First Galaxy

[Somerled7]

Whilst waiting for delivery of a Skywatcher ED80 , I'm trying out some camera lenses, partly to start learning about guiding and  also to give me a few images to practice processing.  Here's my first attempt at a galaxy - M101.  1hr 40mins total exposure time, made up of 15x 400s exposures (plus darks, flats and bias).   Taken with a Sigma 150-600mm zoom lens and EOS80D mounted on an HEQ5.  I know it's not brilliant and it really requires more exposure time, but I'm just pleased  to be able to see some spiral structure. 

[MarkAR]

Thats a great start, well done.

[Sunshine]

Nice shot!

[mcbarrett]

Impressive start. What focal length were you using on the camera? 

[Somerled7]

9 hours ago, mcbarrett said:

Impressive start. What focal length were you using on the camera? 

600mm.  The image is also cropped in a bit. 

[mcbarrett]

Thank you.

I am debating purchasing a Skywatcher ED80 myself. The only thing that is stopping me is that I would still like to do some visual work.  

[Somerled7]

1 hour ago, mcbarrett said:

Thank you.

I am debating purchasing a Skywatcher ED80 myself. The only thing that is stopping me is that I would still like to do some visual work.  

I'm already finding that there's probably no such thing as a 'do-it-all' scope.  I was observing visually and picked up a second hand 200mm Newtonian at a good price.  Great for observing, but not so good for the steep learning curve of astro-photography.   I think if photography is something you are interested in pursuing, the advice is always to start small.  You can still do visual observations with an ED80 and adding a larger Newtonian for observing later is not that expensive (in the context of astronomical prices !!)       

[richard ashbee]

very nice do you find it sharp at the 600mm mark

[Somerled7]

9 hours ago, richard ashbee said:

very nice do you find it sharp at the 600mm mark

I've seen reports that the Sigma lens can be a bit soft at 600mm, but I've found it acceptably sharp for wildlife images at full focal length and it's a lot of lens for the money, so no complaints from me.  The hardest thing is holding the weight of the lens, so I get more poor images because I shook the camera rather than due to optical limitations of the lens.  For astro work, there's a little bit of distortion on the stars and a bit of chromatic aberration, so not ideal.  That's why I've ordered an ED80 - it gives a similar focal length/aperture to the Sigma, but I'm hoping the simpler optical path will give sharper stars.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Somerled7
add a few extra words.

[richard ashbee]

Do you use it on a full or crop frame camera?

Same with me no problems for wildlife and I also use a 1.4x converter. Its a lot sharper than the Tamron 150-600mm and much lighter. Good luck with the ED80 would love to see some comparison photos. 

[Somerled7]

2 hours ago, richard ashbee said:

Do you use it on a full or crop frame camera?

Same with me no problems for wildlife and I also use a 1.4x converter. Its a lot sharper than the Tamron 150-600mm and much lighter. Good luck with the ED80 would love to see some comparison photos. 

It's on a crop frame (EOS80D).  ED80 was due for delivery by end of this month, but who knows - I'm expecting it will probably be delayed.

[richard ashbee]

Yes most things are, still waiting for my Solar scope after 2 months

[mcbarrett]

In these unprecedented times, all supply chains seem to be under strain.  And why do we always have clear skies when waiting for new equipment!