Astrophotography tracking mount

J

James J

Messages
1,793
Name
James
Edit My Images
No
I’m a complete novice when it comes to Astro photography but fancy getting my feet wet with it. I have a Sony A1 and Sony 600mm f4 GM lens that id like to use with something like the ipotron GM45 but I’ve not seen how such a setup actually attaches to the head? Is there some sort of adapter I’d need to buy such as a sliding rail etc to mount the camera and Lens at the same time or something else entirely?

I’m interested in doing deep field stuff the most, hence the 600mm, however is this lens viable for this type of photography? The information online seems to vary greatly with no real definitive answers.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
 
I would ask this question on a specialised astro forum like stargazerslounge. There is a lot of good info there and the members are very friendly.
 
You'll need to check the weight limit for the mount.

Tracking mounts sit on top of the tripod. You then typically attach a ball head (easiest to use) to the astro mount,

The astro mount will be made up of two pieces, the wedge and the rotating bit that points at the North star (Polaris).

The wedge is to get the mount at the right angle (Declination) to point at Polaris . This angle will never really change for most people, unless you're using it much further north/south as its based on where you are.

The rotating bit simply rotates at the same speed as earth.

The ball head is then used to point your camera at whatever you want. It will stay fixed on that position as it is rotating with the mount.

600mm is perfectly fine for deep field stuff, however, you'll find that the biggest limiting fact will be the accuracy of the astro mount.

I use a sigma 150-600 on my Starwatcher adventurer and its over the weight limit. Even with it fully balanced with counterweights the most I can get is around 45 second exposures. It's good for stuff like Orions Nebula and whatnot

If you want to get properly into it then prices start ramping up and so does the complexity. My next step is to look into getting an HEQ5Pro mount

It's quite addictive, but the main problem is the lack of available nights. You'll get into it and then won't have another opportunity for a couple of month and you end up having to relearn everything again.

Software wise I've moved over to S.I.R.I.L, it free and really really good. Have a hunt round on youtube, teres loads of stuff on there, I can recommend Astrobackyard and Astrobiscuit for starters.
 
James J said:
I’m a complete novice when it comes to Astro photography but fancy getting my feet wet with it. I have a Sony A1 and Sony 600mm f4 GM lens that id like to use with something like the ipotron GM45 but I’ve not seen how such a setup actually attaches to the head? Is there some sort of adapter I’d need to buy such as a sliding rail etc to mount the camera and Lens at the same time or something else entirely?

I’m interested in doing deep field stuff the most, hence the 600mm, however is this lens viable for this type of photography? The information online seems to vary greatly with no real definitive answers.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

Do you mean the ioptron GEM45 because that's a fully fledged equatorial mount for a scope and way overkill in spec and price for what you need
Check out the payload of the tracking mounts that fit on a photography tripod as they're designed for cameras, but may be too lightweight for your combo. The MoveShootMove physically won't take your lens, the others vary in payload (and price). And you need to have or buy a good tripod. They are really aimed at people doing wide field Milky Way type shots
Otherwise consider something like the Skywatcher EQ3-2 with dual axis drive. Cheap and cheerful but a 5.5kg payload and makes a perfect long-lens camera mount (I use one)
For a camera tracking head you won't need any adaptor. For a 'proper' mount designed to carry a telescope you'll need the appropriate dovetail bar (usually Vixen for the smaller mounts) but slotted and with a tripod screw. They're easy enough to find. Mount via the lens foot assuming it has one
With 600mm and an aps-c camera the Andromeda Galaxy fills the frame, so you won't get that you but you will be good for a lot of the larger DSOs.
You'll be taking multiple exposures and stacking them so you'll need a decent power supply and capable software. And if you don't have a good enough sky from home you need to consider portability
 
