Posts Made By: Anthony Garcia

I wonder if someone with astrophotography expierence can answer a question for me? I am fairly new (last couple yrs) to film astrophotography with a permanent pier mounted LX200 10" f10 scope. I am doing film photography with a OM-1 camera attatched to the LX200. Most of my interest in photos is in deep sky objects (galaxies, nebula, ect.) I am tired of trying to guide on stars too dim visually with a guiding eyepiece and my off axis guider. Hence i have been looking into several options for autoguiding. Is losmandy rings and a refractor with a autoguider the best option? If so what size of refractor would be recommended with both optical and mechanical considerations? Or should i stick with a autoguider on my existing offaxis guider? Also i noticed on Sbigs internet site, a new product, called the FR237 which acts as a small guidescope with thier autoguiders. This option seems to be less in size and wieght, i would think a good thing. But does it work well enough to a first timer to invest into? How about using the existing 8x50 finder scope with its dovetailed holder, and a little machining adapter and a CCD autoguider? (the eyepiece unscrews off the back of the 8x50 guidescope) Would that accomplish the same as a FR237 mounted to the front of a autoguider? All of these options would take a bite out of my budget. So if someone could give me practical answers and expierences on what they found works and doesnt, before i invest. I have to do something different than visual guiding?
Thanks

I wonder if someone with astrophotography expierence can answer a question for me? I am fairly new (last couple yrs) to film astrophotography with a permanent pier mounted LX200 10" f10 scope. I am doing film photography with a OM-1 camera attatched to the LX200. Most of my interest in photos is in deep sky objects (galaxies, nebula, ect.) I am tired of trying to guide on stars too dim visually with a guiding eyepiece and my off axis guider. Hence i have been looking into several options for autoguiding. Is losmandy rings and a refractor with a autoguider the best option? If so what size of refractor would be recommended with both optical and mechanical considerations? Or should i stick with a autoguider on my existing offaxis guider? Also i noticed on Sbigs internet site, a new product, called the FR237 which acts as a small guidescope with thier autoguiders. This option seems to be less in size and wieght, i would think a good thing. But does it work well enough to a first timer to invest into? How about using the existing 8x50 finder scope with its dovetailed holder, and a little machining adapter and a CCD autoguider? (the eyepiece unscrews off the back of the 8x50 guidescope) Would that accomplish the same as a FR237 mounted to the front of a autoguider? All of these options would take a bite out of my budget. So if someone could give me practical answers and expierences on what they found works and doesnt, before i invest. I have to do something different than visual guiding?
Thanks

i have just recently started hypering my own techpan film. the first roll, i hypered at 90hrs, +3psi @ 50deg C. I processed it at 16min in HC110 delution B. It is a rather dark negative. Does anyone have a suggestion on developing time for hypered Tech Pan film in HC110 delution B? What developing time for non-hypered film? My latest roll of film i am trying the hypering at 17hrs, +18psi @ 50deg C. Would this make for a different developing time? Also i notice alot of people use D-19 developer for hypered Techpan, what advantage does it give me over the HC110? Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks

Has anyone used the Skyprobe 1000 goto system by Soft-tec? I am looking to get a mount from optic-craft with 9" RA gears on 2" shafts. They recommend the skyprobe electronics and software (dos based) If you have used or have this goto system, please let me know how well it works and any quarks
Thanks
Anthony

I am going to embark on building a german equatorial mount. Does any one have a good source for practical engineering questions associated with building a telescope mount? a good book or someone willing to look at drawings and give suggestions? Maybe comments from some others who have built a mount and lessons learned?
Thanks
Anthony
[email protected]

I am looking for a nice optical tube assembly for a custom machined mount (100lb capacity). I am presently doing film photography, but want to go to ccd in the near future. I had been using a lx200 classic 10" f/10. So am considering a meade (gps)newer 10" f10 or f6.3 optical tube with mirror lock. Also the meade lxd55 10" f4 schmidt-newtonian looks interesting.
So any comments on how well the newer gps optical tube stops mirror shift? Also any comments on optical quality for photography with lxd55? Any other reasonably priced tubes in 10"-12" range, someone has had success with?
Anthony

Has anyone film imaged with the LXD55 10" f4.5 ota yet?
If so how does it perform? Do you have to move the focuser?
Thanks
Anthony

I have a custom machined german equatorial mount. the top plate is 3" x 10" x 1" aluminum. i want to install a meade 10" ota to it. i like the idea of a dovetail system. or would a direct mount be stirdier for ccd work? Perhaps the saddle bars off of losmandy's dc10 directly mounted to my top plate? i have a losmandy dc10 for the 10" ota, it is installed on the top with rings and a guide scope. but it isnt that thick (1/2"?). which losmandy dovetail system is made for holding a whole ota? Is there another company that makes nice dovetails for this use? of course i realize i would have to do some custom machined holes to attatch it to my 3" x 10" plate.

Any comments on using a Sac-7 or 8 ccd cameras as a autoguider? How practical would it be? or better off just finding a used ST-4 autoguider on astromart?

Paul
Micheal A. Covington's book 'Astrophotography for the Amateur'(1999) has a nice set of exposure tables in the back of the book. they cover 15 pages, cover lookups on f ratio ranges, film speed ranges, 10 phases of the moon including eclipses, 6 of the sun from full to eclipses, all the planets, comets, some common nebulas, cores of galaxies, outer regions of galaxies, and town & city sky fog limits. I am just a beginner in Astrophotography with my LX200 10" f/10. I started with the moon and planets, both with prime focus and eyepiece projection. These charts have given me some great starting points. I made photo copies of them and bound them in a notebook to leave by my scope in my observatory (slide off barn roof). Its a excellent book, check it out.
Anthony
Sedalia, Missouri