Haven't had a chance to test if it holds zero, but mounts just fine and has nice clear glass. Centered vertically true to a plumb line with the crosshairs which is always a plus!It's a great th-cam.com/users/postUgkxc4K63Fd5LglDMObu7-Bgapxp_ef0W8hE scope. There's no parallax adjustment or focus ring, so may be limited to 3-7x, have to see how it is on the range. Also be aware that the rings are "look through" so you can still use irons, but they are really tall if you only intend to use the optics. On a 22LR no biggie since I'm not shooting competitions or worried about a hard cheek press. Will boresight and range test, if all goes well, I'll leave it at that!
I had one hell of a time using my phone mount. Stumbled ont your video this morning. Never occurred to me to mount the Eyepiece before it was on the telescope. That 1 tip changed everything for me. I went straight out and got some great shots of the sun! Thank you!
I'm glad the video was helpful. All of the steps in this video came from me learning about it the hard way and I wanted to share them to save everybody time and frustration. Clear skies! Note: Please avoid pointing anything (telescope, binoculars, eyeballs, etc.) at the sun unless you have approved solar filter screens in place - doing so will cause permanent blindness.
Man, am I glad I found your site. I'm relatively hew to astrophotography and have been struggling to get clear pictures of Saturn and Jupiter. Can't wait to try this out!
As a side note, the eyepiece is an SVBony gold band eyepiece. I bought the whole set on Amazon for pretty cheap. They have a much wider view angle than the standard Plossl eyepieces.
@@Webrisernl Hi Johnny, I still highly recommend the SVBony gold band eyepieces. They are a great first step into better eyepieces. Not crazy expensive like Tele Vue, but they still offer a larger field of view (66 degree) than Plossls. The only problem is that right now (October 2022), they are temporarily out of stock on Amazon. You can still get them on the SVBony website though. Regardless of what you get, have fun!
i didn't have a Bluetooth shutter button so I found that I can use a headphones cable with a volume up or down button which actives the camera, or you can use a voice activated app to trigger the camera! Great video thankyou!
Great camera tips. I use OTG USB cable connected to the phone with Logitech wireless mouse. This way I don't have to touch the phone on the telescope at all and I can control it all with the mouse. Not only picture triggers.
This is the 1st video I came across and was very helpful. I'm going to see if the voice function works so I can just say cheese for it to take the picture.
This is the 1st video I came across and was very helpful. I'm going to see if the voice function works so I can just say cheese for it to take the picture. Thanks for the video
Super helpful man. I have a 127 mak-cass and yesterday was the first time I saw Saturn. I was floored. I was talking to other people about it and I don't think they get it. I will show them now, ha.
Thanks for the tips. Getting ready for the eclipse. Your advice on the Bluetooth Shutterbug remote is spot on. I had trouble with the vibrations during the last eclipse.
Clear, concise instructions. Another way to prevent camera shake is to activate the audio shutter release. My phone will take a picture when I say "Cheese". (the timing is not as precise as your Bluetooth trigger)
Thanks! I've tried the Cheese audio trigger and it works well, despite being a bit awkward when observing alone. When I capture the international space station, I take about 100 photos during the 2 or 3 minutes, so I'd be doing a whole lot of cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, lol. I usually have one of my children just push the Bluetooth shutterbutton constantly while I track it through the viewfinder.
Thank you, and thumbs up!! So many complain about the cheap cellphone adapters that I'm considering the Celestron NexYZ three axis adapter. $45 as of December 2022. I do like that the phone can be adjusted in or out toward the eyepiece, and that it fits 2" eyepieces. Biggest thanks goes for your last tip... the bluetooth shutter trigger. The two brands I found on Amazon now cost $18, but well worth it.
Thank you for watching. I have a review on the channel of the Celestron NexYZ. I still prefer the generic one due to the flexibility of the NeXYZ - I've found it tricky to get the phone perpendicular to the eyepiece. HOWEVER, I am reviewing a new adapter right now that seems to blow the doors off the NeXYZ and it's much simpler. It's all metal and everything is perpendicular (with Z adjustment). Watch for that review here in the next week. Clear skies!
@@AstronomyGarage, thanks so much. I'll wait on a purchase until I see the new video. I'm an astronomy newbie (couple of months), so am researching and studying as much as I can with temperatures down into the single digits here in the Rockies most nights. Books, videos, charts, planisphere, online forums... (We had a break last night... reasonable 34 at 7pm, but total cloud cover!). If it's fair and clear tonight, I'll set the scope up for viewing before dark and hang until mid-low twenties. Two more days until real cold returns. ...ANYWAY, thanks again, and I look forward to the vid on the other phone mount. Subscribed.
You bring up a good point. Most phones have this feature nowadays. When I take the space station photos, though, I'm taking 2 or 3 per second, so I'd sound like a madman saying "take picture" several times per second for several minutes, lol. However, I do use this feature when taking one-off photos. Thanks for watching. Clear skies!
Thanks! Just starting to think about how to possibly use a smartphone for this, so here I am... watching youtube vids on it. I did find that my Galaxy S7 has a "voice command" setting one can use to trigger the shutter on the front or rear camera using the words "smile," "cheese," "capture," or "shoot." Seems easier and cheaper than a bluetooth remote.
Hi! You are correct - many cellphones have the audio-triggered shutter option. Mine has it too and it works well for occasional photos. The main challenge is when I'm photographing the international space station. During that exercise, I take about two photos per second or more, so it would be cumbersome to yell out "cheese!" "cheese!" "cheese!" for five minutes straight, lol. Other than that, though, you are right - the audio option works well too if your phone supports it. I wish you luck and happiness with your astronomical photography. Clear skies!
