Cheapskate's Equipment Page

Equipment

The heart of cheapskate philosophy is low cost equipment. High-end gear can cost tens of thousands of dollars, which is way outside my budget. These are my alternatives. Click on the photos for a larger view.
There are several setups used to photograph the sky. Which one to use depends on the type of object you wish to image.
This page is divided into sections: Afocal, Prime Focus, Eyepiece Projection, Filters, Miscellaneous

Afocal Photography
This is a simple and inexpensive way to photograph the moon, sun, and to some degree the planets. The telescope is set up and focused on a target as though for ordinary viewing. The camera is placed over the eyepiece where your eye would normally be. A steady hand is needed. This process is made much easier with the use of a camera mount (the Orion SteadyPix is shown here).
See also Matija Pozojevic's Afocal Method Astrophotography and his Equipment listing.

A Meade 2130AT reflector set up for afocal photography. This scope and camera (Pentax Optio S5i) were used to take almost all the photos on the Moon Page. The sun is also photographed this way, but a solar filter is required. Total cost of this setup is about $500. The scope and mount were bought factory reconditioned from Meade for $165.

A closeup of the camera and mount for afocal shooting. The camera lens should not touch the eyepiece, scratching of both the lens and the eyepiece could result. The eyepiece shown is an Orion Expanse 20mm. I use the camera's zoom for detailed closeups. This can be done with a more powerful eyepiece, but as power increases it becomes more difficult to keep the target centered in the field of view.

Another view of the afocal setup. The camera is attached to the SteadyPix mount by its tripod socket. The mount is then fastened to the eyepiece by means of a collar with a thumbscrew for tightening. The eyepiece is then inserted into the telescope focus tube. It's often easier to focus the telescope, remove the eyepiece, assemble the afocal components and reinsert the eyepiece.

The components of the afocal setup:
Camera ($250)
SteadyPix camera mount ($30)
Eyepiece ($50)

The use of a wide-view eyepiece makes aligning the camera lens easier and it reduces vignetting (darkening of the edges of the picture). Both of these 15mm eyepieces provide the same magnification. At right is an Orion Expanse wide view ($50).

Prime Focus Deep Sky Photography
This is a much more difficult and rewarding technique used for deep sky photography (galaxies, nebulae and star clusters). Typically two telescopes are needed, one used as the camera lens and the other for guiding the mount during exposures. An off-axis guider can also be used, in which case only the photographic scope is needed.

The equipment for deep sky photography is costly, even the less expensive stuff shown here. The cost of this basic setup is about $1200. This setup shows the two scopes in parallel. The larger scope is connected directly to the mount. The white guide scope is connected to a tripod head. This makes it easier to center the guide scope on a suitable star. With most setups one scope will ride piggyback on the other.

The most important deep sky component is the German equatorial mount (also called the EQ mount or GEM). They cost from about $90 to over $10,000. This one is a Chinese clone of a more expensive $700 mount. I got it new on eBay for $250. The mount is aligned with north using a small telescope mounted inside the central axis. DC motors rotate the right ascension axis to counter the earth's rotation. An alt-az mount works equally well if it can be fitted with an equatorial wedge.

This is the Celestron CG5 computerized goto mount. $700.
Unlike the mount above, this one will find targets for you and track them more accurately. Shown here with the C102 refractor and Canon XTI camera attached. I regularly take 2 minute exposures with no guidance using this setup.

The CG5 with XTI and Tamron 70-300mm zoom lens. With this setup I take
3 minute exposures with no guiding.

This is Black Betty, a handmade 6 inch, f/5 reflector. Completed in December 2007. Finished in Ebony veneer. It has a JMI low-profile Crayford-type focuser and a curved-vane spider to prevent diffraction spikes in images.
Focal length is 750mm, field of view with an XTI is 1.7 x 1.13 degrees.

Black Betty's focuser was designed for a 10inch tube. A platform was made to allow attachment to a 7.5 inch tube.

This view shows the spider and holder for the secondary mirror. Also shown is my design and construction consultant Maggie.

A temporary cell was needed, so I took the one out of the meade 2130AT shown in the section above on afocal photography. It was too small for the tube I spacers were used to hold it snug.

The view through the polar alignment scope. Polaris (the north star) is positioned within the three-ring circle. Polaris' exact position within the circle is determined by the time. It will spin around the circle once every 24 hours. The figure marked OCT is a diagram of the constellation Octans, used for alignment in the southern hemisphere. The three little arcs at upper right are a mystery to me.

Guide scopes are used to monitor the EQ mount and aid in tracking more accurately. They need not be expensive at all. Even a toy telescope can make a decent guide scope since it only needs to focus a star. This is a $70 Baytronix birdwatching scope (shown with dew heater attached) connected to a heavy duty tripod head. The eyepice is a low-power 32mm I use when aligning targets. It approximates the same view seen though the photographic scope. During actual guiding I use the guide eyepiece shown below. This scope has an 80mm aperture and a focal length of 400mm. A larger guide scope will allow you to guide using a dimmer star but is heavier and may cost more.

