Posts Made By: Alex McConahay

It holds promise, and I have seen some work (particularly on solar eclipse) done with it. However, it is not without drawbacks, especially with astro-images. It does not seem to recognize which parts we astrophotographers want where. (This last part from listening to a discussion of it recently at an imaging conference.)

Alex

What do oyou plan to do with it? if not astroimaging, I'd recommend you hunt around for an old LXD 55 or CG-5 mount.

Alex

You need a camera adapter and a t-ring to fit your camera.

I would get a 2 inch adapter if at all possible (assuming you have a 2 inch focuser). You probably will not be using a Barlow unless you contemplate planetary imaging--and then you would be better off with a webcam based system than the DSLR.

You will also want something to connect your system to a laptop if you are in it for real. This means a couple of cables and a piece of software. Anything from Nebulosity to Images Plus, depending on your budget.

And yes, you do stack images....but not quite like you do with a webcam.

Alex

Do you have a Losmandy Polar Alignment scope with that? Is it a Gemini?

Alex

If the sky did not get dark at night, there would be no need for daylight savings time.

Alex

Have you been to astronomyboy.com ?

Alex

Hey, that is pretty cool!

Alex

Tony,

There is not much difference in the laptop requirements between the DSI and that class, DSLR, and CCD imaging. They all run on fairly minimal computers. (Actually, the Autostar Suite is one of the more demanding on computer resources from my experience.)

The difference between DSLR and CCD is shrinking, but it remains, and probably always will be so. THe big question is how good do you want to get? Being cooled, the CCD will be better than the DSLR in perhaps the most critical of issues on highest quality imaging--the signal to noise ratio.

However, the CCD is a much more demanding camera. It has a steeper learning curve. It takes more processing, but gives you much more control over the image (control=processing time in this case).

The DSLR, on the other hand, offers a large one-shot color image that can be hard to distinguish for 95 per cent of the people in the world from a true cooled CCD production.

So, ultimately if you want to take great photographs after you have learned the whole system, you will need a ccd. However, if you want to take very, very, very good photographs soon, go with the DSLR. And, DSLR's can be used during the days.

By the way--there will be different opinions on this. And it is not as simple as I suggest--For instance, the one-shot-color CCD is relatively simple (although not as powerful as the combined production of a monochrome/filtered ccd.

Alex

SOunds a bit early to me. What makes you think it is necessary? DOes it still move around freely?


And, by the way--it is really very easy to do......Just disassemble, clean off any old grease with whatever works well with you (wd-40 among other things) regrease with white lithium all purpose grease, and reassemble. Make sure you get nothing on the bearing surfaces. (Wipe the bearing surfaces with alcohol before reassembling.) Make sure the needle bearings inside are really turning before reassembly.

Alex

>>>>>Does Meade offer facilities tours?
They used to as recently as a few months ago, and may be doing it now, but I doubt it. They have had some radical changes recently.


>>>>>>Do they have a factory store?

No, they have a little display place next to the receptionist, but that is all, and it is not for sales.

>>>>>>>Can I buy parts while there?
Not that I know of.

>>>>>>Any info would be appreciated!

Well, I guess the most important piece of information is that they have shifted their operations to Mexico. Thus, the Irvine Facility is just for management, corporate sales, and all that now. I have not been to either facility since the changes....

Alex