Digiscoping with FZ-30

Hi there

I am rather keen on taking photos of celestial objects and after splashing out on a FZ-30 I naturally began to wonder if it could be coupled to my meade LXD-55 SC .I read with interest a test posted by Ankh dealing with digiscoping with the FZ-30 . I am not sure I fully understand the technical side of the eyepieces used for the test ; for instance taking into account that the FZ-30 has focusing distance of 50mm ,Do the eyepieces used for the test shorten that distance somehow .Anyone remembering that discussion could help me shed some light on the matter .This is my post on this forum .Please redirect me if I am not in the right place .Many thanks

The trick is to use eyepiece projection. Orion make an attachment called a SteadyPix which attaches to the telescope and upon which you mount the camera. Use a two inch eyepice as the 1.25" vignettes badly. A 36mm eyepiece should do the trick. Scope here is a Meade 4" SCT.

Bryan

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He who laughs and runs away brings the bacon home to roost.

Thanks Bryan ,

I think I know what you mean .Scopetronix do a similar clamp but I still don't know how it can work .The minimum focusing distance of the FZ-30 is 50 mm in macro mode ,when I try to position the camera roughly that distance away from the telescope's eyepiece all I see is dot and a small one at that .Are there other ways to digiscope with the FZ-30 .Perhaps it is the wrong camera to do that with but again I seem to come across examples to the contrary .
Any help will be much appreciated .Many thanks
Chris

You don't need macro mode. Mount the eyepiece directly on the telescope and focus it. Set the camera zoom to 420 mm and focus on infinity (or a distant subject). Position the camera as close to the eyepiece as possible. Refocus the telescope (it should be nearly focussed) and all should be well. Practise in daylight just to get the hang of it.

Bryan
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He who laughs and runs away brings the bacon home to roost.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=15542061

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Something I forgot to mention. There's a mechanical diaphragm in the FZ30 which closes down if there's too much light, and you can't turn it off. This also causes vignetting. So you'll need a neutral density filter if this is the case.

Bryan

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He who laughs and runs away brings the bacon home to roost.

Many thanks for your input Bryan , I did manage to get a better view through the eyepiece but it is not what you would call a pretty sight .Rereading the test done by Arthur Ankh on digiscoping with a FZ-30 ,in the test he uses a scope with a short focal length ,480 mm I think .Mine is a 8" meade STC with a focal length of 2000mm so even using my lowest magnification eyepiece 40mm ,I get far too much magnification to get a good image .So I will have to rethink .This is my first time on this Forum ,I learned a lot over the last couple of days ,these sites are great .Many thanks again
Chris

Yes, 2000mm is rather long. My 4" is only 1000mm so I don't get as much magnification. I generally use a Leicaflex with eyepiece projection but I can use any eyepiece that way and there's no camera lens to take into account. Best of luck.

Bryan
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He who laughs and runs away brings the bacon home to roost.

As I understand the physics of it, a camara with a objective diameter the same dia. as your ocular will give you the best results. http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=243 is a fantastic goldmine of info on the subject. Or http://www.birdforum.net to get to the homepage. I tried some with a Nikon Coolpix 930 (I think it was) and a Meade 4" sct & got good results. The FZ30 has that great 1.280 objective, and none of my eyepieces came anywhere that large. Also it's weight would be tough to hang on a scope. The birdforum site will take you weeks to read everything interesting and to see a few of their bird photos. I think CK has posted some threads on this forum on the subject. Try a search?
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Tom, http://tswill2.smugmug.com/

Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.' Mark Twain