Thank You for the video, just watched it. I'm new to this hobby I don't have that particular mount I do have the celestron with blue tooth remote and the cell phone photography adapter mount. But today I rec'd the universal telescope mount for smart phones and the point and shoot 35mm cameras. I never thought of securing the eyepiece first, it makes sense. I also got the svbony 305 and 105 cameras just not sure how to use them with the svbony 165 finder scopes. i also got a lumix camera with adapter to use as prime focus. So once I get a break from this weather we are having I am looking forward to taking some photos.
Welcome to the hobby - it's a ton of fun. The Celestron smartphone mount (with the blue tooth button) will work well for you. As far as the 105 and 305's go, those are very nice too. In case you aren't aware, you have to install a software package called SharpCap on your laptop. It recognizes (via the USB port) the SVBony cameras. That software can be a little daunting to learn, but there are several TH-cam tutorials that can help. Have fun!
@@AstronomyGarage yes I just got set it on both laptops. I will trying them out tomorrow afternoon looking down the street weather permitting if not then I will set them up from inside the house and try taking out some snap shots and see they turn out. If I remember I will leave a comment and let you know how it turned out. 👍🏽
It looks like you have already received thanks for all the issues I was having with the same setup. So thanks for a great informative video. I will be using some of the tips you mentioned. As a video creator, I realize all feedback is helpful.
I have played a very little bit with an SLR film camera adaptor on my grandad’s old telescope. I have just ordered a cell phone adaptor to try out. On the Apple side of the isle, the Apple Watch has a shutter button app that works with the iPhone.
My phone (iPhone 12pro Max) was a little too big for this kind of Mount. Had to buy an more expensive one (Celestron Nexyz) and it solved my issues. Great video though!
The Celestron NeXYZ is perfect for iPhones due to the camera offset (I have a separate video review of the NeXYZ). I've been very impressed by the camera quality of iPhones. Thanks for watching!
I'm glad you enjoy the videos. I probably should create a newsletter. Maybe eventually. I have one for my book Red Hope, but that's a different subject. :)
Wait you're John Dreese?! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED YOUR RED HOPE SERIES! One of the best sci-fi series I've ever read! And thanks for the video, it was really helpful
Haha, that's me. Thank you for sharing the love of the Red Hope series! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Did you know I'm working on a third book in the series? Feel free to share the book (and this TH-cam channel) with all your friends. :) Clear skies!
Great! I will order one of this gadget. About the shutter shaking problem, you can also set the camera shooting method to accept voice commands when you say "shoot".
I use a home-made cheap sliding counterweight. It's made from a one-pound dumb-bell with magnets on the end, wrapped in a washcloth. I have a whole video dedicated to making them. Here is the link: th-cam.com/video/HAbyDqZl83Y/w-d-xo.html
@@kellykirby8857 Dive weights will work for sure. I've heard of people attaching a long steel yardstick to the outside so they can still use magnetic counter-weights. That might open up more possibilities.
Thank you for watching. Unfortunately I don't know the answer. I use old phones and so far they only have the one lens. There must be a way though, I'm sure.
Nice, thanks! Another tip instead of the shutter button - my Samsung s20 has a voice command that you can activate. Say "shoot" and it will take a picture when activated.
I did try mine with the "Cheese" vocal trigger, but it got to be awkward with the space station flyover. I take a picture about every second, so it was "Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, etc."
Good question. For bright objects, probably. My understanding is that you can use video, but it requires a special software tool to chop it up into the individual frames before stacking. I don't think SharpCap does that process? Unfortunately, I haven't gotten that far in my astrophotography progression, but I'm sure there are a lot of TH-cam videos that will have suggestions. Have fun. Clear skies!
Came here for adapter advice (for my binoculars) but stayed for the camera settings advice. FYI in your camera settings you can turn on a voice control for snapping the pic- “cheese” or “take picture” and that will eliminate the need for the Bluetooth clicker.
Thanks! Glad you found it useful. The voice control is great for individual photos. I have to use the bluetooth because of my space station photo process. I take about three to four pictures per second, so I'd be constantly saying "Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese", lol.
This was awesome. Looking forward to getting outside and start taking great moon and planet shots. The Apple watch can be used to remote take a picture on your iPhone
Is it a must having a telescope like you recommended? I’m planning to buy a Celestron 114AZ Newtonian Telescope (is about 200$ here in UK) which is 4 times cheaper then the one you recommended on Amazon.
This was such a help. I have a very basic telescope. Problem is it shakes even with light breeze. Do you think I am doing it wrong? Or is it because my tripod is a aluminum one and its too light? In that case what is the best tripod to use with a basic telescope?
Good question. I've had much better luck with aluminum tripods than wooden ones, so you should be good there. Some telescopes are just shakier than others, but there are a few things you can try: 1) Flip out the tripod legs as far as they will rotate so that there is no side to side slop left. 2) Check all of the bolts. If the shaking comes from touching the shutter button on the phone/camera, try using a Bluetooth button ($10 from Amazon). That's what I use to eliminate all camera touching. Future tip: In almost all of my videos, you'll notice I use reflector telescopes on a Dobsonian mount. The Dobsonian mount is pretty much rock solid with zero vibration. I've grown to be a huge fan of Dobsonians (also known as "Dobs").
It would work fine with deep sky objects, but you'll need to be in a dark sky away from city lights. The reason is because my camera is limited to 10 seconds of exposure and some deep sky objects just don't give off enough light in the light polluted skies of the city. Also, for long exposure, your telescope needs to be equipped with tracking capability (like a GoTo or EQ with a clock drive).
Once I got one of these adapters a whole new Space opened up for me. Now I have 3 so I can quick change lenses... I look at a far away street light while it's on the scope to fine adjust the distance between the eye cup and the phone... there is a sweet spot there... mark it with a silver marker... 🤗
@@AstronomyGarage I'm having a lot of fun now and it is way easier to share it with the kiddos, especially not having to lift them up to see in eye pieces, then bump, re adjust, bump, re adjust 😅
My adapter is so generic that it doesn't have any writing on it. I think it came with one of my used telescopes. It does look like the $15 models on Amazon.
