#1  
Old 27-01-2015, 01:30 PM
zarazabas
Registered User

zarazabas is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 10
Camera for noob: DSLR or dedicated CCD?

Greetings all. Over the last couple of years I have sporadically played around with connecting a rather old (10 years) Pentax DSLR to my scope and dabbled in a bit of very poor quality astrophotography, and I'm looking at getting more serious and upgrading my very poor quality camera.

I must admit, I am tempted to take advantage of Canon's current cashback offer and grab myself a Canon 6D. The problem is, the offer is only valid until the end of January, which allows precious little research time on my part, and tempts an ill-advised impulse buy.

I would also utilise the camera for other purposes; however I don't particularly need a camera for other purposes - my primary reason for purchasing will be astrophotography. Now, I know a little about DSLR's, but nothing at all about those fancy CCD cameras dedicated for astrophotography.

So.... in a similar price range, (around $1600 - $1700 for the camera body), what do you more experienced folks reckon offers the best bang for my hard earned - easily spent cash?

If it helps to know, my current scope is an ED80 on a HEQ5 pro mount.

Any advice is much appreciated!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 27-01-2015, 03:24 PM
pluto's Avatar
pluto (Hugh)
Astro Noob

pluto is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,982
Hi,
I'm sure you'll get many different opinions on this but it sounds to me like your best bet would be to grab a cheap DSLR like a Canon 1200D just to see whether you like astrophotography. If after 6 months or a year you've fallen in love, or down the rabbit hole , you can upgrade to a better DSLR or a CCD as you'll know lots more about the whole thing by then.

Good luck!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 27-01-2015, 03:40 PM
Amaranthus's Avatar
Amaranthus (Barry)
Thylacinus stargazoculus

Amaranthus is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Judbury, Tasmania
Posts: 1,203
Cooling is an advantage for CCDs, as is the ability to do LRGB and Narrowband if you go for a mono (which I would suggest, if you go down the CCD route). If you pay a little extra you can get a nice KAF8300 chipped unit like the QHY9 or Atik 383L+ that will set you up for the longer term.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 27-01-2015, 03:42 PM
zarazabas
Registered User

zarazabas is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 10
Hi Hugh, thanks for your reply. Basically, my experience with my old pentax DSLR was my trial run; and I'm certain that I am on the verge of falling into the rabbit hole!

There are just so many drawbacks with this old camera that I absolutely need something better, and would prefer to get something that is capable of good results straight away. Not suggesting that the 1200D isn't capable of good results, but I am certainly willing to spend more money if the quality improvement is significant. Currently with my old pentax, the dialy-wheely thing i use to change settings works sporadically, the batteries are terrible, there is no live view to check focus, and the noise level is horrendous.

I am much more familiar with the use of a DSLR and hence was leaning towards upgrading my existing one to the 6d, however as I was on the verge of pulling the trigger it occurred to me that I should probably look into alternatives such as a cooled CCD thingy-doolio (technical term).

I'm not shy of learning to use unfamiliar equipment, but if modern DSLR's are capable of achieving comparable results then I would prefer to have the flexibility offered by having a camera that can also be utilised for non-astro purposes.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 27-01-2015, 03:43 PM
zarazabas
Registered User

zarazabas is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 10
Thanks Barry, I will look into your suggested models.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 27-01-2015, 04:08 PM
omegacrux's Avatar
omegacrux (David)
Registered User

omegacrux is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Ulverstone Tas
Posts: 733
Have a look at Tillbrook in deep space photos
I think he uses an 1100d
And gets amazing pictures

David
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 28-01-2015, 12:09 AM
kosh
Registered User

kosh is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 331
You can get some really good results with a second hand DSLR like a 1000D or 450D or something like that.
I started with an ED80, heq5 mount and a canon 450D and got some pretty decent results. I then bought a second hand 1000D off of ebay for $130 and astro modded it myself and it was fantastic. These cameras have live view, can be controlled by most common imaging software ( nebulosity, apt, byEOS) and have cheap intervelometers you can buy. This way you can save some cash for a real decent cooled astro Ccd when the time comes. Or even, if you don't already have one, grab an Autoguider with change!

Just my two cents worth.

Goran.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 28-01-2015, 07:39 AM
Rigel003's Avatar
Rigel003 (Graeme)
Registered User

Rigel003 is offline
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 1,079
As an experienced user of a mono CCD with filter wheel, I recently spent an evening with my Canon 6D taking some comet photos through a 130mm refractor and was blown away by the ease of getting very good results so easily. I tried a few deep sky objects with it just for fun. Very respectable images of M42 and M45 in single 60 sec frames without even trying.It's certainly a lot easier than CCD fiddling and instantly gratifying results in full colour. So I'd say your original idea was a good one. it's also great for general photography (the full-frame sensor is such a step up) will also give you opportunities to take wider fields and great starscapes like Jason's here https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonw...7647002665793/
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 09:48 AM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement