Peter, I’d just like to thank you for all the videos you offer; I’ve been shooting Astro Photography for 3+ years - there’s so much to learn! ...You really work to make it accessible. Thanks.
Can’t wait to make my way through these! I’ve been playing around with this hobby for a year now but I’ve had trouble to produce anything I’m really proud of.
Appreciate your videos. I started small with a Nikon D7500 and a Tokina 14-20mm F2, ProMaster Specialist SP532C Carbon Tripod with a nice SPH45P Ball-Head, and a JJC TM intervalometer taking pictures of the Milky Way - then light painting of nightscapes. Found Sequator best for stacking foreground and stars in the background - Free. Then found to enhance the pictures DarkTable also free. Moon stacked images Registax - it's free. A nice Really Right Stuff (RRS) rail for shooting panoramas. Then I moved into shooting stars and nebula with a RedCat, filter drawer (Optilong UHC and Lextreme filters), large Go-To mount, guide scope, and guide camera. Still using my Nikon in a light-polluted Bortel 8 area for my main imaging camera. Key is shooting a lot of 30 - 60 sec photos and stacking 300 - 500 images in either Deep Sky Stacker (DSS) or Siril both are free. and post-processing in GIMP also free (not to be underrated). Using Stellarium for planning. Astrophotography tool (APT) and N.I.N.A. for framing and imaging and PHD2 for guiding. The most encouraging words from you are starting small and build your skills and equipment, it is a very steep learning curve. I have not obsoleted any of my gear while moving to a future build with further reaches into the deep sky, so no $ waisted or purchase regrets. Finally, thank you for your efforts to bring us great UA-cam videos for your journey - even if you drop or almost drop a lens/camera or both at times.
Great video as always. If you haven’t played with them before, I’d seriously recommend a 75mm bowl mount tripod. They’re really common for professional video use. They allow you to level/adjust the head/tracker independently from the rest of the tripod. I always feel like I spend way more time leveling my tripod than I should, or I’ll level it, and be slightly off left/right. This allows me to level the tripod quickly, and significantly faster adjust my tracker to level it. I use the benro c373t. As a note though, you’ll also need a 75mm half ball adapter. These are typically a little bit more expensive than the tripods you listed in your video, but only slightly. The time savings and ease of switching heads FAR justifies the cost. I picked up mine from B&H.
Good overview on equipment. Looking forward to watching the rest in your series. I only started my journey into astrophotography a couple months ago. I quickly learned that a DSLR can get you started in Astrophotography but I wouldn’t recommend buying a new one to try out the hobby. Get a used one to start. Personally I went that route and decided after a few attempts that buying a dedicated astrocamera with cooler to be a much better way to get the most out of astrophotography. I can control the noise so much better than a DSLR. Plus I can take accurate dark frames before or after my imaging sessions so I’m not wasting time at night trying to get dark frames at the same temperature as my lights. There are really good dedicated Astro cameras for under $1000. I have an asi294mc-pro one shot color and i love it! Also a star tracker mount is a nice lightweight option for very wide field astrophotography work but having a solid equatorial mount with goto functionality is very important if you plan to start shooting focal lengths above 135mm. The explore scientific iexos-100 is a good affordable and light weight example.
Hi Peter. I would like to commend you on the quality and content of your videos. At 69 years young I'm going to start my journey into astrophotography with your work as a guide. Thanks for your guidance.🔭
Have you tried the Z6 or Z6ii? Basically a mirrorless BSI CMOS D780. One thing though. Tamron lenses have issues. The G1s tend to require factory installed firmware upgrade to work on the Z cameras. The G2s can use the Tamron dock to update at home. Re the G1 you need to research your specific lens. My G1 15-30 2.8 was not supported at first. It worked but had issues, especially in AFc. Tamron now list a factory service is available for the G1.
Great series of videos. Peter does a great job of explaining. I ended up buying the Sky Watcher Starr Adventurer 2i. Peter is dead correct on the wifi issues. I dug in pretty deep and upgraded my tracker firmware. Before I updated my firmware my tracker motor would not start in ANY dial position. I tried the SAM console app from the Playstore. It crashed on opening every time with Android 11. Contacted Sky Watcher and they sent SAM Mini app version 1.6. It does open. With the updated firmware my tracker motor does run continuously in the Astro Star, Moon and Sun modes. With these I will use an external intervalometer to fire the camera. The SAM Mini console, when connected to the wifi has a serious flaw as far as I can tell. In APP mode it runs the racker motor for maybe 1 second and then it stops. When you configure your camera settings on the app and pres RUN it will start the tracker. But it stops as soon as the number of shots configured is finished. I called Sky Watcher support and this is how they have it set up. So you will then lose your star object very quickly on a tele lens. This seems crazy to me. The SW support did have a workaround, but it is contorted and not a true solution. In the SAM console for astrophotography you need to check the box to disable the number of shots. Also be sure to leave tracker running box checked after pressing RUN. This will send the shooting instructions to the tracker and camera. Press stop as it will continue to shoot until you stop it. Then rotate your tracker position to Astro Star. The tracker starts running. Re-locate your object in the camera. When ready, press RUN on the app and it will start taking pictures until you tell the app to stop. Otherwise it will continue to shoot your camera indefinitely as the number of shots is disabled by the user. Because of this you need to stand by your camera and either estimate the time or count shutter clicks. If you need to change any settings for the camera, or re-position better or locate another star object, you need to go back to the APP setting on the tracker dial and repeat this workflow. To me this looks like a PITA on a cold dark night. So save yourself a lot of confusion and work, get an external intervalometer to control the camera. Put the tracker in Astro Star mode and forget about using the App to shoot your camera. Some say to stick with an intervalometer that sues an cable connection and not a wifi intervalometer. Another wifi is the last thing you want at night to fight through. All this said, there is one feature that the console app has that looks interesting. DITHERING. Only then would I use the app and fight the contorted workaround. At this time I have no idea if the cell phone app on Android 10 or iOS actually works. Since I have Android 11, the only "functioning" app is the SAM Mini console ver 1.6. If you have an older version of Android or iOS app that actually runs the tracker motor in APP mode, please let us know. If it does the SAM console would really be a neat feature. If you do read this and have found similar conclusions, please be sure to contact Sky watcher support and lodge a complaint. And probably go to the website for the distributor where you purchased it and leave a review. If Sky watcher does not address the issue, save yourself a few bucks and get the non wifi version. Kenko looks to sell the identical non-wifi product at a lower price.
