Now I have a camera... what else do I need?

[Obi Wan]

Hi everyone,

My fantastic hubby has bought me a Canon 600d for my Xmas as I was interested in capturing a few shots of the night sky to show him (as he won't come outside into the cold!) I have now got a shutter release cable and a t-ring (tripod too hopefully this weekend). Is there anything else you would recommend to help me get started? I would like to take some pictures of star trails, constellations etc as well as using my telescope to record some shots of the moon, planets and possibly some of the brighter DSO's (I know my scope has real limitations but hope the camera would record some thing !) Depending on success I would like to upgrade the scope next year but wanted the camera first. I have only the standard lens at the moment (18-55). I know my exposures on the go to mount will need to be short so what should be my expectations?

When it comes to processing the images will I need extra software over and above that supplied by Canon? If so, what software would you recommend (nothing too expensive please)

Thanks for any help or advice you can give to any or all of my many questions

[lensman57]

The limiting factor will be your mount. What is your telescope mounted at the moment?

Regards,

A.G

[ronin]

Where in Central Scotland, it sounds DARK.

What photos do you want to get?

Easiest is:

Camera, Tripod (stationary type), Set lens to 35mm (ish), set ISO to 1600, 3200, 6400 (however high it will go), set the exposure time to 20 seconds, set aperture to 2.8, manually focus on a bright star then aim canmera at whatever you want to get (Milky Way is good), press cable release.

There is a setting on the camera to take it's own dark, it may already be on as a default for exposures over 1 second. This effectively doubles the exposure time as it takes the shot, then an equal time shot with the shutter closed.

If 20 seconds is too short try 30 seconds but some trailing will occur, not a great deal so acceptable.

That gives a standard photo in jpeg form.

If you intend to process I believe you need to switch to RAW image mode, RAW files are bigger so get a few bigger memory cards, 32Gb.

If you mount on a criven scope mount then you may need a Remote Timer, these enable exposures lengths beyond the camera maximum.

Not sure what scope you intend to use, if any, but the 127 Skymax is not a great scope for imaging unless planetary and that really means a webcam, not DSLR.

So for future expansion you may need a remote timer, and for RAW files some extra memory cards.

[Obi Wan]

Thanks for the replies. The scope is on the alt az go to so not ideal although I think do able if exposures are short. Unfortunately although in Scotland it is far from dark- too close to the infamous Grangemouth glow However, if it is clear its not too bad and darker skies are only a short drive away. I am not attempting to do anything of the fantastic quality I have seen on the site here but really just to record some of the sights I see- will give me something to look at when its cloudy (often!) I can't draw for toffee so sketching really isn't an option.

[Aquarius39]

Star trails and the moon are good to start with.

For star trails you just need your camera and lens set at about 35mm and a tripod. Star trails are a lot easier with an intervalometer, which allows you to set it to record as many shots as you want while you go back inside and keep warm, have a drink or whatever. You can pick one up on Ebay for not much. But you can do it by hand - you just need to press the shutter for each shot. First try a few single exposures at different settings and check to see what they look like. You could start at about IS0 800 and a stop or two narrower than your maximum aperture. Use your cable release. When you have settings that look promising (not too dark, not too light, focus OK) take about 20 shots in succession. Go back inside and download Startrails, a free programme for processing your shots, and load your images into that programme. It's easy to use. See what you get. You can point your camera anywhere in the sky, but your best results will be when you have Polaris in your field of view, as this is the centre around which the trails revolve.

For the moon, you will need to remove your lens from your camera and attach the body to the telescope with your T-ring. You use the scope as a lens. Just align the scope with the moon and set your camera to ISO 100 or 200 and shutter speed to about 1/160 or 1/200, focus, and try a shot or two. Check to see what they look like and adjust accordingly. You will probably find that focus is the trickiest thing to get right, and you may have to fiddle with different settings until you get something you are satisfied with. Even though you are using a cable release, a shutter delay would still be a good idea. Mirror lock-up too. Light pollution is less of a problem with the moon. With my camera I can zoom in on live view to refine the focus - this makes a big difference; but I find I have to set a much slower shutter speed while in live view to be able to see properly to focus, then go back to the original setting and out of live view when the focus looks OK.

Don't be discouraged if your first efforts don't give National Geographic standard results. This takes a bit of practice, but it's well worth persevering. When you have mastered these two, you should be set to broaden your horizons.

The moon is very full at the moment (i.e. giving very flat-looking photos) but it will soon start to wane, when you can get some nice relief and lovely crescent shots. Attached is one from a few days ago.

Apologies if this is overly detailed - I find that a little too much is better than not enough.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

[stelios_t]

Thanks for the replies. The scope is on the alt az go to so not ideal although I think do able if exposures are short.

Getting an EQ mount is sort of a priority. Without one, you will be limited to shots of the moon with the scope, and also wide-field shots without the scope (or star-trail type shots). It will also be surprisingly hard to focus the telescope correctly.

One thing I would advise is for you to try Backyard EOS software for control of the camera (free 30-day trial, $35 after). This lets you shoot sequences of shots and organize them. Also it helps you focus through the camera, and saves the images on a laptop rather than the camera disk. If you get an EQ mount, this program will be very helpful. It also allows you to capture videos for lunar and planetary shots. The videos can be "stacked" later with freeware (Registax) to produce higher quality images than any of the individual frames. 

If you really get into it, you'll also want to get a power adapter for the camera (so you don't constantly need to recharge batteries). Once you get an EQ mount, you should come back and ask again--there are many, many options that open up then. (And if you will get an EQ mount, make sure to ask here *before* getting one, and to specify that you're interested in DSLR astrophotography).

Good luck, and welcome to the hobby!