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Canon 1000D Or 1100D

george7378

By george7378
in Discussions - Cameras

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george7378

george7378

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Hi!

I'm really thinking of buying a dslr to use for astrophotography. My main interest is in widefield images (star trails, satellites, meteors, landscape, etc...) with possibly a bit of basic telescope photography too (Moon and bright planets). I see that the Canon 1000d gets good reviews by astro folks, so I'm thinking of getting one.

- Where's the cheapest place to buy one?

- Is it decent for what I want it for?

Also, I've seen that the 1100d seems to be a good option too - would you say that it is?

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it!!

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Hugechris

Hugechris

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I recently bought the 1100d three weeks ago, my first DSLR. First I am impressed at how simple it is to use, the live mode is great and provides a simulated exposure setting and the ability to electronically zoom from x1 -> x5 -> x10 to perfect the focus. I have used it for planetary and lunar imaging so far - no deep sky yet (london light pollution) but I have every faith in its abilities.

One clear advantage is the number of extra pixels (20% more than the 1000d), plus some improved electronics.

I picked mine up from ebay for just shy of £300 (as new) with the standard lens kit software etc. Worth the extra investment I would say.

Here is one of the first images took with the camera.

moon image 20120528 processed

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george7378

george7378

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Hi Chris!

Thanks for the advice - the price for a new 1100D seems to be around £350. I think I'll go for one of these - they seem to have everything I need. That's a great image too - thanks for sharing it!

I do have a few more questions if that's OK:

- Does the 1100D have a Bulb mode (mode which allows you to take exposures of an unlimited length)?

- Does it fit on a normal screw tripod, or does it need a special one?

Thanks again for your time!

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RogerTheDodger

RogerTheDodger

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Yes it has bulb mode, but you'll need a remote/cable release, or if you can connect to your laptop with USB you can use the included EOS utilities to control exposure time, or use BYEOS or APT to give more control. Standard tripod screw.

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george7378

george7378

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Thanks a lot!

Do I have to have a remote shutter release for Bulb mode, or is it possible to use the self timer? i.e. Can I tell it to take a 60 second exposure on Bulb mode and rely on the camera to close the shutter? (Yes, I'm new to DSLRs!) I think I'll pick up a shutter release anyway, but I'm just curious.

Thanks!

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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Basically no. If you are in bulb mode one shutter "click" opens the shutter and the next one (whenever that is) closes it. If you do invest in a remote timer buy a programmable one (around £25?) or you will have to stand next to your scope with a stopwatch for the duration of your imaging run (not that i started out that way.... ;) ). If you have a laptop then you can control the camera from that (total control and live view on the screen - really useful for focussing!). The software and usb cable come with the camera.

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george7378

george7378

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Ah, I see. Yeah, I think I'll get a programmable shutter release then! I do have a laptop, but for some reason I don't think I'd feel happy taking it outside in the dew and the frost of the night and leaving it out for a few hours! That's probably just me, because a lot of people seem to do it ;)

The cheapest 1100d I found is at Comet:

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Digital-SLR-Cameras/buy-CANON-EOS-1100D-Digital-SLR-Camera/717509

I guess I could get a shutter release from Ebay.

Do you think I'm going to need any more lenses if I want to take widefield photos? I don't want to do anything specialist - just star trails, constellations, satellites, meteors, etc... - I don't think there are any situations where I'm going to need any specialist lenses.

Also, any other must-have astro accessories? Maybe a T-ring for telescope photos, but I don't think I'll be focussing on that - it's too much work ;)

Thanks a lot!

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Hugechris

Hugechris

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Hi Chris!

Thanks for the advice - the price for a new 1100D seems to be around £350. I think I'll go for one of these - they seem to have everything I need. That's a great image too - thanks for sharing it!

I do have a few more questions if that's OK:

- Does the 1100D have a Bulb mode (mode which allows you to take exposures of an unlimited length)?

- Does it fit on a normal screw tripod, or does it need a special one?

Thanks again for your time!

Hi Indeed there is a bulb mode that allows varying the exposure length / number of shots. There are cheap alternatives to laptop control using Timer Remotes such as http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003WD0IKO/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00

This costs less than £14 and for exposures up to 30s can be used without batteries as a simple shutter release. When powered will provide more than enough functionality for exposures of 1second or longer.

Will fit a normal tripod screw 1/4 inch I believe.