I absolutely love your videos. You have helped me so much in understanding and technique! Stick with the flying. If you can do astrophotography, getting a PPL will be a breeze!
Thanks for this very helpful contant! I already own a Sony A6000 & A7I, and using a Sigma 100-400 with 1.4x Extender & MC11 Adapter Both sensors are actually not that bad at all as I took some test shots on high ISO. Just purchased the iOptron skyguider Pro as your recommendation and i can't wait for a clear night sky! I'm Excited to start getting serious on Astrophotography - with your guids and tipps :D Thank you for your effort! Greetings from Germany.
The iPolar option is highly *recommended* if you're in the Southern hemisphere. Our polar stars are nowhere near as easy to see as the Northern ones. With my SkyGuider Pro with iPolar it literally takes me 2-3 mins to get a steady Polar Alignment with the iPolar, though it does mean I need to take my laptop into the field to align. I am happy with that considering I'm almost a complete beginner at astro; I've literally only done 2 or 3 sessions so far. I *really* don't regret spending the extra on the iPolar.
I'm in the northern hemisphere and I use an iOption Skytracker Pro and found it very difficult to sight Polaris with the built in sighting scope in dark locations. It was very difficult to differentiate Polaris from the surrounding stars. iPolar was a game changer. I have a little Windows tablet that I hook up and I have a really good sight in a couple of minutes.
Hola Adam, tambien estoy en el hemisferio sur, estoy iniciando con el Ipolar, pero no se porque en mi pc siempre me dice que la camara tiene error y realmente es un dolor de cabeza, si por favor me puedes ayudar con tu experiencia, gracias de antemano.
Was using Canon for a long time before switching to Sony Mirrorless. They definitely corrected the star eater issue with just a simple firmware update. incredible low light sensitivity. I also picked up a 500mm reflex lens for my Sony. Haven't had a chance at deeps space objects with it yet but did an excellent job at photographing the moon, they aren't as sharp as a G-master or a Canon L lens but it definitely did well with the moon
Hi, Peter - Great video! I have a D750 (same sensor as your D780 - but I admit that long exposure feature is NICE, and it also has built-in focus stacking) and a Sigma 150-600, with a Star Adventurer tracker. I'm a rank newbie to deep-space objects but have had a lot of fun shooting star trails and the Milky Way with my 14-24mm lens. Thanks again for doing these videos!!
I would like to start experimenting with astrophotography and currently have 2 DSLRs (SLTs to be specific), an old-ish a77 24 MP APS-C and a newer a99ii 42 MP full-frame, a carbon fiber Manfrotto tripod (with center rod) and both a ball mount and a gimbal mount. My best lenses are a 70-200G2 f/2.8 and the Tamron 150-600G2. What combinations do you think would work best? I'm thinking about getting an intervalometer, but still have quite a bit left to pay on my 70-200, which I had to finance so I'm waiting on that. What are the best star finder app for a phone to locate targets?
Thanks for this. I have wanted to try astrophotography for some time now. Great to know I already have the most of what I need to get started. Canon 5D MkIv. Canon 100-400 mkii. Plus a really stable manfrotto tripod. Looking forward to getting tarted.
Awesome video! I have one suggestion for choosing a tripod though: Try to get one with a bowl head! Especially using a star tracker, you have to get the base level, and the bowl makes it so much easier than having to adjust the leg lengths. For an example see the iFootage Gazelle TC7
I really appreciate the time you put into this video. I actually have that exact slik tripod. I use the skyguider pro and an altair 60 scope. I never really had that much trouble with the slik. the tracker gives the most trouble with it walking back and forth with longer exposure. Only issue I have with the slik and that much weight is the flex where it mounts. mainly when Im setting up and trying to frame. during shooting though ive never really seen much stability related issues in my subs. only if it was strong winds. I did want to get a better tripod though just so it could withstand a breeze better.
Hello. Thank you very much for the great video which really inspire me more and more. I live in the Southern hemisphere. I can barely see the South star Sigma Oct. more so, very often that region is cloudy. i have much difficulty aligning my star tracker. Would you suggest me apply another method? 🙏 thanks
Hey, just wanted to say love the way you explain things in a way that's easy to follow, and appreciate your candid comments about gear based on your own experience. Nice one and keep up the good work. BTW are all your courses on UA-cam or are they somewhere else. Cheers
Nikon D700 user but I must say the 780's ability to set times up to 900s is brilliant. Is there some technical or physical reason that isn't standard on other DSLRs or mirrorless? Apparently, it is also on the Z6II and Z7II. If it's not often used, why not put the extended time range in a menu option?
