Camera mounted to a Telescope/Spotting Scope

Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am

On Oct 20, 2017, Old Geezerr wrote
(in ):


Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

Many here have. The foremost proponent here would be Davoud. He has his
observatory installation, and his travelling kit, but his usage is mostly
astrophotography.

The most common telescope photography can be found in the birding community

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

A reflector scope is not going to make a particularly good spotting scope for
range work. For that it would be best to look for a modern refractor scope.
From my serious target shooting days I have two very good (no longer made)
Bausch & Lomb, and a Kowa spotting scopes. All three are over 50 years old,
and while they make good range and birding spotting scopes, the old lenses
with old lens coatings do not make for great photographic lenses. That said
there are some modern spotting scopes which do a very good to excellent job
when used for photography, and the best of these are not inexpensive. The
best can be as expensive as some of the best photographic lenses, many have
prices which can excede $2000.

Nikon has a broad range (in price and performance) of spotting scopes some of
which do well in the photography role.

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/en/nikon-products/fieldscopes/index.page

Celestron has some more affordable spotting scopes, including those mirror
scopes.
https://www.celestron.com/collections/spotting-scopes

I had mentioned, and can recommend Kowa.

http://www.kowaproducts.com

Then there is Leitz/Leica and Zeiss.

https://us.leica-camera.com/Sport-Op...ting/Spotting-
Scopes/About-Leica-spotting-scopes

https://www.zeiss.com/sports-optics/en_de/nature/spotting-scopes.html

Add to your list Redfield.
https://www.redfield.com/spottingscopes/

All of these are available from B&H, and some from Amazon.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Scopes/ci/980/N/4294541818


I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

That depends on the kind of photography you intend to use the scope/lens for.
There are reasons why cheap mirror lenses, while providing great
magnification for relatively low cost, are not the best choice.

I believe PeterN has a mirror lens he doesn’t use that much these days.


Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am

--

Regards,
Savageduck

On Fri, 20 Oct 2017 15:08:34 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Oct 20, 2017, Old Geezerr wrote
(in ):


Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

Many here have. The foremost proponent here would be Davoud. He has his
observatory installation, and his travelling kit, but his usage is mostly
astrophotography.

The most common telescope photography can be found in the birding community

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

A reflector scope is not going to make a particularly good spotting scope for
range work. For that it would be best to look for a modern refractor scope.
From my serious target shooting days I have two very good (no longer made)
Bausch & Lomb, and a Kowa spotting scopes. All three are over 50 years old,
and while they make good range and birding spotting scopes, the old lenses
with old lens coatings do not make for great photographic lenses. That said
there are some modern spotting scopes which do a very good to excellent job
when used for photography, and the best of these are not inexpensive. The
best can be as expensive as some of the best photographic lenses, many have
prices which can excede $2000.

Nikon has a broad range (in price and performance) of spotting scopes some of
which do well in the photography role.

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/en/nikon-products/fieldscopes/index.page

Celestron has some more affordable spotting scopes, including those mirror
scopes.
https://www.celestron.com/collections/spotting-scopes

I had mentioned, and can recommend Kowa.

http://www.kowaproducts.com

Then there is Leitz/Leica and Zeiss.

https://us.leica-camera.com/Sport-Op...ting/Spotting-
Scopes/About-Leica-spotting-scopes

https://www.zeiss.com/sports-optics/en_de/nature/spotting-scopes.html

Add to your list Redfield.
https://www.redfield.com/spottingscopes/

All of these are available from B&H, and some from Amazon.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Scopes/ci/980/N/4294541818


I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

That depends on the kind of photography you intend to use the scope/lens for.
There are reasons why cheap mirror lenses, while providing great
magnification for relatively low cost, are not the best choice.

I believe PeterN has a mirror lens he doesn’t use that much these days.


Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am


Thanks Savageduck

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am

On 10/20/2017 6:08 PM, Savageduck wrote:
On Oct 20, 2017, Old Geezerr wrote
(in ):


Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

Many here have. The foremost proponent here would be Davoud. He has his
observatory installation, and his travelling kit, but his usage is mostly
astrophotography.

