Hi Ian,
Recently I started to have an itchy hand to give astrophotography a try. Hope that I can get some advice and pointers from you.
It all started when I saw a Meade DS-80AT scope on sale at a local Costco for US$199. This is a 80mm dia, 900mm FL (f/11 ?) refractor. It came with the Auto-Star navigator that can automatically point the telescope at a huge number of objects in the sky at the punch of a feww buttons. That is, if I can successfully align and train the scope first...
Anyway, the eyepieces that came with the scope are pathetic 0.96" type, so I looked around the internet and saw the William Optics DCL-28 24mm Plossl eyepiece that has a 28mm thread so that it can be attached sirectly to a CP995. I ordered that after reading some good reviews on dpreview.
Unfortunately, the scope is fitted with a 0.96" focuser, so I also went ahead to buy a 0.96" - 1.25" adapter.
While waiting for the eyepiece and adapter to arrive this week, the weather in Seattle has decided to go back to "normal" this few days, that is, cloudy and drizzling non-stop. Before I get a chance to take the first step, I would appreciate some advice from you.
The DCL-28 eyepiece will provide a magnification of approximately 37.5x with the DS-80. The optimal focal length of the CP995 in macro mode is about 70~100mm (35mm equivalent). That means that I can get an equivalent focal length of 2625~3750mm.
I know it will be relatively easy to get a full-frame shot of the moon with this setup. Is this good enough for photographing the farther planets like Jupiter and Saturn?
Have you had any experience wih Meade's autostar tracking? Will it track the planets smooth enough for photography?
Is the 0.96" focuser going to cause significant vignetting?
Hopefully, I can get enough experience in shorter than 20 years
and progress to SLR photography. I guess the FM10 body should be the best candidate among the equipment I own for this purpose. Do I absolutely have to toss the 0.96" focuser and go for 1.25 or 2" if I want to have any success with SLR astrophotography?
I know the DS-80 is quite a modest scope, but what exactly would be its limitations?
Sorry for throwing such a big bunch of questions. You are the only person I "know" who is experienced in this.
In the mean time, I am doing my job in reading up as much as possible from the internet. Found a site
www.astropix.com that has pretty good information for beginners.
Thanks!
Roy