Can I mount a Canon 60D to a telescope for about $250?
Asked 10/5/2011
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I want to try astrophotography with my Canon 60D and have a budget of around $250. Are there any decent telescopes in that price range that I can attach the camera to, and what adapter or mount would I need?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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You don't tend to get telescopes designed for a particular camera, what you need to look for is a telescope camera mount for your 60D. This is a device which replaces the eye piece on the telescope with an EF mount which the camera is connected to instead of a normal lens. The adapter usually consists of two parts. A 'T' adapter which fits directly onto the telescope and a 'T' ring which provides the correct coupling to any given camera. Using an adapter such as this you will be able to connect your camera to pretty much any telescope. http://www.telescopehouse.com have a good range in their online catalog in the Astro Imaging section and, although its a UK site, it will at least give you a good idea what to look for. There are lots of low end telescopes in your price range that a camera adapter can be fitted to which will give you pretty good results.
Originally by user6603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6603
15y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, a Canon 60D can be attached to many telescopes using a T-ring for Canon EF/EF-S plus a telescope T-adapter that replaces the eyepiece. So compatibility is usually about the adapter, not buying a telescope made for a specific camera body.
That said, the community consensus is that around $250 is a very limited budget for a telescope setup that works well for astrophotography. In this price range, the mount is often the bigger issue than the telescope itself. For long exposures, you generally need a stable equatorial mount, ideally with tracking.
A more practical low-budget path is to start with the 60D on a simple tracking solution or equatorial mount, using your existing lenses or a telephoto lens rather than a telescope. A barn-door tracker is another inexpensive option to consider.
So: yes, camera-to-telescope mounting is possible with the right T-ring and T-adapter, but for about $250, a basic tracking mount plus your camera/lens is likely to give better results than a cheap telescope.
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