What Camara? Scope (ED 72) Mount (EQ5)

[Paul73]

Hi Folks

Apologies for the vague post, but every now and then I fancy dipping my toe into the murky world of imaging. My previous attempts have been with gear singularly unsuited to the task, so where doomed from the off. I now find myself with a SW ED72, a tracking EQ5 Mount (incoming), a very solid tripod (under construction) and a good laptop. I would like the facility to do some solar with my 100mm Ha home brew, but I’m hoping that DSO would be the primary targets.

What would be a good camara? I’m assuming DSLR? Budget is about £200(ish). Am I missing anything essential?

Paul

[Anthonyexmouth]

DSLR + T ring and away you go. intervalometer is helpful 

[alexbb]

You didn't mention the field flattener. You'll need one.

[Paul73]

2 hours ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

DSLR + T ring and away you go. intervalometer is helpful 

 

1 hour ago, alexbb said:

You didn't mention the field flattener. You'll need one.

Intovalometer looks essential - now on the list (what a rubbish name)!

Field fastener - Same as a focal reducer?

Thanks. Good advice.

Paul

[Anthonyexmouth]

3 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

 

Intovalometer looks essential - now on the list (what a rubbish name)!

Field fastener - Same as a focal reducer?

Thanks. Good advice.

Paul

no, flatteners and reducers are different but sometimes combined into one unit. 

you can also control your camera via the laptop with something like AstroPhotographyTool. get more control and makes focusing a bit easier. 

[Paul73]

Thanks for the replies. I’ll investigate.

My digging so far suggests that:

Canon DSLR is the way to go. Full frame is not necessary. Astro modding is.

Any models to aim for?

Paul

[Anthonyexmouth]

4 hours ago, Paul73 said:

Thanks for the replies. I’ll investigate.

My digging so far suggests that:

Canon DSLR is the way to go. Full frame is not necessary. Astro modding is.

Any models to aim for?

Paul

Any canon with a flip out screen is a good start. Makes live view for focus easier to see

[rickwayne]

Welcome Paul!

I would not say astro modding a DSLR is at all essential. I agree that an FF/R is higher priority for you. You probably won't get anything full-frame for your budget, but if you're considering that, ensure that the image circle from your optical train will be sufficient for the sensor. (72mm scopes on APS-C, usually not a problem.)

Likewise intervalometry is important, but if you already have a good laptop for the effort, and are thinking Canon or some such for your DSLR, you will have a wealth of software that will run the camera very nicely, so a stand-alone intervalometer per se is unnecessary. You may find that focusing and such can be done reasonably well through the computer too, so an articulated screen is in the "nice to have" category. The Nikon D5300 also is very popular for astro, and the Pentax K-5 is a real sleeper, with one of the best astro sensors available at that price. (Avatar photo of Lagoon and Trifid there is with a K-5iis.)

You're doing things in the right order -- mount first, not-overambitious scope second, camera third. You'll probably want to be autoguiding before the year is out, so that you can exploit longer sub-exposure times (unless you're in a lot of light pollution, in which case you'll be unable to run very long subs).

[Paul73]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Lots to consider. It is Astro, so am expecting the budget to stretch .... ??

[Starwiz]

On 19/03/2019 at 11:26, Anthonyexmouth said:

you can also control your camera via the laptop with something like AstroPhotographyTool. get more control and makes focusing a bit easier.

I'll second that.  I bought an intervalometer to start with, but have hardly used it as there's so much more control with the laptop using APT.

[Uranium235]

Entry level canon and EOS utility (with a netbook or laptop) is cheap and effective. Plus canon cameras have a much wider support base in the astro community (regarding software and modifications).

[Paul73]

Thanks all.

I’ll look to buy a second hand camara and get it Astro modded by the Cheapasto guy. Lots of positive reviews and the price seems good value for his experience and the gain in bandwidth.

The three runners seem to be the following. All have similarly sized chips. All shoot raw.

Pentax k-5 

+ The most sensitive sensor? Industrial battery. It’s Pentax & damp proof.

- Heavy. More expensive. No WiFi. Fixed screen. Video only so so. Less in the way of Astro useful firmware addons?

Nikon 5300

+ Loads of pixels (got to be good??). Built in WiFi. Light weight.

