Back to DSLRs...

[milkyjoe]

I've been doing a lot of research of late about dslr cameras and which are good and which are not. Although most folks on here recommend the 1000d, what other good (and cheaper) alternatives are there: what about the 350d; I've seen someone on here selling the body for only 150 earth pounds!?

Also, is the 30d any good, does anyone own one?

Is "live view" essential for astrophotography or can I get by without it?

Sorry if this is old ground, but I want to do as much research as I can before I make my final decision.

Thanks

Richard.

[SlipperySquid]

I use a Nikon d60 mate, it doesnt have live view, but I connect it to the pc using nikons software and snap away on a bright star with shorter exposures review the pictures on the pc and adjust focus from there.

I think canon cameras can use "DSLR fOCUS" Which is another PC program.

I think it depends on how much stuff you want to set up i.e. Do I want the laptop outside etc.

You can just snap away on a bright star and review the pictures on the camera, but with only a small viewing area you might not get best focus.

[Psychobilly]

The noise has got lower with each generation of camera/sensor.. With the 350D fairly well matched darks are pretty much essential.

Exposures longer than 30s aren't supported over USB so you will need a Serial shutter release cable which is very easy to build for a couple of quid...

Peter...

[jgs001]

Any SLR is likely to produce good results. As Peter said the newer generations are better at noise handling. Liveview isn't essential, but I reckon it beats taking a 30 second or so exposure, checking focus, adjust and repeat (liveview works with the bhatinov masks too).

The 30d being in the next model range up, is likely to be of heavier build (therefore a heavier camera), the 40d for instance has a magnesium body, instead of the plastic body of the 400d/450d.

[Photosbykev]

I've been doing a lot of research of late about dslr cameras and which are good and which are not. Although most folks on here recommend the 1000d, what other good (and cheaper) alternatives are there: what about the 350d; I've seen someone on here selling the body for only 150 earth pounds!?

Also, is the 30d any good, does anyone own one?

Is "live view" essential for astrophotography or can I get by without it?

Sorry if this is old ground, but I want to do as much research as I can before I make my final decision.

Thanks

Richard.

In general the newer the camera the lower the noise it produces. Based on hands on experience the 30D is pretty noisy. The 1000D seems to be the preferred camera for astro work with a good balance of noise and pixel size.

Personally I love live view on the newer cameras, it is extremely useful for general and astro work, but as I connect the camera to a laptop critical focus is checked on the laptop at 100% magnification of some test shots.

Using APT software exposures over 30 seconds are available via USB using bulb mode and you get the benefit of a virtual mirror lock up i.e. the mirror will lift but you can set the delay before the image acquistion starts which removes any vibration from mirror slap.

[Rossco72]

I have a 5D which doesn't have live view. Focus can be achieved using a bright star and a Bhatinov mask. Use the view finder to get close, stick the mask on, take some 5 or 10 second exposures, check on the LCD which way the "spike" is moving and get focus as near as possible perfect. Just goes a little quicker on the 450D with live view.

[russ]

Depends on your budget i suppose. The 350D for £150 is a great price. I just picked up a 300D for £72 on Ebay. Took me 7 weeks to finally win an auction for a camera that looked well looked after and at the right price. It arrived Saturday and is 'as new' with all the original boxes and bits. I was working to extreme budget and the 300D was my only real choice. I tried my luck with a few 350D's but the price always rocketed in the last minute.

I'm not looking to do jaw dropping DSO images, just want something to take widefields at our dark site.

[Psychobilly]

The older models have fewer larger pixels... which isnt such a bad thing...

The newer multi MP ones also really slow down the stacking process.. The 1000D was a nice sweetspot...

Peter...