The most common telescope photography can be found in the birding community

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

A reflector scope is not going to make a particularly good spotting scope for
range work. For that it would be best to look for a modern refractor scope.
From my serious target shooting days I have two very good (no longer made)
Bausch & Lomb, and a Kowa spotting scopes. All three are over 50 years old,
and while they make good range and birding spotting scopes, the old lenses
with old lens coatings do not make for great photographic lenses. That said
there are some modern spotting scopes which do a very good to excellent job
when used for photography, and the best of these are not inexpensive. The
best can be as expensive as some of the best photographic lenses, many have
prices which can excede $2000.

Nikon has a broad range (in price and performance) of spotting scopes some of
which do well in the photography role.

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/en/nikon-products/fieldscopes/index.page

Celestron has some more affordable spotting scopes, including those mirror
scopes.
https://www.celestron.com/collections/spotting-scopes

I had mentioned, and can recommend Kowa.

http://www.kowaproducts.com

Then there is Leitz/Leica and Zeiss.

https://us.leica-camera.com/Sport-Op...ting/Spotting-
Scopes/About-Leica-spotting-scopes

https://www.zeiss.com/sports-optics/en_de/nature/spotting-scopes.html

Add to your list Redfield.
https://www.redfield.com/spottingscopes/

All of these are available from B&H, and some from Amazon.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Scopes/ci/980/N/4294541818


I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

That depends on the kind of photography you intend to use the scope/lens for.
There are reasons why cheap mirror lenses, while providing great
magnification for relatively low cost, are not the best choice.

I believe PeterN has a mirror lens he doesn’t use that much these days.


Yep! Every so often I play with it But it is a 500mm, and I can put my
1.4 telconverter on my 80-400 and have better glass, with auto focusing.



Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am



--
PeterN

On 10/20/2017 8:23 PM, Old Geezerr wrote:
On Fri, 20 Oct 2017 15:08:34 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Oct 20, 2017, Old Geezerr wrote
(in ):


Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

Many here have. The foremost proponent here would be Davoud. He has his
observatory installation, and his travelling kit, but his usage is mostly
astrophotography.

The most common telescope photography can be found in the birding community

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

A reflector scope is not going to make a particularly good spotting scope for
range work. For that it would be best to look for a modern refractor scope.
From my serious target shooting days I have two very good (no longer made)
Bausch & Lomb, and a Kowa spotting scopes. All three are over 50 years old,
and while they make good range and birding spotting scopes, the old lenses
with old lens coatings do not make for great photographic lenses. That said
there are some modern spotting scopes which do a very good to excellent job
when used for photography, and the best of these are not inexpensive. The
best can be as expensive as some of the best photographic lenses, many have
prices which can excede $2000.

Nikon has a broad range (in price and performance) of spotting scopes some of
which do well in the photography role.

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/en/nikon-products/fieldscopes/index.page

Celestron has some more affordable spotting scopes, including those mirror
scopes.
https://www.celestron.com/collections/spotting-scopes

I had mentioned, and can recommend Kowa.

http://www.kowaproducts.com

Then there is Leitz/Leica and Zeiss.

https://us.leica-camera.com/Sport-Op...ting/Spotting-
Scopes/About-Leica-spotting-scopes

https://www.zeiss.com/sports-optics/en_de/nature/spotting-scopes.html

Add to your list Redfield.
https://www.redfield.com/spottingscopes/

All of these are available from B&H, and some from Amazon.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Scopes/ci/980/N/4294541818


I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

That depends on the kind of photography you intend to use the scope/lens for.
There are reasons why cheap mirror lenses, while providing great
magnification for relatively low cost, are not the best choice.

I believe PeterN has a mirror lens he doesn’t use that much these days.


Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am


Thanks Savageduck

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am


Here is a link to an interesting article on the subject:
https://petapixel.com/2012/11/09/digiscoping-a-look-at-using-a-spotting-scope-as-a-telephoto-lens/

My opinion follows:
If our interest is just recording images of birds, you will probably not
get as much feather detail, but you can save significant money. These
days you can get a halfway decent 600mm zoom lens for between 1 and 3
thousand.

