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Best DSLR for beginners to use for Astrophotography?


Olli

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Hi all,

It's been a while since I've posted a new topic unfortunately the weather has  been horrible for the last month. I have saved up enough now for a new camera I had bought a cheap bridge type camera but wasn't that great and I'm looking to buy a DLSR and then hopefully a SA if I enjoy it.

 My max budget I think is no more than £200 I was hoping you could give me some recommendations for one that's slight beginner friendly but still good enough and also the best type of lenses to use?

Many Thanks 

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The 'base' model is usually considered to be the very similar Canon 450D and 1000D, both of which are a lot cheaper than £100. They both benefit from 'astro modification' which  involves removing a blue-green filter to increase the response  to red nebula light, it is a bit hairy to do yourself, but can be done with care.

The 600D goes for nearer to your £200 figure and benefits from a fold out screen and being able to be used for planetary videos.

You can use almost any lens, but anything longer than a standard lens will need some form of tracking mount. It is easy to mount a DSLR on a telescope.

The longer the lens/ telescope the better a mount/tripod/ tracking arrangement you will need.

My website (link in my signature) has lots of pictures taken using an astro-modded 450D.

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9 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

The 'base' model is usually considered to be the very similar Canon 450D and 1000D, both of which are a lot cheaper than £100. They both benefit from 'astro modification' which  involves removing a blue-green filter to increase the response  to red nebula light, it is a bit hairy to do yourself, but can be done with care.

The 600D goes for nearer to your £200 figure and benefits from a fold out screen and being able to be used for planetary videos.

You can use almost any lens, but anything longer than a standard lens will need some form of tracking mount. It is easy to mount a DSLR on a telescope.

The longer the lens/ telescope the better a mount/tripod/ tracking arrangement you will need.

My website (link in my signature) has lots of pictures taken using an astro-modded 450D.

Thanks for the helpful reply. I'll have a look at those cameras later on I'm on ny phone right now so can't see your sig but will look tomorrow. I have heard that it is quite useful to have a fold out screen. But I also have to budget for a decent tripod ( which I forgot) as the one I have doesn't have the greatest payload and I'm  not sure I can use it with a DSLR. Ive seen a website posted on here a few times where you can buy moded cameras or you send your own and they do it for you. Would this be worth it? I won't be using for normal photography.

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On 02/04/2018 at 23:50, Olli said:

... I also have to budget for a decent tripod ( which I forgot) as the one I have doesn't have the greatest payload and I'm  not sure I can use it with a DSLR ...

You can pick up a tripod that should do the job for as little as £30 to £40.   However, personally, I probably want something a bit more robust, so you may want to spend a bit more.

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29 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I use an EQ3 mount on an EQ5 tripod, I would love a HEQ5 pro but...

I will probably get one in the future not looking for anything motorised at the moment. Just wanted one so i can take some wide field shots while i'm at my scope :) 

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46 minutes ago, 25585 said:

Please, what is "astro modified"? Also are those DSLRs full frame? If not what be a good starter full frame DSLR?

Astro  Modified - from Stub Mandrel's post above "They both benefit from 'astro modification' which  involves removing a blue-green filter to increase the response  to red nebula light". Pop along to cheapastrophotography.vpweb.co.uk (you'll find the real link earlier in the thread) to find out all the details. (Other camera nodding services are available). 

Not sure what a 'starter full frame' equates to, as I don't normally see full frame and starter in the same sentence...  How much do you want to spend? 

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58 minutes ago, ChrisEll said:

They look like a good service and pretty cheap!

Have used them (Juan at cheapastro) and the service was excellent. Have only ever seen high recommendations on the forums. 

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48 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

Astro  Modified - from Stub Mandrel's post above "They both benefit from 'astro modification' which  involves removing a blue-green filter to increase the response  to red nebula light". Pop along to cheapastrophotography.vpweb.co.uk (you'll find the real link earlier in the thread) to find out all the details. (Other camera nodding services are available). 

Not sure what a 'starter full frame' equates to, as I don't normally see full frame and starter in the same sentence...  How much do you want to spend? 

Please can this be in another thread?

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23 minutes ago, Olli said:

Please can this be in another thread?

Good point - I agree. Perhaps a new thread 'Best Full Frame DSLR for Astrophotography?"   Can the mods move it?  

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1 hour ago, adyj1 said:

Astro  Modified - from Stub Mandrel's post above "They both benefit from 'astro modification' which  involves removing a blue-green filter to increase the response  to red nebula light". Pop along to cheapastrophotography.vpweb.co.uk (you'll find the real link earlier in the thread) to find out all the details. (Other camera nodding services are available). 

