Orion STEADYPIX 5228 User's Manual
Contents
1. ccccecccseeeceeeeeeeeseeeseeeseeeeneeens Parts List 1 Camera support plate with camera spacer 1 4 20 camera fastener and shaft securing knob 1 Shaft with eyepiece clamp and eyepiece clamp knob 1 Large eyepiece clamp Figure 2 shows the parts of your SteadyPix as they come straight from the box 1 Assembly Loosen the shaft securing knob see Figure 1 on the camera support plate and insert the eyepiece clamp shaft into the hole Make sure the eyepiece clamp and camera spacer are on the same side of the camera support plate as shown in Figure 1 Tighten the knob just enough to hold the shaft in place for now You will need to make further adjustments later once your camera and eyepiece are attached to the SteadyPix Your SteadyPix camera mount should now appear as it does in Figure 1 2 About Afocal Photography The SteadyPix lets you couple almost any camera to almost any telescope to do afocal photography In the afocal method the camera lens is aimed into the telescope eyepiece SteadyPix is not designed for prime focus photography in which the telescope takes the place of the camera s own lens which is removed While it is possible to take pictures by holding the camera up to the eyepiece by hand small movements of the camera make it difficult to maintain perfect focus and to keep the image centered on the camera s film frame SteadyPix elimi nates those problems by locking the camera lens in position r2. finger and thumb and turn the shaft counterclockwise to thread the upper nut Hold the shaft securely with one hand while turning the lower nut counter clockwise with the crescent wrench until it is secure against the washer and eyepiece clamp Remove the eyepiece securing knob from the regular eye piece clamp by turning it counter clockwise until it is unthreaded from the top of the eyepiece clamp Figure 6 The same cameras in Figure 5 but with the SteadyPix attached to a telescope and ready to shoot Note how the camera support plate must be adjusted for different camera designs 8 Push the threaded bolt of the eyepiece securing knob through the larger of the two holes on the top of the eye piece clamp Make sure it lines up with the smaller hole on the other side of the clamp Thread the bolt into the smaller hole by turning it clockwise Do not thread it more than a few turns 9 You are now ready to use the new clamp to secure eye pieces Replace the shaft in the camera support plate as described in the assembly section Part 1 5 What to photograph with the SteadyPix Now that you have assembled the SteadyPix the only ques tion remaining is What do want to photograph We have a few suggestions for you Terrestrial Photography With literally millions of objects to photograph on earth there are only a few hints we can give for using the SteadyPix for terrestrial photography One is to consider
3. reduce detail Orion has several sets of colored filters available Visit our website telescope com for more information on colored planetary fil ters Deep Sky Objects Since deep sky objects are very faint use only digital camer as to photograph them when using the SteadyPix Film cameras require too much exposure time to get good results A few bright deep sky objects can be photographed effectively using your SteadyPix such as the Orion Nebula Other deep sky objects may also be photographed for interesting pictures Try experimenting with different deep sky objects to see what kind of results you can obtain One Year Limited Warranty This Orion SteadyPix Universal Camera Mount is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only During this warranty period Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars will repair or replace at Orion s option any warranted instrument that proves to be defective provided it is returned postage paid to Orion Warranty Repair 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 If the product is not registered proof of purchase such as a copy of the original invoice is required This warranty does not apply if in Orion s judgment the instrument has been abused mishandled or modified nor does it apply to normal wear and tear This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also
4. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion SteadyPix Universal Camera Mount 0228 Customer Support 800 676 1343 _ ORIONI E mail support telescope com TELESCOPES amp BINOCULARS Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 IN 167 Rev B 03 09 lt ____ _ Eyepiece Eyepiece clamp clamp knob 1 4 20 Camera fastener Shaft gt securing knob Camera spacer lt Camera fastener knob Shaft Camera support plate Figure 1 Fully assembled SteadyPix Pa Eyepiece clamp with shaft r Large eyepiece clamp lt x Camera support plate Figure 2 Parts of the SteadyPix as they arrive in the box Welcome to the exciting world of astrophotography With the Orion SteadyPix universal camera mount you can shoot your own pictures of celestial objects with just a telescope and camera The SteadyPix is designed for use with today s digital cameras as well as traditional 35mm SLR single lens reflex cameras By using the SteadyPix you won t need all the difficult set up and extra equipment that astrophotography normally requires Table of Contents 1 ASSO MDI rosoe About Afocal Photography 00008 Using the SteadyPIx ccceeceeeseeeeeeeees What to Photograph aastnsctnceceteitessinoceuceeter 2 3 4 Changing the Eyepiece Clamp 5 6 Warranty
