I was trawling through old files and old websites and I found mine.......well sort of, my first solar with my most basic set up to date (retrospectively) - some weird filter and blocking filter for my LX90 (still have it somewhere) - image from 2004.
The next images was with LPI and SM40 some time later.
Yep I can, took this image, my very first ever about 25 years ago, it is out of focus, and looks pretty ordinary, however I was very proud that day.
It, the pic was taken with an Olympus OM-2 camera, and of coarse digital was not around then.
This is not exactly the very first.. but it is the oldest I managed to find...
It was done with 36mm camera (Smena-8) on BW film (ORWO?), 17 DIN.
The very first one was of Alpha Ursae Minoris, through the telescope (45mm dia, 700mm FL) with eyepiece projection, using home-made camera on 35mm film (KB17, developed by myself in local photo club).
Comet Halley!! This is my first photo, the first of four black and white shots taken from New Gisborne, Victoria using an Olympus OM-10 and Ilford B&W film and developed in a mate's home darkroom (before I set my own up). Unfortunately that is where the information on the photos ends as I have no idea of their dates, times or exposure details. The only time frame I have to go by is that I clearly recall taking them in the late evening, which makes the comet's location prior to perihelion on February 9th 1986. I suspect it was around Nov-Dec 1985. I have a plan to match up the star field with Stellarium however I know this will be a near impossible task.
Bojan, nicely done. Yes I miss the days of film. So much that I have been thinking of investing in a film-only setup, just for old times sake.
Leon, the Olympus OM range hey? Best cameras IMO!
Matt, your images inspired me to buy a Lunt Ha60 direct from Lunt a couple of years ago!
This is the first astro image that I took. It is also the first that I have posted to the IIS forum. It was taken with a Panasonic DMC-FT1 Lumix 12MP Camera held at the eyepiece of the old Celestron 80GTL. I was pretty happy with myself at the time.
I am glad Shiraz let me replace my fuzzy Saturn avatar pic for his image.
I hear you Leon , I have a few in storage in NZ on the old film format taken around 1990ish , using my old Adixia prismatic 35mm and 200mm lense , I was proud of them as well , almost as good as yours here , it was a long wait for the photos to arrive back from processing back then , only to find they didn't process then because they thought they were blank ,,, , 24 at a time .
Brian.
Quote:
Originally Posted by leon
Yep I can, took this image, my very first ever about 25 years ago, it is out of focus, and looks pretty ordinary, however I was very proud that day.
It, the pic was taken with an Olympus OM-2 camera, and of coarse digital was not around then.
Here are my first and second images. Taken with a 50 mm lens on a SLR camera attached to a polar mounted LX200 10"
They are both 5 mins hand guided on 400 asa film.
The first was light damaged due to poor sealing of the back cover in 1995
The second was after I fixed the camera. Also in 1995
I have not taken any since.
I hear you Leon , I have a few in storage in NZ on the old film format taken around 1990ish , using my old Adixia prismatic 35mm and 200mm lense , I was proud of them as well , almost as good as yours here , it was a long wait for the photos to arrive back from processing back then , only to find they didn't process then because they thought they were blank ,,, , 24 at a time .
Brian.
True that Brian. It use to take ages to get your processed photos back. I still have my first astro photos, taken in the 80's. Have one photo (Trifid Nebula) that I came third in a photo competition. The only prize I have ever won in life! Haven't done photography in ages, but now that I have my new Canon 60D (a much belated birthday present to myself), that will change.
Not only do I have my first astrophoto, I know exactly where I was and where I took it. October 12, 1997 from Reese Air Force Base, near Lubbock Texas.
Well that is true Peter, the photo shops had no idea about astro stuff and often would send them back as just blank negs, that is why i did my own darkroom processing in the end.
Here is another, total eclipse of the Sun, many Moons ago.
It was only about 15 months ago I took my first pics so I'm fairly lucky in that I can just look in my images files
It was taken with an Aldi Traveller 8 megapixel the only camera I had at the time - afocal of course - I strapped the camera to the lens with some rubber bands and a bit of wood with a hole in it!
It's cropped and compressed, but only to get it on the site - no graphics - unadulterated
Well that is true Peter, the photo shops had no idea about astro stuff and often would send them back as just blank negs, that is why i did my own darkroom processing in the end.
Here is another, total eclipse of the Sun, many Moons ago.
Leon
That's great Leon. I am amazed by peoples ability to process their own photos, amateur astronomers are such a technical lot.
I would have loved to learned to process and enlarge my own, but it was beyond me financially. That's why I love digital so much, it is in reach of near everyone to be able process their own images, albeit with a steep learning curve.
First successful shot was a colour star trail followed by B&W lunar shots and a solar eclipse sequence. I too processed & printed my own B&W shots. Never managed to capture deep sky in those early days though!
Marcus - that's such a wonderful storyline - what a dedicated soul - and I dropped in the back end and had it easy with digital already majorly available and gotos as well!
Times have certainly changed, the cost of telescopes have dropped considerably in that time, relative to wages. We only had one store in Perth, 40 odd years ago, and like you, I used to gaze at the Unitron refractors. To buy one was only a dream, particularly considering my wages were only about $40 a week Gee, these days, I spend more than that just on food. And, sadly, I didn't even know one could actually grind their own mirror. It was to be another 20 years before I could afford my first scope.
Here is my first. Taken with my Nokia N95 mobile phone held to the EP of my Celestron 76mm AZ reflector.
After taking it i was over the Moon! Pic taken 16/6/2008.
Then i had a large break from the Hobby, the interest still burned, but the babies kept popping out. Now the babies have stopped, i am finding a rekindled love
and looks pretty ordinary, 
however I was very proud that day.
I did not even realise the flash has to be turned off first , not a bad effect all the same tho .
It use to take ages to get your processed photos back. I still have my first astro photos, taken in the 80's. Have one photo (Trifid Nebula) that I came third in a photo competition. The only prize I have ever won in life! Haven't done photography in ages, but now that I have my new Canon 60D (a much belated birthday present to myself), that will change.
Gee, these days, I spend more than that just on food. 
