Need suggestions for astrophotgraphy

[Annamalai]

Hi!! I have a skywatcher ST-80(Achromatic Refractor).Now I'm planning to buy a DSLR(Nikon D3100) for both daylight and astro photography.Since,my scope is a Achromatic Refractor will i get a clear shots?? Will all the wavelngths of visible light get into one focal plane that is in my camera sensor.If so,will i get some better results?? Help me please.........

[ronin]

2 wavelengths will make the sensor the rest will be one side (in front or to the rear) or the other, you would need the details of the lens to know how good/bad. People tend to focus for mud spectrum and accept a red+blue ring, or focus for red+Blue and get a green ring.

You will get some CA on bright objects - most DSO's are not bright, planets (+Moon) are, M42 may show a little.

You cannot get better results, the CA is property of the lens parameters and the glass types used, you cannot alter them. You can buy an ED scope.

Problem is an ST-80 is fast, way too fast for an achromat, actually too fast for an ED, companies like TMB, APM, WO, LSOZ do not make f/5 apo-triplets (too difficult). An 80mm f/8 achro should show less CA, again you have an f/5 and are stuck with it.

Only answer is stick the camera on, aim at something easy, take exposure (have you tracking??), process and see what comes out.

[swag72]

If you are contemplating AP, then the very first thing to buy is the book 'Making Every Photon Count' available in the FLO book section. This will really help with understanding imaging and how to go about it.

If you really do want to try AP and you've not yet bought a camera, then the Canon's are much better supported than the Nikon, so I'd recommend something like a 1100D for starters. A nice light camera, that you can control via a PC using 3rd party software such as BYEos or APT. Either of these programmes will make life easier as they allow focusing on the PC screen and with a DSLR that is tricky.

You don't mention what mount you have - this really is the most important part of the AP package.

[lensman57]

Hi!! I have a skywatcher ST-80(Achromatic Refractor).Now I'm planning to buy a DSLR(Nikon D3100) for both daylight and astro photography.Since,my scope is a Achromatic Refractor will i get a clear shots?? Will all the wavelngths of visible light get into one focal plane that is in my camera sensor.If so,will i get some better results?? Help me please.........

Hi,

Your achromat will not be able to focus all the visible light at one point, very few lens telescopes do, it will have severe Chromatic  Aberation, CA,  particularly in the blue region of the spectrum, even ED doublets ( SW ED80 for example )  at 5 times the price, will have this but to a much lesser extent. To be sure that you do not have detectable CA you'd need a premium Triple Apo which will cost you a small fortune or you have to put up with a NEWT design of some sort or the other as mirrors will bring all wavelengths into a single focus plane. If this is your first scope  you may wish to consider a NEWT such as an SW 130 PDS which is designed for imaging and at F5 is as fast as the ST80 but it does need a coma corrector. ST 80 may produce acceptable results with a small sensor camera with an addition of a " Fringe Killer " filter but the filter will get rid of some blue light that is desirable in all types of imaging. You also have to consider an imaging mount ( Driven EQ, no other choice ) before you even think about the telescope itself. 

As for camera, Canons are more popular due mainly to the third party capture- sequencing software support, unless you are locked into Nikons perhaps you should consider a Canon as an alternative. A good used example of an 1100d body will cost about £160~£200 1100d is considered one of the best DSLRs for AP. Do not consider cameras on their daytime terrestrial merits for AP, you do not need 20 MPixels and 12800 iso, these are quite irrelevant to AP.

Regards,

A.G

[Annamalai]

Hi,

Your achromat will not be able to focus all the visible light at one point, very few lens telescopes do, it will have severe Chromatic  Aberation, CA,  particularly in the blue region of the spectrum, even ED doublets ( SW ED80 for example )  at 5 times the price, will have this but to a much lesser extent. To be sure that you do not have detectable CA you'd need a premium Triple Apo which will cost you a small fortune or you have to put up with a NEWT design of some sort or the other as mirrors will bring all wavelengths into a single focus plane. If this is your first scope  you may wish to consider a NEWT such as an SW 130 PDS which is designed for imaging and at F5 is as fast as the ST80 but it does need a coma corrector. ST 80 may produce acceptable results with a small sensor camera with an addition of a " Fringe Killer " filter but the filter will get rid of some blue light that is desirable in all types of imaging. You also have to consider an imaging mount ( Driven EQ, no other choice ) before you even think about the telescope itself. 

