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Best beginners dslr

SAW

By SAW
in Getting Started With Imaging

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SAW

SAW

Posted
Posted

Hi,

Probably going to go for an ED80 and HEQ5 Pro and I'm looking for a dslr. I want something that is best suited for a complete beginner, what should I be looking for ? I see 350D's go quite cheap on ebay and I presume I don't need one with a lens ? I want something that's really easy to use !

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Davey-T

Davey-T

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, gonzostar said:

i started off with a 450d 2years ago. Still using it. :) 

Me too, great camera and when you're feeling brave you can mod' it :grin:

You don't need more or smaller pixels the only thing worth paying more for is a flip out LCD screen and that will be lot's more money.

Dave

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Mr niall

Mr niall

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I use a canon eos m3, half the weight of a normal dslr so mount friendly, full APsc sensor and great wifi. It's got wifi and live view too so fully remote controllable. Very cheap too, would highly recommend.

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Davey-T

Davey-T

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12 minutes ago, Mr niall said:

I use a canon eos m3, half the weight of a normal dslr so mount friendly, full APsc sensor and great wifi. It's got wifi and live view too so fully remote controllable. Very cheap too, would highly recommend.

Probably around twice the price of a second hand 450d though.

Dave

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noah4x4

noah4x4

Posted
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Whatever you choose, take a look at Camera Jungle for a bargain.

It's owned by Jessops. I picked up a 'used' Nikon D5200 body in truly 'mint'' condition. After a couple of weeks I had a minor problem with a cable,, they replaced inside 24 hours. Great value and service. Particularly good when a manufacturer brings out a new model. They seem to dump it's perfectly good for AP predecessor via Camera Jungle at knock down prices. Stock levels dramatically fluctuate though,  so keep watching for bargains over a few weeks.

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ronin

ronin

Posted
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Likely there is going to be be little difference, lets face it they all do much the same these days. They all take pictures of landscapes, seascapes, sports, nature and people. Do not forget that they were not actually intended for astronomy.

You need one for which you can buy an intervalometer, I think there may be one or two Canons and Nikons that you cannot purchase them for.

As you are asking it sort of implies that you do not have one, or are not able to use anything available. I would half suggest still getting a lens, That way you can start by using the DSLR+lens and get familiar with setting the A, S, ISO, M, focus and Intervalometer up and getting say twenty exposures of thirty seconds and stacking them in DSS. You can even try a few Darks as well = DSLR+Intervalometer in the fridge. What you do not want to do is try learning it all at night while trying to attach the whole damn lot to a scope as well.

Check, or find, if possible, the features of a DSLR as you need one that you can turn off the Noise Reduction feature.

Make a small "hood/cover" for the rear view finder, light sneaks in vis that way. When getting exposures take binoculars, these give you something to do. Also the sensor gets warm/hot so aloow a period between each for a bit of cool down << Done via the intervalometer settings.

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SAW

SAW

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Just looking to order a camera (used) I presume I don't need any lenses I can just get the body ?

Canon or Nikon for a beginner ?

I've budgeted about £100-£200 is this enough ?

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cuivenion

cuivenion

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, SAW said:

Just looking to order a camera (used) I presume I don't need any lenses I can just get the body ?

Canon or Nikon for a beginner ?

I've budgeted about £100-£200 is this enough ?

Should be more than enough, I picked up a Canon 500d body for £130, with battery and charger. Canon camera's tend to have better support for the Astro side of things, such as APT and Backyard EOS. I'm a DSLR beginner as well though, so hopefully others will weigh in.

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Knight of Clear Skies

Knight of Clear Skies

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, SAW said:

Just looking to order a camera (used) I presume I don't need any lenses I can just get the body ?

Canon or Nikon for a beginner ?

I've budgeted about £100-£200 is this enough ?

Yes, you just need the body if you're using your ED80, although a lens would give you the option of taking widefield shots as well.

For that kind of budget a second-hand Canon is definitely the way to go, models like the 450D, 1000D and 1100D are all suitable. (In the ~£350-£450 price range I've heard reports that some of the newer Nikon sensors are slightly more sensitive, but Canons have better software support and are easier to get modded if you go down that route.)

Happy imaging.

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SteveA

SteveA

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I started off with a 350D, and that was before live view was invented. Nice little camera, I've still got it! Its not perfect, but if you can get one cheap its probably a good intro to AP with a DSLR for not much cash.

Steve

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Alien 13

Alien 13

Posted
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11 minutes ago, SAW said:

450D vs 600D ? Any reason I should pay the extra for the 600 ?

The flip out screen on the 600D is very useful especially if using camera lenses or a refractor, performance wise I dont think there is much in it although the smaller pixels on the 600D might help at shorter focal lengths.

Alan

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geordie85

geordie85

Posted
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You will be able to. You'll just have to adjust the white balance or correct it with processing.

Another plus of the 600d is that it has a movie crop mode which is useful for planetary imaging. Just don't push it too far or you'll lose detail and resolution. 

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SAW

SAW

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Trying to get my head around camera's and filters. If I am using a standard dslr to image DSO can I use something like this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/…/baader-uvir-cut-filter.h… or I can actually buy a camera that is modified but I won't be able to use it for normal photo's ? If I want to also do planetary then I would need a standard camera ?

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Davey-T

Davey-T

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A normal DSLR can take images of most things depending what scope it's mounted on.

A modified DSLR will capture more light from the red end of the spectrum but not all objects have a lot of red anyway so plenty of targets for a normal DSLR.

You can still use a modded DSLR for normal photography.

If you want to capture planets then a dedicated camera is best anything from a cheap webcam to something costing a couple of hundred pounds.

Bear in mind that the planets are not best placed for a couple of years so don't get too hung up on them.

Dave

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