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daneel

daneel

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I recommend getting APT which is an amazing piece of software designed specifically for DSLRs. Then you can connect to your laptop and control almost any aspect of your images. I think it's written with EOS cameras in mind e.g. it can read the temperature of the camera and write this into the raw image file (useful to make sure your dark image temperature matches your light image temperature). It can connect to PHD guiding software to dither images, etc. and it's only 12.70 euros which is well worth it.

http://www.ideiki.com/astro/

I also found a mains (12V cigarette plug) battery pack from astronomiser very useful because I often found I forgot to charge my battery:

http://www.astronomiser.co.uk/canonpower.htm

If you want to get some infra-red nebulas such as the Rosette, you might want to get it modded too. Astronomiser does it for 120 quid, or you could try it yourself.

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george7378

george7378

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Thanks for all the help! So at the moment, I think I'll go for this 1100D:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Digital-18-55-Lens-Kit/dp/B004MPQXZA

Also thanks Chris for the shutter release - it looks great for only £14. Is it definitely compatible with the 1100D? Because in the description it only mentions the 1000D. Better just check!

I don't think I'll need any particular software or modifications yet - I'm not going to be using it for deep sky imaging or anything fancy straight away.

Thanks a lot.

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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As to lenses - for wide field a 50mm should work well for star trails / meteors etc. It will work on an undriven mount if you keep the exposure times down. If you have even a simple motor drive then you will get away with longer (30sec-1min) exposures (Google "Barn Door tracking" to see just how simple it could be if you like a bit of DIY). There is quite a bit of freeware on the web if you want to process your pictures. When you get to that stage ask and I'm sure you will find help forthcoming.

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Hugechris

Hugechris

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Well I bought the 1100d, and also the remote shutter for £14. Now. Clear skies. Hmmm...

Congrats, it's never easy choosing the right piece of kit with so many options. For the flexibility and ease of use a DSLR will go a long way in astrophotography. The 1100D is a great camera to use and will prove very adaptable for both deep sky a well as lunar and planetary imaging.

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george7378

george7378

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Wow, I'm glad to hear that! It only took a bit of research to find out that the 1000D was a favourite, and that the 1100D seems to be a similar camera, just upgraded a little. Like I said, I'm not thinking of attaching it to a telescope any time soon - I really like the idea of taking widefield photos of satellites and star trails, and a DSLR should let me capture some really faint objects and some nice details (if the pictures on here are anything to go by!!)

Thanks for your help guys!

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Hugechris

Hugechris

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It arrived today, and it looks perfect - I'm just waiting for the remote shutter and some good weather!

Cool, hopefully we should get some good viewing in the comming weeks, even if its just the moon after the solstice.

I am in the process of perfecting some planetary imaging on Saturn, which is proving pretty tricky from my backgarden with the turbulent London skies. I think your Dob would have no issues.

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Tinker1947

Tinker1947

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Couple of memory cards, spare battery, i use rechargeables in the remote, they do last a long time, my spare battery come from Amazon, really cheap tried it and it lasts as long as the battery that came with the camera....

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Gina

Gina

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The 1100D is the replacement for the 1000D and has a better processor, lower noise and more data bits. Excellent for astrophotography :) They cut back on some of the "bells and whistles" used for general photography that are of no use for AP which has reduced the price.

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springbok

springbok

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FYI for anyone thinking of getting the 1100D.

Mifsuds (a well regarded family run camera shop in Devon) have the 1100D body only for £289, which seems a good price.

I managed to do a part exchange for a 1100D with an older 400D (no live view) + Tamron lens, and only paid an extra £40 with the part exchange.

It was worth it alone for the live view feature, not to mention Digic IV, larger chip, lower noise, and obviously being brand new.

http://www.mifsuds.c...LR_Cameras.html

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springbok

springbok

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I was surpsrised at the new price of the 1100D, it was body only though.

I went in with the intention of part exchanging the 400D for a 450D as that was the 1st model with Live View. The 450D was £279 but obviously second hand.

It made sense to go for the new 1100D.

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springbok

springbok

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Nice and simple to use as well.... :)

It certainly is. I have a Canon 1DMKIIN, and the 1100D seems like a toy, from a size and weight comaprision point of view.

The 1DMKII would be just too heavy to hang on the OTA, plus it doesn't have live view.

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