Budget start to wide field

[Dom1961]

Hi just toying around with starting wide field astrophotography, and thought I'd just get some information on equipment for if u do start.

What kind of equipment would I need for the start? I want it to be as cheap as I can but still get good results.

Please could you list examples of equipment I need and prices.

Thanks

[xtreemchaos]

how about sw ed80 ds pro £349 from FLO for a start. clear skys. charl.

[Dom1961]

I think I may have worded it wrong :/ I meant like photos showing the whole sky type thing, sorry

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Are you thinking about a widefield scope or wide shots using camera lenses please? There's a selection of images I've taken with various camera lenses from 18mm to 200mm focal length in this Flickr album if you're interested. The equipment used is in my sig.

[Dave Lloyd]

Sounds like an all sky cam.

[Alien 13]

The basic kit for widefield would be a Canon DSLR like the 450D (if going second hand) or any new bargains you can find on the high street with the standard 18-55mm kit lens on a fixed tripod, this will be enough for milky way shots meteors etc provided  you have reasonable skys.

The next stage would be a tracking mount like the SW Star adventurer or EQ3-2 but remember to factor in the extras cost like tripod for the SA and polarscope/motors for EQ3-2.

Alan

[RichM63]

Dom, looking at your sig details I don't see a mount. If you are going the camera and lenses route (cheap) then you will also need to factor in a decent tripod for fixed imaging or an EQ3-2 with motors for tracking.

S/H Canon 1000D, 1100D 400D, and 450D and acceptable low cost lenses can be had for not a great deal of money. Add in extra batteries and a timer grip or intervalometer and you will have a fairly independant rig to get you going.

From zero kit to first images can be done for under £500 if you buy selectively. Just hope that you don't really get bitten by the bug.

[Dom1961]

Yeah, sorry, I mean camera and lenses type thing

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Some good advice from Alien 13 & RichM63 concerning mounts. A Star Adventurer is probably your best option from what I've read, but there may be cheaper 2nd hand options available such as an EQ3 or EQ5.

Cheap Astrophotography will mod Canon cameras for £75, I'm very happy with mine.

When it comes to lenses there are some very good affordable options, currently the most expensive lens I've used for AP cost me £65 (a new Canon 50mm  f1.8). I have a collection of M42 lenses from the late 60s and early 70s.

[happy-kat]

Your biggest out lay to start is a camera with a lens.

A fixed tripod you may be able to borrow from family members.

A plastic flower pot can make a dew shield.

Intervalometre is a must but about £13.

Software can be all freeware which is really lucky.

Then as your available spend grows you could consider upgrading the mount.

[Dom1961]

If I do look for a used 450d (what's the difference between a 450d and 1100d etc..) what kind of mods do I need or can it just be normal? Also with a standard tripod and intervalometer will I get those star traily time lapse things? If I do choose to look for a eq3-2 or 5 will these be able to accommodate a ed80 in the future if I do choose to go into astrophotography?

[rigradio]

Good article -> http://www.lonelyspeck.com/beginner-astrophotography-kit

[brrttpaul]

I started off with a Nikon camera, Tripod, and the kit lens (18-55). the tripod is a manfrotto. With the kit lens at 20mm you can still get 20 sec exposure before you get star trails and had some pretty good results. I then bought a Tokina widefield lens 11-16 which increased my exposure time to 50 secs, more than enough really and often find myself reducing the ISO right down. Thats all you really need to start off, after that you could go for a star adventurer mount but its not a necessity with a wide angle lens. I like to be portable and the simple set up suits me for remote locations, these below were taken with a tripod and wide lens

[happy-kat]

You do not need to mod the camera

There are lots of sites where you can compare camera models dpreview is one

Yes get star trail images you talk of with tripod and a Intervalometre.

To do this a fairly inexpensive or family borrowed tripod will do and including those lovely images above.

Think about eq tripods later when you do more research and understand more about astroimaging.

[Dom1961]

Those look great! Did you use the camera in your sig? Also how low does the shutter count need to be if buying used? And what software will I need, are they all free? Sorry for all the questions

[goose35]

Starting from scratch id go canon eos twin lens kit and tripod.