As for camera, Canons are more popular due mainly to the third party capture- sequencing software support, unless you are locked into Nikons perhaps you should consider a Canon as an alternative. A good used example of an 1100d body will cost about £160~£200 1100d is considered one of the best DSLRs for AP. Do not consider cameras on their daytime terrestrial merits for AP, you do not need 20 MPixels and 12800 iso, these are quite irrelevant to AP.

Regards,

A.G

If you are contemplating AP, then the very first thing to buy is the book 'Making Every Photon Count' available in the FLO book section. This will really help with understanding imaging and how to go about it.

If you really do want to try AP and you've not yet bought a camera, then the Canon's are much better supported than the Nikon, so I'd recommend something like a 1100D for starters. A nice light camera, that you can control via a PC using 3rd party software such as BYEos or APT. Either of these programmes will make life easier as they allow focusing on the PC screen and with a DSLR that is tricky.

You don't mention what mount you have - this really is the most important part of the AP package.

2 wavelengths will make the sensor the rest will be one side (in front or to the rear) or the other, you would need the details of the lens to know how good/bad. People tend to focus for mud spectrum and accept a red+blue ring, or focus for red+Blue and get a green ring.

You will get some CA on bright objects - most DSO's are not bright, planets (+Moon) are, M42 may show a little.

You cannot get better results, the CA is property of the lens parameters and the glass types used, you cannot alter them. You can buy an ED scope.

Problem is an ST-80 is fast, way too fast for an achromat, actually too fast for an ED, companies like TMB, APM, WO, LSOZ do not make f/5 apo-triplets (too difficult). An 80mm f/8 achro should show less CA, again you have an f/5 and are stuck with it.

Only answer is stick the camera on, aim at something easy, take exposure (have you tracking??), process and see what comes out

Thanks for the reply.I have an az3 mount,I know i can't do astrophotography with it but i can manage with it using a drive motor or by setting short exposure time.Also,about the camera,do you think that Canon 1100d can satisfy my?,as i need to do daylight photography too.

@protostar I can't afford those costly "Fringe Killer" filters,any alternatives??

[Annamalai]

Thanks for the reply.I have an az3 mount,I know i can't do astrophotography with it but i can manage with it using a drive motor or by setting short exposure time.Also,about the camera,do you think that Canon 1100d can satisfy my?,as i need to do daylight photography too.

@protostar I can't afford those costly "Fringe Killer" filters,any alternatives??

sorry,@lensman57 I can't afford those costly "Fringe Killer" filters,any alternatives??

[Alien 13]

sorry,@lensman57 I can't afford those costly "Fringe Killer" filters,any alternatives??

I did a few moon shots with my sons skywatcher achro it did show bad blue fringing but it can be photoshoped out using the hue/saturation tool and the final image was actually very good. 

[swag72]

My thoughts on this really is to be realistic with your expectations - Look on the imaging part of the forum, what standard do you want to attain? Then take it from there and decide very carefully how best to spend your money to reach the results you want to achieve.

That may sound harsh or crass, but in all honesty you are not going to get the sorts of images that say Olly Penrice gets for example with your kit. Set a level you want to attain and work towards that goal, otherwise AP can seriously damage your bank account in the blink of an eye.

[Alien 13]

I couldnt agree more but the flip side of this is that with a good camera basic but solid tripod and the right location you can capture some very stunning images of sky and landscape..

[Helite]

If you are thinking about getting a camera for AP then I would go with a Canon, I use a Nikon but will be investing in a Canon shortly just because it is well supported for AP. 

