RE: [APML] Am I nuts...

["Jon Kolb" <jkolb@datawest.net>]

Hi Mark,

> ...to even be thinking of using regular film cameras for 
> planetary and 
> deep-sky objects with my Tak FSQ-106N/Losmandy GM-8?

Go for it!  I've seen some pretty impressive deep-sky images taken with
this scope on film on this list.  At Bert noted, you'll have to guide
the mount during the exposure, but at f/5, this shouldn't be too bad for
manual guiding if you have a guidescope setup.  Try 30 minutes on Provia
400F and see what you get.

As for drift alignment, I would strongly recommend it.  It doesn't take
long if your polar alignment scope is relatively close, and it makes
guiding sooooo much easier.  If you're going to invest a lot of your
time and money to take a photo, you might as well give yourself every
chance for success by removing field rotation from your list of problems
to overcome.  Then you only have to worry about flexure, film creep,
dew, kicking the mount, forgetting to open the shutter, mount settling
into soft earth, clouds, airplanes, dead batteries, small parts dropped
into the snow, wild animals, and a host of stupid astrophotographer
tricks too numerous to list here!

Sincerely,
Jon Kolb
Adventures in Astrophotography
http://home.datawest.net/jkolb/
jkolb@datawest.net

 



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