First astro shots with the new D800E!

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

Well I managed to try out the new D800E and new lenses tonight while down in Bordertown for Mothers Day. There was a lot of cloud around so I only got 45mins of imaging, but at least it was a dark sky!

Although I knew I would be, I am super impressed with this camera for astro... and my new lenses too! The image quality is amazing compared to other cameras I've used - very low noise with ISO 1600 and 3200 and coupled with this, amazing detail (particularly seen on heavy crops - see below). At ISO 1600 I barely notice any noise at all. Hot pixels are almost non-existent. My D7000 really doesn't compare to this camera in those areas. Wow. This is the image quality I've been looking for.

Also, the Nikon 14-24 f2.8 is amazing with this camera, as is the Samyang 35mm f1.4. Both allow much shorter exposure times or lower ISO than the f4 lens I've been using. After reading the reviews of the Samyang lenses it really hasn't let me down even at this early stage - sharp images with little or no coma.

The images below are just done from jpegs and processed in Photoshop (tone, brightness and contrast - that's all). I took them in RAW too and will process later. I also did a few 10-shot series that I will stack later too. so these are virtually straight out of the camera and compressed.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/2900549...ream/lightbox/
My very first astro shot with the D800E! I like how the bit of cloud gave a diffuse effect to the stars - really accentuates the bright ones. Nikon 14-24mm at 14mm, ISO 1600, 30sec, f2.8.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2900549...ream/lightbox/
Pointers, Crux and Eta Carina region. Samyang 35mm, ISO 1600, 10sec, f1.8. I'm amazed how well the red nebulosity of Eta Carina nebula came out. See the crop of this image below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2900549...ream/lightbox/
Crop of the image above of Crux and Eta Carina as an example showing how much detail there is and low noise with the D800E images.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2900549...in/photostream
Centre of the galaxy around Scorpio. Samyang 35mm, ISO 1600, 10sec, f1.4.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2900549...ream/lightbox/
The region around Scorpio. Antares can be seen just left of centre. amazing detail and picture quality even at ISO 3200. Samyang 35mm, ISO 3200, 10sec, f1.4.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2900549...ream/lightbox/
Crop of the image above of part of the Milky Way as an example showing how much detail there is and low noise with the D800E images.


I will post some day time bird shots soon too that I took with a 500mm lens. Again impressive.

Bed time and look forward to getting a few more shots before heading back to the city! Let me know what you think of these.

Wayne

[Deeno]

Wow!
Impressive Wayne. The D800 looks to be a significant step forward in DSLR development...

You must be satisfied with the Samyang lens. Just looked them up.
They seem to offer remarkable performance for the price.....!

Damn, I think I'm drooling on the keyboard.......

[Rigel003 (Graeme)]

Spectacular photos Wayne, especially for such short exposures and minimal processing. It sounds like a very impressive camera.

[TrevorW]

Some really nice shots there how many exposures of each stacked

[colinmlegg (Colin)]

Very impressive Wayne. Any chance you can post a couple of raw files @ 1600 and 3200? I'd love to pixel peep the Samyang @ f/1.4 image as well.

Thanks.

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

Thanks. Sure. Might have to wait until I get back to the city as I'm just using my personal hotspot on the iphone and a few 40Mb file uploads might take me over the limit! And where's the best place to deposit them? I need to sign up to a decent photo dumping site. Will be interested in seeing your results.

Originally Posted by colinmlegg

Very impressive Wayne. Any chance you can post a couple of raw files @ 1600 and 3200? I'd love to pixel peep the Samyang @ f/1.4 image as well.

Thanks.

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

Thanks Trevor. None are stacked yet, and that's the beauty of this camera - the images are impressive without it. I took a few series of 10 shots to stack when I get home to the city so I'll post them soon.

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Some really nice shots there how many exposures of each stacked

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

Originally Posted by Deeno

Wow!
Impressive Wayne. The D800 looks to be a significant step forward in DSLR development...

You must be satisfied with the Samyang lens. Just looked them up.
They seem to offer remarkable performance for the price.....!

Damn, I think I'm drooling on the keyboard.......

You sound like me drooling the day before I picked up the camera! Sounds like the 5DIII is comparable ISO wise too.
Yes Samyang seem to get good reports AND for only 500 bucks it's well worth a try. I will be interested to see how Mike goes with his 14mm Samyang.

Spectacular photos Wayne, especially for such short exposures and minimal processing. It sounds like a very impressive camera. .

Thanks Graeme. Yes at this early stage it looks to be amazing!

[madbadgalaxyman (Robert)]

Excellent results, with good quality.

I think that astro-imagers of the past, as they struggled to keep the shutter open and to track and to acquire signal, for very long integration times, in order just to get a "so-so" image, if they had somehow got their hands on the latest DSLR technology (perhaps because it fell through a time-warp), would think that this technology was "magic".
(any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, at least till we get used to its capabilities)

Maybe everybody is going to get a DSLR after seeing these results.....it's instant astrophotography, with good quality.

[colinmlegg (Colin)]

Originally Posted by Adelastro1

And where's the best place to deposit them? I need to sign up to a decent photo dumping site. Will be interested in seeing your results.

Cheers mate. I normally use https://www.yousendit.com/ for transferring larger files. The free service is capped at 100Mb. I upload the files, put my own email as the recipient, then share the link from the email. The link last about 2 weeks.

[alpal]

Nice pics - you must be very happy with that?
It's not cheap at $3300 but it is a full frame.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D800E-FX.../dp/B005OL2ID2




Would you be able to post a dark frame of say 10 minutes at ISO 1600?

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Golly... you know, I'm surprised. With all the new technology the D800 is still giving purple flares around bright stars. This is an old D90/50 Nikon trait that has continued on, and my old D40 delivered them too. Please, please say that you simply haven't mastered the WB yet and they really have fixed this. I gave up on Nikon (and all 13 of my Nikkors) and went Canon for this very reason. I love my (plethora) of Nikons, but they just don't get to sit behind my scopes any more.

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

I'm ecstatic with the camera! Wait until you see the images I took last night!
You won't be aboe to buy it for $3300 though - that's a US price with no Aus taxes. Here they are $3999 full price, but I got mine a bit cheaper and so did someone else (as loyal camera shop regulars!). The D800 is a few hundred cheaper of course too.

I'll try to post a dark frame for you soon.

Thanks,
Wayne

Originally Posted by alpal

Nice pics - you must be very happy with that?
It's not cheap at $3300 but it is a full frame.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D800E-FX.../dp/B005OL2ID2




Would you be able to post a dark frame of say 10 minutes at ISO 1600?

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

Yes I did notice that too. I don't think I've mastered WB at all - it was just on auto for these images. Do you know why they produce the purple flares? I guess it can be toned down a bit in CS5 to a degree.

Originally Posted by Omaroo

Golly... you know, I'm surprised. With all the new technology the D800 is still giving purple flares around bright stars. This is an old D90/50 Nikon trait that has continued on, and my old D40 delivered them too. Please, please say that you simply haven't mastered the WB yet and they really have fixed this. I gave up on Nikon (and all 13 of my Nikkors) and went Canon for this very reason. I love my (plethora) of Nikons, but they just don't get to sit behind my scopes any more.

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by Adelastro1

Yes I did notice that too. I don't think I've mastered WB at all - it was just on auto for these images. Do you know why they produce the purple flares? I guess it can be toned down a bit in CS5 to a degree.

It certainly wasn't meant as a dig Wayne, just an on-going question of mine. Nearly all astrophotographs I've seen come out of Nikon DSLR's suffer the same purple flare problem. I was hoping that it may have been addressed by now with the D800/E, but it looks like it hasn't. Yes, you can tone down the purple, but that means that you also remove valid information from objects just as M8 and M42 which have plenty of red/blue hues unless you zone process.

The Canons just don't produce anything other than white stars - or if coloured, the appropriate colour. The flare just doesn't happen as far as I've seen. It'd be interesting to head over to CN as see if it's being discussed there.

