Equipping my DSLR (Moon, Sun & Stars)

[mfrymus]

Hey,

I have a strong interest in anything space related.

Currently, I am saving up for a telescope for some planetary & deep space viewing/photography.

However, at the moment, I am going to focus on photographing the sun & the moon with just my DSLR.

My camera is not modified for any astrophotography.

MOON:

In a weeks time, there will be a lunar eclipse I would love to photograph.

I currently have a DSLR camera. Other than having the camera and a long telephoto lens, is there anything else such as filters or anything that would enhance moon photos?

And does anyone have tips on shooting the lunar eclipse? - Such as settings.

SUN:

I would like to shoot the sun as it appears in the photo below.

I've been looking around for sun filters and Ive been finding people using Black polymer filters. Good, but I dont find it detailed enough.

So, I came across the H-Alpha filter, which apparently produces an image like below. Which is awesome!

Is this the only filter I would need? (H-Alpha filter). -- Considering my camera if NOT modified for any astrophotography.

 

STARS:

This is for any stationary photography of the stars / milky-way galaxy.

I do live in a light polluted area. When I do go out to take photos, I try to go as far way as possible (obviously), but there is still a fair bit of light pollution.

What filters / modifications should I consider for photographing the stars / milky-way?

[Knight of Clear Skies]

The moon is straightforward and a good place to start. It's daytime on the Moon so use daylight settings, low ISO and a short exposure. Something like f6.4, ISO 200 and 1/400th of a second should be in the right ballpark. Alternatively, shoot in daylight on auto, the blue sky will be at a similar brightness level.

You won't get an image like the one above with a simple Ha filter I'm afraid, it would have been taken with a dedicated solar scope with a tunable etalon.

Here's a recent Milky Way image I took with un unmodded DSLR and a kit lens:

The exposure details and a few other tips are in this thread if you are interested. Getting away from light pollution is always good but it is possible to get decent results from moderately light-polluted areas.

Hope that's of some help.

[Steve Ward]

You cannot use a basic 'Ha' filter to image the Sun as you would like .

The bandpass is much too wide to be of any use on the Sun , dedicated Hydrogen alpha 'scopes are available for such imaging and range from the basic end at say £500 up to say £25,000 .

And for simple "whitelight" solar photography avoid the polymer filters and go with the Baader Solar film , superior product producing much better detailed images/views.

[mfrymus]

Damn, I cant do the photos of the sun like that?

What can I do then with just a DSLR camera and a telephoto lens?

What filters will give me what results?

Mentioning the 'Baader Solar film' is this going to give me any good detailed results?

I know there isnt a solar eclipse happening anytime soon (Im not located near you guys anyways), but if I wanted to photograph one, what filters would I be using? - Also to produce the most detailed images of the sun.

I've taken photos of the Milky-way many times before, as one seen before.

Personally, I dont think they are that great. I want to improve the quality of these pictures.

[Steve Ward]

My DSLR ( Canon 1000D / Rebel XS ) and a telescope giving the equivalent of a 1400mm lens gets me details like this using Baader Solar Film ...  http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/252914-sun-in-whitelight-19-9-14-1200-bst/

[peroni]

Damn, I cant do the photos of the sun like that?

What can I do then with just a DSLR camera and a telephoto lens?

What filters will give me what results?

Mentioning the 'Baader Solar film' is this going to give me any good detailed results?

I took this shot using a DSLR and Baader Solar film. See this thread.