As for imaging with the ST-80, well i've fired off a few shots with it mounted on the EQ-1, just a few seconds of exposure, just to see the results. Depending on your expectations I thought it was decent enough for a 100 quid scope and mount, could certainly give someone a taste. I posted the pics in a previous topic about this little scope http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/180007-startravel-80/page-2

Don't be scared or put off with experimenting with what you have or using cheap equipment to start with, one of my favourite images is a green, overexposed, out of focus Saturn, taken with an XBOX webcam and a celestron powerseeker with a shaky mount. you can tell its Saturn and I took it all by myself, my first image and steps into trying to capture the wonders of the night sky!

[Steve Ward]

Some good examples of images using an ST80 here ... http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=14672&p=103106&hilit=ST80+for+imaging#p103106

[Helite]

Some good examples of images using an ST80 here ... http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=14672&p=103106&hilit=ST80+for+imaging#p103106

Great link Steve, and some further great images with an ST-80 on another thread http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=12854

I really do have a soft spot for the ST-80 and would reccomend it as a first scope to anyone taking up astronomy. I know its not really considered an imaging scope as such but its definitely got potential to be give people a good intro into AP on a budget. 

[lensman57]

"sorry,@lensman57 I can't afford those costly "Fringe Killer" filters,any alternatives??"

Hi,

I can well understand this, problem with the ST80 is the fast f5 does not help the poor simple achromat design. There are some software assisted processes in LightRoom or PS and a couple of action sets will assist with the removal of slight to moderate CA. You can also learn to select stars and remove the halos with photoshop tools provided that you have photoshop, and can put up with lengthy long winded process.  Regretably the expensive filters are an inseparable part of this insane hobby.  I would save up a few quid more and go for a NEWTONIAN if that agrees with you, it will give good observation capability and is also much more capable at imaging but they do have their own idiosyncrasies. Let us know what you decide.

Regards,

A.G

[Annamalai]

"sorry,@lensman57 I can't afford those costly "Fringe Killer" filters,any alternatives??"

Hi,

I can well understand this, problem with the ST80 is the fast f5 does not help the poor simple achromat design. There are some software assisted processes in LightRoom or PS and a couple of action sets will assist with the removal of slight to moderate CA. You can also learn to select stars and remove the halos with photoshop tools provided that you have photoshop, and can put up with lengthy long winded process.  Regretably the expensive filters are an inseparable part of this insane hobby.  I would save up a few quid more and go for a NEWTONIAN if that agrees with you, it will give good observation capability and is also much more capable at imaging but they do have their own idiosyncrasies. Let us know what you decide.

Regards,

A.G

Hi,Thanks for the reply.I can understand what you mean.First,I had a 76mm Newtonion reflector and tried AS with it in my webcam.The results was so good.I had a clear shots of planets and some DSO's.After that,I decided to upgrade my scope.Many recomended me this scope instead of a Orion 4.5" newtonion reflector.But,I liked Orion 4.5'' reflector than ST-80 because it has larger aperature and has eq mount with it.Finally,In my local astronomy club they recomended me to buy ST-80.Infact,ST-80 was from my 1 year savings.Now,I have realized that i have made a bad decision .Now,my decision is to buy a DSLR(Canon 1100d) and try what comes out of it.Again,I don't want to make a wrong decison so correct me if i am.

[Annamalai]

Great link Steve, and some further great images with an ST-80 on another thread http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=12854

I really do have a soft spot for the ST-80 and would reccomend it as a first scope to anyone taking up astronomy. I know its not really considered an imaging scope as such but its definitely got potential to be give people a good intro into AP on a budget. 

Some good examples of images using an ST80 here ... http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=14672&p=103106&hilit=ST80+for+imaging#p103106

If you are thinking about getting a camera for AP then I would go with a Canon, I use a Nikon but will be investing in a Canon shortly just because it is well supported for AP. 

