Astro photos with DLSR and tripod.

[xelasnave]

OK we all know there is another thread but I thought a new title may help folk looking for this sort of thing plus realised I did not stack all my subs there were 100 I missed including...plus its wet so...

If you are new to Astro Photography you can make a decent image with just your DLSR and a tripod.

This image used a Nikon D5500, a cheap 50 mm lens and I tripod I bought on special for $60.

By using short exposures you can avoid using an equatorial mount..I have a few mounts but they are in an observatory which takes time to open and close and not particulary viable in the weather. This was all done in 35 minutes which included taking the set up outside and bringing it back in.

I had 25 minutes of 5 second subs shot at probably too high a ISO 6400 but as there were heaps of subs the noise was managable.

I had trouble downloading so I downloaded from the camera again tonight and for what ever reason the files took on different names and I found I had double the subs so I stacked them all as an experiment.

I took more care in Startools and Photoshop and feel this image is better than the last one..please say if you think it is not so hot.

i have another in the oven trying something so maybe I will add it if think its better
EDIT
here is another ...and yes still raining

alex

[xelasnave]

Sorry I have done something wrong please stand by...check later tomorrow maybe.

EDIT I tried a larger image but cant work out how to...this one really has not taken well dropping down in size ..sorry
Thanks
Alex

[JA]

Hi Alex
If you have twice as many subs as you thought you shot then perhaps you have your DSLR set to RAW + JPG, so that if you were expecting to shoot 100 images, then perhaps you've ended up with 100 JPEGs and 100 Nikon RAW images (calledNEFs).

Best
JA

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by JA

Hi Alex
If you have twice as many subs as you thought you shot then perhaps you have your DSLR set to RAW + JPG, so that if you were expecting to shoot 100 images, then perhaps you've ended up with 100 JPEGs and 100 Nikon RAW images (calledNEFs).

Best
JA

I think you may be correct as to RAW + JPG but I had in fact only stacked approx 300 the first time and had 400. But the RAW + JPG would perhaps explain why downloading was a pain and slow but I will have a look later.

Anyways overall I must say I am rather surprised how good the result given the relative simplicity and absence of tracking. I had intended to re position the camera every five minutes which in reflection would have been entirely adequate and requiring minimal cropping but I did do one reposition but very casual in that I moved the camera without looking at the screen to reframe my subject area..a lucky guess you might say.

And the big plus or benefit to the exercise is I now longer want to buy a new camera, .lens kit and mount and or a Red Cat as it really is the very wide fields that I am after so I can put off more purchasers until I see where I am going with what I have now.

Thanks to your help I can now use these cheap lens to get a feel ...

I don't suppose you can do anything about this rain?

Alex

[jahnpahwa (JP)]

Hey Alex, those shots are excellent! The detail in the lagoon is really surprising when shooting in.

Good on you for demonstrating this, an important illustration of what can be done without having to delve into the world of Mounts, guiding and heavy weight gear.
When I was taking astro pics, I set my daughter up with a 500mm refractor, alt-az mount and dslr, taking a similar approach to you. She took a couple of hundred 1 or 2 second exposures of Carina and was really proud of the result.

I'd love to see what you can do with a 100mm 👍

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by jahnpahwa

Hey Alex, those shots are excellent! The detail in the lagoon is really surprising when shooting in.

Good on you for demonstrating this, an important illustration of what can be done without having to delve into the world of Mounts, guiding and heavy weight gear.
When I was taking astro pics, I set my daughter up with a 500mm refractor, alt-az mount and dslr, taking a similar approach to you. She took a couple of hundred 1 or 2 second exposures of Carina and was really proud of the result.

I'd love to see what you can do with a 100mm ��

Thank you for your encouragement.

I think 100 mm fl is possible but I believe my interest will be confined to getting as wide as possible of the milky Way I am excited that I can go down to 20 mm next time out.

I will be exploring short exposures with my RASA 11 as such an approach holds the promise of managing seeing rather well... but unless this rain gives it a rest I can only speculate.

Thanks again

Alex

[AstroViking (Steve)]

Excellent work, Alex.


To my eyes, the second ("croppedps.jpg") image looks better because the first one has what appear to be coloured gradients (sepia/orange above the MW core, and blue/aqua below it).


In both the focus looks pin-sharp, and the framing is great.



I can't wait to see what you capture with a 20mm lens.


Cheers,
V

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by AstroViking

Excellent work, Alex.


To my eyes, the second ("croppedps.jpg") image looks better because the first one has what appear to be coloured gradients (sepia/orange above the MW core, and blue/aqua below it).


In both the focus looks pin-sharp, and the framing is great.



I can't wait to see what you capture with a 20mm lens.


Cheers,
V

Thanks Steve for your input it is very welcome.

The histogram for the final image out of Deep Sky Stacker had the blue about a cm to the right of the green and red and at that point I thought hmmmm

In the first image I applied wipe in Star tools and had to cancel because that area top left basically disappeared and after the initial stretch the image was bright blue..

The main reason I did a further stack and told Deep Sky Stacker to stack a defined area was to eliminate that really poor area and in the hope that with it gone the histogram would appear normal ..but sadly it did not.

I am assuming that it was the high ISO that caused the problem but thinking a little just now I may have the settings wrong in Deep Sky Stacker...but If I get another chance maybe even tonight, although it is now raining ( of course) all I will change is the ISO perhaps 1600 as I found in the past that camera seemed happy there.

Thanks again for your input as I did wonder if it was my imagination in the final images as far as colour seeming off..I am colour blind and adjust colouring having the graphs line up nothing more.

It cleared a little last night but I was just too tired having burnt myself out on the previous night, or the one before staying up until 2 am something that seems to affect me now I am an old man.

I am just so excited re the 20 mm prospect. Many years ago I did a manually guided one hour twenty minute exposure at 100 ISO at 18 mm which was hard work so the prospect of banging something out with multiple short exposures is extremely exciting for me to compare the two...mm if I can find the old one.

Thanks again.

Alex

[xelasnave]

Er... that second photo is not the one I thought..sorry..I will try and find what I have done with the one I thought I had posted.

Alex