Peter, really helpful suggestions! I wonder why you don’t mention the ASIAir here, like in your other tutorials. Is there anything wrong with them, because I’m about to include one in my first Astro bundle!
Hope this question hasn't been asked....but what 'other' gear do you take with you when you go out to the desert ? Aside from camera and tracker and such, you've been doing this for awhile so I would assume you've developed a list of items to make your desert nites productive and comfortable. I am 50 miles or so from Joshua Nat'l Park and it's really dark skies, I'd like to make it productive and not leave critical things at home. Thanks
Thank you for this series!!! R5 with an RF 100-500 f4.5 and I just took my first shots...about to stack them. Awesome tutorial. Great voice! Again, thank you! 🪐
Hello Peter. Thanks a lot for awesome video. I saw it just. today, because of lot of work. My SkyGuider is on the way already. I have Canon 70-200, f2.8 lens. I'm not able to buy longer glass soon. Do you think, extender 2x) is good idea? I can increase reach to 400mm and loss the ligtlht. Is it worth investment? Also later, in case of Tamron 150-600(hopefully), I can reach focus 1200, which is enough for moon photography. Do you have any experiences and recommendations please?
Any consideration for the Ioptron Smart EQ Pro portable GOTO mount? It would appear a portable GOTO mount (and less money) would pair well with a DSLR or small telescope. Any comments?
look forward to the next video! I have the star adventurer but ive only used it once. The one time i did, i was so confused with the polar scope and finding Polaris. I swear every-time i looked through it, i could not locate the right star. Is the image upside down inside the polar scope. because i could see it with my eyes but not through the polar scope.
Can you please help me. I have 2 questions. what is the best mid range Sky tracker on the market? I have $750 to spend, any recommendations thank you in advance. Also I am using a 2010 MacBook Pro I recently discovered it’s too old to install the programs I need. My second question is should I buy a new Mac which I am used to or should I go with PC ? Thank You
Looking forward to this series. I've watched your channel, as well as others, for a while now. I've cobbled together some used equipment over the last few years, but still have been hesitating on getting serious about it.
Fantastic video! When you started with the cameras, I was saying to myself "please talk about the Nikon D780" and you did, LOL! I have been looking at this camera as an upgrade from my D7500, hoping it would do well for Astro. You mentioned big zoom lenses (I own the Nikon 500mm PF) but can you recommend some wide, fast lenses for Milky Way with foreground? I have been looking at the Sigma 20mm f1.4. Thank you and I look forward to this series of videos!
If you have motorized Alt-Az mount around, it can be modified to Equatorial by mounting it on a tilted base parallel with polar axis. But don't buy it since it is more hassle to modify it.
Thank you so much for this Series Peter ..I cant wait to start Milky Way photography in my Retirement as I wont be able to travel to areas for my Traditional Wild Life Pics
Again very well said and explained! You definitely have a nack for this. If someone can't figure out if astrophotography is right for them from you info style and teaching then they definitely not the right fit for the hobby! Lol I am the right fit just have to adjust for vision. Ok beating a dead horse this that by now! I'm done lol
I bought everything second hand and I stayed below 1k euros for this: Modded 600D - 380€ Star Adventurer Pro Pack - 250€ Tripod, batteries, accessories - 50€ Canon 200mm f/2.8L - 289€ I'm kinda broke as I'm a student but I've worked a little bit and had some scolarships here and there so I suppose for other people with a job 1k isn't as heavy of an investment. I got all this from February and got the mod for the camera recently
I co-sign that. In the last 2 yrs, I've been buying cameras, lenses and accessories used and all of it has been in like new condition and saved me a ton of cash. Look for bodies with low clicks.
I am not a Sony Fanboy, but they are worth using for Astro. I use a Sony A7R iV, and with proper exposure using NPF, use of ISO Invariance, and 128gb cards, I have had not problems.
If you're really broke, used equipment is a good route. I started by getting an old Canon t3i from mpb.com. Paid around $100 each for the two I got from there. Their prices seem to have jumped to over $200 now though, which makes them less of a steal.
Used market prices gone up on cameras , just as telescopes and everything. Shortage, because of covid and nearly all camera/scope/lens retailers have major shortages.
There is no weight difference between Tamron and Sigma! Sigma is cheaper and has also a lock against lens creeping. I also use my Sigma for Canon with a Sony A7 RIII and a sigma adapter.
Thanks but incorrect about buying a separate device for non-Nikon, Bulb mode is fine. Canon 90D gives nice results, APS-C. Less than 24 pix is just fine unless you plan on very large prints.
