Digital Camera for spotting scope

LukeL · Guest

I am looking for a camera that could be put onto a spotting scope. The scope I have uses 1.25inche eye pieces. I am looking to spend around $400.00 and would like a camera that can take long exposures for things like the Jupiter and its moons.

LukeL · Guest

Just to clraify that I will be using it mostly for land based photography and will be mostly still life and geological formations. Planetary astronomy would be a + but is really not needed.

Jne_K · Site Admin Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 5207

Hi

You can't do long exposure photography with a spotting scope mounted on a camera tripod. You need an astronomy tripod and mount that offers motorized tracking, preferrably equatorial tracking. If you wan to do astrophotography, you are better off selecting a standard telescope, such as the Celestron Nexstar 4SE, which can also be used to some daytime observing. For a camera, you will need an SLR. Digital point and shoots don't cut it for astrophotography.

For the basics on astrophotography, see my short article,
Astrophotography in a nutshell
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