I was wondering whether anyone could tell me whether it would be possible to take any decent shots with the equipment I have?

http://www.digital.pentax.co.jp/en/compact/optio-s5z/feature.html

http://planetarium.unr.nevada.edu/shop/telescopes/celestron_nexstar_130gt.html

If I could be able to take some quite decent shots could anyone give me a few starter tips on how to go about astrophotography with apparatus of this kind?

Kind regards

artemis

Hi artemis - welcome to the Forum.

I have not tried to take images with the exact setup that you have. However, what I have read so far seems to indicate that one of the greatest challenges you may have with a camera similar to the one you have will be focusing. If your camera only has an "autofocus" mode, and no means of allowing you to manually focus the lens, you may find it quite exasperating to get an image that you like. The Moon perhaps will not be so much of a challenge, but dimmer and relatively smaller objects like planets and globular clusters, etc. may not come into focus. Depending on the camera, many will not even let you take a picture unless the camera will lock onto an object in focus.

The rigidity of your telescope mount is also an important aspect. If the mount is shaking while you are trying to capture an image, this movement will show up in the final image. The longer the exposure time needed by the camera to take a recognizable image, the more the mount shake will affect your picture. Moon photography requires much shorter exposures than say, for example, M42.

Don't get discouraged though. Some incredible shots can be taken with similar cameras by simply holding the camera up to the eyepiece, and taking an image afocally. Take a look at some of the images posted by one of the other members of this forum, Bokmakierie. He uses a hand-held camera right at the eyepiece, and has captured some great images of the Moon.

The beauty of a digital camera is that you won't waste any film on something that didn't go "just right". Try it! You may be pleasantly surprised. As with many things, practice makes perfect. There is always some learning curve involved. I'm sure you will find this is a different type of photography than your normal, day-time photography. Also, don't forget to post what you capture on this forum. There are a lot of friendly members here who will be glad to help. Also, if more people would try this type of photography, I believe it would help increase the enthusiasm of many, perhaps to a level that many would find this to be a great hobby/pastime they will enjoy for a lifetime!

Have fun!

Paul

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Artemis,
My website is,
http://home.telkomsa.net/mybirding/Afocal.htm
I give some pointers there on the technique I am using.

Phil

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If at first you fail, you're running average

Thanks for your help guys - it's much appreciated. I agree, AutoClub that the biggest problem facing me would be the short exposure length of my digital camera.

Your moon images are superb, Bokmakierie.