Just a bit of fun!

[stanford__]

Hello all, 

Just a bit of fun on a Tuesday afternoon (the weekends quite a while away) 

I'm slowly getting into astrophotography and am taking in various advice from various places and people regarding good equipment to buy to get my started, in the mean time, my question is- 

What is the best peice of advice you can give to the complete newbie to astrophotography? 

[SkyBound]

Following with interest

[MARS1960]

!). Buy the book Making Every Photon Count by Steve Richards, it's available from FLO but there are other outlets .

[Stub Mandrel]

Have realistic expectations - That way everything you see or do will be rewarding and a step forwards.

[xtreemchaos]

turn back before its too late , only joking.  seeing is everything would be my advice and goodluck.  charl.

[stanford__]

Just now, xtreemchaos said:

turn back before its too late , only joking.  seeing is everything would be my advice and goodluck.  charl.

Don't say that!

You'll put me off before I've even started

[stanford__]

26 minutes ago, MARS1960 said:

!). Buy the book Making Every Photon Count by Steve Richards, it's available from FLO but there are other outlets .

Great idea, I've seen it mentioned a few times.. It's on the (very long) 'to purchase' list! 

[Tim]

Read, read, and then read some more about the theory, and the practice of astrophotography, so that you understand what you will need to do before you do anything or spend any money.

Identify the different types of astrophotography, and which type interests you most (Lunar, Solar, Planetary, Deep Sky, Widefield, Narrowband etc)

Buy a telescope that needs no tweaking, no collimating, like an ED80 refractor or a nice triplet (not a cheap one) and get a Bahtinov focus mask with it. Focus on focusing. 

Use as many clear spell nights as you can to practice, practice, practice, even partially cloudy nights, or full moon nights that are no good for imaging can be great for practising. This way, when you finally get a really good clear night (no moon, good transparency, steady seeing, maybe 2 or 3 times a year) you will be ready and not waste the night.

Oh, and get ready to spend a small fortune.............

 

[saac]

Tell your loved one it's educational.  If the bug really gets a hold of you, forget all about foreign holidays and new cars; take out shares in Sky Watcher, Meade, William Optics, QHY, ATIK  etc etc. 

More seriously, be patient, be realistic as Neil advised, and always remember why you got into it in the first place -  there are great things of beauty and wonder up there and we go fishing for them.

Oh and if you haven't already done so download Stellarium, it's free and it's simply brilliant.

 

Jim

[Alien 13]

As above but I would start with fixed tripod and camera and learn the basics of subs/stacking and post processing.

Alan

[stanford__]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far, really helpful! 

Buy a telescope that needs no tweaking, no collimating, like an ED80 refractor or a nice triplet (not a cheap one) and get a Bahtinov focus mask with it. Focus on focusing.

'Collimating'? Unfortunately this term is new to me; what does it involve?

And what is the advantage of a ED80 as opposed to a skywatcher 200P (this is the scope I was heading towards) for example? 

I'm slowly working out my budget as I go along, I know I want the HEQ5 Pro mount when the right one comes along, I've focused my attention on mounts for so long I've neglected the actual refractor research! 

 

[Tim]

5 minutes ago, stanford__ said:

Thanks everyone for the advice so far, really helpful! 

'Collimating'? Unfortunately this term is new to me; what does it involve?

And what is the advantage of a ED80 as opposed to a skywatcher 200P (this is the scope I was heading towards) for example? 

I'm slowly working out my budget as I go along, I know I want the HEQ5 Pro mount when the right one comes along, I've focused my attention on mounts for so long I've neglected the actual refractor research! 

 

Definitely get the book!!! https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html

[Tim]

The more factors you can simplify at first, the easier and more enjoyable your journey will be.

Collimating your telescope means adjusting the alignment of the mirrors, two of them in a 200P to make sure they line up properly. It is a tricky step for a beginner to get right, as putting a camera on the scope will reveal any misalignment and spoil the look of your image.

Refractors on the other hand need no collimating, and you can just get on with taking photos.....sort of.

Definitely get Steve's book, it will save you a lot of money in the long run.

[stanford__]

Right, the book is at the top of my list! 

And the refractor is my next big topic to research, I don't want to cause myself any unnecessary grief over a few hundred pounds difference in telescope price!

Thanks again 

[ngwillym]

Sell your soul to the devil - its the only way you'll be able to afford this hobby :-)

[stanford__]

3 minutes ago, ngwillym said:

Sell your soul to the devil - its the only way you'll be able to afford this hobby :-)

You are one of many, many people saying this..... 

Should I be concerned? 

[Moonshed]

Go to your local astronomical society and look at the different types of 'scopes and speak to some of the more experienced members, they will give you valuable advice. There are many different types of 'scopes and it all depends on what you want to look at, not such a daft question as it sounds, and how much you are prepared to spend. Many of us have spent thousands of pounds over the years but started off small and worked our way up. Good luck and stick with it, it really is an amazing hobby.

