THE DARK ROOM -- Developments of the evening scene

[John Rayner]

hi Mikey,

Go to nasa.gov for some pretty amazing shots, and for some shocking shots go to nasa.com. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Mike S]

that was pretty good John.

oh well yet another rainy night here NJ. maybe over the weekend i can get some moon shots and we can get this topic going again http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

[Crow Haven]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Hi guys! Terrific link on the previous page Mike -- WOW such great pics!!!
Hope ya do get a telescope or telephoto lens attachment of some sort this summer! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Mike S]

going to go for at least a 8" reflector. been watching Ebay and Amazon. i have a 2x tele-converter for the digital still playing with that trying to get a good pic. i think i posted a shot with it in my other post about "1st attempt of moon shot" or something like that.

[Crow Haven]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif An 8" dobsonian reflector will get you the most telescope quality and magnification for the money (the only shortcoming is they need to have a tracking motor on both axises if you want to also use it for photography)...be VERY CAREFUL about getting a scope through ebay. Relectors need to have their mirror systems kept collimated (there is a method and tools for this)or they will not provide crisp focused views. Shipping alone or rough handling can jar the main mirror out of alignment...AND beings they are exposed to the outside air, humidity, dust, bugs, etc. which can reach the mirrors through the open end there is always the possiblity of the mirror's thin aluminum and overcoatings getting scratched.....so beware if someone is offering a scope on ebay at very low prices. If you can't examine a scope in person I'd be very leary of it. I would prefer to go with Orion Telescope or another reliable optics specialty store which offers money back guarantees and the full manufacturer's warranty. Just my advice. Lots of people get "Xmas scopes" and don't use them further or know what to do after they get them and these can be resold like on ebay...but you won't have any recourse if the scope arrives damaged.
If you do get a reflector (and probably a dob is the best bet for the $$) treat it gently and keep the open end covered to protect your mirrors...also read up on collimating it, what you need and also about mirror cleaning (a little dust isn't too bad but don't succumb to the urge to clean it frequently as it's really a delicate procedure to clean a mirror--it must be removed from the tube, washed a special way, then replaced and recollimated--you don't want to do this until you absolutely have to http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif).

Good luck, Mike! You will be stunned by the amazing views through an 8" scope! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Mike S]

Wow thats alot of info for my old brain to take in. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/eek.gif maybe i will go with a spotting scope http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

yea i was looking at the ones on the orion link you posted. amazon has some good deals to just need to filter out the people selling and the buisness's

was going to try to get a few moon shots last nite but i fell asleep. maybe tonite if i am up around 1:30 i can get a few good shots b4 it gets to far over the horizon (rooftops) http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[Crow Haven]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif What I'd get, if I were just starting out and wanted to gaze at the moon and also use the scope for photography and other spotting scope type pursuits would be a tough little portable refractor (no collimating troubles, closed tube, lightweight, crisp images, fun and also possible to use with tracking on the axises) would be the Short tube 80mm refractor here http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.js...at=13&iProductID=455 this you could put in a pack and take along anywhere, you won't have to baby it like with a reflector. You get a few eyepieces with it ( you can get up to about 180X magnification with an optional barlow lens attachment later if you decided you needed it for higher magnification views, but you will find great views using the 40X -- and the field of view is much wider, and you have a mounting with drive -- an electronic drive pk is optional (see the acessories tabs on the info) and you could add to it later (you could even set this up on a regular large tripod if you needed or use it like it is off a table or other steady surface. The 80mm will show a beautiful view of the moon, and with tracking you can also see Saturn, Jupiter and the main moons, many bright star clusters, etc. It can be fitted with attachments to take a camera. Anyway, something else to consider. With scopes portability and ease of set up and use is a major factor. I would heartily recommend the Orion red dot finder also---this makes aiming the scope and finding things sooooo much easier. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif If you can afford a larger scope, by all means do...but this 80mm would be lots of fun and they have gotten good reviews for many years.

[Mike S]

Maya i was looking at this one also. it can mount to my camera tripod or to a equatorial mount. they have on in the clearance section for around 275 any thoughts or opinions? apex 127mm

[Crow Haven]

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Yes! This would bring you a lot of fun and much brighter images, Mike. The f/ratio will be slower than a specialty high price telephoto lens of a similar lens configuration (and at f/12 that's considered rather slow for photos -- the other 80mm refractor by comparison is f/5 and that's why it has found favor for taking wide field images and a reasonable focal ratio = shorter exposure times needed)...but that's not really too much of a concern beings there are ways to compensate with your images for extra brightness and such....provided you aren't trying for deep space or planetary images requiring tracking) Do you have a tripod you can mount it to? You will need one as Maksutov's are HEAVY. I used to have a Celestron C-90 which was a lot of fun but it was an older one and ghosting of inner reflections made it not so good for photos (loss of contrast and sharpness), but the newer Maksutovs have superior lens coatings and this should work quite well. You can further reduce light reflections off the main lens by using a lens shield extending about 5 inches beyond it (or make a temporary one out of black cardboard and wrap it around the front and tape it tight, this will reduce glare too and give better images. Yeah, you would enjoy this one but you will need a tripod mount and you won't have any motor drive unless you buy a equatorial mounting for it ---but perhaps that could wait for another time and after you decide whether you want to do much astronomical viewing. The regular tripod mount can also be made to adjust very nicely for fine aiming with another attachment for $30+ found in the acessories section (I've got one for my regular tripod and it's a life-saver!). http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

To sum up: The 80mm f/5 refractor may produce images that are even better despite the objective being smaller...because you also can track and it has a mounting for steadiness. But the Maksutov will definitely produce much brighter viewing and you will like what you see through it better because of the brightness, things will look sharper also because of this and the lens coatings should be quite good. With a tripod you could get some great shots of the moon no matter what because it is so bright the slow f/12 ratio isn't a problem there -- nor for bright daytime photo taking. Other night shots, or dim lighting shots would require using ASA 800 or post processing.
If the scope will be mainly for photography pay attention to the f/ratio mostly. If used for viewing through mostly then the most aperature for the money will yield the best views. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[John Rayner]

And the clouds break... finally...

http://img27.echo.cx/img27/8071/1upload5cx.jpg