Looking for DSLR

[Sachman]

I am a complete newbie with photography. I am looking for a DSLR. Main uses will be general outdoors and nature - more so still stuff like mountains, scenery etc. I'm going Iceland so volcanoes northern lights etc.

I do hope to buy something that can be later used for astrophotography in the future however. I currently have a dob but am considering changing it in the future for astrophotography. 

I believe Canons are best for astrophotography. I am looking at the 750D which is around my budget (I could go further up in price if it will make a big difference)

My question is whether this camera would be suitable or any alternatives around the same rough budget that might be good for astrophotography

Also what would I need to do in the future to make it good for astrophotography (assuming I change the dob)

Also any tips on settings for northern lights? or just auto point and shoot?

Thanks

[ronin]

For unmodified the Canon's are likely the best choice. The inbuilt filter allows more Ha through then some of the others.

Equally I have a Sony and I cannot get the internal filter characteristics out of Sony, they say they do not know.

If you change it for AP in the future then it will be of little use to normal photography, the passed wavelengths alter so colour balance is lost and so will the autofocus. Overall it is easier to consider it as useable unmodified for photography, or modified but for AP only.

If your thoughts then turn to one for photography and one (body only) for AP then seriously look at a  dedicated AP camera, one of the ZWO's. By the time you buy another body and have it modified it may be similar to just get a camera that is built for the purpose of AP.

[Alien 13]

The 750D is a lovely camera, I find the WiFi control on the new Canons so useful too.

Alan

[Sachman]

Thanks for replies, how hard it it to modify? Is it not something I can chop and change between easily?

[Alien 13]

7 minutes ago, Sachman said:

Thanks for replies, how hard it it to modify? Is it not something I can chop and change between easily?

Why would you want to modify? I am probably in a minority here but have yet to see a decent image taken with one and lots of others that are poor compared to an unmodified cam, newer Canons have plenty of Ha out of the box. I had better run and hide now 

Alan

[michael8554]

39 minutes ago, ronin said:

If you change it for AP in the future then it will be of little use to normal photography, the passed wavelengths alter so colour balance is lost and so will the autofocus. Overall it is easier to consider it as useable unmodified for photography, or modified but for AP only.

Professionally modified Canon dslr's can optionally have a replacement Baader filter, or have the sensor reshimmed, to preserve correct autofocus.

The colour balance is too red for daytime photography after the IR Cut Filter is removed, but can be corrected with a Custom White Balance, often included by the modifier.

Which gives you a dslr suitable for normal and astro work.

Michael

 

[Alien 13]

4 minutes ago, michael8554 said:

Professionally modified Canon dslr's can optionally have a replacement Baader filter, or have the sensor reshimmed, to preserve correct autofocus.

The colour balance is too red for daytime photography after the IR Cut Filter is removed, but can be corrected with a Custom White Balance, often included by the modifier.

Which gives you a dslr suitable for normal and astro work.

Michael

 

The RAW image will still be red with a custom white balance.

Alan

[michael8554]

7 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

The RAW image will still be red with a custom white balance.

Alan

Not on any daytime Raw shots on modded Canon cameras I've had.

Michael

[michael8554]

Don't take my word for it, here's a quote from one of the UK mod services:

Using a Custom White Balance (CWB) – photographing a sheet of white paper and setting this as the white point in the camera by setting a CWB. This works in all non fully automatic functions.

 

[michael8554]

Well Custom White Balance with Raw is more complex than I thought.

Like many of the camera settings, it is only stored in the metadata, and you can choose to apply it, or not apply it, to the developed image.

So Canon DPP offers a dropdown menu with a choice of White Balances to apply, including Custom.

Deep Sky Stacker's Raw/FITS DPP Settings offers Auto, or Camera, or neither.

My PaintshopPro X7 defaults to As Shot in the Developer.

Adobe also has As Shot.

etc, etc.

So you could apply it in the Raw development, or during stacking, or just tweak colour balance in PhotoShop etc.

For astro you can go onto Custom White Balances off of G2v stars, or off the night sky (which is naturally a shade of brown).

Michael

 

[wxsatuser]

9 hours ago, michael8554 said:

Well Custom White Balance with Raw is more complex than I thought.

Like many of the camera settings, it is only stored in the metadata, and you can choose to apply it, or not apply it, to the developed image.

So Canon DPP offers a dropdown menu with a choice of White Balances to apply, including Custom.

Deep Sky Stacker's Raw/FITS DPP Settings offers Auto, or Camera, or neither.

My PaintshopPro X7 defaults to As Shot in the Developer.

Adobe also has As Shot.

etc, etc.

So you could apply it in the Raw development, or during stacking, or just tweak colour balance in PhotoShop etc.

For astro you can go onto Custom White Balances off of G2v stars, or off the night sky (which is naturally a shade of brown).

Michael

 

Always shoot RAW, it makes sense.

[newbie alert]

On 26/07/2017 at 21:56, Alien 13 said:

The RAW image will still be red with a custom white balance.

Alan

My canon still can do daytime shots even thou it's modded 

[michael8554]

7 hours ago, newbie alert said:

On 7/26/2017 at 21:56, Alien 13 said:

The RAW image will still be red with a custom white balance.

Alan

My canon still can do daytime shots even thou it's modded

Depends how you interpret what Alan has said.

Even with the camera shooting with a custom white balance, the undeveloped Raw will still be red.

But it won't be red on many preview systems, such as the LCD on the back of the camera, which is a sort of JPEG version of the Raw.

if the Raw is previewed or developed "with a custom white balance" selected, then the image will not be red.

For daytime shooting the custom white balance makes sense, as it gives you a meaningful  image on the LCD when you check.

And the colour balance will only need fine trimming in PhotoShop etc.

But I'm beginning to think it's not obligatory for Astro, as you can get the same balance during the Raw development or stacking.

Michael

 

[Mick J]

Perhaps the OP would look over the Cheap Astrophotography site, a chance to get more confused ;-)    but a 750 and modded later perhaps the best bet for now, for Iceland and northern lights I would start another post.

[Sachman]

I'll be honest, most of that went way over my head.

On 29/07/2017 at 17:45, Mick J said:

Perhaps the OP would look over the Cheap Astrophotography site, a chance to get more confused ;-)    but a 750 and modded later perhaps the best bet for now, for Iceland and northern lights I would start another post.

I've gone and bought the 750D anyway as it will serve my purpose for now. I will focus on my normal photography and Iceland for now and ask more detail about astrophotography conversion/modding when I am more into it and have more basic knowledge. Thanks anyway and at least there's some good debate going lol