Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/03/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>There is currently a commit that appears ~5:30 am est. I was wondering if >anyone here has ever done this. I have a celestron telescope, and I want to >attach my nikon 2020 to it. Yeah yeah..not Leica..but still photog. How much >does this adapter(s) cost. Also in general, what is a good rule of thumb >for exposure, film speed, etc. Thanks, Hal Another option is to get a bracket to mount the camera (you could use the Leica) onto the telescope. Get the comet head at one side of the field of view in the camera and put a Barlow on the Celestron. Pick a guide star through the telescope and keep it near the cross hairs during the exposure on the camera. This will keep the stars as points of light in the picture rather than streaks. The reason to use a camera (50mm lens works well) is to get the comet's tail in the frame. Hale-Bopp has a very long tail. My 50mm photos of the last comet (Hakutake) were much more dramatic and interesting than the ones shot with a longer lens, much less the telescope. Much of the tail isn't visible (at least in city light) but will show up on film. Some people like to track on the comet's head rather than a guide star. The stars will appear as streaks, but some people think they get more detail in the comet's head. The comet's head looks like a blur to me; I prefer pinpoint stars. Good luck. - -Charlie