If you can afford it, the Celestron NexYZ is the best because it allows you to not only adjust up/down/left/right but also has the ability to move towards and away from the eyepiece for long eye relief eyepieces to come to focus and see the full field of view on wider eyepieces. I was lucky as i got it for free with my Astromaster 90 but they now ship the same telescope with a generic phone adpter.
Thanks, I have that adapter & just can't get it to work with my iPhone 6S. But these tips really help. I'll give it anothe shot one of these days, when there's more clear skies.
I've heard the iPhone cameras are very good, so hopefully they have an equivalent of the Pro mode, giving you access to the manual focus and ISO settings.
Ah man thank you so much. I feel like I have a new toy for my 12.5 f6 reflector and my 4 f15 refractor . I'm looking forward to taking pics of the moon. My cell Is exactly like yours. Yippie!
This is a great tutorial I did everything exact but my adapter is too heavy I think it's because of my bad tripod or can I do something to change that?
Good question. Using one of these camera adapters plus your phone is heavier than many telescope designers planned for. I have to use a counterweight that I made from a few cheap ingredients. I just created a video that shows you how: th-cam.com/video/HAbyDqZl83Y/w-d-xo.html
OMG! Thank you! Was was up last for HOURS trying to get this adapter on my Meade ETX LS 6. I also use a Samsung Galaxy ( Note 8). The sides of the adapter are always turning the Bixby thing on and/ or the phone off. Never knew about the Pro mode. Thanks so much!
I'm glad it helped! Pro Mode is a real game changer. I need to make a separate video about disabling Bixby. There's lots of videos about turning off 90% of the Bixby functionality, but nothing that I know of to totally disable that irritating physical button. Here's what I did: I bought a phone case that is made out of silicone/neoprene. Whatever it is, it's flexible. I then used an X-Acto hobby knife to remove the rubber button extension. So the phone button still exists, but there's no way to push it when the case is on.
It's the SVBony S105, their cheapest entry level version. I only used it once. The laptop software was pretty frustrating. The smartphone works really well for me.
Without knowing the diameter, I can't really say. If it is very large, you may need to use the Celestron NexYZ which is tailored to larger eyepieces. Here's the review I did on that one: th-cam.com/video/OwPntJ5HE48/w-d-xo.html
My phone's camera is on the side of my phone, not the center. Does the adapter allow movement to the side? If not, do you have any recommendations? Great video otherwise, thanks!
Generally speaking, most smartphone adapters are almost designed for phones like yours, with the cameras near the side. This generic one should work just fine for you.
Wow - thank you! I have this exact phone mount, and same phone, and never tried the technique of attaching the phone to the lens first - now that I see it, it's a big "duh"!!!! Also the bluetooth shutter thing is great.
Hi Steve, thank you for watching. You are correct about the word-trigger. I've used it for the shutter control recently and it works well. I have to rely on the Bluetooth button because I take so many pictures so quickly when photographing the international space station. Otherwise, the "cheese!" audio trigger works too. Clear skies!
Thank you so much. This video was very helpful, as I’m about to buy a cellphone adapter for my telescope! Fortunately I have a smart watch and I can take pictures with my phone without touching it d:
I don't have the Bluetooth shutter remote but I can say cheese guess I'm lucky huh and thanks for breaking this down for me now I should be able to give me a picture
This video is incredible! I love the energy of it too it was really pleasant to watch. Could you maybe do a video about how you took such a photo of the iss? I've never seen on with that kind of color. Or not in front of the moon. It really got my attention it's a beautiful picture!
Thanks for watching! Good question - I have an entire video dedicated to photographing the International Space Station. Anybody can do it! Here's a link: th-cam.com/video/hVNLwGbbtsU/w-d-xo.html
If I put this cell phone setup on a 6 inch Dobsonian reflector (Skywatcher Virtuoso GTi 150P to be specific), do I need to buy a counterweight so that the entire setup doesn't tend to slide? Most smartphones are almost half a pound heavy
Absolutely, yes. If you use any camera equipment of any kind, it upsets the balance. I use a home-made sliding magnet balance (super cheap) that is always attached to my telescope. It's second nature to slide it back and forth for balance. Here's my video that shows you how to build one: th-cam.com/video/HAbyDqZl83Y/w-d-xo.html
I also use a wired headset (yes i pefer them more than bluetooth headsets for audio enjoyment) that has volume, play/pause buttons. Volume button up does the job.
You are a genius! What you said is correct, and here's why. On most smartphone camera apps, the shutter can be triggered by pushing the physical volume-up button. The remote Blue-Tooth shutter fobs simply transmit a volume-up signal.
@@AstronomyGarage haha you're far too kind! I learned that way back when i was a support agent for a company that worked for Google for their Nexus and Pixel Phones, and this should apply to most Android based phones. And i also use the "Open Camera" app for full manual captures.
Any tips for iPhone? I can’t turn off the focus and all it shows me is a small circle not wide enough to see. I can get it looking perfect before I mount it to the telescope though using Celestron 70 travel scope with iPhone 14 pro
Please re-watch the camera settings part at the end of the video. The default settings of any smartphone camera app are way too sensitive to light and a bright planet like Jupiter will overwhelm the camera. It's important to set the manual focus to "Infinity", set the ISO setting to low, around 400, and the shutter speed to about 1/350th of a second. For most Android camera apps, you can do all of those by going into the "Pro Mode" feature of the camera app. But if you re-watch the video, I'll show you every step. Clear skies!
Loved your video! I have a solar max III telescope. I want to take pictures of the sun using an adapter. It should still work the same way? I am using a Galaxy A21 phone. Where can I get this adapter? Thanks!
