New Setup

[sletts02]

Hi All,

I am wanting to get in to astrophotography. I've been doing a bit of reading and taken a few star trails but now I have the desire for more. Any help would be greatly appeciated.

I currently own a Canon 400D and will be upgrading to 550D soon.

What other specific equipment do I need to start taking decent, detailed photos? What is the minimum budget I can start with? If you could post specific links, or product names that would be extremely beneficial!

i.e.

• Do I need a new lense?
• Do I need a telescope to start with?
• Can I just get away with a tracking device (what are they called?)

I am a university student with not all that much $$$, however, this is something I very much want to get in to.

My results with 400D:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/...54d643f18e.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/...34641310a4.jpg

Again, sorry for all the questions! Thanks for your time. I look forward to eventually sharing my results here.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I upgraded from the 20d to the 550D a few months ago. I bought it specifically for astro imaging, and I find the noise levels inherent in the camera to be so high as to make it useless for this purpose.
It's great for day work, solar imaging and moon shots though.

[sletts02]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

I upgraded from the 20d to the 550D a few months ago. I bought it specifically for astro imaging, and I find the noise levels inherent in the camera to be so high as to make it useless for this purpose.
It's great for day work, solar imaging and moon shots though.

That's disappointing to hear! The next option would be the 7D for double the price :/ I was upgrading to 550D for the higher ISO and the HD recording.

I am going to try out a simple barn door mount to start with. It seems as if buying a 2nd hand EQ5 would be the next step?

[CarlJoseph (Carl)]

Hi Sletts. Welcome aboard!

I have the 450D and find it's quite acceptable with noise. I've read elsewhere that the 550D suffers from a lot of noise.

As for getting into tracking, etc. I answered a similar thread not so long ago so will copy/paste my response here for you. Hopefully it helps...


DSLR, tripod, remote
$500 - $1000
Great for nice widefield shots and general night photography too. The remote is a must have as it will enable you to fire the camera trigger without introducing any shake/movement. You can get some amazing still shots or create some very interesting star trails behind wonderful landscapes.


DSLR, a tripod, remote, barndoor tracker
$1000 - $1200
A barndoor tracker is a very simple way to get into longer exposures without the expense of an equitorial mount. There are heaps of plans online or you might be able to buy a ready made one too.


DSLR, remote, dobsonian scope
$1000 - $1700
Yes. I said it right. You don't need an EQ mount to take astro photos. Lately I have seem some quite amazing photographs taken through a dob mounted scope. They're much cheaper than an EQ mount and a great way to get started. You're limited by the length of your exposure but there is plenty you can do with a heaps of 30-60 second sub-exposures.


DSLR, remote, equitorial mount, scope
$2400 - $4000+
This is the usual set-up for astrophotography. It's a lot of kit, but if you're comfortable spending the money, then definitely go for it. It takes a little time to get organised and learn how to use it all but once you figure it out, the results are pretty much limitless.


Enjoy!
Carl

[CarlJoseph (Carl)]

Oh, and nice pics too.

[sletts02]

Thanks afro. I had already stumbled upon your post and found it very informative. I am now after some more specific thoughts, in particular about brands/where to buy/costs etc.

I've read that a EQ is annoying to use? I would have thought it would be the most important instrument as it will allow for longer exposures, and thus more "cool" photos (i.e. not stock standard planets).

I'm hoping to give the barn door a go before camping on Wednesday, just need to buy the parts! =)

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

EQ mounting is annoying if you area visual observer and especially if using a Newtonion as the eyepiece ends up in all sorts of odd positions. A bit less so if using a refactor.
For imaging an EQ mount is pretty well essential.

[CarlJoseph (Carl)]

Originally Posted by sletts02

I'm hoping to give the barn door a go before camping on Wednesday, just need to buy the parts! =)

I'll be keen to see how you go with this. I've considered building myself one just for a bit of fun and as a nice portable imaging device. Keep us updated.

Cheers,
Carl

[sletts02]

Originally Posted by barx1963

EQ mounting is annoying if you area visual observer and especially if using a Newtonion as the eyepiece ends up in all sorts of odd positions. A bit less so if using a refactor.
For imaging an EQ mount is pretty well essential.

