A guide for astro-images?

[Swithin StCleeve]

6 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

You'd be fine if your camera has an lcd all the easier particularly if it is a flip out one.

Yea, it has Cool.

I'm loving the idea of buying cheap stuff and using what I've got. My camera is a modern Cannon 750D, I'm hoping I'll still be able to get old lenses to fit.

[happy-kat]

Start with your kit lens I'll add a nice article to read about imaging with the kit lens later today. Then read up on lenses some vintage are better than others a m42 fit asahi super  takumar 135mm f3.5 are nice. You might even have family members with a lens you could borrow, charity shops can also yield nice old lenses.

M42 to eos adapter about £10.

The idea is to buy as little as possible whilst you see if you like, read research more, and read that book.

[Swithin StCleeve]

Look forward to the article. I think I need to read up on lenses, I'm lost after your first sentence. ;}

[Swithin StCleeve]

No, I've got it. Asahi Super-takumar is the name of the lens.

And I'll need an adaptor.. EOS, that's the type of 'thread' on my camera, right?

[tomato]

These all seem like  very wise words coming through (as always) from the SGL members.

When I started out on Astrophotography back in the 35mm film days, the first successful pictures were obtained with a SLR and 50mm lens riding piggyback on the telescope, 'cos I couldn't photograph anything when I tried to connect to the scope. The sense of achievement from those wide field shots was enough motivation to persevere with the scope, but trust me, AP is a lot easier now.

[happy-kat]

link here

Kit lens imaging.

[ollypenrice]

In these these threads there is usually a tug of war between the 'spend more' brigade (of whom I'm probably one!) and the 'spend less' brigade. The key concern is not to spend twice, because that's expensive.

If you want to guide, guide well. At moderate to low resolution with sensibly low payload a well run HEQ5 can give exactly the same result as a mount in the £5,000 to £10,000 price range. When you step up to high res imaging and/or big heavy scopes then the premium mounts pull ahead. But if you buy below the HEQ5 you risk buying twice, depending how you feel about imaging.

Olly

[happy-kat]

Olly the OP already owns an EQ5 hence the comments but with suggestion to read the book which I also gather they already own.

[Whistlin Bob]

I'd like to also agree with some of the excellent advice given here. I'm in a similar position to you in that I've a few years experience stargazing with an inexpensive 200p Dobsonian (and what a joy that is!), but this summer I've taken the plunge and tried to start taking photos. I too thought the HEQ5 was a bit pricey, but a bit of time hanging around on e-bay yielded one at a useful discount. I've had a few evenings with it now, with the following thoughts (and I'm no expert at all):

- The HEQ5 is a great bit of kit, but when you stick the 200p on it as well and then try to look down a camera on it then the whole thing is a bit unwieldy. Sometimes I need a step ladder to check the images I'm creating (and I'm 6ft)

- The setup time vs just picking up the Dob and looking through it is a bit of a palaver as well.

- Astrophotography is rewarding (and my images are pretty lame so far) but it takes time. Both to take the pictures and process them- never mind the time to develop skill needed to really achieve something good. Last night I found myself outside under a beautiful clear sky, but unable to look down my telescope because the camera was in the way!

Perhaps your best route would be to put some motors on your EQ5 and get a smaller scope. Then you can have the camera taking pictures whilst you spend time enjoying the star hopping...

[Swithin StCleeve]

First - thanks for the link Happy Cat. Some good reading there, I appreciate it.

Bob, you make a lot of sense. Back when I started observing in the early 90's, astrophotography was something people did as an extra to their observing. These days it seems it's a hobby in itself. My mind boggles at some of the lingo people use, it goes completely over my head. But I do admire their skills in getting the shots. I'm also aware that these people have spent quite a bit on their kit. So I've decided, for the moment, to do as you say and get a motor, and try and get some simple shots to start with. I've taken loads of the moon and Jupiter that I've been pleased with, (and some terrible ones of Saturn).
My next step is to get the equatorial mount moving in the right direction, and get some 'greatest hits' of the sky under my belt. M13, M42, M31... then, when I'm confident I know what I'm doing, I'll be confident to spend the big bucks.

[tomato]

One thing I think you need a lot of with astrophotography is time.  Time to acquire knowledge on what kit to buy, time to set it up and become familiar with it's operation and how it all works together, time under clear, dark skies (that one is really precious), then time to learn how to process the images, for me, that's the big one.

Time is currently what I have the least of, you can counter this somewhat with more money, but only up to a point. I guess what I am trying to say is be prepared for the long haul, and don't give up if you have a few initial set backs.

[swag72]

Time is indeed something that one needs a lot of for this in my opinion.