I have recently started to incoroprate a Nikon D-50 in an astronomical role. It's lightweight construction and infrared remote shutter release highly beneficial.
I am a slave of the weather here (Kentucky) it rains alot in the spring and fall and we have tornado's somtimes. the summer conditions are so humid as to be almost unbearable let alone favorable for any kind of serious astrophotography. I have not had the D-50 very long so I am still waiting on more good nights to do some more test shots.
Here are a few of the shots I have up to this time.
1- M22, was done with a 15 inch F4.5 newtonion @ prime focus.
2- M57, done with a meade 7 inch F9 APO refractor @ prime focus with a Lumicon Deep Sky filter.
3- M51, done with a meade 7 inch F9 APO refractor @ prime focus with a Lumicon Deep Sky filter.
4- M42, done with a meade 7 inch F9 APO refractor @ prime focus with a Lumicon Deep Sky filter.
5- M13, done with a meade 7 inch F9 APO refractor @ prime focus.
If anyone else out there has a Nikon DSLR that you are doing astrophotography with, please give me your ideas and results.
Last edited by mark curtis; 04-12-2006 at 08:07 AM.
Hi Mark, a good start for you, it would be hard to guide/track at such a long focal lenght!!! Have you tried a focal reducer?
Don`t know anyone else that images with a D-50, I think there`s a few people out there with the D70 with great results. Did you use the lx-75 mount with the 7" refractor? and what details with your exposures etc..
Cheers Gary
You started by getting a good camera. The first thing is dont use the nebula filter, your losing signal and quality.
You dont specify the times, but by the look i would say around 30 seconds.
You never stated what mount you have either.
Make sure all you images are RAW when you do your imaging.
If you have tracking errors, then try and keep your exposures short and take many of them then use a software package to stack them all together.
If your just starting out, dont worry about darkframes, bias, flat fields etc.
Just get used to using and enhancing the images your getting at the moment.
There is plenty of potential in thses cameras, so do a google search on it and read.
