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Old 22-01-2007, 08:02 PM
Dennis
Dazzled by the Cosmos.

Dennis is offline
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 11,822
I'll just add to the good info given by Blue Skies.

2nd photo: this shows the shutter speed dial. It is currently set to 1/125 sec. Set it to B for “Bulb” exposure. This means that when you press and hold the shutter release, the shutter will remain open for as long as you keep it pressed down.

Tip: set it to B and use a cable release. A cable release screws into the shutter release button and lets you fire the shutter without touching the camera. When you touch the camera, you will make it shake during a long exposure, resulting in a blurred photo.

The lever to the right of the shutter speed dial is the wind on lever, for winding on the film after each exposure. This action also cocks the shutter.

The window with 400 shows tells the camera metering system that you have loaded the camera with a 400ASA (ISO) film. This can usually be manually changed from 100ASA to perhaps 800ASA.

Tip: Astrophotography requires faster films such as 400ASA or 800ASA emulsions.

3rd photo: the values 3.8, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 & 22 are the f-stops.
3.8 is “fast” – it lets in lots of light as the lens iris is “wide open” but the image may not be sharp across the whole frame.
22 is “very slow” – the lens iris is stopped down so very little light is getting through, therefore you will need a long exposure to record an image.

Tip: use 3.8 but don’t expect a super sharp photo.

4th photo: You have a zoom lens, 85mm to 210mm.
85mm will give you the wider field.
210mm will give you a narrow field.

Tip: Use 85mm to frame the comet.
Use 210mm to “zoom” in to obtain a more magnified view.

5th photo: the little lever underneath the SRT303b is a mechanical timer. If you wind on the film to cock the shutter, then wind this timer lever counter clockwise and release it, the shutter will fire some 8 to 12 secs later.

Tip: Use this for shutter speeds up to 1 second long so you do not shake the camera by pressing the shutter release. If the camera is mounted on a tripod and you are taking a 1 sec exposure, activate the timer by winding the lever CCW and releasing it and by the time the shutter fires approx 10 secs later, the camera vibrations from you touching it will have died down.

Cheers

Dennis
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