Space Oddities

Very cool images everyone! This Samyang was my first astro lens, and it's a great performer. For beginners like me, with a standard camera, it's the perfect way to get into astrophotography! I did this picture 1 year ago, with just a tripod and my Fuji X-T1. I think I stacked a lot of 1 second frames, somewhere between f/2 and f/2.8. It's heavily cropped, but when you start AP, it's the kind of picture than encourages you to progress! Also, for those who do daytime photography, it's a fantastic portrait lens! Here's an autoportrait I did with this lens wide open

Rob, Apparently it's possible to use a belt system to focus this lens. I found one using a Robo focus motor (found on the Deep Sky West remote observatory website): The Samyang/Rokinon 135mm also exists in a video version (135mm T2.2), which is the same as the f/2 optically, but with a different focusing system. It might be easier to interface the lens with a focusing motor. However, I believe the aperture ring is clickless, like most video lenses. I'm not sure that's a good thing for astro?

Ah, sorry, I thought you were using the Helios 85mm f/1.5!

Nice capture! This Helios lens looks like a great performer!

+1 for the AZ-GTi. It's probably the most portable GoTo mount available today. It has integrated Wi-Fi, so you can use your phone to control it, or plug in a SynScan remote. It's very accurate and easy to setup! Since it's small and light, you can use a standard photo tripod with it. It has a standard 3/8" threaded mount. Here is a picture with a 60mm f/6 refractor (in EQ mode), to give you an idea of its size:

Also, you might want to check the ASIAIR group on Facebook. It's very active, and perhaps you'll find there people with similar needs

I was interrupted earlier while editing my post, sorry! Indeed, in the meantime, I found this post. Apparently, live stacking won't be around before a few months...

Hi Steve, I'm not sure it's what you're looking for, but you might want to consider Stellarmate as well. I started using it recently, and it's very nice. It looks similar to the ASIAIR (same hardware: Raspberry Pi 3B+), but it implements much more features. It's an older and more mature solution, which relies on open source software (Ekos, INDILIB). The ASIAIR, on the other hand, is very new, and still a "work in progress" project, but it seems very promising. From what I've seen, ASIAIR seems more tablet friendly (iOS or Android), due to the dedicated app, with a simplified interface. Stellarmate can be controlled via both a PC and a tablet, and gives you more control eventually, but there is no dedicated app like the ASIAIR. You can basically use the screen sharing feature from the Stellarmate, to broadcast it on your tablet/computer. So I'd say it might be less user friendly. Alternatively, you can use the Stellarmate only as an INDI server, and run all the programs you like to use on your tablet/computer. In the end, if you want to do EAA only, it might be easier and more straightforward with the ASIAIR, due to the dedicated app. If you have bigger needs, like autoguiding, filter wheel management, setting up capture sequences or even remote control of your equipment... Stellarmate would be the way to go. I can't comment on Revolution R2, I have never heard of it. Good luck!

I believe the current theory, is that it is due to the dark matter. It hasn't been discovered, but scientists suspect its existence, because there's no other way to explain some things, like the movement of galaxies, like you mentioned. What is interesting, is that scientists believe we (the ordinary matter) are just a few % of the total mass of the universe, the rest being dark matter. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter

A good way to start astrophotography, is often to start with the Milky Way. You basically just need a camera, a lens and a tripod. More advanced users also like to throw in a camera tracker, but that's not mandatory to make great pictures I can recommend this website, Ian has some great tutorials and "get started" articles and videos about everything Milky Way: https://www.lonelyspeck.com/how-to-make-an-amazing-photo-of-the-milky-way-galaxy/ https://www.lonelyspeck.com/focusing-at-night/ https://www.lonelyspeck.com/best-lenses-for-milky-way-photography-canon/ Here are a few Youtube tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO6mQUwcGnk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HLfG1MRDEM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yACQ3x5dTko https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_tFhWHSOW5qyd2r-OEzRRYdPyL_MTV5x The reason why I would start with the Milky Way, is because it teaches you almost everything you need to know about astrophotography: what settings to use (ISO, shutter speed, aperture), how to manual focus in the dark, how to deal with the noise, and perhaps, how to stack... Besides, you can get great results without an expensive equipment. Since you already have a camera, you can invest in a good lens and a solid tripod. If you'd like to try deep-sky astrophotography, like pictures of galaxies and nebulae, that's also possible of course, but that's more complicated, and it often requires a different equipment (equatorial mount or camera tracker). If you need a lens without breaking the bank, I can recommend this website. They sell second hand equipment, at good prices. They always provide pictures and an accurate description of the product, so you know what you're buying! For astrophotography, the best lenses are often the ones from Samyang (also called Rokinon or Bower). They are usually not very expensive (especially if 2nd hand), manual focus only, but excellent for astro. The 14mm f/2.8 is a wide angle lens that would be perfect on your 5D! For longer shots, people get very nice results with the 50mm f/1.8 from Canon. This lens is also very cheap, even new, and can be great for portraits as well! The Samyang/Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 or the 135mm f/2 are also great options for astro, if you want a bit more reach. But with these longer focal lengths and with just a tripod, it's more difficult to get nice pictures than with a wide angle lens, and you'll need to learn how to stack for best results. So that's a bit more advanced, but still doable! Here is a picture I took of M42 with the Samyang 135mm f/2 and a tripod If you want a more serious setup, you can consider using a camera tracker. These will track the stars as the Earth rotates, and allow you to make much longer exposures than with just a tripod. But there's also a learning curve with these, because you need to learn how to align them properly. Nothing complicated, but for a beginner in photography, that's another thing to learn and consider. Keep in mind that you'll do everything in the dark, so that makes everything more complicated! On the cheap side, of camera trackers, I can recommend the new Omegon Minitrack LX2. It's a really simple device, perfect if you want to travel light or to remote locations. Here is a review, and you can see some example on the official Facebook group Other good camera mounts to start include the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer (also, the "Mini" version), iOptron Skytracker Pro and Vixen Polarie. And of course, most people here will tell you that the first thing you need, is a good book The deep-sky imaging primer was recommended to me, and it's a great one to get started. It teaches you almost everything! Making every photon count is also often recommended. Hope that helps!

I'm not sure. The X-Trans sensor eliminates the need of an AA filter, so none of these camera have one, but according to this site, the X-A3 (which uses a Bayer sensor) has an AA filter. I hesitated between several models, and ended up using DPReview's comparison tool to see how they perform at standard astro-ISO (800-1600). It's very interesting because the Bayer models (X-A) are noisier than the regular X-Trans models (X-T, X-M, X-E, X-Pro...). At very high ISO (6400), the noise is quite visible on both, but the X-Trans shows a much more pleasing "grain" effect than the Bayer sensors. I love this for daytime photography, and I'm not afraid of shooting at high ISO anymore However, the Bayer matrix is a much better match for astro work, especially when you can deal with the noise (darks, stacking). Processing X-Trans files adds a difficulty and requires much more storage space... A 16 mpix RAF file is about ~30 MB, while a TIFF is closer to ~90 MB, which quadruples the space needed if you want to keep both file types! 3 Anyway, I'll give it a try on emission nebulae and perhaps compare the 2 types of sensors I'd be curious to see how the smaller X-A performs! But I think it does great, I've seen lots of images with the X-A1 and they looked very good!

Yes, there is a bot of CA with this lens wide open. I think it's better when stopped down at f/5.6. I shot this one at f/4, but with the step-down ring in front of the lens. It worked really well for rounder stars, but doesn't seem to reduce the CA. I'll try at f/5.6 with the step down ring next time, to see if it's better! Anyway, I think it's a very good lens, given the price!

Thanks Ian for the tips! I haven't noticed anything wrong with the processing of TIFF files, but I should give it a try with this DNG converter and see if that produces a better result. Regarding the HA response of Fuji cameras, I've heard many people saying it's actually quite good as well. I also found these curves, for the older X-Pro1 (which uses the IMX071 sensor), which are much better at 650nm than other cameras, like the Canon 550D. Which confirms what people said! See the whole test here. However the X-A3 has a different sensor, so perhaps the response to Ha is different. That's on my list of things to test!

Thanks! Indeed, I still get a lot of noise with my older darks. Outside temperature was similar, but I guess they're still too different to be useful. Oh well, that was a quick and dirty session anyway, so there's nothing I can do! Regarding Fuji RAF files, it's indeed quite a pain to process... I convert them to TIFF, but that takes a lot of space. Anyway, I just bought a used X-A3, which is more of an entry-level camera, but unlike the X-T1, it has a 24 mpix Bayer sensor. And for astro, you don't need the better autofocus or fancy features of the X-T1. I figured it should be a better option for astro, and I'm thinking of getting it modified soon I thought about a cooled camera, but it's much more expensive and you need to carry along a laptop and a 12v battery... Right now, I value portability more than image quality. And I think it would be too soon, I still have a lot to learn before switching to a more complex setup!

Thanks Ian! I used 2/3 at ISO 1600 and 1/3 at ISO 800. I wanted to see if slightly underexposed subs could help, the stars being very bright. The processing was very quick and very dirty, in DSS and Photoshop. I'm reprocessing the picture now, with flats taken this morning, as well as older darks that should help reduce the noise (which is indeed the reason why the background is very dark, the noise was too heavy). And I'm using a different computer, with the "hasta la vista green" Photoshop plugin, which should help get rid of that green haze I had! Let's see how it goes As for the round stars, that's thanks to the step down filter! On my previous attempts with this lens, the stars were quite ugly, with diffraction spikes. I read that a step down filter could help! And luckily, the one I have fits perfectly within the rear part of the lens hood. The resulting aperture is somewhere near f/5.4 (200mm / 37mm)

Finally some clear skies here in Bavaria! I wanted to test my new Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi and see what it can do with deep-sky imaging. I'm quite pleased with the result, considering it's a quick & dirty test! Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi, Fujifilm X-T1, Pentax Super Takumar 200mm f/4 (stopped down @ 37mm), IDAS LPS D1. About 50x30s subs @ISO 1600 et ISO 800, no dark, no flat. Stacked in DSS, processing in Photoshop. I cropped about 50% of the image to get rid of the heavy vignetting. Here's a pic of my tiny setup! The courtyard of my building isn't so bad, actually, and there's almost no light coming from the street. Apart from when someone goes to the trash, in which case it's the apocalypse. I think a couple neighbours wondered why there's a dude hiding in the bushes with a camera at night...

Hey Ruud, So far, I have done only some quick tests on a tree, and yesterday on the Moon with a 1.25" eyepiece, but my first impression is good! I think it's a great little scope, very good optically and quite portable. For general photography and birding, it might be a bit slow (f/6), and I can't imaging manual focusing on birds with it... Hand holding it isn't an option. On a tripod, that could work, but that's definitely not as convenient as a telephoto lens. My Canon 300mm f/4 is roughly the same weight, for a bit less focal length but a wider aperture, as well as autofocus. For astrophotography and astronomy, though, it's much better than a photo lens. The focusing is very smooth and precise. I haven't tried it on stars, but from the reviews I've seen online, it seems very good.

So I tried with the scope up and the camera, and indeed, it's a "drag creator". The focus didn't change with the weight of the camera, in fact, even slightly pushing or pulling didn't have an effect. Which is convenient and well thought if I need to adjust focus during imaging Thanks for your guidance!

Ah, I see what you mean! Well that's what I was afraid of: the weight of the camera changing the focus when the scope is in an exotic position. I'll do some tests when I get home! Thanks Ray!

Thanks for your answers! Well, that was my initial guess, but when I tighten the knob, the focuser doesn't lock I'm not sure if I should try tightening it more. I'll try to contact the manufacturer! PS: here is a pic from the bottom, and there's indeed no knob to turn:

Hello! I recently received my little TS-Optics PhotoLine 60mm f/6 FPL53 Apo. It's basically the same scope as the William Optics ZenithStar 61 and the AstroTech AT60 ED. It looks great, but I'm a bit confused. I would like to lock the focuser when I'm done focusing on a star, but I don't know how. Initially, I thought I should turn that big red knob on the top, but it doesn't seem to have any impact on the focusing system. Actually, it doesn't seem to have an impact on anything... Did I miss anything? Or do i have a faulty scope? Thanks for your help! Pierre

Indeed! It's really stellar I started using it for daylight photography as well, and it's excellent in this field too

Interesting topic! Great to see what you can achieve with a limited setup Here is a modest contribution to the topic: I took this photo of M42 with a tripod and a Samyang 135mm on Christmas Eve last year in Switzerland I believe I took about 200 subs of 1 (or 1.5) seconds, stacked in DSS. Pardon the strange colors, that's one of my first astro pictures and I was trying a few things back then! I love this image, because it didn't require a heavy or expensive setup. Astrophotography can seem unreachable for many, and it did for me, but it's actually not so difficult to get decent pictures Provided you have some time and a tripod!

I have read many times that these lenses are a bit soft for DSO, even though they are good for wildlife and sports. But that should not stop you from trying! Lens performance is subjective, after all. I could only find a couple examples on Astrobin, but that's the Contemporary version (which I think differs from the Sports version): https://www.astrobin.com/gear/61400/sigma-150-600-mm-contemporary/ There is also the Tamron, not the same brand of course, but that will give you an idea of what can be achieved with similar specs: https://www.astrobin.com/gear/36000/tamron-tamron-150-600mm-f5-63-di-vc-usd/ Also, when I want to find examples pictures with a given lens or scope, I usually type e.g. "astrobin canon 400mm" in my search engine. Astrobin is good for referencing the gear used, and there are always a lot of sample pictures to analyse!