I’d love to see you break away from photoshop and start doing tutorials using affinity photo a lot of people are using it now but hardly anything on Astro...... it would probably be very popular for your channel to show people how to use it
A D780- really? Although my first astro camera was a Nikon (Nikkormat FT2, back in the mid-70’s), complete with dry ice back on a C8 with sidereal CD, Nikon is not even generally considered for Astro for many reasons, unless you are using one already, and you’re not trying to, or are not able to optimize you gear choices. Nikon’s are great camera’s and use my D5 often, but not for astro, as there are so many better choices. Besides being $600+ overpriced even within the Nikon line based on feature and performance, there are so many better choices than the D780 for low light, which is critical for astro. I’m biased towards SONY (and the A7SIII can HGn in realtime at 24 fps with its advanced gain circuitry and photosites size, what takes 11-14 seconds with an f/1.4 on that Nikon). At about $1,600, even the A7III does a lot better than that “top” Nikon choice you recommended. However, given you were talking about buying, the used Canon lens market alone makes Canon a generally much better choice- since with Astro and LS Astro, the lens is a hyper-critical concurrent or even first choice, and generally the larger investment compared to the body (and how great the refurbished Canon body/lens market is)- especially for beginner-intermediates. The body choices are much better for low-light astro at any price/performance level for Canon and SONY. A related FYI, because of the SONY FE mount systems low flange height, you can easily adapt any Canon lens. Not the same with a Nikon trying to adapt Sony or Canon. I’ve worked at 4 of the major observatories, two major NY planetariums and taught thousands of students, researchers and educators about astro gear choices and methods, and you really should step back for another few years before making such definitive and incorrect recommendations- or say something like: “these may or may not not be the best choices or methods for everyone in all situations, but I’ve gotten what I think are good results with the following.” Otherwise, making such strong gear and method recommendations is doing yourself and others a real disservice.
I absolutely and completely agree. The Nikon is a great camera, but no comparison with what you mentioned for astro. We use 100% SONY’s and Phase One’s here at MIT. Thanks to the programs here, we have both and love the Nikon for many things, and with the right tracker, it does well. But not even close to the same league as the new SONY’s for Astro. By the by... I don’t know if you remember me, but I was at the MIT ceremony 2 years ago for the amazing building and financial donations from you. You are totally my older bro’s idol- he calls you “the real world Tony Stark”. That’s funny. Hope it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but thank you. I have two more years here in Cambridge MA. Maybe I could work for one of your companies. I love AI and data sciences, but am deep into the Google sponsored Quantum Computing projects. Again thanks for taking the time here, as your input is always invaluable, and I know you love cosmology. Hope to see you again someday and maybe work for you (a geek should always dream you know!)
@@jbilly24 OMG You really are not up on things in the field are you. Dr. Denis is one of the nicest and most charitable people I have ever heard of let alone met. Unlike typical really wealthy people he keeps his head down in his fields and helps a lot of young people and educational institutions like he’s done here at MIT. He’s got about a dozen amazing Artificial Intelligence, quantum-AI, media and communications companies and helped give several US planetariums a new lease on life by his donations. You can see his work at The Vanderbilt Planetarium, The Haden and a bunch of others if you care. What have you done?
Another video from a astrophotography 'professional' recommending you to spend 3000 dollars to even start doing anything I call that bullcrap You can start with a mobile phone and a 200 dollar telescope with EQ1 mount ( ex Astromaster 130EQ) and upgrade slowly when you decide you wanna get better photos Yes ofcourse you wont get any great photos, but at least you will have an idea if you wanna start doing that at all.
Peter, I’d just like to thank you for all the videos you offer; I’ve been shooting Astro Photography for 3+ years - there’s so much to learn! ...You really work to make it accessible. Thanks.
Can’t wait to make my way through these! I’ve been playing around with this hobby for a year now but I’ve had trouble to produce anything I’m really proud of.
Appreciate your videos. I started small with a Nikon D7500 and a Tokina 14-20mm F2, ProMaster Specialist SP532C Carbon Tripod with a nice SPH45P Ball-Head, and a JJC TM intervalometer taking pictures of the Milky Way - then light painting of nightscapes. Found Sequator best for stacking foreground and stars in the background - Free. Then found to enhance the pictures DarkTable also free. Moon stacked images Registax - it's free. A nice Really Right Stuff (RRS) rail for shooting panoramas.
Then I moved into shooting stars and nebula with a RedCat, filter drawer (Optilong UHC and Lextreme filters), large Go-To mount, guide scope, and guide camera. Still using my Nikon in a light-polluted Bortel 8 area for my main imaging camera. Key is shooting a lot of 30 - 60 sec photos and stacking 300 - 500 images in either Deep Sky Stacker (DSS) or Siril both are free. and post-processing in GIMP also free (not to be underrated). Using Stellarium for planning. Astrophotography tool (APT) and N.I.N.A. for framing and imaging and PHD2 for guiding.
The most encouraging words from you are starting small and build your skills and equipment, it is a very steep learning curve. I have not obsoleted any of my gear while moving to a future build with further reaches into the deep sky, so no $ waisted or purchase regrets.
Finally, thank you for your efforts to bring us great UA-cam videos for your journey - even if you drop or almost drop a lens/camera or both at times.
I shoot with the D780, that camera is a beast and I totally agree with you.
Great video as always. If you haven’t played with them before, I’d seriously recommend a 75mm bowl mount tripod. They’re really common for professional video use. They allow you to level/adjust the head/tracker independently from the rest of the tripod. I always feel like I spend way more time leveling my tripod than I should, or I’ll level it, and be slightly off left/right. This allows me to level the tripod quickly, and significantly faster adjust my tracker to level it. I use the benro c373t. As a note though, you’ll also need a 75mm half ball adapter. These are typically a little bit more expensive than the tripods you listed in your video, but only slightly. The time savings and ease of switching heads FAR justifies the cost. I picked up mine from B&H.
