Starting Astrophotography? Here’s What I’d Do:
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2019
- Getting Started in Astrophotography?
In this video, I share my recommendations to set yourself up for success.
Get Started: astrobackyard.com/beginner-as...
Download My Image Processing Guide: sellfy.com/p/0zsyyq/
Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mount: bit.ly/3OUOy8U
In this video, I cover the following topics:
• Know what you are getting into
• What experience do you need? What is an asset?
• What equipment do you actually need?
• How long will it take to produce a “nice” image?
• How much will it all cost?
• What Gear should I invest my hard-earned money in?
• Where should I go for help/advice?
Affiliate Links:
Some of the links in my video descriptions are affiliate links, which means at no extra cost to you, I will make a small commission if you click them and make a qualifying purchase. - Навчання та стиль
I know I'm in the right place when the dog sneaks into the shot and you don't care!
Dr Powell i had to re-play at least 5 times that tiptoe entrance 🥰🐶
Every shot is better with a doggo in it!
You can tell a lot about a man who welcomes the animals.
Doesn't take much to impress you
@@shatterpointgames the only negative one here
Thank you so much for your time in putting this together, as well as your insight and passion for astrophotography!
Yes agree and I was inspired by your video and I think location is also extremely important, because I live in Southern California and both air and light pollution is terrible and so is the heat. I am surprised that someone at your level is not using Nikon equipment, because they make all of Nasa's still camera's and the D810A and D850A, which are astro camera's. Many people wrongly believe that these camera's can not be used for normal photography and or think they are only IR camera's, but this is not true. I have used a D810A in Death Valley that a friend let me try out and it works great for normal photography/landscape photography and you wouldn't even know it was an astro camera unless you used it for astro. You should have recommended or mentioned these camera's and while though some third party companies can convert any DSLR or Mirrorless I prefer the factory options from Nikon!
@@patricksmith2553 I urge you to buy a d3500 and figure out how to use bulb and timer without touching that shoot button.
The Internet poops itself every time I ask about this.
Just wanted to leave a big thank you. You've been very helpful for me in deciding on my first telescope. I've watched a lot of your informational videos over the past month or two and just want to say that there's nobody else out there that has been as helpful as you. To the point where if I have a question, I just come to your channel lol.
I decided on getting the Orion ED80T Triplet APO refractor, with the Orion Sirius EQ-G mount and a guidescope/camera.
I have very little experience so I'm expecting it to take a while before I get the hang of it, but I'm hoping I won't have to upgrade anything anytime soon.
Thank you again. You've been so helpful!
Very much appreciate the effort you put into these videos as well as the equipment recommendations. As a beginner starting out in astrophotography, there is a lot to learn and the information that you present in such a clear and understandable way is a real commitment to the community. I'm absolutely commited to this hobby and look forward to being able to contribute back in the future.
I love that you take the time to create videos for beginners because it's a little overwhelming for us to understand all that is required to start from scratch when watching recent videos. I am semi pro at photography, pro with photoshop but don't know a thing about telescopes and very little about astronomy. But I am obsessed with taking photos of the sky. I bought a Rokinon 12mm f2.0 for my micro four third camera and was surprised to see andromeda on my photos! I am hooked now! So thank you so much, I will read your "get started" link with GREAT interest.
Hi, thanks for the real effort you've put in to your tutorials, finally I'm getting results. But the mount, scope and camera were major factors. Now I have the right gear it's much easier. Don't stop teaching us please..
Trevor, I can not thank you enough for the time and effort that you have put into your videos. There are a lot of content providers out there to chose from but your simplistic approach, wealth of information, clarity and very personable approach, makes you my first (and almost exclusive) choice at this point. You have rescued me from Astro-photographic purgatory and I can not thank you enough, for it. I look forward to your continued guidance and inspiration. With them, I am sure I will be exceeding my own expectations very soon. Your passion is fueling my own.