--
PeterN

On Fri, 20 Oct 2017 21:46:47 -0400, PeterN
wrote:

On 10/20/2017 8:23 PM, Old Geezerr wrote:
On Fri, 20 Oct 2017 15:08:34 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Oct 20, 2017, Old Geezerr wrote
(in ):


Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

Many here have. The foremost proponent here would be Davoud. He has his
observatory installation, and his travelling kit, but his usage is mostly
astrophotography.

The most common telescope photography can be found in the birding community

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

A reflector scope is not going to make a particularly good spotting scope for
range work. For that it would be best to look for a modern refractor scope.
From my serious target shooting days I have two very good (no longer made)
Bausch & Lomb, and a Kowa spotting scopes. All three are over 50 years old,
and while they make good range and birding spotting scopes, the old lenses
with old lens coatings do not make for great photographic lenses. That said
there are some modern spotting scopes which do a very good to excellent job
when used for photography, and the best of these are not inexpensive. The
best can be as expensive as some of the best photographic lenses, many have
prices which can excede $2000.

Nikon has a broad range (in price and performance) of spotting scopes some of
which do well in the photography role.

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/en/nikon-products/fieldscopes/index.page

Celestron has some more affordable spotting scopes, including those mirror
scopes.
https://www.celestron.com/collections/spotting-scopes

I had mentioned, and can recommend Kowa.

http://www.kowaproducts.com

Then there is Leitz/Leica and Zeiss.

https://us.leica-camera.com/Sport-Op...ting/Spotting-
Scopes/About-Leica-spotting-scopes

https://www.zeiss.com/sports-optics/en_de/nature/spotting-scopes.html

Add to your list Redfield.
https://www.redfield.com/spottingscopes/

All of these are available from B&H, and some from Amazon.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Scopes/ci/980/N/4294541818


I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

That depends on the kind of photography you intend to use the scope/lens for.
There are reasons why cheap mirror lenses, while providing great
magnification for relatively low cost, are not the best choice.

I believe PeterN has a mirror lens he doesn’t use that much these days.


Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am


Thanks Savageduck

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am


Here is a link to an interesting article on the subject:
https://petapixel.com/2012/11/09/digiscoping-a-look-at-using-a-spotting-scope-as-a-telephoto-lens/

My opinion follows:
If our interest is just recording images of birds, you will probably not
get as much feather detail, but you can save significant money. These
days you can get a halfway decent 600mm zoom lens for between 1 and 3
thousand.

Thanks for the link and the comments.

However, those prices are way beyond my means, the reason for the
Celestron Reflex idea.

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am

On Fri, 20 Oct 2017 17:42:18 -0700 (PDT), RichA
wrote:

On Friday, 20 October 2017 16:35:23 UTC-4, Old Geezerr wrote:
Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am

You need a camera adapter, a T-mount (mounts the camera to the camera adapter. If you are using a Maksutov Cassegrain, you probably won't need an adapter that accepts eyepieces (for more power) as Maks have inherently long focal lengths as it is. Faster refractors can be used at "prime" focus (just using the scope's front lens as the camera lens) but can sometimes benefit from "eyepiece projection" to increase focal lengths. "Digiscoping" or cobbling cameras to terrestrial spotting scopes isn't recommended because intermediary optics used in these scopes results in unacceptably slow photographic speeds (slower than f/11) and focal lengths that can be too long.
Below is a common t-ring (t-threaded ring and camera bayonet mounting) attached to a standard 1-1/4" slide-in (to the telescope focuser) telescope adapter.

http://www.pbase.com/andersonrm/image/64464511

Thanks for the comment.

The Reflex scope I am looking at has T-Adapter threads on it.
All I need to do is to get the T-Ring for my Canon camera.

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am

In article , Old Geezerr
wrote:

Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?


I have good results with a Nikon Fieldscope and Nikon's mount for my
DSLR for birding, or a homemade mount that I use with other digital
cameras for astrophotography or a GoPro.