Good overview on equipment. Looking forward to watching the rest in your series. I only started my journey into astrophotography a couple months ago. I quickly learned that a DSLR can get you started in Astrophotography but I wouldn’t recommend buying a new one to try out the hobby. Get a used one to start. Personally I went that route and decided after a few attempts that buying a dedicated astrocamera with cooler to be a much better way to get the most out of astrophotography. I can control the noise so much better than a DSLR. Plus I can take accurate dark frames before or after my imaging sessions so I’m not wasting time at night trying to get dark frames at the same temperature as my lights. There are really good dedicated Astro cameras for under $1000. I have an asi294mc-pro one shot color and i love it! Also a star tracker mount is a nice lightweight option for very wide field astrophotography work but having a solid equatorial mount with goto functionality is very important if you plan to start shooting focal lengths above 135mm. The explore scientific iexos-100 is a good affordable and light weight example.
Hi Peter.
I would like to commend you on the quality and content of your videos. At 69 years young I'm going to start my journey into astrophotography with your work as a guide. Thanks for your guidance.🔭
Have you tried the Z6 or Z6ii? Basically a mirrorless BSI CMOS D780. One thing though. Tamron lenses have issues. The G1s tend to require factory installed firmware upgrade to work on the Z cameras. The G2s can use the Tamron dock to update at home. Re the G1 you need to research your specific lens. My G1 15-30 2.8 was not supported at first. It worked but had issues, especially in AFc. Tamron now list a factory service is available for the G1.
Great series of videos. Peter does a great job of explaining.
I ended up buying the Sky Watcher Starr Adventurer 2i. Peter is dead correct on the wifi issues. I dug in pretty deep and upgraded my tracker firmware. Before I updated my firmware my tracker motor would not start in ANY dial position. I tried the SAM console app from the Playstore. It crashed on opening every time with Android 11. Contacted Sky Watcher and they sent SAM Mini app version 1.6. It does open.
With the updated firmware my tracker motor does run continuously in the Astro Star, Moon and Sun modes. With these I will use an external intervalometer to fire the camera.
The SAM Mini console, when connected to the wifi has a serious flaw as far as I can tell. In APP mode it runs the racker motor for maybe 1 second and then it stops. When you configure your camera settings on the app and pres RUN it will start the tracker. But it stops as soon as the number of shots configured is finished. I called Sky Watcher support and this is how they have it set up. So you will then lose your star object very quickly on a tele lens. This seems crazy to me.
The SW support did have a workaround, but it is contorted and not a true solution. In the SAM console for astrophotography you need to check the box to disable the number of shots. Also be sure to leave tracker running box checked after pressing RUN. This will send the shooting instructions to the tracker and camera. Press stop as it will continue to shoot until you stop it.
Then rotate your tracker position to Astro Star. The tracker starts running. Re-locate your object in the camera. When ready, press RUN on the app and it will start taking pictures until you tell the app to stop. Otherwise it will continue to shoot your camera indefinitely as the number of shots is disabled by the user. Because of this you need to stand by your camera and either estimate the time or count shutter clicks.
If you need to change any settings for the camera, or re-position better or locate another star object, you need to go back to the APP setting on the tracker dial and repeat this workflow. To me this looks like a PITA on a cold dark night.
So save yourself a lot of confusion and work, get an external intervalometer to control the camera. Put the tracker in Astro Star mode and forget about using the App to shoot your camera. Some say to stick with an intervalometer that sues an cable connection and not a wifi intervalometer. Another wifi is the last thing you want at night to fight through.
All this said, there is one feature that the console app has that looks interesting. DITHERING. Only then would I use the app and fight the contorted workaround.
At this time I have no idea if the cell phone app on Android 10 or iOS actually works. Since I have Android 11, the only "functioning" app is the SAM Mini console ver 1.6. If you have an older version of Android or iOS app that actually runs the tracker motor in APP mode, please let us know. If it does the SAM console would really be a neat feature.
If you do read this and have found similar conclusions, please be sure to contact Sky watcher support and lodge a complaint. And probably go to the website for the distributor where you purchased it and leave a review.
If Sky watcher does not address the issue, save yourself a few bucks and get the non wifi version. Kenko looks to sell the identical non-wifi product at a lower price.
I absolutely love your videos. You have helped me so much in understanding and technique! Stick with the flying. If you can do astrophotography, getting a PPL will be a breeze!
Thanks for this very helpful contant!
I already own a Sony A6000 & A7I,
and using a Sigma 100-400 with 1.4x Extender & MC11 Adapter
Both sensors are actually not that bad at all as I took some test shots on high ISO.
Just purchased the iOptron skyguider Pro as your recommendation and i can't wait for a clear night sky!
I'm Excited to start getting serious on Astrophotography - with your guids and tipps :D
Thank you for your effort!
Greetings from Germany.
Bulb mode is also available on Sony cameras without a timer. Just have to be sure you are in manual mode, single drive, and silent shooting is off.
The iPolar option is highly *recommended* if you're in the Southern hemisphere. Our polar stars are nowhere near as easy to see as the Northern ones. With my SkyGuider Pro with iPolar it literally takes me 2-3 mins to get a steady Polar Alignment with the iPolar, though it does mean I need to take my laptop into the field to align. I am happy with that considering I'm almost a complete beginner at astro; I've literally only done 2 or 3 sessions so far. I *really* don't regret spending the extra on the iPolar.