This video is exactly what the person who loves astrophotography but has never been brave enough to make the jump from just dreamer to a doer, thanks!
Very informative and appreciated, Trevor.
I am just starting to go down the rabbit hole that is Astrophotography and your videos are among the most helpful and all-encompassing that I've found. Thank you! 🙏
This might be some kind of rabbit hole for a dedicated person.
Isn’t that what life is all about? :)
Rabbit hole that turns into obsession...
Thank you so much for this video. I was waiting for something like this from you!
Trevor I am ONLY just now starting my journey into astronomy and EAA!!! Your one of my main youtube heroes on how to do this!! I have picked up sooooo many tips and tricks from you and LOVE your videos and channel!!
I've been watching your videos for a few weeks now and I wanted to thank you for the awesome content and great advice Trevor!
Trevor I just love your style. There are so many AP people out there just looking for technical perfection, most expensive gear etc. and you always remind me what does matter most: just have fun with the greatest of all hobbies!
Good advices, Trevor. Almost a year since I watch your videos. I just bought a star adventurer. It's nice to think i'm doing the my first steps right 😁. Greetings from Argentina.
First video I've seen of yours. Subscribed after 5 minutes. Really looking forward to watching the rest of your content. Thanks for the great upload.
Very useful video yet again, Trevor! It looks like I've paid attention to many of your vids, before watching this video I had bought a Canon Rebel T3i, Star Watcher Pro 2i and today just received the Redcat 51. Glad to see I made the right decisions based on this video and your previous advice!
I’m just getting into Astrophotography and your videos are the absolute best and only continue to influence me more. I’m so glad I’ve found your channel and videos and your pictures are jaw dropping!!! Keep it up and thank you for all the time you’ve put into spreading your knowledge and love of the hobby! 🙏🏼❤️🌎✨🪐☄️🌙
Thanks Trevor,
Enjoy your videos and podcast! Thanks for making this document available.
Already started reading it!
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you for putting these incredible videos together! I love that you've started from the basics and then added in more and more detail. The fact that you're using some 'cheap' kit, as well as some that costs £10,000+ gives great direction with the ways that one can proceed in this hobby! I'm currently shooting with a Nexstar 6SE but hope to buy an HEQ5 soon with a wide-field Williams Optics scope, they look incredible! Wide-field has to be the best way to start and I never would have thought that without watching your videos! Thank you!
ps. If you have any kit you'd like to send to the UK, I'm happy to provide my address :)
Thanks,
Tom
Great video trevor as always. Lots of good info, and a nice wider profile than the q&a that followed lol. Keep the videos coming and the image guide is great.
Love it, been using a Canon t6i with a rokinon 14mm. This year I purchased a Sky Watcher Star Tracker and have been amazed at what I am able to photograph! Love this channel!
Ohh really???
@@manuelmanu128 yes. The big thing now is to take night pictures then photoshop the sky in.
To get the big starry sky shot they use wide lens without much magnification. You don't need a tracker and it's fun I guess.
Thanks for the video! I am about to give astrophotography a second try. The first test run was very over whelming a couple years ago. This time should be different. With your videos, and help from my local club, I should be able to piece together some good photos. I have all the equipment, now it's time to piece everything together.
Your videos help us beginners. It's nice having your channel as a reference, on how-to-do backyard astronomy. My free time is limited, and your videos help flatten the learning curve by giving us insight/tricks to the hobby. Keep up the good work! We all appreciate the videos!
Hey Trevor, thanks for the many videos for beginners. And a special thanks for the picture editing guide! 🤩
Your speech and presentation are so clear. You have a knack as an educator. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, your enthusiasm is infectious.
I am so happy that you did this video! I haven't came across to many videos that is geared towards DSR new user setup. I have enjoyed your videos very much and taken you advise on new equipment (ioption skyguider pro) and photo processing (I like the way you teach, You explain why you do a particular process versus just say "do this and do that"). Thank you so much for your videos and being my inspiration getting into this hobby more.