Thank you for the comment. First a warning for anybody reading this, the Solar Max III telescope is a highly specialized telescope designed specifically for solar observations. Unless you have that specific telescope, you should never ever point a telescope or binoculars or any viewing device toward the Sun. It will destroy your eyeball and cause permanent blindness. With that said, these adapters can be found all over Amazon for about $15 to $20.
You are in good company. The XT8 is one of the most popular telescopes ever sold, mainly because it's one of the best ones ever made. Truly the biggest bank for the buck regarding value. Have fun taking lots of astrophotos!
When i use the same adapter on my phone cuz the camera is at the side, then it messes with the power button and usually turns off the phone. How do i prevent this?
For the adapter shown in the video, that can be tricky. One option is to buy a second case and remove the pass-through buttons from the case. Another option is to use a different adapter like the Tridapter or the NeXYZ.
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.15 (2/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qbHbshrA1f0/mqdefault.jpg)
Haven't had a chance to test if it holds zero, but mounts just fine and has nice clear glass. Centered vertically true to a plumb line with the crosshairs which is always a plus!It's a great th-cam.com/users/postUgkxc4K63Fd5LglDMObu7-Bgapxp_ef0W8hE scope. There's no parallax adjustment or focus ring, so may be limited to 3-7x, have to see how it is on the range. Also be aware that the rings are "look through" so you can still use irons, but they are really tall if you only intend to use the optics. On a 22LR no biggie since I'm not shooting competitions or worried about a hard cheek press. Will boresight and range test, if all goes well, I'll leave it at that!
Glad it was helpful!
I had one hell of a time using my phone mount. Stumbled ont your video this morning. Never occurred to me to mount the Eyepiece before it was on the telescope. That 1 tip changed everything for me. I went straight out and got some great shots of the sun! Thank you!
I'm glad the video was helpful. All of the steps in this video came from me learning about it the hard way and I wanted to share them to save everybody time and frustration. Clear skies! Note: Please avoid pointing anything (telescope, binoculars, eyeballs, etc.) at the sun unless you have approved solar filter screens in place - doing so will cause permanent blindness.
Man, am I glad I found your site. I'm relatively hew to astrophotography and have been struggling to get clear pictures of Saturn and Jupiter. Can't wait to try this out!
Thanks! Hope it helps. Have fun.
As a side note, the eyepiece is an SVBony gold band eyepiece. I bought the whole set on Amazon for pretty cheap. They have a much wider view angle than the standard Plossl eyepieces.
@@AstronomyGarage do you still recommend this?
@@Webrisernl Hi Johnny, I still highly recommend the SVBony gold band eyepieces. They are a great first step into better eyepieces. Not crazy expensive like Tele Vue, but they still offer a larger field of view (66 degree) than Plossls. The only problem is that right now (October 2022), they are temporarily out of stock on Amazon. You can still get them on the SVBony website though. Regardless of what you get, have fun!
Great tips. I’ve just got my first telescope can’t wait for a decent clear sky.
Good luck and hopefully you get clear skies soon.
I needed this video so badly, thank you creating this and sharing it.
Hi Syed - thank you for watching! I'm glad the video was helpful. Have fun and clear skies!
Thanks for this informative video. I appreciated you going through the focus settings and explaining them.
Thank you for watching! Glad it was helpful. Have fun with the new photography tools. Clear skies!
This vide is very helpful 😊
I'm glad it was helpful. Thank you for watching!
i didn't have a Bluetooth shutter button so I found that I can use a headphones cable with a volume up or down button which actives the camera, or you can use a voice activated app to trigger the camera! Great video thankyou!
That is an excellent trick! Thank you for watching. Clear skies!
Thanks so much. I've had so many problems trying to get mine to line up. I'll try again.
Good luck. Once it is setup, it's a lot of fun.
Omgosh! I bought this piece a year ago and it was a pain. Thank you for sharing this! I’m excited to try it out tonight 🥰
Thank you for watching. I'm glad it helped! I hope you have tons of fun with it from now on. Clear skies!
Great camera tips. I use OTG USB cable connected to the phone with Logitech wireless mouse. This way I don't have to touch the phone on the telescope at all and I can control it all with the mouse. Not only picture triggers.
Thank you. Glad you found it useful. I'd never heard of using the mouse in such a way, so this is very useful to know. Clear skies!
This is the 1st video I came across and was very helpful. I'm going to see if the voice function works so I can just say cheese for it to take the picture.
This is the 1st video I came across and was very helpful. I'm going to see if the voice function works so I can just say cheese for it to take the picture. Thanks for the video
Super helpful man. I have a 127 mak-cass and yesterday was the first time I saw Saturn. I was floored. I was talking to other people about it and I don't think they get it. I will show them now, ha.
Congrats! Seeing the NASA photos of the planets is one thing, but seeing them with your own eyes is amazing. Have fun!
Thanks for the tips. Getting ready for the eclipse. Your advice on the Bluetooth Shutterbug remote is spot on. I had trouble with the vibrations during the last eclipse.
The bluetooth remote shutter changes everything when it comes to long exposure pictures. Thank you for watching!
Wow!!! Great Video, I was going to sell my friends Telescope for him, but Now he is going to keep it and fit my phone to it, Thank so-much!
That is great news. I hope he has lots of fun. Clear skies!
Clear, concise instructions. Another way to prevent camera shake is to activate the audio shutter release. My phone will take a picture when I say "Cheese". (the timing is not as precise as your Bluetooth trigger)
Thanks! I've tried the Cheese audio trigger and it works well, despite being a bit awkward when observing alone. When I capture the international space station, I take about 100 photos during the 2 or 3 minutes, so I'd be doing a whole lot of cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, lol. I usually have one of my children just push the Bluetooth shutterbutton constantly while I track it through the viewfinder.
Very informative for a Beginner. Thanks.
I'm glad it was helpful. Thank you for watching!