I'm in the northern hemisphere and I use an iOption Skytracker Pro and found it very difficult to sight Polaris with the built in sighting scope in dark locations. It was very difficult to differentiate Polaris from the surrounding stars. iPolar was a game changer. I have a little Windows tablet that I hook up and I have a really good sight in a couple of minutes.
Hola Adam, tambien estoy en el hemisferio sur, estoy iniciando con el Ipolar, pero no se porque en mi pc siempre me dice que la camara tiene error y realmente es un dolor de cabeza, si por favor me puedes ayudar con tu experiencia, gracias de antemano.
Hi, I noticed you placed the camera using the shorter arm, I guess you rotated the polar finder so is not upside down. Am I correct?
Was using Canon for a long time before switching to Sony Mirrorless. They definitely corrected the star eater issue with just a simple firmware update. incredible low light sensitivity. I also picked up a 500mm reflex lens for my Sony. Haven't had a chance at deeps space objects with it yet but did an excellent job at photographing the moon, they aren't as sharp as a G-master or a Canon L lens but it definitely did well with the moon
Hi, Peter - Great video! I have a D750 (same sensor as your D780 - but I admit that long exposure feature is NICE, and it also has built-in focus stacking) and a Sigma 150-600, with a Star Adventurer tracker. I'm a rank newbie to deep-space objects but have had a lot of fun shooting star trails and the Milky Way with my 14-24mm lens. Thanks again for doing these videos!!
I would like to start experimenting with astrophotography and currently have 2 DSLRs (SLTs to be specific), an old-ish a77 24 MP APS-C and a newer a99ii 42 MP full-frame, a carbon fiber Manfrotto tripod (with center rod) and both a ball mount and a gimbal mount. My best lenses are a 70-200G2 f/2.8 and the Tamron 150-600G2. What combinations do you think would work best? I'm thinking about getting an intervalometer, but still have quite a bit left to pay on my 70-200, which I had to finance so I'm waiting on that. What are the best star finder app for a phone to locate targets?
I just bought my first star tracker and have been watching the shit out of yours and astrobackyard's videos thank you so much for all that you do.
Oh and Nikon is trash lol
@@politipixels LOL. User error.
I have all the equipment except a star tracker is it necessary for photographing stars and planets or just makes it easier?
Thanks for this. I have wanted to try astrophotography for some time now. Great to know I already have the most of what I need to get started. Canon 5D MkIv. Canon 100-400 mkii. Plus a really stable manfrotto tripod. Looking forward to getting tarted.
Cool stuff! Use whatever equip you got. Ever tried the new Sony cams? Amazing. I used a D810 before.
Awesome video! I have one suggestion for choosing a tripod though: Try to get one with a bowl head! Especially using a star tracker, you have to get the base level, and the bowl makes it so much easier than having to adjust the leg lengths. For an example see the iFootage Gazelle TC7
I really appreciate the time you put into this video. I actually have that exact slik tripod. I use the skyguider pro and an altair 60 scope. I never really had that much trouble with the slik. the tracker gives the most trouble with it walking back and forth with longer exposure. Only issue I have with the slik and that much weight is the flex where it mounts. mainly when Im setting up and trying to frame. during shooting though ive never really seen much stability related issues in my subs. only if it was strong winds. I did want to get a better tripod though just so it could withstand a breeze better.
The best one who provides useful explanations
Thank you so much
Hello. Thank you very much for the great video which really inspire me more and more.
I live in the Southern hemisphere. I can barely see the South star Sigma Oct. more so, very often that region is cloudy. i have much difficulty aligning my star tracker. Would you suggest me apply another method?
🙏 thanks
Hey, just wanted to say love the way you explain things in a way that's easy to follow, and appreciate your candid comments about gear based on your own experience. Nice one and keep up the good work. BTW are all your courses on UA-cam or are they somewhere else.
Cheers
Hi Peter, thanks for this video!
Is there a reason that you went with d780 instead of z6?
TREMENDOUSLY helpful video. From an Astro Intermediate......
Nikon D700 user but I must say the 780's ability to set times up to 900s is brilliant. Is there some technical or physical reason that isn't standard on other DSLRs or mirrorless? Apparently, it is also on the Z6II and Z7II. If it's not often used, why not put the extended time range in a menu option?
Bought an r5 for my first camera a week ago. Overkill?
Peter, really helpful suggestions! I wonder why you don’t mention the ASIAir here, like in your other tutorials. Is there anything wrong with them, because I’m about to include one in my first Astro bundle!
Hope this question hasn't been asked....but what 'other' gear do you take with you when you go out to the desert ? Aside from camera and tracker and such, you've been doing this for awhile so I would assume you've developed a list of items to make your desert nites productive and comfortable. I am 50 miles or so from Joshua Nat'l Park and it's really dark skies, I'd like to make it productive and not leave critical things at home. Thanks
Thank you for this series!!! R5 with an RF 100-500 f4.5 and I just took my first shots...about to stack them. Awesome tutorial. Great voice! Again, thank you! 🪐
Hello Peter. Thanks a lot for awesome video. I saw it just. today, because of lot of work. My SkyGuider is on the way already. I have Canon 70-200, f2.8 lens. I'm not able to buy longer glass soon. Do you think, extender 2x) is good idea? I can increase reach to 400mm and loss the ligtlht. Is it worth investment? Also later, in case of Tamron 150-600(hopefully), I can reach focus 1200, which is enough for moon photography. Do you have any experiences and recommendations please?
