agreed worth every penny

tell her it was this... or a motorcycle... you were just thinking of her

Very cool! I love watching you as the process unfolds :)[/quote]


thanks... it's lots of fun for me also

great idea

ok so here we go.... so excited i forgot my laser to point at the north star so i had to guess as best i could... very cold and i think that my remote trigger decided it was to cold to function... or i need to read more directions.... i was ill prepared for the cold and was miserable quickly..... think my iso was way to low... not sure if i focused correctly but managed to get one pic that actually showed anything.... i am posting the original... i have played with it a bit and with brightness and contrast adjustments (very unknowing about post processing) i can make it look like maybe it might be a picture of stars.... here it is .... fun.. damn cold ... but fun

www.astronomyboy.com/barndoor/links.shtml
www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/52
www.eskimo.com/~rachford/widefield/barndoor.html

hope this helps ... matt

i did use plans from google ... i searched for scotch mount and barn door mount.... mine is a combination of about 3 or 4 different designs... it is all about the math.... the drive screw has to be 11 and 3/8 inches from the hinge pin... it has to be a 1/4 inch screw with 20 threads per inch... with this set up you turn the screw at 1 revolution per minute while the hinge is pointed north and the bottom platform is elevated to degrees matching my lattitude 17 i think here in colorado where i live... what you do not see in the pick is i have a green laser that sets on the hinge pin .... with this i can point the mount directly at the north star accomplishing both north and latitude adjustments...also i added a cheap kitchen digital timer that lights up and has a second timer.... should work great with a short lens... i am using a 18 55 kit lens set at 18 ... as far as pics go tonight is the night.... should be clear for the first time since building..... cross your fingers

gotta figure out tubes... i like them but i really want to be able to blurr the m&ms more... all about depth of field but i am limited in my ability to control because the tubes are a cheap set... need to get the ones where i can talk to the lens... i have no idea how to set the f=stop when the tubes are on..... but it was fun....

d 3100 18 -55 kit lens

probably will work best at 18 ... figure 6-8 hundred iso... wide open lens

then gonna start with 3 minutes then 5 8 12 15 20 25 30 minutes and see what happens

tips welcome

i set it up to go as long as 30 minutes... then i run out of screw... i heard that around 30 secons you start getting trails... something i did not want.... hoping to practice and be ready for the next meteor shower.... april i think ... but very excited to get out and try it.... damn clouds

maybe tues ...more likely wed night..(overcast skies). waiting is torture

spose to track the stars... for longer exposure time without the trails

just point the hinge at the north star and turn the handle once a minute (actually a quarter turn every 15 seconds)

we shall see

ok so it is built... i went with one of the simplest plans i could find..
2 pieces of wood a hinge a drive screw... a paint stick as my finger drive... a little paint to make it look cool like the night sky

home made ball mount for camera out of a doll head and plumbing stuff

and when the camera is on this thing the quick release tripod mount just comes off of the camera and screw into the bottom of the barn door mount.... clever

now the weather man says tues night or wed niight before clear skys and photo ops for me

will post my results as soon as i have some

nikon d 3100.... love mine

if i was in your situation ... i would get the camera switched to IR (infrared) ,,, just a thought.... be cool to have the option..