As for imaging with the ST-80, well i've fired off a few shots with it mounted on the EQ-1, just a few seconds of exposure, just to see the results. Depending on your expectations I thought it was decent enough for a 100 quid scope and mount, could certainly give someone a taste. I posted the pics in a previous topic about this little scope http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/180007-startravel-80/page-2

Don't be scared or put off with experimenting with what you have or using cheap equipment to start with, one of my favourite images is a green, overexposed, out of focus Saturn, taken with an XBOX webcam and a celestron powerseeker with a shaky mount. you can tell its Saturn and I took it all by myself, my first image and steps into trying to capture the wonders of the night sky!

Thanks for the reply everyone.I went through the links you guys gave me.It gave me some ideas about AP with ST-80.@Helite I'll go with canon 1100d(which suits my budget) and any other sugesstions for camera within my budget??

[Alien 13]

The 1100D can often be bought with the lens bundle and is a relative bargain, the supplied lenses are suprisingly good.

If you plan to use it more for normal photography then the 600 series offer some benifits i chose the 650D for video use (full hd stereo mics flip screen etc).

[Steve Ward]

Or going in the other direction the 450D and 1000D are both great performers and can be picked up pretty cheaply , easier to modify too by all accounts.

[Annamalai]

The 1100D can often be bought with the lens bundle and is a relative bargain, the supplied lenses are suprisingly good.

If you plan to use it more for normal photography then the 600 series offer some benifits i chose the 650D for video use (full hd stereo mics flip screen etc).

Many reviews in the internet suggests that Nikon d3100 is better than canon 1100d.Which one should I buy? I need to take some good daylight photographs too.

[Alien 13]

Many reviews in the internet suggests that Nikon d3100 is better than canon 1100d.Which one should I buy? I need to take some good daylight photographs too.

I cant answer that because ive never owned a Nikon i do know that Canon cameras are well supported for AP use but people do also use Nikon with good results too.

The other thing to consider is the cost of any extras you may want to get in the future i.e. lenses, spare batteries , remote shutter release, filters.

[Steve Ward]

Without question the Canon route is the one to take for Astrophotography.

There is a much better support software-wise for Canon , even the basic control s/w for a Nikon is an added extra whereas EOSUtilites comes free .

Someone will be along soon to offer the Nikon side , don't get me wrong they make very good cameras , but for Astro Canon is King.

And they are very good in the daytime too ... 

[m37]

All good advice. I would go with a Canon as it is very well supported software wise.

As for the st80, there is a difference between high end advanced long exposure astrophotography and just taking some images with what you already have. I have the st102 and managed these with a cheap az goto mount and a low end Pentax DSLR. No filters used.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

[Annamalai]

I cant answer that because ive never owned a Nikon i do know that Canon cameras are well supported for AP use but people do also use Nikon with good results too.

The other thing to consider is the cost of any extras you may want to get in the future i.e. lenses, spare batteries , remote shutter release, filters.

Without question the Canon route is the one to take for Astrophotography.

There is a much better support software-wise for Canon , even the basic control s/w for a Nikon is an added extra whereas EOSUtilites comes free .

Someone will be along soon to offer the Nikon side , don't get me wrong they make very good cameras , but for Astro Canon is King.

And they are very good in the daytime too ... 

Okay,I'll go with Canon 1100D.Thank you all for your suggestions

[Annamalai]

All good advice. I would go with a Canon as it is very well supported software wise.

As for the st80, there is a difference between high end advanced long exposure astrophotography and just taking some images with what you already have. I have the st102 and managed these with a cheap az goto mount and a low end Pentax DSLR. No filters used.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

Awesome capture!! I don't know that,will i be able to get these fantastic shots with my az3 mount and ST80 but I'll try my best.

[m37]

You might struggle a bit with an un-motorised AZ mount but start with the moon, she's a nice easy target to find and you don't need long exposures! Also the Pleiades (M45) is pretty easy to find and photograph with short exposures. Jupiter is another good one but it will be tiny on a DSLR chip.

good luck, hope you enjoy yourself.