{"id":66065,"date":"2024-11-20T11:09:24","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T11:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b444cb4b-9707-403b-ab6e-82d952d298ba"},"modified":"2024-11-20T11:39:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T11:39:38","slug":"achieve-fine-focus-with-your-dslr-camera-by-building-this-diy-microfocuser-for-your-lens","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/achieve-fine-focus-with-your-dslr-camera-by-building-this-diy-microfocuser-for-your-lens\/","title":{"rendered":"Achieve fine focus with your DSLR camera by building this DIY microfocuser for your lens"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 20 November 2024 at 11:09 AM<\/p>

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Perfect lens focus is vital if you want to achieve pin-sharp stars in astrophotos.<\/p>

While there are plenty of factors to consider \u2013 accurate polar alignment, tracking and processing skills \u2013 mastering these won\u2019t overcome an out-of-focus image.<\/p>

This DIY microfocuser can be attached to a DSLR lens to help your focusing efforts.<\/p>

The design fits a range of Canon lenses with outside diameters of 67\u201395mm, but should also be suitable for other makes and models.\u00a0<\/p>

Get help with this build via our DSLR microfocuser template (PDF)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>

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Why use a microfocuser?<\/strong><\/h2>

DSLRs<\/a> are a popular option for deep-sky imaging for beginners.<\/p>

Not only are there many low-budget models, but they\u2019re also versatile for other types of photography, and we can swap lenses around for different focal lengths<\/a>.<\/p>

DSLRs commonly have an autofocus system, which works great in daylight but is not reliable for astrophotography<\/a>, when the lack of available light reduce its effectiveness.<\/p>

Precise manual focus is therefore an essential skill.\u00a0<\/p>

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Aids can assist in identifying the optimum focus point on stars, such as zooming in using the DSLR\u2019s \u2018live view\u2019 or adding a Bahtinov mask to the front of your lens.<\/p>

Even with these aids, however, the manual focusing rings on DSLR lenses can be clumsy to use when homing in on the perfect point of focus.\u00a0<\/p>

Our microfocuser overcomes this by allowing very fine movements of a lens\u2019s manual focus ring.<\/p>

It also retains the focus position once achieved, so you can\u2019t accidentally knock it when removing a Bahtinov mask<\/a> or moving between targets.<\/p>

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Using the microfocuser<\/strong><\/h2>

Our design consists of two plywood rings. One is clamped to a fixed part of the lens body using three nylon bolts \u2013 these are soft, so they won\u2019t scratch the lens body.<\/p>

The second ring is similarly attached to the rotatable focus ring. There are \u2018lugs\u2019 on each ring which hold the adjustment mechanism.\u00a0<\/p>

By turning the adjustment knob (switch to Manual focus first!), the focus ring is rotated towards or away from the fixed ring and focus is adjusted.<\/p>

The M6 thread moves the ring 1mm after a whole turn, which means you would have to fully turn the knob about 475 times for one complete rotation of the focus ring!\u00a0<\/p>

This microfocuser can only move about 5\u00b0 either way, so it\u2019s important to first rough-focus your lens before tightening the nylon bolts. This means it only requires a small amount of final adjustment.<\/p>

The build is quite straightforward, but the threaded inserts need generous holes in the plywood so they\u2019re very lightly screwed in or even glued without splitting the plywood.<\/p>

The slots on each metal tube may need to be enlarged too to allow the threaded adjuster to work freely \u2013 a bit of fine-tuning may be required.<\/p>

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Tools and equipment<\/strong><\/h2>