5. elative to the eyepiece Such coupling also allows the camera to move in synchrony with the eyepiece if the telescope is motor driven To get the best pictures with the SteadyPix we recommend using an eyepiece with a long around 20mm eye relief The Orion Lanthanum series for example has very long eye relief Long eye relief will allow the camera to see the whole field of view in the eyepiece Some eyepieces especially high power designs may not have enough eye relief to project the entire field of view into the camera lens that is even when the camera lens is right up against the eyepiece the views will still be constricted 3 Using the SteadyPix A cautionary note The SteadyPix was designed to be as light as possible But since it attaches to your telescope by the eyepiece the weight of your camera may cause it to rotate downward and potentially fall off the telescope if it is not secured adequately Always make certain the eye piece and diagonal if appropriate is secured in the focuser with the appropriate thumbscrews Consider turning the whole camera and SteadyPix assem bly so that it faces down Figure 3 This will reduce the chance of the SteadyPix assembly rotating downward due to its weight Figure 3 By orienting the camera and SteadyPix assembly as shown you will bring the center of mass of the assembly as low as it can get This will prevent the SteadyPix and camera from rotating downward To set up a
6. have other rights which vary from state to state For further warranty service information con tact Customer Service Department Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 800 676 1343 Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 Customer Support Help Line 800 676 1343 Day or Evening
7. he eyepiece clamp 5 Place the eyepiece back into the telescope with the SteadyPix and camera assembly attached 6 Loosen the 1 4 20 camera fastener knob then slide the camera along the camera support plate towards the eye piece Loosen the shaft knob just a bit and adjust the camera support plate so that the eyepiece will line up with the camera lens Do this by rotating the camera support plate around the eyepiece clamp shaft Raise or lower the plate as well to match the level of the camera lens with the level of the eyepiece The camera lens and eyepiece will likely need to get quite close to each other to work properly but make sure they do not touch or else damage to the eyepiece or camera lens may occur Figure 6 shows sev eral cameras in position next to the eyepiece on the telescope and ready to shoot 7 Look at the camera s viewscreen or viewfinder to see if the object is there If not some more adjustments may need to be made Try bringing the camera lens closer to the eye piece or adjust the camera support plate by loosening the shaft knob and moving it left or right and up or down Note that unless your eyepiece has long eye relief the views creen or viewfinder may have a constricted view of the object you wish to photograph Keep making minor adjust ments until the image from the eyepiece takes up as much space in the viewscreen or viewfinder as it possibly can Be sure to tighten the 1 4 20 camera fastener kn
8. ieces you should remove the regular eyepiece clamp and replace it with the large eyepiece clamp You will need a crescent wrench to change clamps 1 Remove the shaft from the camera support plate by loos ening the shaft knob and sliding the shaft out of the camera support plate 2 Hold the shaft securely in one hand and use the crescent wrench to turn the lower nut the nut underneath the eye piece clamp clockwise until it is loose Thread the nut clockwise a couple more turns 3 Hold the upper nut securely between your finger and thumb so that it does not move With your other hand rotate the shaft clockwise until the upper nut comes loose from the threads of the shaft Put the nut aside for the moment Remove the upper washer and the clamp from the shaft leaving the lower nut and washer in place Put the shaft through the bottom of the large eyepiece clamp with the SteadyPix Then place the upper washer on the shaft and thread the upper nut clockwise with your fin gers onto the threaded portion of the shaft If there is not enough exposed thread to hold the upper nut remove the washer and clamp and turn the lower nut clockwise until it is about an 1 4 further down the threaded part of the shaft Then replace the clamp and washer and start threading the upper nut onto the shaft again Thread the upper nut as far as you can with your fingers it will still be loose You may also find it helps to hold the nut with your
