Camera help. Total newb.

[GothicFighter]

Hey. I'm into astronomy for ~1 month. I know the basics(stars, constelations,nebulas,messier obects etc.). Until I get a pair of binoculars I though I'd start doing some photos of the sky.

My dad has one camera. It's an old "Minolta Maxxum HTsi", it's not digital(it has film) and I've found the manual for it. Kind of overwhelminn.

I know absolutely nothing about cameras. It got a lens which has zoom and focus. If it help, I can tell you what's written on it:

"AF ZOOM 28-80mm 1:3.5(22)-5.6, 62mm". Whatever that means.

Anyway, I need some basic tutorials. I want some easy, free lessons but which explain every single bit(ISO,exposure,lens etc.).

I've also got one tripod with a weight hook which I think is necessary.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the non-knowledge.

edit: ISO goes up to 6400 and aperture up to 22. Is it good enough for astrophotography?

[Steve1976]

Hey mate

You should definitely be able to get some good widefield shots with just your film camera and tripod. I know DSLR's and digicams are more common these days, one big advantage being you can see your shots instantly without the rigmarole of getting your films developed, but I think many people get excellent results with film.

I am just beginning myself so I will leave it to others to explain the technical jargon. I've just read one of Bryan Peterson's books which I highly recommend - its more for 'general' photography. I know there is a highly recommended astrophotography book called Making Every Photon Count which is written by Steppenwolf a member of Stargazers Lounge - perhaps there will be a section related to film and widefield work on there but I haven't read it myself so can't comment on that. There should be tons of stuff on the net but can't advise on any specific tutorials etc

Basically though aperture relates to the size of the hole thats gonna let in the light. The lower the F number the bigger the hole and so the more light will get in. I think for AP people tend to use lower F numbers in order to maximise the amount of light getting in (F22 relates to the smallest the hole can go to - higher F numbers are used to give more 'depth of field' - means objects from front to back are in focus). Shutter speed relates to how long the shutter will stay open and allow light to hit the film. So a shutter speed of 1/8th of a second is going to let more light in than 1/200th of a second. Again for AP its usual to have long shutter speeds of up to hours but in your case I think only up to 20-30 seconds will be manageable, otherwise you will get a 'startrail' effect which is in itself a great technique! Check out the widefield imaging section to get some examples. A cable shutter release and tripod is almost essential to stop any blurring caused by you pressing the shutter or holding the camera by hand. ISO relates to the films sensitivity to light so ISO of 800 is twice more sensitive to light than ISO 400. The problem is the quality of image deteriorates the higher ISO you go and I think in practice beyond ISO 800 'grain' becomes an issue. Exposure is a bit harder to explain but relates to the interplay between aperture, shutter speed and ISO. I think there are a few combinations of the 3 which will give you a technically 'correct' exposure but many different combinations of the 3 can give you more creative exposures.

I am sure the more experienced can give you much better and more correct info than this, its just my 2 cents!

[GothicFighter]

Thanks a lot. Your comment helped me a lot.

And as a fun fact, just a minute ago I found out that my digital point-and-shot cheap camera(samsung es10) had customizable settings(including ISO,exposure,lots of image quality settings)... Thanks God I've found it. I will most certainly use the digital for now(easier). Next time I get a clear sky I will take a photo and post it here.

[GothicFighter]

Well, here is it lads.

Finally got a relatively clear sky. Still some clouds roaming around but it's OK.

My first photo of the sky ever took:

Samsung ES-10 point-and-shoot digital camera.

8s shutter speed

ISO 400

I'm pretty excited. There are stars that I couldn't see with my naked eyes that showed up in the photo. Really surprised.

Also I'm going to edit the image(crop, maybe add some annotations) and post it again. I'm also going to make more photos tonight:D