dreamchaser wrote:So, my question is, is there likely to be ANY way that I CAN use the equipment Ive already mentioned above effectively? Can I say, point the camera at the diagonal flat, and leave out an eyepiece? Or can I use the camera without the lens attached, and find a focal point effectively?
The telescope may be suitable for astroimaging. You will need to get at least the polar motor on the mount operational, and how effective the resulting setup will be depends on how sturdy that mount is.
Honestly, I'd advise against using either camera. Film is dead for astrophotography. It is very insensitive compared with digital cameras, and most of the films that worked well are no longer available. Film requires long, carefully guided exposures, and you have no feedback how things worked until it's processed.
I'd suggest that you get a used Canon DSLR, such as a 300D or 350D. These can be had very inexpensively, and are excellent astroimaging DSLRs. You don't need or want any lenses, so don't worry about that. All you need is the correct T-adapter to convert between the camera's bayonet mount and a 1.25" eyepiece barrel. The camera is set up with its sensor at the telescope's focal plane, so you don't need any eyepieces, either.
To get fair astroimages, you should plan on exposures no shorter than two minutes. You'll take many and stack them together to improve your image quality. Many mounts can track accurately for two minutes, but many inexpensive ones will have problems even with that length exposure.
