If I were to dip my toe.....

[kerrylewis]

There are no doubt lots of threads on the forum about getting started in imaging but it would be useful to get some specific advice based on what I have.

I have three scopes as listed below and a good mount. I also have an Olympus DSLR and although it seems to be good to start with a camera that you already own, it seems from what I've read that this may not be the best route. I don't want to mod it as I want to continue to use it for other photography. However I do have an old Olympus body.

I see references to simple cameras costing just about £300- 400 but these are usually described as guide cameras. I assume that I could start with one?

Finally I only have a desktop Mac and not a laptop - although I do have an IPad

I like the planets but if I got into imaging I would also like to have a go at some of the easier targets and would be happy to start without getting into very long exposures for DSOs.

Also I wouldn't want to spend too much in case I didn't take to it- though I could always sell anything I suppose.

I know that I can count on good advice for you all so, given the above, where would you start?

Santa is waiting for my letter!

[Naemeth]

Could you not try some long-ish exposures with the DSLR and the mount you've currently got? See what you get, it won't cost you anything and you can see if AP is really for you .

[RikM]

If your interest is planets, you have the right telescope in the C9.25. Add a quality barlow or tele-extender and a small fast-frame camera (or if you really only want to dip your toe, a second hand Philips webcam if you can find one) and you should be able to give it a go. The easiest option for data capture would be to get a cheapo secondhand laptop. 

[Naemeth]

If your interest is planets, you have the right telescope in the C9.25. Add a quality barlow or tele-extender and a small fast-frame camera (or if you really only want to dip your toe, a second hand Philips webcam if you can find one) and you should be able to give it a go. The easiest option for data capture would be to get a cheapo secondhand laptop. 

Not sure on the Phillips webcam route, I've seen a few recently on ABS for £70 odd, seems a bit much for a webcam to me...

[RikM]

Not sure on the Phillips webcam route, I've seen a few recently on ABS for £70 odd, seems a bit much for a webcam to me...

I wouldn't pay £70 for one. Mine was only £40 new.

How about one of these then http://www.scsastro.co.uk/catalogue/orion-starshoot-solar-system-color-imager-iv.htm generally, smaller pixels = better for planets.

I've borrowed the older type III of a friend but it is only supported on Win XP so I'm looking to borrow and old lappy to try it out.

[kerrylewis]

Could you not try some long-ish exposures with the DSLR and the mount you've currently got? See what you get, it won't cost you anything and you can see if AP is really for you .

Yes I had considered that Jonathan. I have a 300mm lens from my film camera days with an adaptor for the DSLR. I could stick that on the mount and point it at the Andromeda galaxy or Orion Nebula perhaps?

[Naemeth]

Yes I had considered that Jonathan. I have a 300mm lens from my film camera days with an adaptor for the DSLR. I could stick that on the mount and point it at the Andromeda galaxy or Orion Nebula perhaps?

Both would be good at that focal length. Try M45 too - it has a lovely context at shorter focal lengths and you can get quite a bit of nebulosity at longer exposures.

[sloz1664]

The best advice to anyone wishing to climb the steep ladder that is astrophotgrahy

is they learn and understand the concepts. To this aim the one book that encapsulates

all of this is:-

Making Every Photon Count written by our own SGL member Steve Richards.

Best advice, knowledge and will save you mis-spent hard earned cash.

Write you letter to Santa now (via FLO). You won't regret it.

cheers

Steve

[Alien 13]

The easiest thing to do is use your camera for some widefield shots to start with on your mount then get a T adapter and maybe a 2" extender tube if required for use with the other scopes. I wouldnt worry about guiding at this stage until you start to find the limits with what you have. There is no reason you shouldnt be able to get decent results without having to spend lots and if you do want to progress further you will have a good idea of exactly whats needed. 

[JamesF]

£70 seems a bit much to me for an SPC900, but £50 to £60 might be reasonable if it comes with a nosepiece and IR filter.  Failing that I'd look at one of the ZWO cameras.  Quite a few here are using the ASI120 in either it's mono or colour form and they have a new "entry level" camera in the ASI034MC that looks promising on paper though I've seen no reviews yet.  A barlow or similar is probably going to be required whatever camera you get, but what's ideal depends on the camera because you'd generally attempt to match the resolution of the scope and the camera.  I feel unsure about cameras such as the Starshoot (and the Cool-Air?).  They've been around a fair while and I don't see (m)any people posting images from them which makes me wonder why.

For planetary imaging there's probably no easy way to avoid needing another PC of some sort and it probably makes DSO imaging a lot easier, too.  Morgans seem to do a range of "less than bleeding edge" laptops for quite reasonable prices if you're looking.

James

[ronin]

When you get round to it use the Olympus and see what comes out, if you do not have one look for a remote timer on Amazon for the camera, made by Shoot and costs about £25.

A modified camera is modified because the IR cut off filter removes about 70% of the Ha on the Canon cameras and unfortunately Ha is relevant to astrophotography.

That is a Canon, the question to you is what is the cut off on the filter in the Olympus?

It may pass more Ha then the Canons so do the Ha aspect of AP easier, I doubt it cuts off more as then the red spectrum is chopped.

I have a Sony and the last correspondance from them said they did not know the characteristics of the filter used in their cameras.