Great info thanks for sharing, what tracker you recommend with Lumix G9 with pl 100-400mm
What do you think of the D750? Is its sensor far off that of the 780 ?
about fuji x cameras? are they good?
Any consideration for the Ioptron Smart EQ Pro portable GOTO mount? It would appear a portable GOTO mount (and less money) would pair well with a DSLR or small telescope. Any comments?
wow! you are so good at explaining. I'm new to the astronomy world. I'm looking forward to new videos😃
look forward to the next video! I have the star adventurer but ive only used it once. The one time i did, i was so confused with the polar scope and finding Polaris. I swear every-time i looked through it, i could not locate the right star. Is the image upside down inside the polar scope. because i could see it with my eyes but not through the polar scope.
Can you please help me. I have 2 questions. what is the best mid range Sky tracker on the market? I have $750 to spend, any recommendations thank you in advance. Also I am using a 2010 MacBook Pro I recently discovered it’s too old to install the programs I need. My second question is should I buy a new Mac which I am used to or should I go with PC ? Thank You
Looking forward to this series. I've watched your channel, as well as others, for a while now. I've cobbled together some used equipment over the last few years, but still have been hesitating on getting serious about it.
Any thoughts on Nikon mirrorless for astrophotography, Z5 maybe?
Awesome content . You are appreciated. Dec 20th will be a awesome Astro night
You are the man, love this video!!!
What would be your thoughts on a Modded Nikon D750?
Hi Peter..You had a great video on the Move Shoot Move star tracker from the ADKs , and hardly mentioned it in this video... what happened?
Peter, can you share your thoughts in EOS M ? Thanks!
Fantastic video! When you started with the cameras, I was saying to myself "please talk about the Nikon D780" and you did, LOL! I have been looking at this camera as an upgrade from my D7500, hoping it would do well for Astro. You mentioned big zoom lenses (I own the Nikon 500mm PF) but can you recommend some wide, fast lenses for Milky Way with foreground? I have been looking at the Sigma 20mm f1.4. Thank you and I look forward to this series of videos!
I use a Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8 with my D750 and have gotten some great star-trails and Milky Way shots.
Dang! That flight simulator in the beginning is realistic!
I have had good success with a SkyGider pro on a Manfrotto tripod with the center pole fully retracted.--Tom
Looking forward to Part 2
I gotta LAUGH re: the difference you talked about between the R & Ra! Soooooooooooo funny, it's soooooooooooooo unbelievable & BIASED!
What flight sim where you using at the start?
TIA...
Really good and very informative. Now, I’m addicted to you! 😂
Wow! Congratulations on 37000!!!! ThanksGood luck on the pilots license! Got my commercial license over 20 years ago!
I want to try this with film, Cinefilm to be exact,120'm on my Fuji GX680.
If you have motorized Alt-Az mount around, it can be modified to Equatorial by mounting it on a tilted base parallel with polar axis. But don't buy it since it is more hassle to modify it.
Thanks Peter for another great video. I am that nubie and appreciate all your advise.
Good Astrophotography comes with practice and setup repeatability. It doesn't "just happen". Like any hobby the more you do the better you become.
Thank you so much for this Series Peter ..I cant wait to start Milky Way photography in my Retirement as I wont be able to travel to areas for my Traditional Wild Life Pics
Thanks for doing this. I will definitely have to go step by step, and watch my money carefully.
Again very well said and explained! You definitely have a nack for this. If someone can't figure out if astrophotography is right for them from you info style and teaching then they definitely not the right fit for the hobby! Lol I am the right fit just have to adjust for vision. Ok beating a dead horse this that by now! I'm done lol
Only thing I’m missing is star tracker
Astrophotography made easy: have a lot of money
I bought everything second hand and I stayed below 1k euros for this:
Modded 600D - 380€
Star Adventurer Pro Pack - 250€
Tripod, batteries, accessories - 50€
Canon 200mm f/2.8L - 289€
I'm kinda broke as I'm a student but I've worked a little bit and had some scolarships here and there so I suppose for other people with a job 1k isn't as heavy of an investment. I got all this from February and got the mod for the camera recently
@@scarpography good for you man! Honestly!
I co-sign that. In the last 2 yrs, I've been buying cameras, lenses and accessories used and all of it has been in like new condition and saved me a ton of cash. Look for bodies with low clicks.
rofl
@@scarpographyhow exactly do you do astrophotography with a 200mm lens. Not saying one can't but why that over a wide angle?
Only one dial in the cockpit that counts - oil pressure.
Otherwise ignore most of the others which are just there to confuse you.
lol
Thanks for this content!
Greetings from Nicaragua
I use the Nikon d3500, with a 20 mm f2.8 and get good results, and not that pricey.
such helpful information. I am still recovering from when you dropped your camera..
i do use from black forest motion blackforestmotion.com/product/nt-single-axis/. it is also designed für astro fotographie.
I'm definitely odd man out..i use Olympus :D
I am not a Sony Fanboy, but they are worth using for Astro. I use a Sony A7R iV, and with proper exposure using NPF, use of ISO Invariance, and 128gb cards, I have had not problems.
Brilliant, thank you for the effort :)
Any experience with the EOS RP Peter?
