Equipment
This is my current astrophotography setup.
- Mount: Vixen GPDX Equatorial with RA drive and controller
- Guidescope: Saxon 900 x 70 refractor
- Cameras: Pentax, Chinon, Canon 10D
- Lenses: 28mm, 50mm, 135mm, 400mm focal lengths
With this setup I use the telescope with an illuminated reticule eyepiece to guide on star while photgraphing with the attached camera. The camera is attached to a ball joint to allow for easier positioning but I also fix the camera body directly to the mount when using bigger lenses.
The Vixen equatorial mount is fixed to a home made pier and is accurately polar aligned. This means I require only one drive motor and can easily guide exposures for wide angle photographs for 30 minutes.