Orion's total sollution?

[Larry 1969]

Hello all!

After a few imaging sessions I've determined that I hate the polar alignment process... :flame:
I was advised to use Sharpcap Pro but that won't work with my DSLR so here I am...

Since I plan to start guiding at some point I was looking at guide scope / camera options when I came across this.



A couple of questions. Would this be a suitable solution for me? As in will it compliment my set up? 8" F3.9 reflector with APS-C sized DSLR sensor.
And, would I be able to execute Sharpcap's polar alignment routine with this set up? And will it work with Windows 10 64 bit?

Thanks!

Larry

[yobbo89]

I use phd which has a really good polar alighnment drift tool, the guide scope is fine with your setup.

[UlteriorModem]

It will work just fine, but I have to be honest I was not all that impressed with the "Star Shoot" camera.

Once you do get a guide scope and camera and PHD2 you can use the 'drift alignment' feature of PHD2 to fine tune your polar alignment.

[bladekeeper]

You should be able to use that with SharpCap's polar alignment routine just fine. That has been my typical process for quite some time.

[JayTee]

This what I use for my camera and lens for a SharpCap PA because my DSLR and SharpCap don't play well together!


Cheers,
JT

[yobbo89]

as tom said he didn't like the starshoot camera ,which i think it may be due to sensitivity ,might be good to clarify why you didn't like it tom just to aid for op in a good purchase.

just to add on to that,sometime you'll find a spot in the sky where stars are dim and very few,typically in galaxy season and even a shorter focal length guide scope/wider view will not help too much in finding something to guide on hence it is pretty helpful to buy a sensitive enough camera for guiding.sometimes you'll have to bump up the exposure length on dim parts of the sky but it's not ideal to be running 5+ second exposures.

[yobbo89]

56% q.e with 5.2um

https://rk.edu.pl/astro/kamery-ccd/matr ... n-mt9m001/

[Larry 1969]

Thanks for the replies!
So the 50mm guide scope with helical focuser would be good but the camera not so much?
Yobbo89, That link you provided takes me to several cameras that use that particular sensor. Any of those would be a good match?

Larry

[bobharmony]

Larry - I have been using the StarShoot as a guide camera since I started guiding. The scope I use is the Orion ST-80. With that combination, I have never had a problem finding a guide start in its field of view. I also use scope rings to attach it to the mount, which gives me good control of flex. That was my biggest concern with the 50mm and the shoe mount.

Bob

[UlteriorModem]

Yea I should have qualified my statement.

I used the Star Shoot for a while but found it to be kind of 'numb' as in low sensitivity and could not achieve a sharp image.

The camera is quite serviceable, and works okay for it's price range. I also tried an ASI1600 which was better but still did not meet my expectations. Especially when I started using off axis guiding.

But I guess I am spoiled with my starlight express, but it is quite expensive.

[Larry 1969]

Thanks Bob!
Could you post a pic when you get a chance? I'm not sure about the "scope rings attached to the mount" part.

Larry

[bobharmony]

Thanks Bob!
Could you post a pic when you get a chance? I'm not sure about the "scope rings attached to the mount" part.

Larry

Sure thing, Larry. Here is my main OTA (C6n) with the guidescope piggybacked on top.

Since I took this picture, I have removed the finder because I don't need it anymore, and rotated the OTA so the focuser faces toward the mount to move the center of gravity of the setup closer to the RA axis. This in turn allows me to move the counterweights further up the shaft and reduces the load on the motors (I hope!).

Bob

[Larry 1969]

Thanks again Bob!
So you use the ST-80 along with the StatShoot camera with good results? Is there another camera in the $300 range that would perform better? I can save up a bit longer if needed.
In order to attach a set up like this to my OTA I would need a mounting plate (dovetail bar?) and rings that would fit the guide tube?
I was pretty successful taking 3 min subs unguided but when I pushed to 5 min I had to toss a lot of data...

I have read about rotating the OTA so that the focuser is at the bottom but it just seems weird and I'm not crazy about inserting my camera upside down.

Larry

[bobharmony]

Thanks again Bob!
So you use the ST-80 along with the StatShoot camera with good results? Is there another camera in the $300 range that would perform better? I can save up a bit longer if needed.
In order to attach a set up like this to my OTA I would need a mounting plate (dovetail bar?) and rings that would fit the guide tube?
I was pretty successful taking 3 min subs unguided but when I pushed to 5 min I had to toss a lot of data...

I have read about rotating the OTA so that the focuser is at the bottom but it just seems weird and I'm not crazy about inserting my camera upside down.

Larry

Larry - I have used this combination for three years and never had a hiccup, so I am not looking for another camera. It works for me, I stick with it. If you wanted to use the guide camera for other purposes as well, you could look at something better. I have no recommendations, as I haven't gone down that road. A couple of others have recommended cameras that yield a better quality image.

Yes, there is a second dovetail and rings. The dovetail bolts on top of the OTA rings and holds the rings for the guidescope, so any rigid bar with holes in the right places would work as well. A lot of rings for guidescopes have plastic thumbscrews to hold the scope in place and to adjust pointing. I went for tight fitting rings instead to keep as much rigidity as possible in the setup. As a result, my OTA and guidescope aren't exactly aligned, but they are close. The object in the center of the OTA field of view is present in the guidescope FOV, just not centered. It hasn't presented any problem thus far.

I was reluctant to rotate the OTA inward too, but it really help with steadiness and getting nice round stars. I wrap the camera strap around the OTA when imaging so it won't drop to the ground if it ever comes loose from the focuser. I use the scope almost exclusively for AP, so don't have to flip it around to put the focuser in a good place for visual work.

Bob

[Juno16]

Hi Larry,

I also use the SSAG with the Orion 50 mm guide scope with helical focuser (the Magnificent Mini). It was a cinch to set up in the daytime and I focused it only at the initial setup.

Works very well with Sharpcap pro. I PA with it each session. Never had a single issue.