Hello! Melbournian new to Astrophotography!

[Luke.]

I am about as new as you can get at this! It has really peaked my interest and I am hoping to learn a lot and have some fun.

I have been into photography for a few years now and know my way around a (basic) DSLR, so at least I have that going for me.

A few weeks ago my better half and I were outside at night and she wanted to know what the "really bright star" was. I pulled out Skymap on my phone and we saw it was Jupiter. I also noticed Mars and Saturn were very bright too. This led to me looking online and pretty much discovering Astrophotography! I always thought you needed a huge telescope to see anything and was amazed that even a DSLR could pick up things decently.

So with my extremely basic equipment

• Nikon D3000
• 55-200VR kit lens
• Remote shutter
• Tripod (unsure of brand)

I decided to see what I could find. I am in an Orange light pollution zone and the moon is lighting up the sky so I didn't like my chances.
I found M42 and took a bunch of pictures following a DeepSkyTracker tutorial, including dark, bias and flats.


I didn't know what to do with the resulting TIF file, so someone was kind enough to do the processing for me. I only have very basic processing skills so it is going to be a huge learning curve for me.


Anyways, here is the heavily cropped processed photo.
My jaw dropped when I saw that my crappy camera and lens, combined with less than ideal conditions was able to capture this information!!
It looks terrible compared to what else is on the forum but it is pretty amazing to me!


http://i.imgur.com/hHUN532.jpg

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Welcome to the boards and the hobby Luke. We all have to start somewhere and I remember being really excited about taking a very similar shot of m42 . The realisation that not only are these objects really there but are accessible to amateurs and beginners is definitely exciting. Keep it up !

[Kunama]

Hello Luke and Welcome!
Lots and lots of great advice here to digest and enjoy but nothing beats time out under the stars.

[Luke.]

Thanks for the welcome!

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

Welcome to a fascinating and yes, exciting hobby, all you need is patience and clear dark sky.
Oh and deep pockets lol.
Join an astro club in your area for lots more advice on how to spend your loot.

[Luke.]

I have plenty of patience I think. I run a 1000l marine aquarium and needing patience is an understatement in that hobby! Also deep pockets would help lol.
Hopefully I can find an astro meet up somewhere here and check out some equipment.

[Manav (Yugant)]

Good start! My first attempt with a Canon 50D was pretty much the same as yours. And as you discover more and learn about astro-photography you will no doubt get better. If I could go back in time and give myself some advice it would be get a good mount that you can use to start with widefield with DSLR and then jump onto narrowfield with OTA and dedicated imaging camera.

Mount is crucial.....

[Luke.]

Thanks for the advice Manav. Could you elaborate on your last sentence? All of this is new to me and I am not exactly sure what a mount is.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Consider investing in an EQ mount with RA drive so you can take longer exposures; even an old cheapie will make a big improvement and open up new possibilities.

[Manav (Yugant)]

^ What he said!

The Orion shot you took is a short exposure shot. To get more detail you will need to increase exposure length but then the stars will start to move due to earths rotation (see attached image).

So I would suggest you get a good EQ mount with RA drive which will counter the earths rotation.

Which one? Mount options are dependent on payload

[Luke.]

What would you recommend for a camera + lens weighing ~1.5kg? Focal length of the lens is up to 300mm.
Would a mount for a DSLR be different for a telescope?
I am wanting to try and slowly get more equipment but I want to do it so that the piece of equipment I buy will be compatible with the new equipment further on.
For example, if I get a tracker for my DSLR, is it going to be compatible with a telescope later on?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

For DSLR + lens you'll get away with a smaller (and less expensive) mount. No, you don't need to buy a specific mount for a camera; it's easy enough to fit a camera to an EQ mount made for telescopes. If the camera+lens weighs 1.5 kg then get a mount rated for 3 kg or more. That's generally a good rule of thumb for astrophotography: go for payload rating at least double your actual payload.

Almost any EQ mount except the cheapest nastiest will be usable for a light DSLR+lens. If you want to keep the cost down then get an older one second hand. Just make sure it comes with a RA motor drive (you don't need one for Dec).

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

Skywatcher star adventurer.

445 at sirius optics.
Super little gem of a grab and go mount.

[Luke.]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone You have set me on the right track and given me a fair bit of research to do!

[astro_nutt]

Hello and welcome to IIs Luke. Like you I am new to AP and learning a lot from the forums and trial and error! If you like to tinker and DIY, you can build your own barn door star tracker. Just click onto Search up near the top of the page, type in barn door star tracker. Lots of styles and info to look at plus plans, etc. Cheers!

[Luke.]

Thanks astro_nutt I love DIY so that sounds like something I could do. Aligning it sounds a little difficult though but I have never seen it done in person.

[Andy01 (Andy)]

Hiya, might be a good idea to consider joining the ASV. Astronomical Society of Victoria. We have a busy astrophotography section that meets monthly, usually on sunday afternoons. Lots of knowledge sharing and advice freely given. www.asv.org
Cheers
Andy

[Luke.]

Hey Andy. Thanks for that.
Another member suggested I contact ASV but I haven't had a reply yet.
The astrophotography nights sound great.

[Manav (Yugant)]

Originally Posted by Luke.

What would you recommend for a camera + lens weighing ~1.5kg? Focal length of the lens is up to 300mm.
Would a mount for a DSLR be different for a telescope?
I am wanting to try and slowly get more equipment but I want to do it so that the piece of equipment I buy will be compatible with the new equipment further on.
For example, if I get a tracker for my DSLR, is it going to be compatible with a telescope later on?

It seems to me that you eventually want to go from lenses to an astrograph or a serious imaging refractor. In which case I would recommend a good EQ mount with enough payload capacity. EQ5 maybe? I started with an EQ6 and I thought that was too big

Check here

[Luke.]

Originally Posted by Manav

It seems to me that you eventually want to go from lenses to an astrograph or a serious imaging refractor. In which case I would recommend a good EQ mount with enough payload capacity. EQ5 maybe? I started with an EQ6 and I thought that was too big

Check here

I think that is the plan but I have a lot to learn before that. After some members PMing me advice and reading the threads here, I decided to go with a Skywatcher Star Adventurer.
Probably the main reason being that it is a small and simple set up. Also I think it is at least a year or two off that I can see myself getting any sort of telescope.
I can get new equipment then but I will have this small mount for when I just want a quick set up.
It has some guiding capabilities too so that should also keep be busy if I decide to use that down the track a bit.

I contradicted myself a bit in the end but I think I will be better off with a smaller, simpler set up for the foreseeable future.