If you're really broke, used equipment is a good route. I started by getting an old Canon t3i from mpb.com. Paid around $100 each for the two I got from there. Their prices seem to have jumped to over $200 now though, which makes them less of a steal.
Used market prices gone up on cameras , just as telescopes and everything. Shortage, because of covid and nearly all camera/scope/lens retailers have major shortages.
Gotta LAUGH about your comments re: Canon cameras & noise, sooooooooooooo funny!
Nice video but there are so many more lenses out there, better ones too
There is no weight difference between Tamron and Sigma! Sigma is cheaper and has also a lock against lens creeping. I also use my Sigma for Canon with a Sony A7 RIII and a sigma adapter.
Thanks but incorrect about buying a separate device for non-Nikon, Bulb mode is fine. Canon 90D gives nice results, APS-C. Less than 24 pix is just fine unless you plan on very large prints.
I’d love to see you break away from photoshop and start doing tutorials using affinity photo a lot of people are using it now but hardly anything on Astro...... it would probably be very popular for your channel to show people how to use it
With Sony probably go for the A7iii, best all around Camera 2020 and judt such a low light King.
Does Sony still have that star eater problem?
@@ericklemus3853 I have a A7 II with the newest firmware, and it hasn't. A Sony A7 iii with newest firmware doesn't has it I am sure
Well at least he's up front about things being expensive...
Unlike AsTrObAcKyArD >:/
🤘yo
A D780- really? Although my first astro camera was a Nikon (Nikkormat FT2, back in the mid-70’s), complete with dry ice back on a C8 with sidereal CD, Nikon is not even generally considered for Astro for many reasons, unless you are using one already, and you’re not trying to, or are not able to optimize you gear choices. Nikon’s are great camera’s and use my D5 often, but not for astro, as there are so many better choices.
Besides being $600+ overpriced even within the Nikon line based on feature and performance, there are so many better choices than the D780 for low light, which is critical for astro. I’m biased towards SONY (and the A7SIII can HGn in realtime at 24 fps with its advanced gain circuitry and photosites size, what takes 11-14 seconds with an f/1.4 on that Nikon). At about $1,600, even the A7III does a lot better than that “top” Nikon choice you recommended.
However, given you were talking about buying, the used Canon lens market alone makes Canon a generally much better choice- since with Astro and LS Astro, the lens is a hyper-critical concurrent or even first choice, and generally the larger investment compared to the body (and how great the refurbished Canon body/lens market is)- especially for beginner-intermediates. The body choices are much better for low-light astro at any price/performance level for Canon and SONY. A related FYI, because of the SONY FE mount systems low flange height, you can easily adapt any Canon lens. Not the same with a Nikon trying to adapt Sony or Canon.
I’ve worked at 4 of the major observatories, two major NY planetariums and taught thousands of students, researchers and educators about astro gear choices and methods, and you really should step back for another few years before making such definitive and incorrect recommendations- or say something like: “these may or may not not be the best choices or methods for everyone in all situations, but I’ve gotten what I think are good results with the following.” Otherwise, making such strong gear and method recommendations is doing yourself and others a real disservice.
And who are you? Lol. Let’s see your photos. This dude is producing great images with his d780. Obviously you are just a fanboy with another brand.
I absolutely and completely agree. The Nikon is a great camera, but no comparison with what you mentioned for astro. We use 100% SONY’s and Phase One’s here at MIT. Thanks to the programs here, we have both and love the Nikon for many things, and with the right tracker, it does well. But not even close to the same league as the new SONY’s for Astro.
By the by... I don’t know if you remember me, but I was at the MIT ceremony 2 years ago for the amazing building and financial donations from you. You are totally my older bro’s idol- he calls you “the real world Tony Stark”. That’s funny. Hope it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but thank you. I have two more years here in Cambridge MA. Maybe I could work for one of your companies. I love AI and data sciences, but am deep into the Google sponsored Quantum Computing projects. Again thanks for taking the time here, as your input is always invaluable, and I know you love cosmology. Hope to see you again someday and maybe work for you (a geek should always dream you know!)
@@jbilly24 OMG You really are not up on things in the field are you. Dr. Denis is one of the nicest and most charitable people I have ever heard of let alone met. Unlike typical really wealthy people he keeps his head down in his fields and helps a lot of young people and educational institutions like he’s done here at MIT. He’s got about a dozen amazing Artificial Intelligence, quantum-AI, media and communications companies and helped give several US planetariums a new lease on life by his donations. You can see his work at The Vanderbilt Planetarium, The Haden and a bunch of others if you care. What have you done?
@@siobahnquinn7461 ...and where can I find his astrophotography images?
I had used a D810 for a while. I agree though.
Another video from a astrophotography 'professional' recommending you to spend 3000 dollars to even start doing anything
I call that bullcrap
You can start with a mobile phone and a 200 dollar telescope with EQ1 mount ( ex Astromaster 130EQ) and upgrade slowly when you decide you wanna get better photos
Yes ofcourse you wont get any great photos, but at least you will have an idea if you wanna start doing that at all.
Flying planes is easy, astrophotography is hard!
soooooooooo annoying, 5d4. exactly the same banding that you just showed..
The first thing you need is a big sack of money.
Your fanboyism ruins this video 😑
I hope you find this FUNNY, I did, I just unsubscribed! I think that's Soooooooooooo funny! Don't you!
Just tell the truth don't buy any thing suggested.