[almcl]

Lots of good advice here already but would add to 'try with what you already have'.  I started with a bridge camera on a tripod - no telescope - made a barn door tracker from bits and pieces that were lying about (one of my barn door images is in the thread here: 

https://stargazerslounge.com/uploads/monthly_01_2016/post-38153-0-45362400-1453401193.jpg

then moved on to a 200P for visual.  This got motor drives to keep objects in view which meant I could start taking pictures and am now using it with a DSLR.  

But try and do things with what you already have before spending money. 

 

[stanford__]

4 hours ago, Moonshed said:

Go to your local astronomical society and look at the different types of 'scopes and speak to some of the more experienced members, they will give you valuable advice. There are many different types of 'scopes and it all depends on what you want to look at, not such a daft question as it sounds, and how much you are prepared to spend. Many of us have spent thousands of pounds over the years but started off small and worked our way up. Good luck and stick with it, it really is an amazing hobby.

I have looked into this, it seems there's a group in Birmingham, I'll contact them!

Thanks for the advice! 

 

34 minutes ago, almcl said:

Lots of good advice here already but would add to 'try with what you already have'.  I started with a bridge camera on a tripod - no telescope - made a barn door tracker from bits and pieces that were lying about (one of my barn door images is in the thread here: 

https://stargazerslounge.com/uploads/monthly_01_2016/post-38153-0-45362400-1453401193.jpg

then moved on to a 200P for visual.  This got motor drives to keep objects in view which meant I could start taking pictures and am now using it with a DSLR.  

But try and do things with what you already have before spending money. 

 

Great advice, unfortunately I have nothing! 

I'm starting from the ground up, but I do have a DSLR camera (EOS550d), I will try some pics with that and a tripod first! 

 

Danny

[Alien 13]

9 minutes ago, stanford__ said:

I'm starting from the ground up, but I do have a DSLR camera (EOS550d), I will try some pics with that and a tripod first! 

 

Danny

There are quite a few people that go around the loop an end up back with a simple set up either with a static tripod or camera tracking mount and a big reason for this is that its so much fun. The EOS 550D is a fine camera and the std shutter speeds up to thirty seconds is all you need to get going.

Alan

[Pete Presland]

Astrophotography is a very rewarding and addictive field of astronomy.  Unfortunately there are many problems associated with doing it in the UK.  Whether you choose planetary or deep sky.

The seeing is crucial for planetary imaging,  as is the position of the planets in the sky. Saturn has been very low for the last couple of years and will continue to be so for the future. Mars is similar and is also moving further away from us, it will a couple of years before its close again. Jupiter is a fine target though, very rewarding with its ever changing surface features and moons. Venus is a good target as well, with its changing phases. 

Deep sky is a massive subject, from just a dslr on a static tripod to guided images. Again very rewarding and at least there are targets available every night of the year.

Lots of research as other's have said and decide which field of astrophotography you fancy. I probably do more Solar photography than any other at the moment,  but we are also approaching a quiter time with the sun. 

 

[cjdawson]

Do not go out and spend a lot of money thinking that will make great pictures.

 

As with everything, go into it with your eye's open.  Learn as much as you can before spending a small fortune on kit.  If you have some things already, see what you can do with what you have.  Get books like "Making every photon count", I've not read it but it gets recommended alot. I might buy it just to have a look soon. (It came out after I'd already been into astrophotography for years)

 

The second piece of advise that I give is never throw away any picture that you have taken. No matter how "bad" you think it is.

 

At some point you are likely to be asked to do a talk on Astrophotography by a group - either an astronomy society, of group of friends etc.   I found that by keeping the really bad photos, it can make for both an educational and entertaining talk.  "Here's my photo of the great Orion Nebula..."  put up out of focus blurred image with light pollution "... honest"   then explain what's wrong with the image.  Then put up the second attempt and smile as the audience gasps as it'll be in focus and with lots of detail.  (ok ok, it's really the 10th but they don't need to know that )

[wornish]

Start with your DSLR.  Hand held shots of the moon can be impressive.  Try your hand at stacking them with free software like shown in this YouTube vid.   There are lots of good astrophotography tutorials on YouTube worth watching before spending £'s

 

 

[geordie85]

Lots of very good and practical advice here.

The only extra piece of advice I would be able to give is learn about polar alignment. This can truly make or break a good Astro photo 

[SteveNickolls]

Hi,

It's getting closer to the weekend and while Friday night's still looking clear atm the weekend and beyond is pretty rotten. I would suggest while waiting for another clear night you read, "Astro-photography on the Go-Using Short Exposures with Light Mounts" by Joseph Ashley (available from FLO and of course other booksellers) as perhaps an alternative and cost effective entry into a hobby (in)famous for emptying pockets, wallets and credit cards. Joe is a great guy and can be found on forums over the Internet.

Best of luck in whatever you decide!

Cheers,
Steve