Jannyfox said:
Do you mean the ioptron GEM45 because that's a fully fledged equatorial mount for a scope and way overkill in spec and price for what you need
Check out the payload of the tracking mounts that fit on a photography tripod as they're designed for cameras, but may be too lightweight for your combo. The MoveShootMove physically won't take your lens, the others vary in payload (and price). And you need to have or buy a good tripod. They are really aimed at people doing wide field Milky Way type shots
Otherwise consider something like the Skywatcher EQ3-2 with dual axis drive. Cheap and cheerful but a 5.5kg payload and makes a perfect long-lens camera mount (I use one)
For a camera tracking head you won't need any adaptor. For a 'proper' mount designed to carry a telescope you'll need the appropriate dovetail bar (usually Vixen for the smaller mounts) but slotted and with a tripod screw. They're easy enough to find. Mount via the lens foot assuming it has one
With 600mm and an aps-c camera the Andromeda Galaxy fills the frame, so you won't get that you but you will be good for a lot of the larger DSOs.
You'll be taking multiple exposures and stacking them so you'll need a decent power supply and capable software. And if you don't have a good enough sky from home you need to consider portability
Click to expand...
The Sony A1 is a FF camera. The combined weight of your gear is 3777 grms and using a mount capable of carrying 5kgs is expecting a lot. A rough guide is half the value of the claimed load capability made by the manufactures of you want half-decent results.

Finding your target DSO and good Polar alignment are some of the issues you will face. The next thing to consider would be using guiding to allow you to take longer exposures. So look for a mount that can support guiding even if you don't use it to begin with.
 
Last edited:
Thanks all for the replies so far, great amount of information and detail. I live on the edge of a large dark sky area so light pollution should be minimal, however I want to be able to take the longest exposures I can so tracking looks like it’s required.

You’re right at the weight of my kit, it’s around 3.8kg which is why I’ve been looking at mounts which can support a good weight tolerance as I’ve learned from tripods and heads that the quoted weight tolerance is based on horizontal only so when the head tips, the quoted weight limits are thrown out of the window. I’ve got a good benro tripod which will take 30kg of weight and is rock solid but I also don’t mind paying extra to get a tripod for a specific head.

Budget wise, anything up to around £3k is on the table for this but that would include everything I need so any software or adapters etc for the Lens mount.
 
With your budget then I would certainly go for the GEM45 and also get a guide cam. It makes polar alignment and finding your targets so much easier.
In terms of software then there is no need to pay anything. SIRIL is good and free but I used KStars which is also free and does everything and is constantly being updated. One warning though, if you get the bug astrophotography can seriously damage your wallet!
 
James J said:
Thanks all for the replies so far, great amount of information and detail. I live on the edge of a large dark sky area so light pollution should be minimal, however I want to be able to take the longest exposures I can so tracking looks like it’s required.

You’re right at the weight of my kit, it’s around 3.8kg which is why I’ve been looking at mounts which can support a good weight tolerance as I’ve learned from tripods and heads that the quoted weight tolerance is based on horizontal only so when the head tips, the quoted weight limits are thrown out of the window. I’ve got a good benro tripod which will take 30kg of weight and is rock solid but I also don’t mind paying extra to get a tripod for a specific head.

Budget wise, anything up to around £3k is on the table for this but that would include everything I need so any software or adapters etc for the Lens mount.
Click to expand...

I'd start with the HEQ5 Pro (or EQ6) with an upgraded rowan belt (£1k ish) that will give you a solid base to build from.
 
Last edited:
James J said:
Thanks all for the replies so far, great amount of information and detail. I live on the edge of a large dark sky area so light pollution should be minimal, however I want to be able to take the longest exposures I can so tracking looks like it’s required.

You’re right at the weight of my kit, it’s around 3.8kg which is why I’ve been looking at mounts which can support a good weight tolerance as I’ve learned from tripods and heads that the quoted weight tolerance is based on horizontal only so when the head tips, the quoted weight limits are thrown out of the window. I’ve got a good benro tripod which will take 30kg of weight and is rock solid but I also don’t mind paying extra to get a tripod for a specific head.

Budget wise, anything up to around £3k is on the table for this but that would include everything I need so any software or adapters etc for the Lens mount.
Click to expand...

With astro mounts, especially for imaging, the unwritten rule is to get a mount rated for double your actual equipment weight if you want trouble free tracking.

Also, unless you're going to set up a pier, you''ll probably want to guide as your polar alignment can only be ~so~ good. That adds a guide scope and camera to the kit sitting on the mount...

Honestly, if you're just looking to dabble, grab a cheaper mount like the star adventurer and use a smaller, faster lens. You'll get SOLID 30sec exposures - I used to get 1min+ exposures with a 200mm lens and a good polar alignment, and upped that to over 5 mins when I started guiding, not bad for a "beginner" mount.

You'd be surprised how big everything is. Jumping straight in at 600mm with the associated gear that requires is a little overkill tbh.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top