Good to hear. Everything is coming together nicely. I think I shall be purchasing things in stages.

By the looks of things my progression will be:

1. Barn door mount w/ 400D and a range of lenses ~ $20
2. Upgrade to 550D ~$650
3. EQ... ~$1000 > $2000?
   1. Is the EQ5 going to be appropriate, or do I need an EQ6? Is the 2nd hand market the best place
4. ?Then a dob? Is that right? One of these?
   http://www.ozscopes.com.au/catalogse...?q=dob&x=0&y=0

Thanks for the help y'all! It seems like this will be a tax return venture hehe.

[sletts02]

Eek...

I've been reading on dobs and their weight/portability. I live in Brisbane's inner-city suburbs and will only get to use my gear when I go camping (monthly).

Is it practical to transport a ~8 - 10" dob, EQ5/6 in a car already packed with camping gear?

:/ I thought landscape photography was an expensive/difficult hobby! This is another dimension!

[sletts02]

Alrighty, I am getting very close to what I need now.

Mount
EQ6 PRO: $1549 @ Andrews

Dobsonian
Skywatcher Flex-Dob 10" $699 @ Andrews
or
Skywatcher 10" with Go-To $1349 @ Andrews

What is the difference between teh two dobsonians? Is it worth the extra $$$?

Also, how do you power these bad boys? I plan on using mine out camping so mains is not an option.

Is this pretty much all that is needed to get in to decent astrophotography?

[CarlJoseph (Carl)]

Go-To / Tracking vs not
For photography you will need something which tracks the stars as they move through the sky. Furthermore you need something which will "rotate" the view as it tracks (like an equitorial mount).

The difference between the two dobs you've selected ... one has "go-to" which means once you get it set up for the night you can tell it to "go-to" a particular object and it will move there itself for you. It will then track the object as it moves through the sky for the night. The other doesn't have this feature.

EQ6 vs Dob
If you're going to get the EQ6 then you only need the OTA (Optical Tube Assembly) rather than the whole Dobsonian setup. e.g. something like this ... https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=9172 The EQ6 basically replaces the mount the scope sits on. The EQ6 does the go-to and tracking that you need for decent astrophotography.

On the other hand, if you want a portable, quick to set up non-photography type thing, then the dobsonian is the ideal.

Hope this helps a little.

Cheers,
C.

[CarlJoseph (Carl)]

Originally Posted by sletts02

1. Barn door mount w/ 400D and a range of lenses ~ $20
2. Upgrade to 550D ~$650
3. EQ... ~$1000 > $2000?
   1. Is the EQ5 going to be appropriate, or do I need an EQ6? Is the 2nd hand market the best place
4. ?Then a dob? Is that right? One of these?
   http://www.ozscopes.com.au/catalogse...?q=dob&x=0&y=0

Almost right. As I mentioned, if you are getting the EQ6, then you don't need a dob. You just need a reflector/newtonian scope (which are usually put on dobsonian mounts) or a refractor scope.

One progression might go like this:

1. DSLR + Barndoor mount
2. Upgrade DSLR
3. Dobsonian - You can do some photography with this just not very long exposures.
4. EQ6 - Put the telescope tube you got with your dob onto this mount.

Cheers,
C.

[sletts02]

Alrighty, quick question.

Would a EQ6 PRO with a SW-254 Newt. be good for astrophotography?

[CarlJoseph (Carl)]

I think that'll work nicely. Others who've used a similar setup though might have some more details/pointers.

[sletts02]

Originally Posted by Afro Boy

I think that'll work nicely. Others who've used a similar setup though might have some more details/pointers.

Great! I've PM'ed the guy that is selling so we'll see.

Just in the interim, any idea on how long it would take to put it all together and be ready to start shooting?

[CarlJoseph (Carl)]

One thing you might want to check (which I just thought of) is if there is enough focus travel to handle photography. Some tubes don't come with enough "inwards" focus which means you are unable to focus the image on your camera properly. Something worth checking with the seller or googling.

As for setup, it doesn't take me too long to get my EQ6 going. Each time I do it I get a little quicker. Around 30 minutes is usually right for me.