Zachary
I would like to do afocal astrophotography but i cant decide on which camera i should choose, and i am on a budget... so here are my top picks:
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS
Casio Exilim EX-Z550
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX10
and i NEED:
Manual focus
ISO 1600 or greater
keep it under 250$
Large apertures(3.4 or higher(2.8 preferably))
and then features that would be nice:
Manual exposure
custom white balance
so if anyone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated =)
and P.S.: what is a good lens for afocal astrophotography?
I know Afocal can be done with a point and shoot type camera.
I know Afocal can be done with a point and shoot type camera.
Answer
Won't happen with a point & shoot camera. You need a D-SLR & a telescope.
Won't happen with a point & shoot camera. You need a D-SLR & a telescope.
A Good Beginner camera for Astrophotography?
Justine D
Hi there, my name is Justine and I have a question for you good people.
Let me start by saying that I love space. Anything from Astronomy to Physics, and find myself most fascinated with DSOs, or Deep Sky objects. My telescope is a beginner level, because I'm amateur at this all, it is a Orion Starblast 4.5 Refractor mounted on an equatorial tripod.
You can take a look at this link if you need more info on it--->http://www.telescope.com/Orion-StarBlast-45-Equatorial-Reflector-Telescope/p/9798.uts?keyword=Orion%20Starblast%204.5
I have observed the sky for a while now, and know my way around okay, so I wanted to try my hand at Astrophotography- The photographing of objects in Outer Space, but I need a bit of advice with it.
As I said, I'm very amateurish at this, but I learn my way around electronics pretty well, I know a tad about cameras most commonly used for astrophotography, Single-Lens Reflex Cameras and Charge-coupled Devices, or SLR cameras and CCDs.
Also stated before, I would most like to photograph Deep space objects like Nebulae, though I hold endless fascination for the planets as well.
The thing is, I'm a teenager with a part time job and can't afford extremely pricey Charge-coupled Devices or expert SLR cameras, I really don't want something so expert either, since I need to learn basics before I move up further.
I tried doing some online googling and research before I settled on anything, but It got too confusing amidst all the different type of cameras....
Can someone Please refer me to a good Beginner camera for Astrophotography that isn't too horribly pricey?
If I have to save for a basic CCD to photograph what I want to, I will do it, I just need to know a good device to use that is compatible with my telescope.
Thank you so so much ^^
Answer
Astrophotography has its own, very steep learning curve. However, you can do a few things with just an DSLR and an easy to make tracking platform.
The DSLR brand that several folks use is Canon. It has wider 3rd party software support that any other DSLR manufacturer. And Canon's imaging elements are generally less noisy than that of its competitors.
Why this is important? Glad you asked. Its all about remote camera control. The less you can touch the camera and let software do the work, the better. The camera shutter will need to be open for minutes at a time, while acquiring an image. Most, if not all DSLR's have a 30 second shutter limit and using a timer like those listed below is the only way to get around that limit. Any sort of movement from touching the camera or anything its tied to (like tripods) will cause jitters and shakes to show up on the image.
Two ways to get around this are using a timer like this -
http://www.amazon.com/Aputure-Powershot-Compatible-Inexpensive-Intervalometer/dp/B003Y35VJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327223949&sr=8-1
Or through software (need a laptop or netbook) -
http://www.stark-labs.com/nebulosity.html
Next, comes the mount. Sorry to say this, but your current telescope system just simply will not work for doing astrophotography. The tripod is too flimsy and the guiding on the scope is way better suited for visual observing, not photography.