Awesome instruction, perfect for what I needed to know, thanx😁👍❤️
Glad to hear it was helpful. Have fun!
Thank you, and thumbs up!! So many complain about the cheap cellphone adapters that I'm considering the Celestron NexYZ three axis adapter. $45 as of December 2022. I do like that the phone can be adjusted in or out toward the eyepiece, and that it fits 2" eyepieces. Biggest thanks goes for your last tip... the bluetooth shutter trigger. The two brands I found on Amazon now cost $18, but well worth it.
Thank you for watching. I have a review on the channel of the Celestron NexYZ. I still prefer the generic one due to the flexibility of the NeXYZ - I've found it tricky to get the phone perpendicular to the eyepiece. HOWEVER, I am reviewing a new adapter right now that seems to blow the doors off the NeXYZ and it's much simpler. It's all metal and everything is perpendicular (with Z adjustment). Watch for that review here in the next week. Clear skies!
@@AstronomyGarage, thanks so much. I'll wait on a purchase until I see the new video. I'm an astronomy newbie (couple of months), so am researching and studying as much as I can with temperatures down into the single digits here in the Rockies most nights. Books, videos, charts, planisphere, online forums... (We had a break last night... reasonable 34 at 7pm, but total cloud cover!). If it's fair and clear tonight, I'll set the scope up for viewing before dark and hang until mid-low twenties. Two more days until real cold returns. ...ANYWAY, thanks again, and I look forward to the vid on the other phone mount. Subscribed.
This is almost my exact setup. Love the bluetooth shutter button. Do you recall the camera settings for shooting the iss?
When capturing the ISS, I set the cellphone camera (Pro Mode) up with ISO 400 and use 1/250 for shutter speed. Any slower and it gets blurry.
@@AstronomyGarage awesome I will give this a shot if everything lines up after the new moon. Thank you
Thanks for the intro to using the phone for astrophotography.
Hope it helps. Clear skies!
PRO TIP #2- Don't buy the shutter button. Just say "take picture" and your Samsung (most other phones) will take the pic.
You bring up a good point. Most phones have this feature nowadays. When I take the space station photos, though, I'm taking 2 or 3 per second, so I'd sound like a madman saying "take picture" several times per second for several minutes, lol. However, I do use this feature when taking one-off photos. Thanks for watching. Clear skies!
Really helpful and informative , thank you very much.
Thanks for watching. I'm glad it was helpful. Have fun!
Thanks! Just starting to think about how to possibly use a smartphone for this, so here I am... watching youtube vids on it. I did find that my Galaxy S7 has a "voice command" setting one can use to trigger the shutter on the front or rear camera using the words "smile," "cheese," "capture," or "shoot." Seems easier and cheaper than a bluetooth remote.
Hi! You are correct - many cellphones have the audio-triggered shutter option. Mine has it too and it works well for occasional photos. The main challenge is when I'm photographing the international space station. During that exercise, I take about two photos per second or more, so it would be cumbersome to yell out "cheese!" "cheese!" "cheese!" for five minutes straight, lol. Other than that, though, you are right - the audio option works well too if your phone supports it. I wish you luck and happiness with your astronomical photography. Clear skies!
Excellent demonstration, John!
Thank you Michael. Clear skies!
Thank You for the video, just watched it. I'm new to this hobby I don't have that particular mount I do have the celestron with blue tooth remote and the cell phone photography adapter mount. But today I rec'd the universal telescope mount for smart phones and the point and shoot 35mm cameras. I never thought of securing the eyepiece first, it makes sense. I also got the svbony 305 and 105 cameras just not sure how to use them with the svbony 165 finder scopes. i also got a lumix camera with adapter to use as prime focus. So once I get a break from this weather we are having I am looking forward to taking some photos.
Welcome to the hobby - it's a ton of fun. The Celestron smartphone mount (with the blue tooth button) will work well for you. As far as the 105 and 305's go, those are very nice too. In case you aren't aware, you have to install a software package called SharpCap on your laptop. It recognizes (via the USB port) the SVBony cameras. That software can be a little daunting to learn, but there are several TH-cam tutorials that can help. Have fun!
@@AstronomyGarage yes I just got set it on both laptops. I will trying them out tomorrow afternoon looking down the street weather permitting if not then I will set them up from inside the house and try taking out some snap shots and see they turn out. If I remember I will leave a comment and let you know how it turned out. 👍🏽
Thank you for this great idea about the shutter button I got my phone adapter coming in tomorrow I’ll definitely get that shutter button👍👍👍
Have fun! It's an addictive hobby. Clear skies!
Thank you soooo much fof making this video! Helped a lot!! 😎👍
I'm glad it was helpful. Thank YOU for watching. Have fun taking your astronomy photos. Clear skies!
It looks like you have already received thanks for all the issues I was having with the same setup. So thanks for a great informative video. I will be using some of the tips you mentioned. As a video creator, I realize all feedback is helpful.
Hello fellow creator! I'm glad you found the video helpful. Clear skies!
Thank you, this is so helpful!
Thank you for watching - I'm glad it was helpful. Have fun!
I have played a very little bit with an SLR film camera adaptor on my grandad’s old telescope. I have just ordered a cell phone adaptor to try out. On the Apple side of the isle, the Apple Watch has a shutter button app that works with the iPhone.
Thanks Richard. I'm not familiar with Apple products, but many friends and coworkers love them. Please post any lessons learned here! Clear skies!
My phone (iPhone 12pro Max) was a little too big for this kind of Mount. Had to buy an more expensive one (Celestron Nexyz) and it solved my issues. Great video though!
The Celestron NeXYZ is perfect for iPhones due to the camera offset (I have a separate video review of the NeXYZ). I've been very impressed by the camera quality of iPhones. Thanks for watching!
Love your advice. I wish you had a newsletter!
