Dobsonian Images

I use a small point and shoot camera (and sometimes my phone!) to grab shots from the 25 mm eyepiece of a Dobsonian mounted 8 in reflector of the moon, sunspots, and sometimes Jupiter. I appreciate the limitations of this method but sometimes I get good snaps. However other times, even though I'm convinced the eyepiece is perfectly focussed, they are
way out of focus even though I often use a clamp to hold the camera in position. Is there a way of doing this better which has so far escaped me? (I tried to attach some pics but they seem to prevent the post being submitted)

Here's one I took recently that worked out reasonably ... a very small file, hope you can make it out!

Nice image thanks for sharing

I would be surprised if you could not find something out there that will work all the time for you - trouble is....once you start buying gear for this hobby....there is just no end!

Looking at the picture above (and noting that you also shoot Jupiter at times) I'd say you are off to a good start. Perhaps someone can tell if there is a club near you - to talk with other guys. Where are you located?

This search page may give you ideas!
www.google.es/search?q=camera+holder+for...IMg&biw=1596&bih=954

Thanks for the link! I have one of those mounts (first one on the page) for my Fuji Point & SHoot camera but focussing is hit and miss. Brilliant when it works but a few frames later it can be out of focus without me touching anything. Could it be caused by atmospherics? Or the foibles of automatic focussing? I tend to focus the eyepiece first, then mount the camera but the pics are not always sharp. I suppose the question I struggle with is: does an eye focussed eyepiece guarantee pin sharp photos or is automatic focussing somehow independent of that?

By the way these pictures are single exposure shots. The attached is a cropped photo which was taken at 100 ISO, 1/125 second, F 3.3 with, if my memory serves,a minus 2 EV compensation because of the glare. Focal length of the camera was 5.9 (35mm equivalent was 35 mm). Postproduction is usually a touch of sharpening and contrast correction. Because they are JPGs and not RAW I don't bother with Photoshop or Lightroom and just use Picasa.

I live in Balbriggan but am not yet aware of any local astronomical societies.
Gerry

Hi Gerry,

There used to be a Balbriggan club. They still have a facebook page.
Meath astronomy club meet in Rathbeggan lakes and the Irish Astromomical Society meet in Clontarf once a month not exactly local but nearby.

Michael.