Aligning piggy backed camera on telescope: I plan to follow the upcoming eclipse with my Celestron 6SE with a Nikon D750 with reducer on the back. I bought the piggy back mounting...

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

I plan to follow the upcoming eclipse with my Celestron 6SE with a Nikon D750 with reducer on the back. I bought the piggy back mounting bracket from them and will have a Sony RX10M3 on it that will be zoomed in but provide a wider view. The camera is not aligned with the telescope so I added some cardboard shims for a better alignment. Any suggestions out there for another solution?

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Practice, practice, practice...
And align, align, align...

I would use hard card board at the least. Or fiberboard.
Nothing is more frusterizing than soft shims not holding your adjustments.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

SonnyE wrote:

Practice, practice, practice...
And align, align, align...

I would use hard card board at the least. Or fiberboard.
Nothing is more frusterizing than soft shims not holding your adjustments.

I ended going to the local hardware store and getting a thin wedge shaped plastic shim. It seems to work OK but I need to set it up tomorrow and see how it works.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

hpucker99 wrote:

I ended going to the local hardware store and getting a thin wedge shaped plastic shim. It seems to work OK but I need to set it up tomorrow and see how it works.

Time is getting nigh.
I like those plastic wedges myself. They come in quite handy.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

It seems to me that the principal task is to get the two optical axis' aligned properly. Would the plastic wedge shim seal out any light leakage.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

hpucker99 wrote:

I plan to follow the upcoming eclipse with my Celestron 6SE with a Nikon D750 with reducer on the back. I bought the piggy back mounting bracket from them and will have a Sony RX10M3 on it that will be zoomed in but provide a wider view. The camera is not aligned with the telescope so I added some cardboard shims for a better alignment. Any suggestions out there for another solution?

I use a parallel mounting bracket; telescope on one side and a tripod ball head mounted on a Vixen rail on the other. The ball head allows me to adjust the camera to align with whatever is opposite. I normally use a StarSense module and telescope but it would definitely work for a telescope and RX10 III.

bwa

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I decided on just two Vixen rails. I either use my camera, or my telescope, on my mount. Call me Simple Simon...

But for static tripod night shooting, I favor my geared tripod head to do fine adjusting.

One or the other for me. Or both at once, but different mounts (wide-field, and telescope). The camera just doing an over-night, and the telescope tracking an object.

For this Eclipse, just my DSLR on the mount run by the Intervalometer. Tamron lens at ~600mm. And maybe my Phone camera, tripod or hand held.

But possibly more important is having the DVR set to catch CBS' coverage, just in case....
Because, the best laid plans of Mice and Men, oft times go astray...
My back-up plan.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

SonnyE wrote:

I decided on just two Vixen rails. I either use my... (show quote)

There will replays of this eclipse for months... You can catch them when you get back to the comfort of your livingroom.

bwa

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

hpucker99 wrote:

I plan to follow the upcoming eclipse with my Celestron 6SE with a Nikon D750 with reducer on the back. I bought the piggy back mounting bracket from them and will have a Sony RX10M3 on it that will be zoomed in but provide a wider view. The camera is not aligned with the telescope so I added some cardboard shims for a better alignment. Any suggestions out there for another solution?

We all assume you're using the right Solar Filters on everything???
Craig

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

SonnyE wrote:

I decided on just two Vixen rails. I either use my... (show quote)

The Science Channel is going to be doing it also.
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

CraigFair wrote:

The Science Channel is going to be doing it also.
Craig

Thanks Craig, I'll have to check and see if I get the Science Channel.