Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

[OM] Re: OM to telescope

Subject: [OM] Re: OM to telescope
From: Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 06 Feb 2006 08:02:46 -0500
See <http://www.telescopes.ru/manuals/tal1/tal1_manual.phtml#62> where 
you will discover that your telescope is designed to do wide field sky 
photography using the telescope as a guiding device and not as the lens. 
  You are expected to attach the camera (with its own lens) to a 
supplied bracket attached to the declination axis (the one with the 
counterweight).  You then take wide angle views of the sky using the 
camera's normal lenses.

While it is possible to use this scope as the lens for the camera it 
will not be easy.  When using a telescope as a lens there are two 
fundamentally different methods.  The first is the telescope as the 
prime lens (of 805mm focal length) and the second is eyepiece projection.

In the case of using the scope itself as the prime lens your first 
problem is that the focal plane of the scope must extend beyond the side 
of the tube sufficiently far to reach the focal plane of the camera. 
Most newtonian telescopes are *not* designed to allow you to do this. 
Whether this one is able is hard to tell but I suspect not.  In 
addition, when using a reflecting telescope as the prime lens it's 
desirable to have the secondary mirror of larger diameter than when used 
visually in order to avoid vignetting since the camera's field of view 
is much larger than that of the eye.

When used for eyepiece projection the eyepiece of the telescope is used 
to project an image onto the camera's focal plane.  In this case the 
telescope and eyepiece together are serving as the prime lens but of 
much longer focal length than the telescope alone.  A variation of the 
eyepiece projection method has the eyepiece focused for your eye which 
is then projecting a beam of parallel rays focused at ininity.  The 
camera is then placed behind the eyepiece but this time with one of its 
own lenses attached and focused at infinity.  Since the rays emerging 
from the eyepiece appear at infinity the camera's lens will properly 
focus them at the camera.  This method can even be used with non-SLR's 
as long as the camera lens can be focused at infinity.

With any method not utilizing the camera's own lens you need first a "T 
adapter" which has the camera's specific lens mount on one side and 42mm 
diameter "T threads" on the other.  Various other adapters are then 
available to adapt the T mount to other adapter tubes fitted to the 
telescope.

In the case of prime focus photography the adapter would be a tube of 
1-1/4" outer diameter with T threads on one end to screw into the 
camera's T adapter.  The 1-1/4" tube is the same diameter as a standard 
telescope eyepiece and the camera and adapter tube would be inserted 
into the focuser the same as an eyepiece.  2" eyepieces and focusers are 
also available and are better suited to prime focus photography in order 
to reduce vignetting from the small 1-1/4" tube.

In the case of eyepiece projection the adapter tube will be 1-1/4" OD on 
one end and 1-1/4" ID on the other plus an outer threaded sleeve to 
connect to the T adapter.  You insert the eyepiece into the inner tube, 
screw the end with eyepiece into the T-adapter and insert the whole 
assembly with camera into the focuser.

When using the T adapter the camera is supported by being physically 
attached to the focuser via the adapter tubes.  When using projection 
through the camera's lens some other support must be found to hold the 
camera in alignment with the eyepiece.  It's possible that the sun 
projection screen could be adapted to perform double duty here.

Also problematic with cameras attached to newtonian scopes is 
longtitudinal and radial balance.  If the camera is heavy it may be 
desirable to attach counterweights to the opposite side of the tube for 
radial balance.  Strategic placement on the opposite end of the tube may 
also handle the longititudinal balance problem but that can also be 
solved or at least mitigated by sliding the tube in its saddle.

Good luck,
Chuck Norcutt

orava@xxxxxxxx wrote:

> 
> Hi there!
> 
> I just fulfilled my very long dream and bought a nice little astronomy 
> telescope TAL-1 (see http://www.telescopes.ru/product.html?cat=1&prod=7 ).
> 
> Now I would like to attach my OM-4Ti (and E-1) to this telescope so that I 
> could take photos of the moon through the telescope. But I am so new to 
> telescope optics that I really don't know the best way to do it. Surely I 
> must 
> attach the camera to the same "pipe" where the eyepiece sits. But do I have 
> to 
> have an eyepiece there also or do I only need the camera body? Or should I 
> have 
> a lense in the OM also? I doubt that...
> 
> All ideas, experiences and theories are wellcomed!
> 
> 
> Best wishes, 
> 
> Olli
> 
> ==============================================
> List usage info:     http://www.zuikoholic.com
> List nannies:        olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
> ==============================================
> 


==============================================
List usage info:     http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies:        olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz