use short focal length eyepieces and/or Barlows on my 102mm, f/7 Altair Starwave (same Ohara glass as the 80ED). It only has a focal length of 714mm. The advantage of f/7 (714/102= 7) is that the telescope optical tube assembly (OTA) is a manageable size to transport and can give relatively wide views as well as high magnifications with a Barlow. The alternative is to use a catadioptric scope like these Maksutovs above. Portable with long focal lengths, but limited fields of view. Ideal for planetary/lunar, but not as adaptable or versatile as a refractor of around f/7. I have a shed load of Barlows/amplifiers. They all come in useful. lol +Bino-viewer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alis80b Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 7 minutes ago, Nightspore said: Cartes du Ciel (freeware) runs on Linux and Windows, not sure about macOS. It's very useful for planning sessions and you can print maps out. https://www.ap-i.net/skychart//en/start Regarding the 5x TV Powermate; most TV products hold their value on the second-hand market. If you decide it's superfluous to requirements you'll probably get a good price for it. The 80ED does only have a 600mm focal length though (focal ratio is f/7.5). It's not always easy to get high visual magnifications, I often use a Barlow with mine. So the 5x Powermate might be useful. Many people forget that the 80ED doesn't have a particularly long focal length and tend to react to 5x Barlows like vampires to garlic. I've even seen forum topics asking why 5x Barlows or eyepieces between 2-3mm actually exist. There's definitely a reason why they exist. We don't all own giant Newtonians. I use short focal length eyepieces and/or Barlows on my 102mm, f/7 Altair Starwave (same Ohara glass as the 80ED). It only has a focal length of 714mm. The advantage of f/7 (714/102= 7) is that the telescope optical tube assembly (OTA) is a manageable size to transport and can give relatively wide views as well as high magnifications with a Barlow. The alternative is to use a catadioptric scope like these Maksutovs above. Portable with long focal lengths, but limited fields of view. Ideal for planetary/lunar, but not as adaptable or versatile as a refractor of around f/7. I have a shed load of Barlows/amplifiers. They all come in useful. lol Thank you for the info. I'm like a sponge at the moment taking it all in 😊 I'm sure I'll end up adding a lot to my collection and might have to build an extension on my house to store it all! 😂 I was originally going to buy a Celestron Astromaster 130EQ (which one of my friends had for Christmas). Fast forward two weeks and I had ordered all the equipment I listed above, including a new camera 😫 I'm terrible!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightspore Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 (edited) 8 minutes ago, alis80b said: Thank you for the info. I'm like a sponge at the moment taking it all in 😊 I'm sure I'll end up adding a lot to my collection and might have to build an extension on my house to store it all! 😂 I was originally going to buy a Celestron Astromaster 130EQ (which one of my friends had for Christmas). Fast forward two weeks and I had ordered all the equipment I listed above, including a new camera 😫 I'm terrible!!! Oh, it never ends ... lol Edited January 28, 2021 by Nightspore alis80b 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo_uk Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Hi and welcome Alison... Again I'm another user of the ed80 and you'll find it a very capable telescope for both visual and imaging. It all does seem to be a bit of a mine field to begin with ...but you will soon get the hang of it ...and I'm sure you will get plenty of help and advice from the members on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo_uk Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 On 28/01/2021 at 22:26, alis80b said: Ah, it's good to know someone with the same camera. I read a lot of positive reviews about it and I'm really impressed so far (even though I've only used it once 😂) My old DSRL was a 400D (which I bought when I first took up photography). I bought a Canon G16 a few years back which I've been using for holiday photography. I got annoyed carrying all the heavy DSLR stuff round with me. This Ra is a massive step up. I love the live view and the zoom option on the screen. Have you downloaded the app which goes with the camera on your phone? It seems really good. I used it as a remote shutter release and you can also change camera settings and view the photos on your phone. It connects by wifi or bluetooth and I guess it means you can actually sit inside and control it from there. I may be completely wrong but I think that with the Sky watcher reducer (which is specifically for the 80ED) you can attach the camera straight to it and it's made to be the correct distance from the sensor. That's what I read and the instructions seem to imply that (although a they were a bit vague). I think that's the benefit of buying the Sky watcher one rather than a 3rd party one but like I said I might be wrong. Thanks. I need to have a play around with exposures a bit. It's good to know that you think it's a bit over exposed as I'm not really sure what makes a good lunar photo? There are lots of photos on the internet but they are all very different. I'm annoyed that the weather is forecast to be rubbish for the foreseeable future as I'm desperate to get back outside! 😊 Hi Alison... Regarding the reducer your right that you can connect it directly to the camera but would need a adaptor like one of these (if you don't already have one) https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/skywatcher-dslr-m48-ring-adapter.html ... You also need to unscrew and remove the black ring on the focusing tube to screw the reducer directly on to the the telescope. Hope this helps Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 Only thing is Chris is that the Canon EF / EFS mount bayonet and the Canon RF mount bayonet are different. The one you linked to won't fit the EOS Ra i'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo_uk Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 2 hours ago, Bino-viewer said: Only thing is Chris is that the Canon EF / EFS mount bayonet and the Canon RF mount bayonet are different. The one you linked to won't fit the EOS Ra i'm afraid. Good catch there bino-viewer ...I though Alison was using I 400d but re reading the post ...that's her old camera ! