Can I mount a camera on a Celestron telescope tripod, and what adapter would I need?
Asked 9/30/2020
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I have a Celestron telescope kit with its original tripod and mount. I’d like to use the tripod for a camera, but the top appears to be designed specifically for the telescope mount rather than a standard photo head. Is there a standard adapter for this, or are these telescope tripods usually proprietary?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
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Unlike the photography industry, the astronomy industry doesn't necessarily have a standard for tripod mounts per se and most adapters are custom-made. In other words, the "tripod" and "head" are typically sold as a matched pair (and may have some proprietary way of attaching) but often the telescope mount itself (what a photography might think of as the "head") will have either an industry standard mounting saddle (there are two... the Vixen style and the Losmandy style) or a completely proprietary mounting method (low-priced telescopes sold as a complete kit often use a completely proprietary mounting method but more expensive mounts tend to use one of the industry standards because they realize those astronomers will mix & match equipment to fit their needs).
While your tripod isn't using any industry standard ... it should still be relatively easy and inexpensive to adapt this for photographic use. This is because in the photography industry, there is a standard. Photographic camera heads nearly always use a 3/8" threaded mounting hold with 16 threads per inch (commonly abbreviated as 3/8"-16 ... or 3/8"-16tpi). This means you can attach nearly any photographic camera head to nearly any photographic tripod as long as they use that particular thread size. So to make this work... you just need a way to use a 3/8"-16 threaded rod with your tripod.
Measure the hole on the tripod and make sure it can accommodate a 3/8" threaded rod (likely it can).
Select the photographic tripod head of your choice and verify that it has a 3/8"-16 mounting hole in the base.
You will then need a 3/8"-16 threaded rod to go into the base of your tripod head and then put the other end of the rod through that hole on the tripod. Measure the length you need and it's ok if it's a bit long. Just make sure it isn't a bit short. McMaster-Carr is a popular online website for ordering all sorts of threaded parts and in whatever material or length you need (and I would probably select stainless). See: https://www.mcmaster.com/threaded-rods/stainless-steel-threaded-rods/
Lastly, you'll need a knob with a 3/8"-16 threaded hole... like this one: https://www.woodcraft.com/products/knob-five-star-with-through-hole-3-8-16-insert (I did a web-search for 3/8"-16 knob and this was just one of many examples that came up in the search results). You should also use a washer (between the knob and tripod). Since this knob allows the threaded rod to pass completely through the knob to the other side... being "too long" wont be a problem.
And that should do it!
Originally by user82237. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user82237
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Usually, telescope tripods are not designed like photo tripods with a standard interchangeable head mount. In astronomy gear, the tripod and mount are often sold as a matched system, and many lower-cost telescope kits use proprietary connections.
That means there often isn’t a universal camera adapter for the tripod itself. If your Celestron setup uses a proprietary top plate or mount interface, you may need a custom adapter, if one exists at all.
On the astronomy side, some higher-end mounts use common telescope standards such as Vixen or Losmandy saddles, but those standards are for attaching telescope equipment—not directly for mounting a camera or a photographic ball head.
So the practical answer is: first identify the exact tripod/mount interface. If it’s proprietary, a standard photo head may not fit without a custom-made adapter. If you want reliable camera use, a dedicated photography tripod is usually the simpler option.
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