Then

Eq 3-2 with motors to start tracking with longer lens.

All can be got 2nd hand to keep cost down.

Try the likes of astroboot for mount and the bay for the camera

[Dom1961]

How high ISO do I need? Just had a look around currys and pc world and looked at the d3200 for £279 and it had 6400 iso. Whilst the d3300 had lots more

[ronin]

Start would be a DSLR and whatever lens (zoom usually) that it came with.

The exposure time is dependant on the focal length, there are various "rules" but the general one is 500/focal length or 600/focal length in seconds befor trailing becomes a problem. So if 25mm then I guess that 20 seconds is feasible.

Basically attach to tripod, set exposure to 20 seconds, set ISO to 1600, set aperture to as wide a it will go then back off 1 or 2 steps - just sharpens things up a bit.

Take a shot.

The above enables you to add say 5 seconds to the exposure, maybe up the iso to 3200 and widen the apeture a bit. What they describe as "a bit of slack".

Above that I suppose is either a better lens, prime not zoom, or some form of tracking - build a manual barn door traclker. Geared correct you attach an allen key and turn it in synchronisation with the second hand of your watch.

[Alien 13]

How high ISO do I need? Just had a look around currys and pc world and looked at the d3200 for £279 and it had 6400 iso. Whilst the d3300 had lots more

Most of the modern camera`s are quite happy at an ISO of 800-1600 for AP but if you are starting out I would advise you to look at the Canon models because they have better astro software support and can be used with lots of older M42 type lenses with an adapter.

Alan

P.S The bundled software that comes with the Canon is excellent and free.

[Dom1961]

Most of the modern camera`s are quite happy at an ISO of 800-1600 for AP but if you are starting out I would advise you to look at the Canon models because they have better astro software support and can be used with lots of older M42 type lenses with an adapter.

Alan

P.S The bundled software that comes with the Canon is excellent and free.

Okay thanks for the advice, as recommended by other members I've had a look at the 450d and found that it doesnt have as high megapixel count as some Nikon ones of the same price range, will megapixels matter in astrophotography?

[Scott]

pixel count can be deceptive. some phones have 18mp yet the chip is about the size of a pea. the 450d is a good starting point. the 1100d can also be picked up quite cheaply now its been superseded and is one of the most popular astro dslr's. you won't be needing zoom lenses as you'll be after the shortest possible focal length you can afford although the 18-55 that comes stock with the camera is good enough to get you going. start with this on a static tripod shooting around 15-20 secs (just make sure theres no star trailing) at 800-1600 iso. you'll get some cracking milky way shots with nothing more than this (and some stacking and processing skills).

there is also the option of doing star trails with this set-up which are pretty stunning when there is something in the fore ground (trees, building etc).

From here you'll want to move onto a tracking mount but theres no hurry for this and sw star adventurers are imho an amazing bit of kit for the price... anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself here. just start with a dslr, a sturdy camera tripod and get reading. this http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/36308-basic-widefield-with-a-camera-and-tripod/?p=371365is a great thread

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Another advantage of the Canon cameras is that I've heard they're easier to mod.

Megapixel count isn't that important, I've used both a 100D (18MP) and a 1100D (12MP, similar to a 450D) and haven't found any noticeable difference in image quality. Here's a shot of Orion taken with my 1100D:

At full resolution it's a quite a mess of noise and odd star shapes. Not a problem for viewing on a monitor but I wouldn't want to print it out at more than about A4 size. It's very difficult to produce an image that looks good at 1:1 resolution, but this is true of daylight photography too unless lighting is good and focus is perfect.

[MartinFransson]

For widefield astroscapes I'd go for a used Canon 5DmkII and a Samyang (Rokinon) 14/2.8. It's an awesome combo. I use that myself.

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[MartinFransson]

I used that combination for this photo, for example.

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[Dom1961]

So the 450d and a 1100d are similar? Is one of them better for normal daylight photography as I will be using it for this as well. So even if it has a lower megapixel the sensor size can make a difference?

Thanks