Camera Mount with Synta/Orion Finder Foot
ScopeStuff
$22

Since upgrading to the 12" LX600 from my 8" LX200-ACF in 2016 I have missed being able to piggyback a camera on the 12" telescope tube. When I first purchased the LX600 I asked about a piggyback mount but none were available. Using rings and a rail was not really a viable solution due to the StarLock refractor telescope on the LX600. I gave up looking for a solution, although I never lost the desire for a piggyback mount. Then several months ago I stumbled upon the Camera Mount with Synta/Orion Finder Foot and Camera Mount with Explore Scientific/Meade Finder Foot, both available from ScopeStuff for $22. These piggyback mounts attach to a finderscope shoe on the telescope tube. In discussions with ScopeStuff I learned these mounts might not support my heavy D850 DSLR, as they are intended for lightweight cameras. So I once again shelved my search for a solution. However, as I thought more about the ScopeStuff solution I began to wonder if it could work with my D7200 DSLR, which weighs less than the D850. I finally decided to buy one. But which one?

With the Meade LX600 you might think I would use the Meade Finder Foot model. Normally that would be correct. But I had replaced the Meade finderscope foot with an Orion foot to support the Orion Dual Mount to have two finderscopes on the telescope. As I still have the Meade foot I looked at re-attaching it on the right side of the telescope tube, opposite the finderscopes. That seemed to be a reasonable idea, but then I remembered that when I had my 8" telescope I could not use short focal lengths on the camera lens for wide field sky astrophotography. The telescope tube would block much of the sky. If the camera could be mounted a little higher above the telescope tube that would be less of a problem, especially with the longer tube of the 12" telescope. The Orion Dual Mount provided a height that would reduce the blockage issue. I bought the ScopeStuff Synta/Orion Finder Foot.

As seen in the photo above at the right, the Camera Mount is a simple device. The Mount is threaded for the 1/4" tripod bolt hole on cameras and has a knob to tighten the mount to the camera. The camera can be attached to the mount directly or you could use a ballhead to hold the camera, which would provide additional height above the telescope tube. The photo below shows the Camera Mount attached to my DSLR. You can see the "security" pin on the bottom of the Mount that prevents the Mount from sliding off the shoe on the telescope.

I removed one of the finderscopes from the Orion Dual Mount and attached my Nikon D7200 DSLR with the 18-140mm kit lens. As I always do, I wrapped the neckstrap around the finderscopes mount for extra security. The D7200 fit nicely between the StarLock refractor telescope and the finderscope.

I had no concerns about weight with the D7200 DSLR. The camera seemed like it would be securely held in place as the telescope is slewed to different orientations, including with the camera hanging below the telescope tube when pointed at the northern sky.

I checked the field-of-view (FOV) to see what parts of the telescope would be in the FOV. The photo on the left below is at a focal length of 18mm. With a focal length of 52mm (right photo) there is no part of the telescope in the FOV. A focal length of 52mm on the D7200 DSLR gives a FOV of 25° x 17°.

I then tried out the Nikon D850 DSLR with a Nikon 70-300mm lens. I was pleasantly surprised to not see any issues with the heavier camera and this lens. However, I will not use my heaviest lens, a Tamron 150-600mm lens with this Camera Mount as I suspect that would be too much weight to be safe.

A focal length of 300mm on the D850 DSLR provides a FOV of 6.6° x 4.5° with no part of the telescope in the FOV. This camera and lens will probably be my most frequently used piggyback setup.

Next, I used the Levenhuk Smartphone Adapter to mount my iPhone 11 Pro Max. This smartphone adapter has a 1/4" tripod mounting hole, which some adapters do not have.

The following photos show the FOV with each of the three lenses on the iPhone 11 Pro Max (0.5X, 1X, and 2X).

Using a ballhead mount or an extension rod like the Smallrig Micro Rod extension that I purchased last year, can help reduce the amount of the telescope seen by the wide-angle and normal lens. Here is the ballhead and extension rod with the Levenhuk Smartphone Adapter attached that will be used to hold the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

This is the night sky taken with the iOS Camera app in "Night Mode" (30 seconds exposure, 1X lens) on the tracking mount. Sirius is at the left, Orion below center, Hyades at the right, with the bright Venus also at the right.

I mounted the D850 DSLR with 70-300mm lens piggyback on the 12" telescope. This photo shows the telescope and camera with the bottom portion of Orion visible in the sky.

I took the following StarLock autoguided images at a focal length of 300mm.

Leo Triplet of Galaxies (M65 right, M66 left, & NGC3628 Sarah's Galaxy top), cropped, f/5.6, 5 minutes, ISO 4000

Slewed to M60 (galaxy) and did a StarLock autoguided 5 minutes exposure, FL 300mm. The image captured many galaxies. Click on the photo to view a larger version. If you are viewing on a large screen you will see many galaxies throughout the photo.

M60 and many other galaxies, full-frame image, f/5.6, 5 minutes, ISO 4000

Click or tap on image for larger version

M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy), cropped, f/5.6, 1 minute, ISO 4000

I was pleased with these results.

With my 12" telescope polar mounted on an equatorial wedge the camera was hanging upside down beneath the telescope tube while imaging M51. The ScopeStuff Camera Mount securely held the D850 DSLR.

Summary

The ScopeStuff Camera Mount is a simple low cost solution for mounting many different types of cameras piggyback on a telescope for wide angle and telephoto tracked sky astrophotography. How wide an angle you can go will depend on the size of your telescope tube and how far above the tube you mount the camera. I had no concerns about the heavy D850 DSLR and long lens falling off of the tube. I recommend attaching the Camera Mount to the camera or ballhead & camera first, then slide the Mount into the shoe on the telescope. Align the camera as needed for your photo. The vertical image frame alignment was good with the DSLR without the ballhead. I only had to adjust the horizontal position by a small amount to center the same object in the telescope eyepiece and the camera lens.

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