Not sure what a 'starter full frame' equates to, as I don't normally see full frame and starter in the same sentence...  How much do you want to spend? 

I have good 35mm camera lenses, which were chosen for their fl in that format, so want a digital body to use them on with an adaptor.

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5 hours ago, 25585 said:

Please, what is "astro modified"? Also are those DSLRs full frame? If not what be a good starter full frame DSLR?

Astro modification is removing one or more of the filters in front of the sensor, typically the blue-green filter that cuts out most of the deep red and near infra red, including the hydrogen alpha light that characterises most emission nebulas.

I followed these instructions: http://dslrmodifications.com/rebelmod450d1.html

Most people seem to advise against full frame as with most setups vignetting becomes too much of a problem, if you are spending that much cash, you may as well get a dedicated astro camera.

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18 hours ago, adyj1 said:

are those DSLRs full frame?

No.

19 hours ago, 25585 said:

what be a good starter full frame DSLR?

I had a go with a Canon 6D, one of the cheapest full frame dslrs available at around €900. It's much more sensitive than the smaller cameras but there aren't that many affordable telescopes which cover the frame, the cheapest being the Bresser Petzvals; either the 127s or the 152s. Be warned that both camera and cited telescopes are big and heavy and you need a high end gaming computer to process the images. One nice touch is that it sends snaps over wifi so no cable needed.

I use a Canon 700d which is not as sensitive as the 6D but can be used with any old telescope. It's also not as good in the red as the larger camera and needed modifying. In fact if I could choose again, I'd get a camera without a flip screen; you don't use it when you're imaging with a computer and the same sensor is available on cheaper versions such as the 1200d.

HTH.

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On 03/04/2018 at 13:56, Olli said:

I will probably get one in the future not looking for anything motorised at the moment. Just wanted one so i can take some wide field shots while i'm at my scope :) 

If you're using a DSLR just on a tripod, your exposure times are going to be limited by the rate at which stars move through the field of view as the Earth rotates.  With a standard APS-C sized chip on your camera, if I were in you're position I'd looking to use lenses that are wide and as fast as I can.  For example.  I have a Samyang 10mm f2.8 lens I use on my Canon 1100D which gives a lovely wide field of view of 95o x 73o.   Exposures are generally limited to about 30 seconds before star trails start to become apparent.

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3 minutes ago, michaelmorris said:

If you're using a DSLR just on a tripod, your exposure times are going to be limited by the rate at which stars move through the field of view as the Earth rotates.  With a standard APS-C sized chip on your camera, if I were in you're position I'd looking to use lenses that are wide and as fast as I can.  For example.  I have a Samyang 10mm f2.8 lens I use on my Canon 1100D which gives a lovely wide field of view of 95o x 73o.   Exposures are generally limited to about 30 seconds before star trails start to become apparent.

Those Samyang lenses are really nice, and a good suggestion for a non-tracking mount. I'd love one myself but even second hand they are still £100+. ? 

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45 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

Those Samyang lenses are really nice, and a good suggestion for a non-tracking mount. I'd love one myself but even second hand they are still £100+. ? 

If it's full aperture you could buy a film camera wide angle lens & adaptor for your DSLR. I believe 18mm is roughly equivalent to the 28mm used for 35mm film cameras. The adaptor might add slightly to focal length so 16mm or 17mm. Sigma, Tokina, Vivatar, Tamron all made lenses for most SLRs both prime & zoom. 

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The OP who started this thread has a budget that infers one of three choices.

Those samyong lenses are expensive.

1- buying a second hand 1100d / 600d with the canon kit lens which is great because that is a 18-55mm lens so around 25 seconds at 18mm.

2- buying just the camera body and getting lucky on also picking up a vintage manual m42 50mm fast lens.

3- finding out if a family member has a lens you could use/borrow.

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1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

The OP who started this thread has a budget that infers one of three choices.

Those samyong lenses are expensive.

1- buying a second hand 1100d / 600d with the canon kit lens which is great because that is a 18-55mm lens so around 25 seconds at 28mm.

2- buying just the camera body and getting lucky on also picking up a vintage manual m42 50mm fast lens.

3- finding out if a family member has a lens you could use/borrow.

Your list makes sense to me. The list of things the OP can't afford that have been mentioned so far include;

A- a full frame camera
B- a prime widefield lens  

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Does anyone have an example of a non-tracking widefield photos using a kit lens which will give the OP some idea of what is possible?

 

I know there will be some great ones out there, I just don't know how to find them… :-(

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