Mars

[wisomann]

Please advise on best set up to take pictures of Mars with tripod mounted 10D and 100-400mm Canon L with 2x multiplier. Any offers

thanks

[Belmondo]

Just a guess, but even with a 400mm lens and your 2X multiplier, Mars is only going to be a pinpoint regardless of how near it is right now. Admittedly, it will be a larger pinpoint with that very large lens combination, but I doubt there will be any discernable detail.

Anyway, you need an absolutely stable setup (very stout tripod). Lock the mirror up, use a remote switch, open your lens as large as you can, and experiment with exposure times. The biggest problem you'll have is keeping the camera from moving.

Also remember that better astronomical telescopes use a clock drive to compensate for the rotation of the earth. That motion might be noticeable in very long exposures.

It sounds like a fun project, though. Good luck.

[lightandlife]

Once I took a picture of the Pope at the plaza in front of St. Peters Basilica on a Sunday when he was addressing to the thousands of people. In the jpeg file, his face was just a speck. I am not sure if Mars is any closer, relatively speaking. You probably need an entirely different set up to get a satsisfactory picture.

[cowman345]

advice? attatch it to the hubble.

or find someone with a huge refracting telescope with good chromatic abberation correction willing to let you borrow it for an hour or two.

-dave-