[Octane (Humayun)]

I don't think white balance would be the culprit.

It's either CA from the lenses (perhaps shot wide open) or the sensor.

I'd hazard a guess as to the sensor as the same colours that have always been present in hydrogen alpha captured by Nikon/Sony/Pentax cameras are also exhibited here.

H

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by Octane

I don't think white balance would be the culprit.

It's either CA from the lenses (perhaps shot wide open) or the sensor.

I'd hazard a guess as to the sensor as the same colours that have always been present in hydrogen alpha captured by Nikon/Sony/Pentax cameras are also exhibited here.

H

Yes, I think you're right Humayun. I've shot my Nikon DSLRs with all combinations of lenses and apertures and still seen the purple every time. It's probably a function of either the sensors themselves or firmware.

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

I know you weren't having a dig! I didn't take it that way at all. It's just a quirk of Nikon's by the sound. And by what you and Octane have said it sounds like the sensor is causing it. Would be intersting to find out why.

Originally Posted by Omaroo

It certainly wasn't meant as a dig Wayne, just an on-going question of mine. Nearly all astrophotographs I've seen come out of Nikon DSLR's suffer the same purple flare problem. I was hoping that it may have been addressed by now with the D800/E, but it looks like it hasn't. Yes, you can tone down the purple, but that means that you also remove valid information from objects just as M8 and M42 which have plenty of red/blue hues unless you zone process.

The Canons just don't produce anything other than white stars - or if coloured, the appropriate colour. The flare just doesn't happen as far as I've seen. It'd be interesting to head over to CN as see if it's being discussed there.

[alexch (Alex)]

Originally Posted by Adelastro1

I know you weren't having a dig! I didn't take it that way at all. It's just a quirk of Nikon's by the sound. And by what you and Octane have said it sounds like the sensor is causing it. Would be intersting to find out why.

I'd guess it is a combination of a lens, f/stop and the microlenses in front of the digital sensels. These microlenses are designed to collect the light falling onto the sensels at steeper angles and, in doing so more efficiently, they also introduce more chromatic aberrations.

If you stop the lens down then the light falls more perpendicularly to the imaging plane and the problem should disappear.

Some lenses, especially ultra-wides from the film era, are worse than others and produce steeper cones of light. I would not conclude that it is the sensor fault because have not seen any purple fringing when using Nikon or Sony with my reasonably fast f/3.6 reflector. More pronounced fringing with Nikon or Sony when compared to Canon could be because the microlenses on Nikons are more efficient in collecting that steep light cone or that the microlenses themselves introduce some CA.

Just my thoughts.

Alex

[Adelastro1 (Wayne England)]

Great, thanks for your thoughts Alex. All seems very plausible to me. The images I posted were all from my new Samyang at either f1.4 or f1.8. I think I took a couple at f2 as well so I'll do more of a comparison tonight. I also did a shoot with various lenses in better conditions last night so will post those as well to see if it still shows up.
With the better quality ISO on these new cameras (inc. 5DIII) it's much more possible to stop lenses down and still obtain great low light images now. For every criteria that I look at, these cameras have such great direct and flow-on improvements, such as this example.

Originally Posted by alexch

I'd guess it is a combination of a lens, f/stop and the microlenses in front of the digital sensels. These microlenses are designed to collect the light falling onto the sensels at steeper angles and, in doing so more efficiently, they also introduce more chromatic aberrations.

If you stop the lens down then the light falls more perpendicularly to the imaging plane and the problem should disappear.

Some lenses, especially ultra-wides from the film era, are worse than others and produce steeper cones of light. I would not conclude that it is the sensor fault because have not seen any purple fringing when using Nikon or Sony with my reasonably fast f/3.6 reflector. More pronounced fringing with Nikon or Sony when compared to Canon could be because the microlenses on Nikons are more efficient in collecting that steep light cone or that the microlenses themselves introduce some CA.

Just my thoughts.

Alex