This is Orion's 12mm Plossl guide eyepiece. It has illuminated crosshairs for keeping guide stars centered. The grey cylinder holds the LED and three button batteries. The brightness of the crosshairs is adjustable. About $75.

Here the guide eyepiece is shown with a barlow lens attached to it. The barlow doubles the magnification of the eyepiece, providing twice the accuracy during guiding but dimming the guide star.

This is a simulated view through the guide eyepiece. The white dot is a star tucked into a corner of the crosshairs. A bright star may be centered behind two intersecting lines.

The Celestron 102mm wide view scope shown with camera and dew heater attached. 500mm focal length, f/5. Costs about $200. A higher quality photographic scope can capture more detail in your images. The cost goes up dramatically for larger scopes.

The Canon 10D (in need of cleaning), shown with t-ring and coupler attached. The coupler slides into the focuser drawtube on the telescope. Filters can be screwed on to the end of the coupler. The t-ring can be used without the coupler by screwing it directly onto the drawtube, but filters cannot be used. When first released the 10D was about $1000. I got this one for $550.

T-ring (left) and coupler. T-rings cost about $20, sometimes less. The coupler is part of the universal camera adapter used for eyepiece projection photography.

To double the focal length of the photographic scope, attach a barlow lens (left) or teleconverter (right) to the camera. This is called negative projection. A barlow can also be used to double the power of the guide scope.

The 1.25 inch adapter at left can cause vignetting (darkening of image corners and edges). The 2 inch adapter at right requires a larger focuser drawtube but will dramatically reduce vignetting.

Exposure control alternatives.
At left, electronic locking shutter release, about $30, and deluxe kitchen timer, $5.
At right, the Canon TC80N3 exposure controller will take up to 99 timed exposures. About $130. When I bought an XTI camera I had the controller modified to work with it. This was done by Hap Griffin.
His site is here.

Eyepiece Projection Photography
This setup (also called positive projection) is used for very high-power shooting such as planets or lunar closeups. It can be used with refractors (such as the Celestron 102) or with reflectors (such as the Meade 2130AT shown in the afocal section).

The components for eyepiece projection photography. The eyepiece slides inside the tube. The t-ring screws onto one end, the coupler on the other. The coupler and tube are sold together as a universal camera adapter for about $35.
Eyepiece about $50.

The components above are shown assembled. This is attached to the camera. The small end then slides into the telescope drawtube.

Light Pollution Reduction (LPR) Filters

Orion SkyGlow light pollution filters have a magenta color but are mirror-like when viewed at certain angles. They are interference filters, removing the frequencies of streetlights, incandescent lights and ionized oxygen in the atmosphere while transmitting the light from emission (red) nebulae. They allow the use of longer exposures or higher ISOs. About $50 for the 1.25 inch, $75 for the 2 inch. See the Technical Photos page for comparisons of nebulae shot with and without this filter.

Narrowband filters remove even more light pollution but are more suited for reflection (blue) nebulae. They are also more expensive than broadbands. About $75. I bought all of my filters used on eBay.

Miscellaneous Equipment

Finder scopes are small telescopes attached to the main scope. They are used to help locate objects. The white one here is a cheapie, $5 on eBay. The small dark one is a high quality Celestron, excellent but small. The larger one is also Celestron, also excellent. Most telescopes come with a finder scope.

Dew-Not heaters for dew control. These are 12-watt models, $25 each. They are designed to run on 12volts DC. I bought and modified AC adapters for these. The adapters have switchable voltage settings which allow the use of less heat when needed.

A Hartmann mask made from the top of an ice cream container is used as a focusing aid. See photo at right.

A star (Capella) photographed with the Hartmann mask in place. At left it is slightly out of focus, thus the double image. At right it is precisely focused.
A Hartmann mask with three holes would yield a triple image.

Accurately focusing your telescope can be a very tedious endeavor. Adding or removing a filter from your setup is enough to change the focus.
My focus tube is marked with a felt tip pen allowing me to quickly set the focuser for different optical configurations. When used with parfocal rings (right) the process is made even easier.

When used with a DSLR camera the C102 refractor will not reach focus with the adapter inserted all the way into the focus tube. Parfocal rings allow me to insert the adapter the proper distance each time.

Parfocal rings (left, silver) attached to a 2 inch camera adapter.

Lenses. Clockwise from top left:
Opteka fisheye adapter (.22x), $55.
Canon 55-200 f/4.5 zoom, $135.
Sigma 28-80 f/3.5 zoom, $80.
2x teleconverter, $35.
Canon 50mm f/1.8 Mark II, $80.