- More expensive. Firmware Add ons?

Canon D650/D700 -

+ Cheaper. Plenty of customisation. Seems to do most things.

- WiFi not built in (can it be controlled via £50 WiFi card?). Fewer pixels than the Nikon.

Thoughts?

Paul

[Paul73]

Have just noticed a nice HEQ6 Pro on ABS for (only) a grand...... blimey, this imaging can get expensive. I haven’t even got a Camara yet and I’m getting mount envy!

Paul

[Starwiz]

35 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

Have just noticed a nice HEQ6 Pro on ABS for (only) a grand...... blimey, this imaging can get expensive. I haven’t even got a Camara yet and I’m getting mount envy!

Paul

Possibly works out less expensive than year-on-year golf club membership or premiership season tickets in the long run.  Depends on how much you feel the need to keep on upgrading. ?

[Paul73]

1 hour ago, Starwiz said:

  Depends on how much you feel the need to keep on upgrading. ?

Space is pretty big to upgrade into...... How could any red blooded Astro type not want to see/image further & clearer!

Anyone got any thoughts on the cameras on my shortlist ^^^^^?

Thanks

Paul

[rickwayne]

OK, one more biased plug for Pentax: There's a group of astrophotographers over at Pentax Forums who're amazingly helpful, considerate, and polite. (I know, right? It's on the Internet, but nevertheless it's like that!) And that weather-sealing is the real deal. I treat my cameras horribly, ski with 'em, hike with 'em, been rained on, I've even been splashed in a pool with 'em. Never a hint of a problem. That said, the moment you pull it off the scope, it's no longer weather-sealed until you cap the body or put a lens on it.

Canon is more broadly supported with accessories and software. Once I found software that would run the K-5 reliably, I frankly no longer cared (I use KStars/Ekos). The only reason I'm imaging with a different camera now is that I wanted to get around light pollution via narrowband imaging.

As you've probably already found out, a higher megapixel count does not necessarily mean a better astro camera. Physically larger pixels have better noise and sensitivity characteristics (other things being equal). There are online calculators to optimize pixel size for a given focal length but really that's overkill for starting out. You'll be able to do some drop-dead gorgeous images regardless, and begin learning processing.

One thing I'd advise against is attempting to "future-proof" your purchases, especially the camera. You have no idea what you're going to want in two years' time, and it's absurdly expensive to attempt to outguess Future You. A K-5 or an old Canon will do fine and won't bankrupt you. If you don't bash it about, you can get back a fair fraction of what you paid on the used market when your needs grow more specific.

[Starwiz]

5 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

Anyone got any thoughts on the cameras on my shortlist ^^^^^?

I can only give my own experiences which are obviously not comprehensive. 

I first bought an ASI120mc so I could do some planetary imaging.  I enjoyed using this for a couple of years, capturing great images of Jupiter and Saturn.

After that, I decided to take the plunge and upgraded my mount from EQ5 to NEQ6.  Then shortly afterward, bought a modified Canon 1200D.  I've not been disappointed and now, another couple of years down the line, I've invested in an ASI1600mm-Pro, which I'm not allowed to use until my birthday in a couple of weeks time.  ? The main reason is that I've recently located to Malta, so although there will be many more clear skies, the light pollution is slightly worse, hence I want to start doing narrow-band as well as LRGB.  There is also an additional attraction that I won't have to wait for moonless nights.

I get so much enjoyment from this hobby that I feel it's worth it and I've had some fantastic responses from friends on Facebook on the images I posted, so feel I'm also educating people on the wonders of space.

P.S. I really wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid, but along with SCUBA diving, this is the next best thing ?

[Paul73]

Hi All

A quick update. A used Astro modded Canon 650 (Rebel version) is now on its way to me! Tracking EQ5 is being handed over when I drop number 1 child with grandparents at the weekend. Bargain 1x field flattener is also on its way.

I won’t have time to build the tripod for a month or two, but found a set of EQ5 tripod legs in the garage, so just need to cobble together a top to hold the whole thing together until I make a proper tripod. The quality of the skywatcher tripod is properly pants. I’ve seen tuning forks that vibrate less! 

Thanks for the advice.

Paul