I'm glad you enjoy the videos. I probably should create a newsletter. Maybe eventually. I have one for my book Red Hope, but that's a different subject. :)
Very helpful video thank you i never thought about the pro version on my phone! I'm gonna try tomorrow night! 🌙
Hope it helps. Let me know how it goes!
Amazing video. Thank you so much! Will try this out at our star party next week.
Thanks for watching and have fun!
Wait you're John Dreese?! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED YOUR RED HOPE SERIES! One of the best sci-fi series I've ever read! And thanks for the video, it was really helpful
Haha, that's me. Thank you for sharing the love of the Red Hope series! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Did you know I'm working on a third book in the series? Feel free to share the book (and this TH-cam channel) with all your friends. :) Clear skies!
@@AstronomyGarage Ooh I can't wait for the third one!💗
Great! I will order one of this gadget. About the shutter shaking problem, you can also set the camera shooting method to accept voice commands when you say "shoot".
That is good to know. I've heard people use the word "cheese" too.
Thank you for great detailed steps 👍
Thank YOU for watching. Clear skies!
What are you using as counter weight while using the cell phone adapter?. I have an 8in dobsonian red tube.
I use a home-made cheap sliding counterweight. It's made from a one-pound dumb-bell with magnets on the end, wrapped in a washcloth. I have a whole video dedicated to making them. Here is the link: th-cam.com/video/HAbyDqZl83Y/w-d-xo.html
@reflactor my telescope isn't metal. So I'm going to use a belt with a dive weight. Best solution I could come up with lol.
@@kellykirby8857 Dive weights will work for sure. I've heard of people attaching a long steel yardstick to the outside so they can still use magnetic counter-weights. That might open up more possibilities.
Any idea what to do when it comes to newer phones? The iphone i have has 3 cameras, not really sure how to circumvent that issue
Thank you for watching. Unfortunately I don't know the answer. I use old phones and so far they only have the one lens. There must be a way though, I'm sure.
Thanks for the video! I ordered those 2 items. I will try them out!
Thanks! Have a blast taking astrophotos. It's a ton of fun.
Nice, thanks! Another tip instead of the shutter button - my Samsung s20 has a voice command that you can activate. Say "shoot" and it will take a picture when activated.
I did try mine with the "Cheese" vocal trigger, but it got to be awkward with the space station flyover. I take a picture about every second, so it was "Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, etc."
Hi should I be taking photos of planets/galaxies or video recording them it's so I can stack it later for better quality
Good question. For bright objects, probably. My understanding is that you can use video, but it requires a special software tool to chop it up into the individual frames before stacking. I don't think SharpCap does that process? Unfortunately, I haven't gotten that far in my astrophotography progression, but I'm sure there are a lot of TH-cam videos that will have suggestions. Have fun. Clear skies!
Came here for adapter advice (for my binoculars) but stayed for the camera settings advice. FYI in your camera settings you can turn on a voice control for snapping the pic- “cheese” or “take picture” and that will eliminate the need for the Bluetooth clicker.
Thanks! Glad you found it useful. The voice control is great for individual photos. I have to use the bluetooth because of my space station photo process. I take about three to four pictures per second, so I'd be constantly saying "Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese", lol.
This was awesome. Looking forward to getting outside and start taking great moon and planet shots. The Apple watch can be used to remote take a picture on your iPhone
Thank you for watching. Glad it helped. I was unaware of that feature on the Apple Watch!
That's a super useful video! 😊
Thank you for watching. Clear skies!
Is it a must having a telescope like you recommended? I’m planning to buy a Celestron 114AZ Newtonian Telescope (is about 200$ here in UK) which is 4 times cheaper then the one you recommended on Amazon.
thats not a good telescope unless you are willing to replace the eyepieces and build a dobsonian mount for it
and the telescope is more expensive because it gathers more light, dobsonians are good starter telscopes
@@LJKMagic thank you
Thanks for that! It's worth remembering many phones can take pics by saying 'shoot' or 'snap'.
That's a great idea. Many newer phones offer the audio-triggered shutter which is very useful in this case. Thank you for watching. Clear skies!
Great! Very helpful tips! Thanks a lot!
Thank you for watching. Glad it helped. Clear skies!
Great video! Very helpful. I have now subscribed to your channel. Great stuff. Thanks so much.
I'm glad you found it useful. Thank you for subscribing.
Nice I was searching for a more stable solution to get the cell to see through the BINOCULARS. Great video. You got a new subscriber.
Thank you for watching. Clear skies!
Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching. Clear skies!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Thank you for watching. I'm glad it helped. Have fun!
This was such a help. I have a very basic telescope. Problem is it shakes even with light breeze. Do you think I am doing it wrong? Or is it because my tripod is a aluminum one and its too light? In that case what is the best tripod to use with a basic telescope?
Good question. I've had much better luck with aluminum tripods than wooden ones, so you should be good there. Some telescopes are just shakier than others, but there are a few things you can try: 1) Flip out the tripod legs as far as they will rotate so that there is no side to side slop left. 2) Check all of the bolts. If the shaking comes from touching the shutter button on the phone/camera, try using a Bluetooth button ($10 from Amazon). That's what I use to eliminate all camera touching.
Future tip: In almost all of my videos, you'll notice I use reflector telescopes on a Dobsonian mount. The Dobsonian mount is pretty much rock solid with zero vibration. I've grown to be a huge fan of Dobsonians (also known as "Dobs").
Does this also work for refractor telescopes? because i only see people use these for mirror telescopes
It works for any telescope that has removable eyepieces. The adapter clamps onto the eyepieces themselves.
Nice Video. The moon pictures look great. Would it work as well with Deepsky Objects (like M31) or is that too much for a smartphone?
