Orion's Steady Pix Camera Holder

Ok, I know this is the cheap way out but I'm not really too interested in
Astro Photography. I would like to take an occasional pic for fun...

Anyone tried the steady pic or similar device that holds a camera to the
eyepiece? I'd like to hear experiences. I have a few 35mm slrs and a
couple good digital cameras...

Doink

Well, yes. I give it about a C. The arrangement isn't
quite as stable as it looks in the catalog, but it can be
made to work. The device clamps onto the eyepiece
and screws into the bottom of the camera. It's next to
impossible to arrange the clamp while the eyepiece
is in the telescope. You have to pre-arrange
everything and slip the entire assembly into the scope.
The ideal situation is to have two identical eyepieces.

For all that, I got some shots out of it. They aren't very
good, but then neither is my astrophoto talent.

Luck and Regards,
-Larry Curcio

"Doink" wrote in message
...
Ok, I know this is the cheap way out but I'm not really too interested in
Astro Photography. I would like to take an occasional pic for fun...

Anyone tried the steady pic or similar device that holds a camera to the
eyepiece? I'd like to hear experiences. I have a few 35mm slrs and a
couple good digital cameras...

Doink

Well, yes. I give it about a C. The arrangement isn't
quite as stable as it looks in the catalog, but it can be
made to work.

I have an Orion Steady Pix but rarely if ever use it, I just handhold the
camera. Mostly I am doing shots of birds so I need to be quick.

My experience is that to get a solid focus, the scope must be right on. This
means focusing without the camera, swinging the Steady Pix into position,
zooming and shooting. Of course with for astronomy, one the scope is focused,
everything is set so this is not such a problem.

jon

"Doink" wrote in message ...
Ok, I know this is the cheap way out but I'm not really too interested in
Astro Photography. I would like to take an occasional pic for fun...

Anyone tried the steady pic or similar device that holds a camera to the
eyepiece? I'd like to hear experiences. I have a few 35mm slrs and a
couple good digital cameras...

Doink


Doink, if you want me to send you an example picture I have taken with
my very modest equipment just send me an email at
.

Guess what girls and boys? I do not mind posting that email address
because it is a spam trap, and I do LART. I wont LART you though
Doink.

Clear skys,
James King

I would enjoy seeing samples of work done with the "steady pix"



take away doink

Doink

"Lurking Luser" wrote in message
om...
"Doink" wrote in message
...
Ok, I know this is the cheap way out but I'm not really too interested
in
Astro Photography. I would like to take an occasional pic for fun...

Anyone tried the steady pic or similar device that holds a camera to the
eyepiece? I'd like to hear experiences. I have a few 35mm slrs and a
couple good digital cameras...

Doink


Doink, if you want me to send you an example picture I have taken with
my very modest equipment just send me an email at
.

Guess what girls and boys? I do not mind posting that email address
because it is a spam trap, and I do LART. I wont LART you though
Doink.

Clear skys,
James King

"Doink" wrote in message ...
Ok, I know this is the cheap way out but I'm not really too interested in
Astro Photography. I would like to take an occasional pic for fun...

Anyone tried the steady pic or similar device that holds a camera to the
eyepiece? I'd like to hear experiences. I have a few 35mm slrs and a
couple good digital cameras...

I had forgotten I had one of those Orion holders until seeing your post. I
experimented with it for a few minutes shortly after getting a digital camera
(Kodak DX4900) and you can see 3 photos listed below. I clamped the bracket
onto a Lanthanum EP and inserted it into an Orion ST-90 on a camera tripod.
The pictures were taken about 2 years ago.

The following was shot from inside my family room looking out through a glass
window:

http://thadlabs.com/PIX/107.jpg

The following two were shot outdoors a few minutes later at targets about 150
and 200 feet away in my back yard:

http://thadlabs.com/PIX/108.jpg

http://thadlabs.com/PIX/109.jpg

The holder does work and I had no problems with it. I've been meaning to
experiment some more on astro objects but just haven't gotten around to it
though I probably should. The camera limits me to a max 10 (or 16?) second
exposure, and a year or so later I shot a 10-second exposure of Ursa Major
simply with the camera on a tripod as you can see he

http://thadlabs.com/ASTRO/PIX/big_dipper_20020907.jpg

The pictures were taken about 2 years ago.

Some nice shots. Heres one I took without the Steady Pix as an example of what
handholding can do:

http://members.aol.com/jonisaacs/bik...s/poglidsk.jpg

Its a hummingbird. I have probably taken thousands of photos this way, this
is one of the best. Probably taken with a 3.3 megapixel Toshiba though a
Pronto mounted on Bogen 3040 Tripod with a 3047 head and a 32 mm Celestron
Plossl.

For astrophotos, the Steady Pix probably offers some advantages over hand
holding, especially if the scope tracks.

But I think there are some advantages to hand holding. One is the time issue,
it is much faster. Another is that it allows me to find that sweet spot where
there is no vignetting.

There is another issue though, especially if you are not using a super solid
tripod. The Steady Pix is mounted to the telescope so unless you use a remote
or a time delay, then you will most likely cause a vibration in the mount when
you snap the picture. Given the long optical lever arm of the
telescope/camera, that vibration will show up.

When you hand hold the camera, you are decoupled from the scope, so all that is
necessary is to hold the camera steady.

Anyway, currently I am using 2 inch eyepieces for digiscoping and I would have
to modify the steady pix to work with 2 inch eyepieces.

jon

"Doink" wrote in message ...
Ok, I know this is the cheap way out but I'm not really too interested in
Astro Photography. I would like to take an occasional pic for fun...

Anyone tried the steady pic or similar device that holds a camera to the
eyepiece? I'd like to hear experiences. I have a few 35mm slrs and a
couple good digital cameras...

Doink

If you want to do eyepiece projection, why not just get the T-adapter
for the camera and camera adapter for the scope?

(Maurice Givens) wrote in message . com...
"Doink" wrote in message ...
Ok, I know this is the cheap way out but I'm not really too interested in
Astro Photography. I would like to take an occasional pic for fun...

Anyone tried the steady pic or similar device that holds a camera to the
eyepiece? I'd like to hear experiences. I have a few 35mm slrs and a
couple good digital cameras...

Doink

If you want to do eyepiece projection, why not just get the T-adapter
for the camera and camera adapter for the scope?

A lot of today's digital cameras simply don't have the capability of
(removing the lens and) attaching a T-adapter.