Astrophotography Newbie questions

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

Oops! Sorry Doug. It was only meant to show you that Webcams can do widefield.

No Worries Ken,
I'm learning!!!!
Cheers
Doug

[Garyh]

Hi Doug,
I have quiet a few of these lenses and they work well on the new DSLRs the old 50mm and 55mms take great shots and you can get adaptors for a few different cameras..I use my old pentax lenses on my canon 300d...Here is a pic from about 2 weeks ago...
Great thing about dslrs is that you don`t need a computer.
AS for the eq3 mount I say you will need something to guide with when using a lense over 50mm and more than a few mins exposure..
regards Gary

[IanW]

Originally Posted by dugnsuz

Hi All,
I have acquired a broken (to costly to repair) Pentax Spotmatic body with the following lenses:
Pentax – screw thread type...

1.Super-Takumar 1:1.8/55
2.Pentacon 3.5/30
3.Pentacon 2.8/135

As I haven't got a clue regarding astrophotography (but like to have a go), my questions are...

1.Are these lenses good for anything?
2.If so,could they fit onto a DSLR body?
3.Is an EQ3C mount + RA drive adequate for driven wide field shots of the milky way?
4.What is the best/budget DSLR for taking wide field shots?
5.Or, should I just get an old Pentax or generic camera body!!?

The Spotmatic's are a fine camera for astrophotography and you can find working bodies on the cheap on eBay.
The main drawback with most Spotmatic bodies is that they use PX series mercury batteries which are no longer available due to worldwide bans on environmental grounds on the manfuacturing of the batteries. However this isn't an issue for astrophotography as you'll be using the Bulb (B) setting for most work. You'll need a stopwatch or timer and a mechanical shutter release cable for astrophotography and a 'hat' for the front of the lens to reduce vibration.

The Takumar 50/1.8 is also a fine lens, as good as any of the manual focus Nikon or Canon 50mm f1.8 prime lenses. Pentacon's on the other hand were a fairly cheap and nasty range of lenses, however they will be fine for astrophotography if stopped down 1-2 stops.

The EQ3 should be fine for widefield astrophotography.
It may be worth considering giving the worm/wheel set and motor spur gears a light lapping, regrease the mount bearings and clean up the internal casing of debris etc before using it. Careful polar alignment is a must.

DSLR wise the Canon 300 or 350D and Nikon D50 are the popular choices amongst entry level DSLR's. Prices tend to vary a bit from batch to batch so it's best to check out the various retailers such as Harvey Norman, local camera shops etc. You will be able to fit your existing lenses to the body via an adapter.

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Garyh - thanks for the info and that is one lovely shot!

IanW - thankyou too for the information, most appreciated.
I have looked at the Nikon D50 as a way into DSLR imaging, but at around $1K +/- a lens - the price is just a bit prohibitive. I will soon hopefully buy an ED80, initially for wide field viewing but with a view to doing astrophotography in the future with a Spotmatic or similar film camera.
The EQ3 is really just a starting point - i realise for serious imaging something much more robust will be needed. Robust=expensive!!!!
Cheers all for the comments/suggestions
Doug

[IanW]

Doug,

Glad to be of help, in 18 months time you'll be able to pick up a used 350D or D50 DSLR body for a few hundred buck via eBay as their value drops like a stone after the next generation of bodies is released.

One thing I didn't mention is that you'll need some sort of guide scope, as your planning to get an ED80 that will make a great guidescope, just add an illuminated reticle eyepiece and you'll be in a good position for quality film based astrophotography.

Don't forget the three best films available in Australia are Fuji 800 and 400 neg films and Kodak 200 slide film. I've also had good results with Fuji Press 800. Avoid Kodak Max films like the plague as they have horrific reciprocity failure characteristics.

Cheers,
Ian

[Garyh]

No Worries Doug, you can also look at the k-mount cameras as well like the pentax k-1000 or some of the older Ricoh models as long as they are totally manual on the bulb setting or you will have flat batteries in no time, a adapter will cost you $20.
Good advice Ian, I agree that Fuji Provia 400 and Kodak e200 slide films are the way to go, with the neg films you have to hope the local camera store nows how to do star pics or you end up with horrible pics and you will be dissapointed..I can say the only Kodak neg film that is any good is kodak max versatility plus 800 (good for up to about 10-15min with good color balance) all the rest give bad results..don`t touch!!...The new Fuji negs with the 4th layer are no good as well as have tried them also. If you can get it from ebay US try Fuji HQ 200 , works very well but you have to run the risk of xray damage.. I got a batch at under $2 a roll and the results were very nice. But the slide film would be my choice now...
hope this helps...Gary

[IanW]

Originally Posted by Garyh

I agree that Fuji Provia 400 and Kodak e200 slide films are the way to go, with the neg films you have to hope the local camera store nows how to do star pics or you end up with horrible pics and you will be dissapointed..I can say the only Kodak neg film that is any good is kodak max versatility plus 800 (good for up to about 10-15min with good color balance) all the rest give bad results..don`t touch!!...The new Fuji negs with the 4th layer are no good as well as have tried them also. If you can get it from ebay US try Fuji HQ 200 , works very well but you have to run the risk of xray damage.. I got a batch at under $2 a roll and the results were very nice. But the slide film would be my choice now...
hope this helps...Gary

Never had a problem with a photolab and processing, it's really a matter of training their staff how to set up the sensitometry on their printer to suit the needs of the astrophotographer. Normally I do my own darkroom work anyway. Lucky for me I still have good stocks in deep freeze of some older better emulsions such as the legendary Kodak PPF 400 which is by far and away the best colour emulsion I've ever used.

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by IanW

Lucky for me I still have good stocks in deep freeze of some older better emulsions such as the legendary Kodak PPF 400 which is by far and away the best colour emulsion I've ever used.

Hi Ian,
So what comes closest to this film stock?
Cheers
Doug

[IanW]

Originally Posted by dugnsuz

Hi Ian,
So what comes closest to this film stock?
Cheers
Doug

Kodak Ektachrome 200, except e200 isn't as sensitive to reds and the Hydrogen Alpha region.