Here is an example with the DSLR attached:
http://www.mhmyers.com/d80/DSC_1516w.jpg

And one with a smaller digital camera through the eyepiece of the
telescope:
http://www.mhmyers.com/d80/DSCN3653w.jpg

And a page explaining it all:
http://www.mhmyers.com/camera.html

--
m-m
www.mhmyers.com

On Oct 20, 2017, Old Geezerr wrote
(in ):

On Fri, 20 Oct 2017 17:42:18 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

On Friday, 20 October 2017 16:35:23 UTC-4, Old Geezerr wrote:
Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am

You need a camera adapter, a T-mount (mounts the camera to the camera
adapter. If you are using a Maksutov Cassegrain, you probably won't need an
adapter that accepts eyepieces (for more power) as Maks have inherently
long focal lengths as it is. Faster refractors can be used at "prime" focus
(just using the scope's front lens as the camera lens) but can sometimes
benefit from "eyepiece projection" to increase focal lengths. "Digiscoping"
or cobbling cameras to terrestrial spotting scopes isn't recommended
because intermediary optics used in these scopes results in unacceptably
slow photographic speeds (slower than f/11) and focal lengths that can be
too long.
Below is a common t-ring (t-threaded ring and camera bayonet mounting)
attached to a standard 1-1/4" slide-in (to the telescope focuser) telescope
adapter.

http://www.pbase.com/andersonrm/image/64464511

Thanks for the comment.

The Reflex scope I am looking at has T-Adapter threads on it.
All I need to do is to get the T-Ring for my Canon camera.

Which Canon camera do you use?

What lenses do you currently own.

....and what sort of long distance subject(s) do you have in mind (birds,
wildlife, motorsport, airshows, etc)?

--

Regards,
Savageduck

On Fri, 20 Oct 2017 21:33:49 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On Oct 20, 2017, Old Geezerr wrote
(in ):

On Fri, 20 Oct 2017 17:42:18 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

On Friday, 20 October 2017 16:35:23 UTC-4, Old Geezerr wrote:
Has anyone used their digital camera mounted onto a telescope?

I'm thinking about getting a Celestron reflector scope, primarily
for shooting range spotting but also considering photographic use.

I have read that reflector type camera lenses have a tendency to
produce ghost rings under certain conditions. Any comments?

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am

You need a camera adapter, a T-mount (mounts the camera to the camera
adapter. If you are using a Maksutov Cassegrain, you probably won't need an
adapter that accepts eyepieces (for more power) as Maks have inherently
long focal lengths as it is. Faster refractors can be used at "prime" focus
(just using the scope's front lens as the camera lens) but can sometimes
benefit from "eyepiece projection" to increase focal lengths. "Digiscoping"
or cobbling cameras to terrestrial spotting scopes isn't recommended
because intermediary optics used in these scopes results in unacceptably
slow photographic speeds (slower than f/11) and focal lengths that can be
too long.
Below is a common t-ring (t-threaded ring and camera bayonet mounting)
attached to a standard 1-1/4" slide-in (to the telescope focuser) telescope
adapter.

http://www.pbase.com/andersonrm/image/64464511

Thanks for the comment.

The Reflex scope I am looking at has T-Adapter threads on it.
All I need to do is to get the T-Ring for my Canon camera.

Which Canon camera do you use?

What lenses do you currently own.

...and what sort of long distance subject(s) do you have in mind (birds,
wildlife, motorsport, airshows, etc)?


The Canon that I have is a Rebel T5, sold as an "entry level"
DSLR. It does what I want for my skill level and was at a kit
package price that I could afford.

The lenses that i have a
1. 18-55mm EF S f: 3.5- 5.6 kit lens
2. 100mm MACRO EF f: 2.8
3. 75-300 EF f: 1.4- 5.6 III kit lens

The Celestron would be a 1250mm lens as the camera mounts right to
the telescope rear face via a T- ring.

For usage I am looking at landscapes, heavenly bodies and even
some astronomical shots.

I know that the camera body is only an extention of the glass.
At my usage and skill levels, however, a $1-3 thousand lens on the
T5 would be like using a Kentucky Race Horse to pull a buckboard.

Thanks though for asking.

Dave:

There goes the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
Gee I wish I was a moron.
My God, maybe I am