Orion 5228 Table of Contents, Parts List, Assembly, About Afocal Photography, Using the SteadyPix

Welcome to the exciting world of astrophotography. With the Orion SteadyPix universal camera mount, you can shoot your own pictures of celestial objects with just a telescope and camera. The SteadyPix is designed for use with today’s digital cameras, as well as traditional 35mm SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras. By using the SteadyPix, you won’t need all the difficult set-up and extra equipment that astrophotography normally requires.

Table of Contents
1.	Assembly	3
2.	About Afocal Photography	3
3.	Using the SteadyPix	3
4.	Changing the Eyepiece Clamp	5
5.	What to Photograph	6
6.	Warranty	8

Parts List

1Camera support plate, with camera spacer, 1/4"-20 camera fastener, and shaft securing knob.

1Shaft with eyepiece clamp and eyepiece clamp knob.

1 Large eyepiece clamp.

Figure 2 shows the parts of your SteadyPix as they come straight from the box.

1. Assembly

Loosen the shaft securing knob (see Figure 1) on the camera support plate and insert the eyepiece clamp shaft into the hole. Make sure the eyepiece clamp and camera spacer are on the same side of the camera support plate, as shown in Figure 1. Tighten the knob just enough to hold the shaft in place for now. You will need to make further adjustments later once your camera and eyepiece are attached to the SteadyPix.

Your SteadyPix camera mount should now appear as it does in Figure 1.

2. About Afocal Photography

The SteadyPix lets you couple almost any camera to almost any telescope to do afocal photography. In the afocal method, the camera lens is aimed into the telescope eyepiece. SteadyPix is not designed for prime-focus photography, in which the telescope takes the place of the camera’s own lens (which is removed).

While it is possible to take pictures by holding the camera up

to the eyepiece by hand, small movements of the camera make it difficult to maintain perfect focus and to keep the image centered on the camera’s film frame. SteadyPix elimi- nates those problems by locking the camera lens in position relative to the eyepiece. Such coupling also allows the camera to move in synchrony with the eyepiece if the telescope is motor driven.

To get the best pictures with the SteadyPix, we recommend using an eyepiece with a long (around 20mm) eye relief. The Orion Lanthanum series, for example, has very long eye relief. Long eye relief will allow the camera to see the whole field of view in the eyepiece. Some eyepieces, especially high-power designs, may not have enough eye relief to project the entire field of view into the camera lens, that is, even when the camera lens is right up against the eyepiece, the views will still be constricted.

3. Using the SteadyPix

A cautionary note: The SteadyPix was designed to be as light as possible. But since it attaches to your telescope by the eyepiece, the weight of your camera may cause it to rotate downward and potentially fall off the telescope if it is not secured adequately. Always make certain the eye- piece (and diagonal, if appropriate) is secured in the focuser with the appropriate thumbscrews.

Consider turning the whole camera and SteadyPix assem- bly so that it faces down (Figure 3). This will reduce the chance of the SteadyPix assembly rotating downward due to its weight.

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