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 (edited) This is the one i use. I removed the inner threaded part and directly attached a wide 2" nose. https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-wide-t-ring-canon-eos-with-d52i-to-t-2-and-s52-4289.html But i'm sure , knowing Baader , theres an adapter somewhere to go on the inner thread which will then attach to the SW reducer. Problem is again, doing that won't illuminate the EOS R's FF sensor so well. I would expect vignetting. Properly illuminating a FF sensor means a bigger reducer on something like M68 adaptation, which means a lot of expense. Edited February 1, 2021 by Bino-viewer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alis80b Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 10 hours ago, Neo_uk said: Hi Alison... Regarding the reducer your right that you can connect it directly to the camera but would need a adaptor like one of these (if you don't already have one) https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/skywatcher-dslr-m48-ring-adapter.html ... You also need to unscrew and remove the black ring on the focusing tube to screw the reducer directly on to the the telescope. Hope this helps Chris. 3 hours ago, Bino-viewer said: This is the one i use. I removed the inner threaded part and directly attached a wide 2" nose. https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-wide-t-ring-canon-eos-with-d52i-to-t-2-and-s52-4289.html But i'm sure , knowing Baader , theres an adapter somewhere to go on the inner thread which will then attach to the SW reducer. Problem is again, doing that won't illuminate the EOS R's FF sensor so well. I would expect vignetting. Properly illuminating a FF sensor means a bigger reducer on something like M68 adaptation, which means a lot of expense. Hi, Thanks for your replies. I had a zoom lesson with an astrophotographer on Friday to help me understand how it all works. It was a massive help, although I only skimmed the surface. I had the reducer attached directly to the telescope (like you said above) then my camera attached to that with the canon M48 adapter. I already had the Canon R to EF/EFS adapter (which I bought with the camera) which attached to the M48 adapter. The guy I had the lesson with said that this should create the right distance between the sensor but I guess the proof with be in the photos. He also suggested that I get this... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astro-essentials-adapter-for-sky-watcher-focal-reducers.html?fbclid=IwAR1ojCK1DcxzUBpqWYiyo8hsGDD7n5ahrDVXtrHUMFaAPP5ROMxz1UR9c04 Which I did so I now have everything attached to that. It don't really understand it but I can now move my camera around much easier where as before it was slightly off centre. This is what is now looks like... I don't know if you can see it properly. In other news, it turns out that I need another t ring to fit the Powermate x5 to the telescope and my camera, which explains why I couldn't work it out and spent ages feeling like I was do an impossible puzzle! Annoying that the shop didn't tell me I needed it. After taking onboard some of the comments (and the astrophotographer) on here I have emailed the shop and asked if I can return the lens and t-ring adapter as I really don't think it is suitable for my needs/set up (and it saves me buying yet another t ring!). He showed me what the planets would look like through my telescope and that Powermate (on Stellarium) and it was rubbish. He also said that it would seriously over power my telescope and he would be surprised if I had much success with it. I think I could spend the £250 on something more useful like a light pollution filter or guider (when the time is right). I suppose I'll just have to wait to see if that setup above works. My second project will be to try and get the Orion Nebula!! 😫 Wish me luck... I'll need it!! BAZ and +Bino-viewer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8472 Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Welcome aboard, Alison. alis80b 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 @alis80b My apologies Alison : i hadn't thought that you were using the RF to EF adapter. Doh.... I don't have one myself, and i remember why......they didn't have any in stock at LCE where i got my camera. Does it make any difference to the spacing from the reducer lens to the cameras chip ? The adapter you've got from FLO is a neat solution. Now the fun begins : aligning your mount and chasing down M42 ! (and the seamless transfer of your 'musicians Tourettes' to Astrophotography Tourettes ! 😃) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alis80b Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 6 hours ago, Bino-viewer said: @alis80b My apologies Alison : i hadn't thought that you were using the RF to EF adapter. Doh.... I don't have one myself, and i remember why......they didn't have any in stock at LCE where i got my camera. Does it make any difference to the spacing from the reducer lens to the cameras chip ? The adapter you've got from FLO is a neat solution. Now the fun begins : aligning your mount and chasing down M42 ! (and the seamless transfer of your 'musicians Tourettes' to Astrophotography Tourettes ! 😃) No need to apologise. I don't think I even mentioned that I had the adapter. I couldn't get a genuine Canon one as everywhere was out of stock. After contacting a few shops (and Canon) apparently they were having a massive stock problem due to a fire in one of the Japanese factories? I ended up getting a 'fake' Viltrox one instead. It was half the price and seems pretty good and sturdy. I think I will get a proper Canon one when I can though just so it all matches! 😂 I've just got a tape measure out to measure it and I think it's roughly about 60mm from the camera sensor to the lens in the reducer. That's with the adapter and M48 T ring attached. Do you know what the measurement is supposed to be? Can't wait!! 😂 +Bino-viewer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 I honestly don't, i'm sorry. Hopefully someone on here will though.....? alis80b 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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