The other factor with modification is that with the Canons it is relatively easy, it may be impossible with the Olympus.

[lensman57]

There are no doubt lots of threads on the forum about getting started in imaging but it would be useful to get some specific advice based on what I have.

I have three scopes as listed below and a good mount. I also have an Olympus DSLR and although it seems to be good to start with a camera that you already own, it seems from what I've read that this may not be the best route. I don't want to mod it as I want to continue to use it for other photography. However I do have an old Olympus body.

I see references to simple cameras costing just about £300- 400 but these are usually described as guide cameras. I assume that I could start with one?

Finally I only have a desktop Mac and not a laptop - although I do have an IPad

I like the planets but if I got into imaging I would also like to have a go at some of the easier targets and would be happy to start without getting into very long exposures for DSOs.

Also I wouldn't want to spend too much in case I didn't take to it- though I could always sell anything I suppose.

I know that I can count on good advice for you all so, given the above, where would you start?

Santa is waiting for my letter!

Hi,

Your C 9.25 is fine for the planets but you need the webcam or a planetary camera to go with it, anywhere between £60.00 and £450.00 depending on the make and the sensor. Your ZS 66 is adequate for  DSO imaging (widefield) and to start you can use your DSLR with a suitable T adapter. Have a look at Atik Titan, QHY IMGOH amongst others for the so called " Dual Purpose" cameras or the ASI 120 and QHY LII for dedicated planetary stuff . Need to do a bit of research to see what is available at your budget which is good for planetary but a bit lean for DSO stuff.

Regards,

A.G

[sbijdc]

The best advice to anyone wishing to climb the steep ladder that is astrophotgrahy

is they learn and understand the concepts. To this aim the one book that encapsulates

all of this is:-

Making Every Photon Count written by our own SGL member Steve Richards.

Best advice, knowledge and will save you mis-spent hard earned cash.

Write you letter to Santa now (via FLO). You won't regret it.

cheers

Steve

I have this book and can second that.

[wxsatuser]

For dslr AP this is a very good buy, mine arrived in just over a week.

http://www.astropix.com/GADC/INTRO.HTM

[Leveye]

I would either buy or send to someone to have modded a Canon EOS 60D or get the 60DA straight from Canon.That is if you want to keep it a DSLR. That or get either an SBIG or ATIK  CCD. The good news is you're way ahead of the game!

[kerrylewis]

Lots of useful stuff there thanks everyone.

I do have the Making Every Photon Count book because these toes have been on the edge of the pool for some time!

I found that it doesn't cover using DSLRs so much but is more focused on long exposure deep sky stuff - which is fair enough because that's what it mainly sets out to do.

I do have a remote control for my Olympus so I may try that first. I have to resist the urge to just get on with observing and put the camera on the mount instead.

The DSLR AP digital book looks interesting and is compatible with Macs.

Then if I like it perhaps I'll try one of the cameras that people have mentioned . The main problem there is that my desktop Mac is too far away from where I set the scope up so I need a laptop. I do actually have an old steam driven one from work which may still function - perhaps I should dust it off? I had forgotten about that!

This may be heresy, but I do quite like the mono images that look more like what you see!

Thanks again to all.

[JamesF]

On the planetary side, Martin Mobberley has a book on lunar and planetary imaging with a webcam which is I think equally applicable to a dedicated planetary camera.  I think I've probably learnt most about planetary imaging from reading SGL and just getting on with it though.  The book was perhaps most useful from the point of view of nudging me in the right direction initially.

James

[wxsatuser]

The DSLR AP digital book has sections on planetary, dso and eyepiece photography.

There are some nice images provided to show what can be done with a dslr.

IMO well worth £29

This along with Steve's book is a good way to go.

[Leveye]

Canon DSLR Cameras are far and away the best one to use for Astrophotography controlled by a computer. Just keep that in mind. APT might work for you if you stick with your Olympus for now. Until then a remote shutter/timer/intervalometer release will come in handy!

[David_Pickles]

Hi Kerry - I started with an un-modded DSLR, with a remote timer to set exposure length etc and managed to produce some reasonable results - including Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon. This is a good place to start as you'll find a remote timer on eBay for £10-15. If you want to get into planetary imaging more seriously you'll need a webcam or planetary camera - being a mac user you will probably struggle to find a webcam that works with OS X. I use a MacBook Pro and resorted to installing Parallels and Windows 7 to enable me to go down this route.

However, I personally prefer DSO imaging, where I used Nebulosity 3 on the Mac to capture my DSLR images - not sure it supports an Olympus but Canon EOS cameras are generally well supported in most software and if you want to stick with DSLR it may be worth purchasing a cheap secondhand 1000D on eBay for just over £100. You may even find a secondhand modded version on www.astrobuyandsell.com/uk for £150-£200. If you decide to try something else in the future you should be able to sell it again for a similar price.

As you use a desktop you may have problems using a computer to control your camera, depending on how far away your scope is from the computer - hence starting with a remote timer until you get used to things. However, a long active USB cable may work but focusing the camera will be difficult if you can't see the screen. If you chose to buy a laptop at a later date specifically for Astrophotography I would suggest a windows based one - apart from being cheaper, there is more software available and finding supported webcams and cameras Is easier - unless you really want to stick with a mac, in which case Bootcamp or Parallels would be recommended.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing some of your images on here soon.

David