9. nd use the SteadyPix 1 If you examine the bottom of your digital or SLR camera you will notice a threaded adapter that will accept the SteadyPix s 1 4 20 camera fastener Attach the camera to the SteadyPix by inserting the camera fastener into this adapter Certain inexpensive cameras may not have this threaded socket and cannot be used with the SteadyPix Figure 4 shows a camera about to be attached to the sup port plate Figure 5 shows several different cameras attached to the SteadyPix If the SteadyPix s 1 4 20 cam era fastener does not thread all the way into your camera s threaded adapter use one or two washers to take up the extra space between the camera space and your camera Now set the SteadyPix and camera assembly aside while you aim your telescope 2 Locate the object you wish to photograph in your tele scope Before attaching the SteadyPix focus the image in the telescope s eyepiece using the telescope s focuser 3 Remove the eyepiece from the telescope 4 Loosen the eyepiece clamp knob until the clamp is wide enough to fit around the barrel of the eyepiece Then place the clamp over the eyepiece and tighten the eyepiece clamp knob until the SteadyPix is secure on the telescope For some eyepiece designs the barrel may be too large for you to fit the regular eyepiece clamp over the eyepiece If this is the case then you should try using the larger clamp that came with your SteadyPix See Part 4 Changing t
10. ob and shaft knob when you are ready 8 Focus the camera and shoot the picture Some telescopes mounts such as Dobsonian mounts may move very easily if any pressure is put against the eyepiece The act of placing the SteadyPix over the eyepiece and ready ing it for shooting may cause the telescope to move off of its target You may find it easier to attach the eyepiece and cam era to the SteadyPix in advance then find the object you wish to photograph with a separate eyepiece with similar character istics Then replace that eyepiece with the SteadyPix camera and eyepiece assembly you have prepared in advance Figure 4 A camera about to be attached to the SteadyPix The SteadyPix s 1 4 20 camera fastener will thread easily into the camera s adapter Figure 5 Several different cameras attached to SteadyPix Figure 5a shows a digital camera with its adapter in line with the camera s lens 5b shows a digital camera that has its adapter off to one side of the camera lens 5c shows a 35mm film camera attached to the SteadyPix You may find it handy to use a camera shutter release to take the picture as this will result in minimal disturbances to the camera or telescope when snapping the photo The move ment of pressing the shutter button may be enough motion to lose the picture 4 Changing the eyepiece clamp Some eyepieces may have barrels that are too large for the regular eyepiece clamp to go around For these eyep
11. rface will mean there are very few shad ows so details will be harder to see Instead photograph the Moon when it is in one of its partial phases when the angle of the sun provides many detailed shadows on its surface You might also want to use an optional Moon filter that threads onto the bottom of the eyepiece to bring out more subtle fea tures on the lunar surface The Bright Planets Next to the Sun and the Moon the planets Mars Venus Jupiter and Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky and make excellent targets for photography Keep in mind that the planets don t stay still like the stars so to find them you should refer to Sky Calendar at our website telescope com or to charts published monthly in Astronomy Sky amp Telescope or other astronomy magazines To get the right amount of detail on the planets eyepieces that give high powers at least 75x or more should be used when using the SteadyPix Low powers will make it easier to find the planets but they will not bring out any significant details on the planets to make them worth photographing High powers must be used to get images of the famous details of the plan ets such as the rings of Saturn or bands on Jupiter s surface You might also consider using colored planetary filters that thread onto the bottom of the eyepiece just like the Moon filter does These colored filters bring out the subtle detail of the planets by filtering out various colors that
12. using a telescope with an Alt Az short for altitude azimuth mount on a sturdy tripod An Alt Az mount will allow simple up down left right motions of the telescope so that you can easily adjust and aim the camera Equatorial mounts mounts designed to track the movement of stars in the sky are not recommended as they will be needlessly heavy due to the counterweight and their ability to track celestial objects is of no use when photograph ing an object like a bird s nest In fact it will likely get in the way Dobsonian mounts will also have trouble with terrestrial pho tography since aiming a Dobsonian mounted telescope at something close to the horizon where most terrestrial photog raphy takes place will mean it has to be very low to the ground and hard to use Remember that objects viewed through certain types of tele scopes can be oriented backwards upside down or both The Moon The Moon is one of the easiest and most interesting targets to photograph With its rocky cratered surface there is a wealth of detail to be photographed with your camera and SteadyPix The Moon is a very large target so at higher magnifications you will only get a part of the surface in each picture Use eye pieces that provide low powers 50x and below should work with most telescopes if you wish to have the entire surface of the Moon in your field of view Try to avoid photographing the full moon since sunlight falling directly on lunar su
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