I need help with buying a setup I'm a beginner

[nfotis]

1 hour ago, Alekos said:

I don't think I'm going to buy a tracking mount since they are pretty expensive and I don't need it yet. However am am looking at different telephoto lenses.

Alex

 

No worries, you can do it in steps. A manual focus lens like the Samyang mentioned above is very useful in astrophotography, but you can just get a typical fixed focal length lens like the Canon EF 200mm/2.8, which is quite sharp and light (and you can find it off Ebay). The 85mm/1.8 is quite nice, too.

After you master the techniques of shooting with a tripod, you may want to try your hand with a Star Adventurer or similar.

Cheers,

N.F.

 

[happy-kat]

Unless you want the telephoto for daytime photos I would not get a telephoto for night when using a static tripod as you'll get lots of startrails and be looking at around 1 - 2 second exposure length only. If you get a canon you might find very cheap old m42 lenses, with an adaptor these can be used on a camera like the 1300d and can be very cheap, a bit hit and miss quality wise but you might find the odd Takumar in second hand shops.

[happy-kat]

You'll need a pc to process the images you take.

[Skipper Billy]

2 hours ago, Alekos said:

I don't think I'm going to buy a tracking mount since they are pretty expensive and I don't need it yet. However am am looking at different telephoto lenses.

There is a thing called the rule of 300 for cropped sensors. (Rule of 500 for 'full frame' cameras)

Divide 300 by the focal length of your lens and that gives you the maximum exposure time you can use without getting too much star trailing.

EG a 14mm lens on a crop frame sensor = 300/14 = 21 seconds exposure

When you start looking at telephone lenses it drops rapidly.

EG 1 200mm lens on a crop frame sensor - 300/200= 1.5 seconds

With a long lens on a fixed tripod the sun (WITH A SOLAR FILTER!) is a good target and there is always the Moon.

The advice that Carole gave you is good quality advice and is maybe worth a second read.

You don't say where you live - if its well North the Aurora is also a target.

These image were taken with a simple DSLR on a fixed tripod IE nothing fancy. But you will soon want some form of tracking mount.

 

 

[carastro]

Quote

These kinds of photos I am looking at shooting. However I don't have a clue about software, editing, stacking or whatever else the images need after.

Most people use DSS (Deep Sky Stacker) for stacking when they first start, it is free and if you just use the default settings it would be fine.

DSS is free and what it does it stack together lots of images making for a cleaner less noisy result and will line up the stars in each image so if there is movement they will be put on top of each other.  This will result in a bit of cropping of the edges of the image in the final result if you are not tracking.  Getting focus at night will be your biggest challenge at night time as you can't use autofocus.  

Get the stars as small and as sharp as possible in the viewfinder/laptop, or get some distance trees (if you can see their silhouette in the dark) in focus.

Carole 

[Alekos]

2 hours ago, Adam J said:

Unless you are willing to modify it yourself then that is a mistake in my opinion even if you are only shooting milky way shots on a tripod. You will not get the large Ha regions coming through. 

Adam

If I modify it will I be able to take normal photos or will they look different?

[carastro]

Normal daylight photos with a Modified DSLR will look slightly pink.  This can be amended in such software as photoshop or similar, but there is also a method called doing a daylight white balance when you use the camera for day time photography which others who know how to do it will explain to you.

When you get your camera modified make sure to replace the filter with either baader glass or plain glass or the autofocus won't work in the day time.

As I said earlier you can get one already modified from Cheap Astrophotography.

Carole 

  

[Alan White]

3 hours ago, Alekos said:

4 hours ago, Alan White said:

Be aware photography is very much in flux at the minute, lens fitting are changing, mirrorless is starting to rule and brands are suffering a big down turn in sales, some manufacturers will go.

Thanks for the advise but as I said I have never had a camera so going all out and wasting like 700$ for my first camera and setup wouldn't be a good idea. I am looking at a canon 1300D with I have found for about 180$ with the kit lens.

Alex, I fully understand your budget and its constraints, I am mostly in the same boat myself normally.

Just be aware that the Canon EF and EF-S is in the rundown phase and will no doubt end with the newer R series mirror less cameras.
That said a good 30+ years of EF and EF-S lenses is a big used market of available kit if you buy used.

 

[Adam J]

20 minutes ago, Alekos said:

If I modify it will I be able to take normal photos or will they look different?

You will need to set a custom white balance in the camera settings. But yes it will work. You will want the Baader replacement filter option to enable that.

Cheap astrophotography will install one for you.

Adam

Edited July 5, 2020 by Adam J

[happy-kat]

Where are you based as you mentioned $ but you're getting UK based supplier links. Are you in the US? 

[Alekos]

1 hour ago, Skipper Billy said:

There is a thing called the rule of 300 for cropped sensors. (Rule of 500 for 'full frame' cameras)

Divide 300 by the focal length of your lens and that gives you the maximum exposure time you can use without getting too much star trailing.

EG a 14mm lens on a crop frame sensor = 300/14 = 21 seconds exposure

When you start looking at telephone lenses it drops rapidly.

EG 1 200mm lens on a crop frame sensor - 300/200= 1.5 seconds

With a long lens on a fixed tripod the sun (WITH A SOLAR FILTER!) is a good target and there is always the Moon.

The advice that Carole gave you is good quality advice and is maybe worth a second read.

You don't say where you live - if its well North the Aurora is also a target.

These image were taken with a simple DSLR on a fixed tripod IE nothing fancy. But you will soon want some form of tracking mount.

 

 

Very good images! I have heard about the 500 rule and the 300 one but I don't know if you are talking about doing this with a modified camera or not.

[Alekos]

9 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Where are you based as you mentioned $ but you're getting UK based supplier links. Are you in the US? 

I live in Europe ,Greece but usually use $ because it's the first symbol I find on my keyboard

[Skipper Billy]

13 minutes ago, Alekos said:

 I have heard about the 500 rule and the 300 one but I don't know if you are talking about doing this with a modified camera or not.

These were taken with a standard off the shelf Canon DSLR - not modified.  A modified camera could have been used - the moon picture would probably look sharper and the Aurora just the same. 

The 300 rule still applies whether the camera is modified or not.

Ευχαριστώ 😉 

[Alekos]

54 minutes ago, Skipper Billy said:

These were taken with a standard off the shelf Canon DSLR - not modified.  A modified camera could have been used - the moon picture would probably look sharper and the Aurora just the same. 

The 300 rule still applies whether the camera is modified or not.

Ευχαριστώ 😉 

May I ask what camera and lens you were using?

[Skipper Billy]

53 minutes ago, Alekos said:

May I ask what camera and lens you were using?

Canon 1100D and a Samyang 14mm for the Aurora and same camera and a 400mm lens for the moon.

[duggy46]

i'd like to recommend Juan at Cheap Astrophotography

https://www.cheapastrophotography.com/

i got a modded 800d from him. His service was exemplary, kept me informed throughout and made the whole process easy even when there were issues sourcing the Baader filter.. a true gent