what DLSR to buy

[jigsaw]

HI Everyone,

need some advice on what dslr to buy, I have a budget of £400,

Ive had my scope for 8 mths. now, a meade lx90, now I'm going to try some astrophotography, also whatever else I'll need.

cheers

[simon84]

For entry level dslr cameras with your budget I'd be looking at the Canon EOS 1000D, been using one myself for a couple of years now and have just started attatching it to my scope with a t-ring adapter.

Its a great camera and with the added bonus of live view which is a great help for focussing when imaging with your scope.

I've never used an LX90 so I'm not sure if the focuser will handle the extra weight of a dslr, I'm sure someone else on here will be able to answer that one though.

Canon EOS 1000D Digital SLR Camera - Canon UK

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=tadaptor

HTH and good luck.

[adamsp123]

What sort of imaging are you going to do? I believe the scope you have is fork mounted and if that is the case you will be limited in the exposure time due to field rotation, you either need to mount it on a wedge or a Equatorial Mount to do long exposure DSO imaging.

Camera I would go for 1000D but with the caveat above.

[Taff]

Hi' i use a canon 300D, It is'nt modified but i still manage to take captures.Mark

[starhunter]

I have a Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10 MP , its awesome for DSO , ive taken Orion nebulae, horse head and M31 with it all under 5 minutes of exposure. i have over 20,000 shutter clicks so far and still going strong...

[jigsaw]

thanks everyone for your help, it is fork mounted, I'll get a wedge later, so for now I'll do what I can with it, I am starting from scratch with imaging so can I just buy the body without the lens for now, and what is modifiing,? the" canon eos 1000d" was the one that caught my eye, it also had a very good review in sky at night mag. cheers

[gary1968]

If the DSLR is purely for astro work then get the 'Body Only' version, thats what I did.

You will need a EOS T ring and a T ring > 2" adaptor. Depending on where you live you will also need some sort of light pollution filter, I use a Astronomik CLS Clip filter, quite expensive but works great.

The modding they refer to is to take the camera completely apart and remove the internal IR filter, giving greater response to red light. I dont have mine modded yet as it is still under warranty, but I will get Astronomiser to mod it when the time comes.

HTH,

Gary

[blinky]

Yep the 100d body only is what you want but you will be very limited in what you can image without a wedge.

[Bizibilder]

The 1000d plus a lens 18-55mm, I think, is available on offer for about £350 from Curry's and Dixons at the moment - best deal I've seen so far on this camera (I'm after one once my pennies are saved!)

Try this link:

Canon EOS 1000D Lens Kit (EF-S 18-55) from £351.49, UK Specialist Price Comparison Site, Camera Price Buster

[jigsaw]

Thanks all the 1000d is £329 in crazycameras with lens looks like I'd better start saving.

[gary1968]

Be very wary of that site mate, there are a lot of bad reports on Crazy Cameras on the web.

Try to find it elsewhere if possible.

Gary

[Sparrow]

Canon EOS 1000D at Currys - Body only - £329.99 or with 18-55mm EFS lense £369.99.

I got this camera last Autumn - I fully intended to get it modded but I was so impressed with it for non Astro work that I haven't had it modded yet. When budget allows I will get a new DSLR and get this one modded for the Astro work as it does suffer from weak red channel when imaging. Otherwise a superb camera for Astro work - the live preview is invaluable for setting up and focusing.

I also got the EOS clip filter for light pollution - a very worthwhile investment - not just for the LP but also to keep dust off the sensor when doing prime focus work with no lense attached. The only word of warning there - the EFS lense wont fit on when the clip filter is on - The EF range of lense will however fit with it.

Regards

John

[Bizibilder]

Just Google Crazy Cameras to see why it would be unwise to go anywhere near them!!!!!!!

[dph1nm]

get this one modded for the Astro work as it does suffer from weak red channel when imaging

I agree with this - having just got a 1000D I am surprised how poor its red response is for astro. My old digicam is much better. There was a thread somewhere recently (Cloudy Nights?) which suggested that the Nikons have a better H-alpha response out-of-the-box than the Canon's. Like all these stories the evidence is a bit vague though.

NigelM

[ollypenrice]

Hi,

I agree that the 1000D is the way to go but I would counsel against fork wedges. They are a ridiculous price and for the same amount you could be well on the way to an EQ5 or 6 which, unlike a wedge, will do what it says on the tin! Trying to polar align a wedge in the field I found impossible. It was a nightmare to do in an observatory. It looks okay until you try it...

On top of that you will be lucky to get your LX90 to track well enough for photography on a wedge. However, since you will need a guidescope anyway, what I and others have done is piggyback a small refractor and image with that, using the SCT to guide. That works fine. The problem with the SCT is that with its long focal length you need precision guiding and the fork mounts do not deliver that in the main. The guided tracking is good enough, though, for the small, short focal length refractor to give a result.

You would need the f6.3 reducer in either scenario and, if dead set on trying to image with the SCT, a Crayford focuser. The mirror focusing system I found hopeless.

I hope you don't feel this is negative but I, and many others I have spoken to, went down the fork-and-wedge route only to find it an expensive blind alley and I would want to pass that information on. (In my case it was with a ten inch LX200 which now rides on an EQ6.)

Olly

[jigsaw]

thanks again for the advice, I'll give the wedge a miss also crazy cameras, currys price with lens seems ok.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Best bang for buck is the Canon 1000D.

[skye at night]

CANON EOS EOS EOS 1000D Digital SLR Camera Body - 10.1 mp at low prices | Dixons

use voucher easter 15 to get another 15 off.

steve