Farpoint Dovetail Bar Camera Mount

Product Overview

The Farpoint FDUPSCM puts a camera on the mount without a telescope in the way. It is a 7″ D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail bar carrying a standard 1/4-20 camera thread, so a DSLR and lens bolt straight to the bar and the bar drops into the equatorial mount's saddle. The mount then tracks the sky while the camera takes long exposures. It fits mounts with a D-size or Losmandy-type saddle, is CNC-machined in the USA, and is listed at 3.0 lb.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you…

• want tracked wide-field frames with a camera lens rather than a telescope
• already own an equatorial mount with a D-size saddle and want to use it for camera work
• shoot Milky Way, constellation or nightscape fields that a telescope's focal length is too long for
• want the camera carried rigidly with no telescope tube and no extra weight in the saddle

Key Features & Design

• 7″ dovetail bar: a D-size rail giving the mount saddle a solid length to clamp.
• 1/4-20 camera thread: the standard tripod thread found on the base of essentially every camera body and L-bracket.
• Direct mounting: the camera sits low on the bar, the simplest and most rigid of the two mounting options.
• No telescope required: the bar goes into the saddle on its own, so the whole rig is mount, bar and camera.
• D-size standard: Losmandy-style, seating in any saddle cut for that profile.
• CNC-machined in the USA: consistent dovetail angles and thread placement.

Recommended Uses

• Tracked wide-field astrophotography with a DSLR or mirrorless body and a fast lens
• Milky Way and constellation frames at focal lengths well below any telescope in the kit
• Long-exposure nightscape work where the mount does the tracking
• Carrying a second camera alongside a main imaging setup on a separate mount

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The bar is D-size — the Losmandy standard — and seats in any mount saddle cut for that profile. Mounts fitted with a smaller V-size (Vixen) saddle take a D-size saddle conversion or a V-to-D adapter first. On the camera side the mount point is a standard 1/4-20 thread, which matches the tripod socket on a camera body, an L-bracket or a lens collar foot. With the camera threaded directly to the bar, the lens points where the mount points; Farpoint's FDUPS Ball Head Camera Adapter adds an articulating head for aiming the camera independently of the mount. If you are unsure which saddle standard your mount carries, tell us the mount model and we'll confirm the fit.

Good to Know Before You Order

• Camera follows the mount's aim. Threaded directly to the bar, the camera points along the mount's axis. The ball head adapter is the route to independent articulation.
• D-size saddle needed. A V-size Vixen saddle calls for a conversion or adapter in between.
• Thread standard. The mount point is 1/4-20 imperial; a camera plate cut for 3/8-16 needs a bushing.
• Camera and lens not included. The listing covers the bar and its camera thread.
• Weight. Published at 3.0 lb, which counts toward the mount's payload alongside the camera and lens.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to install?

The camera threads onto the bar's 1/4-20 stud or screw, and the bar drops into the mount's D-size saddle. There is nothing to assemble beyond that.

What is this for?

Wide-field astrophotography without a telescope. The camera and lens bolt to the bar's 1/4-20 thread, the bar goes into the equatorial mount's D-size saddle, and the mount tracks the sky through the exposure.

Will it fit my mount?

It fits any mount with a D-size (Losmandy-style) saddle. A smaller Vixen-style saddle can be upgraded with a D-size saddle or conversion.

Can I aim the camera somewhere other than where the mount points?

With the fixed 1/4-20 thread the camera follows the mount's aim. The Farpoint FDUPS Ball Head Camera Adapter provides independent articulation for that.

Does it work with a telescope as well?

The bar is a standard 7″ D-size rail, but its purpose here is the camera thread; telescope tubes are carried by rings or a tube-specific bar.

Bottom Line

In short: a 7″ Losmandy-standard dovetail bar with a 1/4-20 camera thread that carries a DSLR and lens directly in an equatorial mount saddle for tracked wide-field exposures, machined in the USA and weighing 3.0 lb.