Basic Photo Equipment and Scopes

Let me start by outlining my basic photo gear as well as my telescopes.

I started in astronomy back in September of 2007 with the purchase of my first scope: the diminutive but very capable Astronomy Technology AT66ED APO refractor telescope. It's relatively small, but the optics are truly apochromatic (without color). This is critical for lunar photography because of the very bright nature of the moon against the night sky. The difference in brightness causes chromatic aberration in many lesser scopes. Along with the scope, I also bought a very heavy duty tripod and mount. The Universal Astronomics Unistar Light Basic which suits the AT66ED APO very well.

I've posted a photo of the AT66ED APO here:

http://flickr.com/photos/ambroseliao/2070725139/

I already had a Canon Powershot G7, so all I needed was a way to hook the two together. Luckily, there is a great lens adapter available which is very well made called the "Lensmate." It's solid aircraft grade aluminum and built like a tank. This provides a 58mm thread to mount filters or telescope eyepiece adapters.

Here's a shot of the Canon G7 with a Scopetronix MaxView 40mm eyepiece connected to the Lensmate:
http://flickr.com/photos/ambroseliao/2071519026/

I've recently purchased a lightly used Canon 20D to try and further my astrophotography:
http://flickr.com/photos/ambroseliao/2494073594/

You can see the humongous Scopetronix MaxView DSLR eyepiece mount connected to it. The Scopetronix allows you to use any 1.25" eyepiece with a DLSR. Also shown in the photo are the Seagull 2.5x viewfinder magnifier and the Cactus Canon EOS wireless shutter release.

Some photos next: