Just got my first DSLR

[Zebb]

So, about a week ago I picked up my first DSLR, a Canon eos 1100D. Just had to try it out, have had two days of clear skies now, and another one tonight. The first two shots were taken in the centre of Gothenburg with HUGE lightpollution. The third shot of the big dipper was taken in Uppsala on the east coast of sweden, not as much light, but still enough to bugg me.

Later tonight I will be going out to the sea, outside of town, and get some more shots there.

Please tell me what you think, and what I can improve, this whole DSLR thing is new to me, I have only done CCD with a telescope before. I will get a T-ring and such later on, but I first want to get a feel of the camera.

[Zebb]

Few more from tonight

[Ags]

I have also just got a 1100D. How did you manage to get the stars in focus? All I have managed is blobs so far.

[Zebb]

Using the EF-S 18-55mm lens, turn the focus all the way back, then just a very tiny bit forward and the focus should be at inifnity.

[Psychobilly]

Very promising results - and nice job on the focusing

Looks like another "winner" from Canon

[JimStan]

RE: focusing. If the Canons are like the NIkon DSLRs, you should be able to turn off "auto-focusing" and then do as suggested. Otherwise, the auto-focus will try to get SOMETHING to focus on all night !

Also, check out your images with the preview screen on back of the camera, and magnify them as much as you can with a "+" button ( assuming, again, that the Canon works like a Nikon ). You should be able to see if your stars are in focus, or not.

Good luck !

Jim S.

[yeti monster]

Does the 1100 have liveview?

I've managed to kill the display on my 1000D (orange juice, sans voddaka, incident whilst travelling) and am looking at modding that as a dedicated astro camera, whilst replacing with a newer model for photography, initially looking at a 60D, but not yet fully decided.

[Psychobilly]

Does the 1100 have liveview?

Yep...

[yeti monster]

Er.. and remote flash utility, perchance?

[Smeg]

Caution here.

Canon 1100D is on a SINGLE PCB board (Sensor AND the connectors).

If one of those connectors breaks due to even a manufacturing fault, Canon's policy is to class that as accident damage and voids the warranty and charges 250 GBP on a PCB board replacemnet just to fix the 1100D usb connector

I STRONGLY recommend you take out the extra 3 year warranty.

I am currently fighting repair centers to force them to send it back to Canon, it is just 1 month old, now 2 as its been in the delivery vans and repair centers for a month lol

1100D while a very nice sensor, but it is made too cheaply, and it is as cheap to buy a new body if anything happens, even cheaper if you take out the extra cover, even if it is not your fault.

Body is plastic, cheap light and too fragile. EF-S lenses are also too fragile.

Always try to get a camera with the connectors on a seperate PCB from the sensor otherwise it will hurt on repairs.

[Smeg]

Pro tip: to average down the hot pixels, turn on the MANUAL clean mode (locks the mirror up - keep the lens cap on), leave it for 60 seconds, then turn it off. Keep repeating until the hot pixes are mapped out.

I had 2 hots on mine I had to average out.

The firmware maps them out after every manual clean cycle. So simulate the clean cycle