4
of exposure eliminates the problem by allowing
any vibration to dissipate prior to image capture.
If your phone’s native camera function does not
have an exposure delay feature, there are plenty
of third-party camera apps that do.
Moon:
Our closest neighbor in the solar system
is dazzling through even a very small telescope.
The SteadyPix Quick will allow you to take beau-
tiful images of the whole Moon or closeups that
showcase the craters, mountains, or maria. Single
snapshots work well and multiple shots can be
stacked later in a program such as Registax to
increase the signal-to-noise ratio and dynam-
ic range of the image. Also, you can take video
and then stack a series of the sharpest individual
video frames.
Bright Planets:
The bright planets Venus, Mars,
Jupiter and Saturn also make excellent targets
for afocal photography. Try using a higher power
eyepiece and maybe a Barlow lens to boost the
magnification – planets are tiny objects in the sky!
You’ll need a steady atmosphere, i.e., good “seeing,” to get sharp planetary images. The
smatphone’s display will allow you to show off your target object to friends and pass-
ers-by -- no waiting in line at the eyepiece!
Deep-sky Objects:
Most deep-sky objects are difficult to photograph using a smart-
phone due to their faintness. Try working with brighter objects such as M42 (Orion
Nebula) or M13 (Hercules Cluster). You will likely need a mount that tracks the motion
of the sky so that you can take “long” exposures using a 3rd-party app that offers that
capability, and you may have to stack multiple images to get a good final image.
Sun:
If – and only if -- you have a proper solar filter to cover the front of your telescope
or binoculars, you can get terrific images of sunspots on the surface of our nearest star
in the daytime with your smartphone. Sunspots are constantly changing, so shooting
them is always interesting and a lot of fun.
Nature/Terrestrial:
The SteadyPix Quick can be used to take through-the-telescope
photos and videos of distant subjects in daylight.
Have fun!
One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion product is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year
from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. During this
warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted
instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid. Proof of purchase (such as a
copy of the original receipt) is required. This warranty is only valid in the country of purchase.
This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishandled, or
modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not
intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or
national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.
For further warranty information, please visit www.OrionTelescopes.com/warranty.
Figure 6.
The SteadyPix Quick can
be used with binoculars, as shown
here, or spotting scopes or even
monoculars.