Handmade 6-inch f/8 Newtonian reflector made in 1999 from a Sonotube covered with African Mahogany veneer. Mirrors from Newport Optics. Lateral focuser. Orion SkyView mount.

Contact Me

Afocal Photography This is a simple and inexpensive way to photograph the moon, sun, and to some degree the planets. The telescope is set up and focused on a target as though for ordinary viewing. The camera is placed over the eyepiece where your eye would normally be. A steady hand is needed. This process is made much easier with the use of a camera mount (the Orion SteadyPix is shown here). See also Matija Pozojevic's Afocal Method Astrophotography and his Equipment listing.
	A Meade 2130AT reflector set up for afocal photography. This scope and camera (Pentax Optio S5i) were used to take almost all the photos on the Moon Page. The sun is also photographed this way, but a solar filter is required. Total cost of this setup is about $500. The scope and mount were bought factory reconditioned from Meade for $165.		A closeup of the camera and mount for afocal shooting. The camera lens should not touch the eyepiece, scratching of both the lens and the eyepiece could result. The eyepiece shown is an Orion Expanse 20mm. I use the camera's zoom for detailed closeups. This can be done with a more powerful eyepiece, but as power increases it becomes more difficult to keep the target centered in the field of view.
	Another view of the afocal setup. The camera is attached to the SteadyPix mount by its tripod socket. The mount is then fastened to the eyepiece by means of a collar with a thumbscrew for tightening. The eyepiece is then inserted into the telescope focus tube. It's often easier to focus the telescope, remove the eyepiece, assemble the afocal components and reinsert the eyepiece.		The components of the afocal setup: Camera ($250) SteadyPix camera mount ($30) Eyepiece ($50)
		The use of a wide-view eyepiece makes aligning the camera lens easier and it reduces vignetting (darkening of the edges of the picture). Both of these 15mm eyepieces provide the same magnification. At right is an Orion Expanse wide view ($50).
Prime Focus Deep Sky Photography This is a much more difficult and rewarding technique used for deep sky photography (galaxies, nebulae and star clusters). Typically two telescopes are needed, one used as the camera lens and the other for guiding the mount during exposures. An off-axis guider can also be used, in which case only the photographic scope is needed.
	The equipment for deep sky photography is costly, even the less expensive stuff shown here. The cost of this basic setup is about $1200. This setup shows the two scopes in parallel. The larger scope is connected directly to the mount. The white guide scope is connected to a tripod head. This makes it easier to center the guide scope on a suitable star. With most setups one scope will ride piggyback on the other.		The most important deep sky component is the German equatorial mount (also called the EQ mount or GEM). They cost from about $90 to over $10,000. This one is a Chinese clone of a more expensive $700 mount. I got it new on eBay for $250. The mount is aligned with north using a small telescope mounted inside the central axis. DC motors rotate the right ascension axis to counter the earth's rotation. An alt-az mount works equally well if it can be fitted with an equatorial wedge.
	This is the Celestron CG5 computerized goto mount. $700. Unlike the mount above, this one will find targets for you and track them more accurately. Shown here with the C102 refractor and Canon XTI camera attached. I regularly take 2 minute exposures with no guidance using this setup.		The CG5 with XTI and Tamron 70-300mm zoom lens. With this setup I take 3 minute exposures with no guiding.
	This is Black Betty, a handmade 6 inch, f/5 reflector. Completed in December 2007. Finished in Ebony veneer. It has a JMI low-profile Crayford-type focuser and a curved-vane spider to prevent diffraction spikes in images. Focal length is 750mm, field of view with an XTI is 1.7 x 1.13 degrees.		Black Betty's focuser was designed for a 10inch tube. A platform was made to allow attachment to a 7.5 inch tube.
	This view shows the spider and holder for the secondary mirror. Also shown is my design and construction consultant Maggie.		A temporary cell was needed, so I took the one out of the meade 2130AT shown in the section above on afocal photography. It was too small for the tube I spacers were used to hold it snug.
	The view through the polar alignment scope. Polaris (the north star) is positioned within the three-ring circle. Polaris' exact position within the circle is determined by the time. It will spin around the circle once every 24 hours. The figure marked OCT is a diagram of the constellation Octans, used for alignment in the southern hemisphere. The three little arcs at upper right are a mystery to me.		Guide scopes are used to monitor the EQ mount and aid in tracking more accurately. They need not be expensive at all. Even a toy telescope can make a decent guide scope since it only needs to focus a star. This is a $70 Baytronix birdwatching scope (shown with dew heater attached) connected to a heavy duty tripod head. The eyepice is a low-power 32mm I use when aligning targets. It approximates the same view seen though the photographic scope. During actual guiding I use the guide eyepiece shown below. This scope has an 80mm aperture and a focal length of 400mm. A larger guide scope will allow you to guide using a dimmer star but is heavier and may cost more.

