ST80 Telephoto lense for Canon EOS (problem..)

Hey,
I have an Orion ST80 telescope and a Canon EOS rebel G camera which I use as a 400mm telephoto system for wildlife photography and astrophotography. When used in prime focus (400mm), the telescope works great, despite a little vignetting....But when I try to use it for eyepiece projection it doesn't even transmit light to the cameras eyepiece. I use an orion universal photo adaptor (1.25") and a t-ring to couple everything together, along with two orion Sirus Plossl eyepieces. Ones a 25mm and the others 9mm. With the 25 I can sometimes get a small oval of light to appear but otherwise am unsuccessful (definitely can't focus with it). I've tried sliding the eyepiece closer to the camera and even further away by moving it inside the adaptor but haven't had any success. When I take the system off the telescope (Camera hooked up to adaptor with eyepiece in it) I can see the oval of light that should be presenting the picture when hooked to the telescope. Why?????? This has been driving me insane as I've been waiting for the oppurtunity to do some real wildlife photography for a while and the funds that were devoted to the photo accessories aren't part of a large stash.....in fact there isn't even really a stash at all any more! I can't afford to sell off the scope and accessories at a loss and buy a dedicated lens, especially as my reasoning for buying(or excuse...whatever you want to call it) was the advantage of a dual purpose instrument (telescope and lens..). Pleases help...any and all is more than appreciated. Even if it seems insulting its so simple...I'm open to any suggestions or solutions.

Thanks!
Trey

P.S. I don't know if its of concern, but when in prime focus the telescopes focuser must be almost completely extended to obtain good focus.

You will need additional extension in order to get the eyepiece projection setup to work. The field stop of the eyepiece will need to be at the same point that the camera's film plane would be normally. You will probably need at least three additional inches of extension. There are several ways to accomplish this: 11/4 " diameter extension tube, T-thread extension tubes, or EOS mount extension tubes. Also, you will probably find that the effective focal length yielded by the eyepiece projection combination will be at least 1000 mm, probably more. You will need very fast film, a solid tripod, and cooperative wildlife subjects in order to get good results with such a setup. You may be happier in the long run getting a 500 mm or so t-mount Telephoto lens at a Camera Show (they can be had for $50 - $75 if you look around). The optics will be better for photography, it would be easier to focus, and the camera mounting is much more secure (would still need extension tubes for close focus work, though).

Joplin