Astrophotography

[Frostyricho]

Hello members of IIS,

haven't made a post in months. I am looking for a dslr camera to buy, and at the moment i just want one with the body. Me and my sister will be using it for different purposes but i thought i might as well get just the body and then invest in lenses later as i like taking photos of animals and motorsports. Im not looking for anything to expensive, just something that will give me enough to get good quality photos. The thing is I have a 8" dobsonian, but im hearing things everywhere that you need to move the primary mirror up the telescope to provide focus to the camera. On the other hand you are able to use a barlow lense which will move the focus up the camera and so you will not have to move the primary mirror up the telescope. But i dont know what to do. HELLLPPPPPP its so confusing.

Kind regards,
Frostyricho

[xelasnave]

I know you are thinking camera but I suggest think mount.

[glend]

There are people that take photos through Dobs but it can be a problem and your restricted to pretty bright objects as the Dobs can't track like an equatorial mount (which can get expensive). A webcam might be a good choice for a dob, but I will leave that to the guys who are using them on dobs.

[Frostyricho]

Yea i know about the mounts guys ill be getting that in the future once i get a job. At the moment i just thought of getting the camera because i will be using it for other purposes. Ill probably be getting a decent mount, but ill look on ebay and that for second hand as i can not afford a brand new one myself. Then again there might be a great deal on some so yea. Maybe if anyone wants to sell me one for a good reasonable price on here. Just to let you guys know im not in a big rush just slowly build the equipment up. Ill be keeping this telescope for a while and still explore the cosmos.

One other question, if you guys know anyone with astrophotography setup's for dobsonians. Sorry for the hassle guys.

Kind regards,
Frostyricho

[raymo]

As far as cameras go, for a budget level suitable model the Canon 1200D
ticks all the boxes, or a used 1100D would also be good. They are both pretty quiet noise wise, and Canon have the best software support for astrophotography.
I don't know what brand your Dob is, but Skywatcher Dobs can be used
for prime focus photography, but many other brands cannot without
making the aforementioned mods.
raymo

[rustigsmed]

I would grab a second hand canon 550d.

[ZeroID]

Why the 550D in particular ?
Sensor Noise ? Pixel size ? ???
I am using a 450D and am looking for the next option. 1100D was on the cards but apparently it is very difficult to do an IR cut mod due to sensor construction.

[doppler]

I have a 450D and an 1100D (both unmodded) and the difference between the two is very apparent. With the 450D I have to shoot at 800 iso to keep the noise down, the 1100D is best at 1600 iso and in the cooler weather 3200 iso is usable.

[rustigsmed]

Hi brent,

as the OP is talking about a dob, i am guessing there will be a balance toward planetary rather than deep sky. plus they wanted versatility eg regular photography.

the 550d gives i think the best allround performance esp when you throw video into the mix, as it does the 1:1 pixel video crop mode at 60fps (this does not happen on the later 600d, 650d etc)
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/EQ_TESTS/Canon_One_To_One_Pixel_Resolution.H TM
while similar results are available through BYEOS (with other model canons) you need a good computer, my lappy battled to get 14 fps when i tried 5x and my 600d...

anyway just my 2c :)

[Frostyricho]

Well maybe i will be changing mind to a getting a mount. I want a EQ mount that can hold a 8" inch dobsonian. Im thinking of borrowing a camera from my school and testing it out. My price range will probably between $250-$500. I don't care what brand. I've been looking around and im seeing some on Ozscopes for $415 but i dont know if this will be able to take the weight of my telescope. Sorry for the confusion guys i just thought about this the past week.

Kind regards,
Frostyricho

[raymo]

You haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of getting a new mount
suitable for astrophotography with an 8" Newtonian in the price range you
mentioned.
raymo

[Frostyricho]

Dam you serious,
i dont know what i am supposed to do now. I dont have a job and my parents wont buy me that. I just came back from a holiday in America and forked out a fair bit of money by just myself for clothes and other things. Does anyone have any suggestions what to do. Im thinking of getting a job to start earning money but i have to first show my parents that i can go well in school.

[Frostyricho]

Oh and by the way everyone im not just looking for brand new, 2nd hand is fine although new would be nice.:lol:

[Eratosthenes]

What is the total weight of your OTA, plus any additional gear like cameras etc?

You should be able to get a new Skywatcher EQ5 for under $500 (no GOTO of course) which has a payload capacity of 10kg (this is for an Al tripod, add about $120 to $150 for stainless tripod). The EQ3 only has a payload capacity of about 5kg. An 8" Newtonian OTA will most likely be heavier than 10kg

(I am a novice at this hobby, by the way, but I have been searching the stores and the internet for a suitable mount, scope and equipment over the past month or so. Posters in here are very helpful with advice)

[rustigsmed]

With this camera linked at the bottom you can record video and do planetary photogrpahy http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-306-0-0-1-0.html

if you get it with the standard lens kit you can also do wide field astro photography (see the nightscapes section on IIS http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=49 for inspiration). that should keep you going till you save up for an appropriate equatorial mount (eg skywatcher HEQ5).. you can then use the same camera for deep sky.

Also it might pay to join a local astronomy club, they may have scopes available for borrowing and you will learn a lot from the people.

Best of luck

Rusty

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/maroubra/digital-slr/canon-550d-and-18-55mm-lens/1077383954

[raymo]

An EQ5 would struggle with an 8" Newt [9.5-10.5 kg] plus finderscope,
camera, adaptors, etc etc . For visual use it might just cut the mustard.
Without "Go To" you would of course have to find your own targets, and also do a drift align to get decent polar alignment for imaging.
raymo