First pic with Canon350D

[TidaLpHasE]

Well i made my first purchase of some astro gear today.

I got the 350D with the hope of getting some wide shots of the black stuff, and to soon capture some awsome pics like the ones posted here at IIS.

I'll be ordering the LX200GPS 10" next week, and i just cant wait to start experimenting.

At the moment i have a good quality tripod for the cam, and will try to learn how to best operate this new gadget.

It came standard with an 18-55mm lens, and i got a 90-300mm as an extra lens for my landscapes, and a remote switch for long exposures,


This pic is of my dog Bogey, in full auto mode,

Any tips and tricks from fellow Canon owners, would be greatly appreciated.....:thumbsup:

[acropolite]

If it's anything like my 20D I'd suggest that you read and reread the manual and get very familiar with the controls and menus. When you change lenses, do so with the lens pointing to the ground to minimise the chance of dust getting into the camera and finding it's way on to the sensor. If you haven't already got one, get a remote release. I don't know how much clearance the LX200 has but I bought a shorty adapter from Scopestuff in the US which allows the EOS to clear the forks at all elevations. I believe there is a Baader one that is even shorter. :camera:

[TidaLpHasE]

O.k. this is a somewhat embarrassing first attempt at an astro shot on the tripod, i think it's Venus or Jupiter, i was looking west north west

Mode dial was in the P position no flash selected, 8" exposure, 5.6 i think thats the focal somethingy, and iso was 800. lens was 90mm-300mm

What settings should i use to get some nice clear star trails ?

[acropolite]

If you want star trails you need to use longer exposure times. You may have to set the ISO to the lowest setting and the aperture to the highest in one of the manual modes.

[TidaLpHasE]

:thumbsup: Thanks for the tip about changing the lenses, i was being very careful when doing this to avoid dust on the sensor.
Yes a lot of reading is going to be a must to master this camera, i am looking forward to the end results though.
I will try your tips for some star trails, if it hasn't clouded over:mad2:
What sort of time exposure are you suggesting for star trails?

Thanks again.....

[TidaLpHasE]

A little better than the first, got a long way to go though.

I cant work out how to get a longer exposure, it seems that 30 seconds is the limit :confused:

[ballaratdragons]

Hey Trevor,

That 2nd one is pretty good! You learn quick. Good clean stars.

[TidaLpHasE]

Thanks Ken, it is a bit better than the first blurred glob of light:doh:

I still really don't have a clue how to use this cam properly, but i'm reading all i can on the net and in the manual.

I have figured out how to take the long exposures, and i am taking one as i type, we'll see how it turns out, prolly will be out of focus and blurred :scared2:

I will stick at it and see how it comes along.....

Man i wish i had a scope:prey2:

[ballaratdragons]

I feel like I don't have one at the moment. It's been about 2 months now since I did any scoping coz of the weather!

I have had a couple of quick scans with the knockies but even they keep dewing up.

The way the weather is here, your scope will be ordered, delivered and in use before I get to use mine again! :scared2:

[TidaLpHasE]

:rofl:Well i managed to get an image of star trails, not the best, but for a first attempt, i'm happy enough:D

[MiG]

Stick your lens on manual focus and set it to infinity.
30 seconds is the longest exposure that the camera can time. Bulb setting allows you to go for as long or short as you want, but you need to hold the shutter down for the duration of the shot or use the remote shutter control (and lock the button down).

FYI, the pins for connecting the remote shutter are simple. Top pin is ground, left is shutter, right is focus (half press of shutter button). The remote release simply shorts the ground and shutter pins. I have tried it with a screwdriver.

Exposure time for star trails depends on the focal length. Even with a 50 mm lens I get small trails in less than 30 seconds. With a 300 mm focal length you'll get them very quickly.

[acropolite]

Mig wrote Gotcha MiG.... You're wrong.... FYI The remote on the 350D doesn't have 3 pins it's not like the 20D.......

Mike, is there a prize for catching MiG out.....:poke:

[TidaLpHasE]

I got the Remote Switch that plugs straight into the remote jack in the camera's terminal cover.....

It has two stages, first is focus, then shoot, it can be locked for long exposure.....

[MiG]

Oh that's awful. That's what I get for assuming.
Looking at the plug in that photo I reckon it's the same deal though. Just a short between ground and shutter section of the plug.

[[1ponders]]

What lens did you get with it Trevor. At around 50mm you can get away with about 15 to twenty seconds at the celestial equator. The closer you shoot to the poles and the shorter your lens the longer you can keep your aperture open before trailing starts to become a problem. I'ts been posted before but here is a rough formula. Time = 700/FL at the equator and up to 1000/FL at the poles. Its a rough guide. but if you can take them at a higher ISO (say 800) and collect a few of them you may be able to rotate them and stack them in photoshop or even Registax.

[voyager2]

good pics

[TidaLpHasE]

Thanks for the tips, the camera came standard with an EFS 18-55mm Canon, and i bought a 90-300mm Canon Ultrasonic as an extra lens.

Can't see infinity written anywhere on the lens, how would i set it to infinity ?

I cant wait to piggy back this cam for some shots of the Milky Way, and at prime focus for some of those awsome shots of star clusters and nebular i see posted here on IIS,
That is once i have decided on the scope to buy:confuse3:

Hopefully the sky is a bit clear tonight so i can get a shot of the moon and venus, i was watching it last night on my way back from the dentist, but was beaten by the horizon when i finally got home.:doh:

[MiG]

Ah, your lens doesn't have a focus scale. If the moon is in sight just focus on it's edge and set the focus switch to MF.
I found a review of your telephoto lens. A few pages in it has a useful graph identifying areas of poor performance. 300 mm wide open at far focus is especially bad.
http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Reviews/db_Canon_90-300_mm/a_Canon_90-300_f4.5-5.6.html

Since astronomy forums tend to be pretty snobby with regards to image quality, I feel that its not out of place to mention that the 90-300 is a bit like the 60 mm Tasco of the SLR lens world, although at 90 mm fl it apparently isn't bad.

[TidaLpHasE]

That was a well put together review and very informative.

While it may not be the best zoom on the market, for my budget and my needs at present, it will suffice as my second lens for the Canon.

I took a shot of the moon tonight with the 90-300mm lens in manual focus mode, Av-5.6, ISO 800, noise reduction off- maybe i should have this on :confuse2:,

Image is as is, no touchups, it looks o.k.

[acropolite]

Comparing the Canon 90-300 to a 60mm Tasco isn't really fair. The 90-300 is a budget lens but not necessarily a crap lens, and it wasn't designed for astrophotography. If you look carefully at reviews, nothings perfect, not even the revered L series Canon Lenses and often simply stopping the lens down and not operating close to the maximum and minimum focal lengths will improve the results dramatically....:astron:
Trevor, probably the best way to improve your image(s) is to make sure the camera is accurately focussed, on a (sturdy) tripod and, if you can, use mirror lockup so that mirror vibrations don't affect the image. Stop the lens down to the smallest aperture you can manage (f8 or F11 taking in to account star trailing and sensor noise) and take several (bracketed) exposures. Also don't be afraid to up the ISO setting as the Canon sensor is a lot less noisy than other brands. On the 20D Long exposure noise reduction on will automatically take a dark frame and subtract from the image; I presume the same applies to the 350D. Processing with photoshop and registax as Paul suggests will also enhance the image and bring out more detail.