It would work fine with deep sky objects, but you'll need to be in a dark sky away from city lights. The reason is because my camera is limited to 10 seconds of exposure and some deep sky objects just don't give off enough light in the light polluted skies of the city. Also, for long exposure, your telescope needs to be equipped with tracking capability (like a GoTo or EQ with a clock drive).
Any suggestions for an iOS app that allows manual focus?
Unfortunately I don't have any Apple equipment. However, I'm sure there is a astrophotography app somewhere on the iTunes store.
Best tips ever!!!
Thanks! Glad it helped. Have fun with astrophotography. It's a blast!
Once I got one of these adapters a whole new Space opened up for me. Now I have 3 so I can quick change lenses... I look at a far away street light while it's on the scope to fine adjust the distance between the eye cup and the phone... there is a sweet spot there... mark it with a silver marker... 🤗
Or just learn the spot if you don't want to make silver dots on your eyepiece 😉😆
Having multiple adapter/eyepieces setup and ready to go is a pretty handy tip!
@@AstronomyGarage I'm having a lot of fun now and it is way easier to share it with the kiddos, especially not having to lift them up to see in eye pieces, then bump, re adjust, bump, re adjust 😅
That's great news. It's always more fun when the entire family can enjoy it.
Which phone adapter is that? I'm expected my first telescope (an 8" dob) this week and want to be ready with equipment. I have a Samsung galaxy also.
My adapter is so generic that it doesn't have any writing on it. I think it came with one of my used telescopes. It does look like the $15 models on Amazon.
If you can afford it, the Celestron NexYZ is the best because it allows you to not only adjust up/down/left/right but also has the ability to move towards and away from the eyepiece for long eye relief eyepieces to come to focus and see the full field of view on wider eyepieces. I was lucky as i got it for free with my Astromaster 90 but they now ship the same telescope with a generic phone adpter.
@@allnamesaretaken I keep hearing good things about the NexYZ. I think I'm going to give it a try!
Thanks, I have that adapter & just can't get it to work with my iPhone 6S.
But these tips really help. I'll give it anothe shot one of these days, when there's more clear skies.
I've heard the iPhone cameras are very good, so hopefully they have an equivalent of the Pro mode, giving you access to the manual focus and ISO settings.
Thank you very much .... found this very useful brother.
Thanks! Glad you found it useful!
The best tutorial so far, have been searching for this. I have for sure subscribed, will check that link too:-)
Glad you found it helpful! Clear skies!
Ah man thank you so much.
I feel like I have a new toy for my 12.5 f6 reflector and my 4 f15 refractor . I'm looking forward to taking pics of the moon. My cell Is exactly like yours. Yippie!
Our phone works pretty well for this. Have fun!
This is a great tutorial I did everything exact but my adapter is too heavy I think it's because of my bad tripod or can I do something to change that?
Good question. Using one of these camera adapters plus your phone is heavier than many telescope designers planned for. I have to use a counterweight that I made from a few cheap ingredients. I just created a video that shows you how:
th-cam.com/video/HAbyDqZl83Y/w-d-xo.html
Excellent video, thanks 😊
Thank you for watching. Hope it helps. Clear skies and have fun. :)
OMG! Thank you! Was was up last for HOURS trying to get this adapter on my Meade ETX LS 6. I also use a Samsung Galaxy ( Note 8). The sides of the adapter are always turning the Bixby thing on and/ or the phone off. Never knew about the Pro mode. Thanks so much!
I'm glad it helped! Pro Mode is a real game changer. I need to make a separate video about disabling Bixby. There's lots of videos about turning off 90% of the Bixby functionality, but nothing that I know of to totally disable that irritating physical button. Here's what I did: I bought a phone case that is made out of silicone/neoprene. Whatever it is, it's flexible. I then used an X-Acto hobby knife to remove the rubber button extension. So the phone button still exists, but there's no way to push it when the case is on.
@@AstronomyGarage sir this lences can work on Samsung galaxy m51 phone
I didn't want to go thru all 329 comments, so I'll ask.....what software were you talking about? Thanks
The software that I show in the video is just the default camera app on my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
Hey! What was that SVbony camera you showed? Is it any good? Whats the model?
It's the SVBony S105, their cheapest entry level version. I only used it once. The laptop software was pretty frustrating. The smartphone works really well for me.
Great video!
Thanks for watching!
Does this work with the sabony 171 zoom eye piece?
Without knowing the diameter, I can't really say. If it is very large, you may need to use the Celestron NexYZ which is tailored to larger eyepieces. Here's the review I did on that one: th-cam.com/video/OwPntJ5HE48/w-d-xo.html
great help 👍👍
Thanks! Glad it was useful. Clear skies!
My phone's camera is on the side of my phone, not the center. Does the adapter allow movement to the side? If not, do you have any recommendations? Great video otherwise, thanks!
Generally speaking, most smartphone adapters are almost designed for phones like yours, with the cameras near the side. This generic one should work just fine for you.
@@AstronomyGarage thanks!
Wow - thank you! I have this exact phone mount, and same phone, and never tried the technique of attaching the phone to the lens first - now that I see it, it's a big "duh"!!!! Also the bluetooth shutter thing is great.
Thank you for watching. It took me a lot of trial and error to get it just right, but I'm happy to share. Have fun!
Great video and very useful will be trying it out very soon thankyou. Samsung now have a word command on the phone so no need to touch the screen.
Hi Steve, thank you for watching. You are correct about the word-trigger. I've used it for the shutter control recently and it works well. I have to rely on the Bluetooth button because I take so many pictures so quickly when photographing the international space station. Otherwise, the "cheese!" audio trigger works too. Clear skies!
OH Man what a great astronomy
Hope you found it helpful! Clear skies.
Thank you so much. This video was very helpful, as I’m about to buy a cellphone adapter for my telescope! Fortunately I have a smart watch and I can take pictures with my phone without touching it d:
Thank you for watching! I'm glad the video was helpful. I hope you have a lot of fun - it's a great hobby and challenge. Clear skies!