But there is a cheap alternative - the Barn Door Tracker (also known as a Scotch Mount). This is something that you can build yourself in an afternoon and use it that evening. The basics can be found below. Depending on what sort of scrap wood you have laying around and other materials (look in Thrift Shops), the cost should be well under $25 -
http://www.astropix.com/BGDA/SAMPLE2/SAMPLE2.HTM
http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/152
Other hints and tips can be found here -
http://www.willbell.com/new/pdfs/widefieldchapter01.pdf
http://www.astropix.com/
If the above is still too expensive, then try this -
http://www.amazon.com/Orion-StarShoot-System-Imaging-Camera/dp/B004E4M7QI/ref=dp_cp_ob_p_title_2
You'll still need a computer to capture the images and these type of cameras are only good for lunar and planetary work - But, you get to learn your chops with the telescope you already have. It's not a perfect system, but it'll teach you a whole bunch.
The other huge item, that luckily isn't a big expense, is focusing. Cameras love to be in perfect focus, so using a focusing mask on your scope can be very useful. And you can make it yourself -
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/FOCUS/METHODS.HTM
The last item is image stacking and processing. Stacking allows you to take a whole mess of short exposures and software sums them up into one nice looking photo. This really works well when using a webcam. You run the video for a minute or so. Then when you are processing the image, you can toss out the bad frames (one frame = 1/30 sec or 30 frames per second) and just work with the better looking ones
Software that allows you to do this (and is free) -
http://www.astronomie.be/registax/
http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html
Good luck and just take your time. The Universe isn't going anywhere soon.
Astrophotography has its own, very steep learning curve. However, you can do a few things with just an DSLR and an easy to make tracking platform.
The DSLR brand that several folks use is Canon. It has wider 3rd party software support that any other DSLR manufacturer. And Canon's imaging elements are generally less noisy than that of its competitors.
Why this is important? Glad you asked. Its all about remote camera control. The less you can touch the camera and let software do the work, the better. The camera shutter will need to be open for minutes at a time, while acquiring an image. Most, if not all DSLR's have a 30 second shutter limit and using a timer like those listed below is the only way to get around that limit. Any sort of movement from touching the camera or anything its tied to (like tripods) will cause jitters and shakes to show up on the image.
Two ways to get around this are using a timer like this -
http://www.amazon.com/Aputure-Powershot-Compatible-Inexpensive-Intervalometer/dp/B003Y35VJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327223949&sr=8-1
Or through software (need a laptop or netbook) -
http://www.stark-labs.com/nebulosity.html
Next, comes the mount. Sorry to say this, but your current telescope system just simply will not work for doing astrophotography. The tripod is too flimsy and the guiding on the scope is way better suited for visual observing, not photography.
But there is a cheap alternative - the Barn Door Tracker (also known as a Scotch Mount). This is something that you can build yourself in an afternoon and use it that evening. The basics can be found below. Depending on what sort of scrap wood you have laying around and other materials (look in Thrift Shops), the cost should be well under $25 -
http://www.astropix.com/BGDA/SAMPLE2/SAMPLE2.HTM
http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/152
Other hints and tips can be found here -
http://www.willbell.com/new/pdfs/widefieldchapter01.pdf
http://www.astropix.com/
If the above is still too expensive, then try this -
http://www.amazon.com/Orion-StarShoot-System-Imaging-Camera/dp/B004E4M7QI/ref=dp_cp_ob_p_title_2
You'll still need a computer to capture the images and these type of cameras are only good for lunar and planetary work - But, you get to learn your chops with the telescope you already have. It's not a perfect system, but it'll teach you a whole bunch.
The other huge item, that luckily isn't a big expense, is focusing. Cameras love to be in perfect focus, so using a focusing mask on your scope can be very useful. And you can make it yourself -
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/FOCUS/METHODS.HTM
The last item is image stacking and processing. Stacking allows you to take a whole mess of short exposures and software sums them up into one nice looking photo. This really works well when using a webcam. You run the video for a minute or so. Then when you are processing the image, you can toss out the bad frames (one frame = 1/30 sec or 30 frames per second) and just work with the better looking ones
Software that allows you to do this (and is free) -
http://www.astronomie.be/registax/
http://deepskystacker.free.fr/english/index.html
Good luck and just take your time. The Universe isn't going anywhere soon.
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