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Old 19-07-2006, 01:59 PM
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leon
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Which would you choose

Hi to All,

I am in a position to purchase a good quality DSLR for my astro-photography work and have considered purchasing a Canon 350D as it seems the camera of choice for many of other imagers.

I have reserched a bit and have chosen to go through Hutech Astronomical Products, and have the list in front of me, but what do i choose, and what extra's do i need.

Price is really here nor there, and i'm in a position to buy quality, so what do i choose.
I have pondered over this for some time, so i thought all you more experienced imagers whould be able to steer me in the right direction.

I will be imaging with an ED80, on a EQ5 mount, and would like to know which camera would be the best for this purpose, and also what other items would i require to make it all happen, other than a laptop.

Thank You for your time in answering this request.

Leon
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Old 19-07-2006, 03:24 PM
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ving (David)
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it goes without saying, an adapter so you can connect the camera to the scope... maybe some filters if you want to buy more stuff?
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Old 19-07-2006, 04:30 PM
gbeal
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Hi Leon,
OK, while it won't be everything, you will need these:
T adaptor, to fit the camera to the scopes focuser.
Cables to fit between the camera and PC.
Cable to allow software like DSLR Focus, or MaxDSLR to fire the shutter in any exposure over 30 seconds.
Software like DSLR Focus, or MaxDSLR (or others).
A lens that allows widerfield piggyback imaging.
Many jars of patience.
And probably heaps more I didn't remember.
Good luck.
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Old 19-07-2006, 07:23 PM
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Thanks, gbeal, and ving for your response.

I think i might have guided you up the wrong path, (so to speak)
I do have adaptors and that sort of stuff, and have been imaging with film and my Pentax Istd for some time now.
Basically what i was asking was, which model Canon Camera would be the one to get.
I was looking at three models.

No 1 Canon Rebel XT (350D) spectrum enhanced camera with built-in astronomical UV/IR blocking filter (type1a) and accessori US1300.00

No 2 Canon 30DH spectrum enhanced camera with built-in astronomical UV/IR blocking filter (type1a) and accessories US1850.00

No 3 Canon 5DH spectrum enhanced camera with built-in astronomical UV/IR blocking filter (type1) and accessories US3,500.00


Out of these three i presume that 5DH is the best but also the most pricy, would any of the other two do the same jod, do you think

any other bits and pieces can come in time, i just want the camera for now.

thanks Leon
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Old 19-07-2006, 07:35 PM
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Striker (Tony)
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I have number 1 and can not see the point in spending anymore more money on the other 2....but I am bias.

Unless your after a really wide FOV then the 5d would be nice...depends on what you want to image...I think you may find you will have problems with the 5d in regards to chip size getting vignetting but maybe Bert can guide you in this regards.

My choice 350D modified with UV/IR blocking filter no doubt.

Woops forgot to mention the 30d is a nice camera..you get a magnezium body with very similar size chip to the 350D..your paying for a better made camera in the 30D but quality of image between both the 30D and 350D is the same.
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Old 19-07-2006, 08:18 PM
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thanks Tony, i suppose the other two are a little overkill for the job

Cheers leon
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Old 19-07-2006, 09:36 PM
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ballaratdragons (Ken)
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The Kodak Easyshare Pocket Camera is good Leon, . . . no. . I suppose not

I don't know anything about Digital Cameras, but I was reading reviews so I could learn about them, and the reviews I was reading confirms what Tony said about the 350D and the 30DH being the same camera in different bodies. One being Plastic and the other being Magnesium. $550 extra just for a Magnesium body seems a bit much!

2 members in here have the 5DH. One being Bert and I forget the other. Hope they can help.

Sorry I can't help any more than that, Leon.
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Old 22-07-2006, 05:31 AM
IanW
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leon
Hi to All,

II will be imaging with an ED80, on a EQ5 mount, and would like to know which camera would be the best for this purpose, and also what other items would i require to make it all happen, other than a laptop.

Thank You for your time in answering this request.

Leon
Apart from the obvious (cables to hook up your DSLR to the notebook) you'll need:

Software - MaxDSLR or similar is excellent by all accounts, shame my DSLR's not supported so i've never tried it. PhotoShop, the Gimp or Paintshop pro for final image adjustments.

Make sure you've sorted out your EQ5, ie: rebuilt it, relubed and adjusted the worm/wheel sets etc to minimise periodic error in the worm/wheel set. It's also worth considering the beltdrive systems to replace the existing spur gears from the motor to the worm section of the RA and DEC drives.

You'll also need to consider guiding options, which are essentially as follows:

Guidescope with at least 50% of the FL of your main scope, along with illuinated crosshair ocular. 9-12mm is a good starting point.

Off-axis guider and illuminated crosshair ocular. Finding a suitable guidestar can be quite an interesting exercise.

CCD autoguider. Quite expensive so maybe a webcam based guider is a better option.

Focusing aids, at a minimum a hartman mask which is cheap and easy to build (Kendrick sell them ready made).
More expensive options include parfocal knife edge focusers, parfocal ground glass focusers with 10~60x optical focusing aids.

A right angle finder for the 350D .. invaluable and really helps with avoiding astrophotographers neck.

If you live in a city light pollution filters etc really help.

Tons of patience
Good seeing
Excellent polar alignment is a MUST!

Good luck!
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