Thanks
I don't have the Bluetooth shutter remote but I can say cheese guess I'm lucky huh and thanks for breaking this down for me now I should be able to give me a picture
Thanks for watching. I'm glad it helped. The voice-activated shutter button is very handy for astrophotographs. Clear skies!
This video is incredible! I love the energy of it too it was really pleasant to watch. Could you maybe do a video about how you took such a photo of the iss? I've never seen on with that kind of color. Or not in front of the moon. It really got my attention it's a beautiful picture!
Thanks for watching! Good question - I have an entire video dedicated to photographing the International Space Station. Anybody can do it! Here's a link: th-cam.com/video/hVNLwGbbtsU/w-d-xo.html
@@AstronomyGarage wow okay thank you! I'm gonna give it a watch! I guess I missed it
If I put this cell phone setup on a 6 inch Dobsonian reflector (Skywatcher Virtuoso GTi 150P to be specific), do I need to buy a counterweight so that the entire setup doesn't tend to slide? Most smartphones are almost half a pound heavy
Absolutely, yes. If you use any camera equipment of any kind, it upsets the balance. I use a home-made sliding magnet balance (super cheap) that is always attached to my telescope. It's second nature to slide it back and forth for balance. Here's my video that shows you how to build one: th-cam.com/video/HAbyDqZl83Y/w-d-xo.html
@@AstronomyGarage thanks a lot
The Apple Watch has the remote shutter which is very helpful
Thank you! That is a very handy feature. Clear skies!
Clear skies man😁
I'm just starting up doing astro photography but with binoculars. One thing extra if you hold the Bluetooth button down it starts video recording
Thanks for the tip! I did not know that. Have fun with the astrophotography hobby - it can get very addictive!
I also use a wired headset (yes i pefer them more than bluetooth headsets for audio enjoyment) that has volume, play/pause buttons. Volume button up does the job.
You are a genius! What you said is correct, and here's why. On most smartphone camera apps, the shutter can be triggered by pushing the physical volume-up button. The remote Blue-Tooth shutter fobs simply transmit a volume-up signal.
@@AstronomyGarage haha you're far too kind!
I learned that way back when i was a support agent for a company that worked for Google for their Nexus and Pixel Phones, and this should apply to most Android based phones.
And i also use the "Open Camera" app for full manual captures.
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Note with S-pen, the S-pen has a camera shutter release button on it!
That is extremely convenient. Thank you for sharing and thank you for watching! Have fun. :)
Great work..👍
Any tips for iPhone? I can’t turn off the focus and all it shows me is a small circle not wide enough to see. I can get it looking perfect before I mount it to the telescope though using Celestron 70 travel scope with iPhone 14 pro
Unfortunately I don't own any Apple products.
I just have a quick question I use this phone mount but my phone takes bright pictures of planets and they look like stars
Please re-watch the camera settings part at the end of the video. The default settings of any smartphone camera app are way too sensitive to light and a bright planet like Jupiter will overwhelm the camera. It's important to set the manual focus to "Infinity", set the ISO setting to low, around 400, and the shutter speed to about 1/350th of a second. For most Android camera apps, you can do all of those by going into the "Pro Mode" feature of the camera app. But if you re-watch the video, I'll show you every step. Clear skies!
@@AstronomyGarage do you know any good apps for a iPhone 12
@@Peaches_the_utah Unfortunately I don't have any Apple products, so I don't have any advice at this point in time.
Any tips for phones that have cam on side. Been struggling to get mine fully aligned
You may find one of these adjustable camera adapters more workable for your phone: amzn.to/3pkJoZ1
Loved your video! I have a solar max III telescope. I want to take pictures of the sun using an adapter. It should still work the same way? I am using a Galaxy A21 phone. Where can I get this adapter? Thanks!
Thank you for the comment. First a warning for anybody reading this, the Solar Max III telescope is a highly specialized telescope designed specifically for solar observations. Unless you have that specific telescope, you should never ever point a telescope or binoculars or any viewing device toward the Sun. It will destroy your eyeball and cause permanent blindness. With that said, these adapters can be found all over Amazon for about $15 to $20.
Which galaxy do you have?
Thanks for the video. It's funny I have the same xt8 telescope, same adapter and same phone 😊.
You are in good company. The XT8 is one of the most popular telescopes ever sold, mainly because it's one of the best ones ever made. Truly the biggest bank for the buck regarding value. Have fun taking lots of astrophotos!
Thank you!
Thanks for watching. Clear skies!
I don't have that type, I have a Slokey telescope and you have to put it on to the 10mm zoom before you can do pictures
most healpful.
Thanks. I'm glad it was helpful.
Thanks so much, your video its of great help, i have the same gatget and was prety upset with myself for not being able to use it. Thanks a lot!
I'm glad it helped. Thank you for watching. Clear skies!
It was helpfull 👍
I'm glad it was helpful.
So, last night I took it out and couldn't see anything on my camera. I took photos and all Blk, lol. I guess I should have remembered your video.
Best of luck next time. :)
When i use the same adapter on my phone cuz the camera is at the side, then it messes with the power button and usually turns off the phone. How do i prevent this?
For the adapter shown in the video, that can be tricky. One option is to buy a second case and remove the pass-through buttons from the case. Another option is to use a different adapter like the Tridapter or the NeXYZ.
8:45
how did you edit the picture of the moon after you took it?
I didn't edit it. That particular photo was taken from that session (I think I took several photos).
@Reflactor And do you know how when we shoot, for example, Saturn resolution is as good as in the video intro?
0:16
Thanks, we will apply this process with our Orion XT8 Classic after purchaing the adapter and bluetooth shutter controller
Best of luck! It's a fun hobby. Clear skies!
Thank you.
Thank you for watching. I hope it is helpful.