	This is Orion's 12mm Plossl guide eyepiece. It has illuminated crosshairs for keeping guide stars centered. The grey cylinder holds the LED and three button batteries. The brightness of the crosshairs is adjustable. About $75.		Here the guide eyepiece is shown with a barlow lens attached to it. The barlow doubles the magnification of the eyepiece, providing twice the accuracy during guiding but dimming the guide star.

	This is a simulated view through the guide eyepiece. The white dot is a star tucked into a corner of the crosshairs. A bright star may be centered behind two intersecting lines.		The Celestron 102mm wide view scope shown with camera and dew heater attached. 500mm focal length, f/5. Costs about $200. A higher quality photographic scope can capture more detail in your images. The cost goes up dramatically for larger scopes.

	The Canon 10D (in need of cleaning), shown with t-ring and coupler attached. The coupler slides into the focuser drawtube on the telescope. Filters can be screwed on to the end of the coupler. The t-ring can be used without the coupler by screwing it directly onto the drawtube, but filters cannot be used. When first released the 10D was about $1000. I got this one for $550.		T-ring (left) and coupler. T-rings cost about $20, sometimes less. The coupler is part of the universal camera adapter used for eyepiece projection photography.

	To double the focal length of the photographic scope, attach a barlow lens (left) or teleconverter (right) to the camera. This is called negative projection. A barlow can also be used to double the power of the guide scope.		The 1.25 inch adapter at left can cause vignetting (darkening of image corners and edges). The 2 inch adapter at right requires a larger focuser drawtube but will dramatically reduce vignetting.

		Exposure control alternatives. At left, electronic locking shutter release, about $30, and deluxe kitchen timer, $5. At right, the Canon TC80N3 exposure controller will take up to 99 timed exposures. About $130. When I bought an XTI camera I had the controller modified to work with it. This was done by Hap Griffin. His site is here.
Eyepiece Projection Photography This setup (also called positive projection) is used for very high-power shooting such as planets or lunar closeups. It can be used with refractors (such as the Celestron 102) or with reflectors (such as the Meade 2130AT shown in the afocal section).
	The components for eyepiece projection photography. The eyepiece slides inside the tube. The t-ring screws onto one end, the coupler on the other. The coupler and tube are sold together as a universal camera adapter for about $35. Eyepiece about $50.		The components above are shown assembled. This is attached to the camera. The small end then slides into the telescope drawtube.
Light Pollution Reduction (LPR) Filters
	Orion SkyGlow light pollution filters have a magenta color but are mirror-like when viewed at certain angles. They are interference filters, removing the frequencies of streetlights, incandescent lights and ionized oxygen in the atmosphere while transmitting the light from emission (red) nebulae. They allow the use of longer exposures or higher ISOs. About $50 for the 1.25 inch, $75 for the 2 inch. See the Technical Photos page for comparisons of nebulae shot with and without this filter.		Narrowband filters remove even more light pollution but are more suited for reflection (blue) nebulae. They are also more expensive than broadbands. About $75. I bought all of my filters used on eBay.
Miscellaneous Equipment
	Finder scopes are small telescopes attached to the main scope. They are used to help locate objects. The white one here is a cheapie, $5 on eBay. The small dark one is a high quality Celestron, excellent but small. The larger one is also Celestron, also excellent. Most telescopes come with a finder scope.		Dew-Not heaters for dew control. These are 12-watt models, $25 each. They are designed to run on 12volts DC. I bought and modified AC adapters for these. The adapters have switchable voltage settings which allow the use of less heat when needed.

	A Hartmann mask made from the top of an ice cream container is used as a focusing aid. See photo at right.		A star (Capella) photographed with the Hartmann mask in place. At left it is slightly out of focus, thus the double image. At right it is precisely focused. A Hartmann mask with three holes would yield a triple image.
	Accurately focusing your telescope can be a very tedious endeavor. Adding or removing a filter from your setup is enough to change the focus. My focus tube is marked with a felt tip pen allowing me to quickly set the focuser for different optical configurations. When used with parfocal rings (right) the process is made even easier.		When used with a DSLR camera the C102 refractor will not reach focus with the adapter inserted all the way into the focus tube. Parfocal rings allow me to insert the adapter the proper distance each time. Parfocal rings (left, silver) attached to a 2 inch camera adapter.

	Lenses. Clockwise from top left: Opteka fisheye adapter (.22x), $55. Canon 55-200 f/4.5 zoom, $135. Sigma 28-80 f/3.5 zoom, $80. 2x teleconverter, $35. Canon 50mm f/1.8 Mark II, $80.		Handmade 6-inch f/8 Newtonian reflector made in 1999 from a Sonotube covered with African Mahogany veneer. Mirrors from Newport Optics. Lateral focuser. Orion SkyView mount.