Thanks for the useful videos. I just ordered a Celestron 6" with an equatorial go to mount an I'm really excited. Want to get into Atrophotography too. One step at a time.
I’m in the exact same boat! Same gear pretty much haha, Have fun :)
That’s an amazing video illustrating the scope and depth of the Astro photography never seen with gear like this before in any video. Thanks for sharing. 💐
LOVE your videos, please keep them coming!
An absolutely EXCELLENT beginner lesson with great recommendations. Broad ideas to let folks go where they want. Thank you!
Thanks Trevor. I watch several of your vid’s before I made my first purchase. Your vid’s are very helpful thanks.
Very informative! One day I’ll start this process. Was up in Maine recently and was blown away by the night sky.
Hi Trevor, thanks so much for the informative videos! I have an old Pentax DSLR and started with a 4” refractor, unguided on an HEQ5 Mount. Some good results, and now I’m using my LX10 OTA on the mount with guiding (with a home built 50mm F7 refractor, but it works!). As you say, Astrophotography is a slow learning process, but very addictive and worthwhile!
Thanks for a brilliant video Trevor. I learned a lot from you/it. I'm a newbie to Telescopes/Photography etc ( 9 months, 3 Telescopes in ) so i'm like a sponge absorbing as much info as possible. Thank You as always for the great videos sir! Wes. Liverpool, UK.
Thank you for the info. Your inspiration is greater then words.
One of the most helpful videos I have ever seen. Thank you very much!
Thank you for this simple straight forward how to get started video.
I will need as much help as I can get. I do have great patience, with no expectation for immediate success. Your videos offer sound advice. Your deep space photos are beautiful.
This is the beginner astrophotography video I've been looking for - thank you!
Hey Trevor, im thankful for your addiction and suggestions. I have own telescopes in the past and done some professional photography as well, now thx to your videos im putting those to great loves together. And as you have suggested, i have now started very simple and will slowly work my way up as i gather experience. Thx again... Omar
Great info here! I would add that if people are just buying a first camera, and don't already have a DSLR, don't be afraid to look at a cooled astro camera like the ZWO ASI183MC. If your region has warm nights like mine does you'll constantly fight sensor noise with a DSLR and it will limit your exposure times. I found it was the biggest frustration and TEC cooling helps a lot. The prices are really comparable. But like Trevor said, if you're coming from shooting landscapes your DSLR is extremely capable for DSO photography.
Excellent video with a lot of hands-on information. Thank you, great job!
Love your videos mate! This one was a gem too. And I immediately went to your site to purchase your guide. Its very well written. However I have a couple of suggestions.
1. It would've been awesome had you included some of your raw shots for us to practice with. An earlier video of yours explaining image mnipulation had links to your raw files for rosette I think. Something like that should've been included here too.
2. I'm surprised you didn't mention sequence pro which is must for taking photos in the first place.
3. I would've really appreciated had you also explained the various settings of deep sky stacker amd how they affect the end result. I haven't gone thru the whole book, so maybe you've done that and I haven't come across it yet. :-)
4. And finally, I'd really love if you had begun from the start of an imaging session. How you set up your rig. What's your preferred way of acheiving focus. How you your flats and lights and darks and biases. And only then start with the actual image processing.
Nevertheless, a very good read. The time and effort you've put it here is awesome and I'm glad I purchased this book. If you ever get to update this, please make it available for free or discounted for people who have already purchased this one. :-)
Agreeed
Great introduction for me, as I wish to start moving from milky way/landscape wide angle shooting into more deep sky techniques. Question: between the ioptron and skywatcher you have shown here, is one of these more appropriate for growing into more advanced uses, without suddenly realizing that perhaps they should have spent a bit more at the beginning? Or is there another tracker that is just a step up from these, without breaking the bank or being too complicated?
Great video, Trevor! I'll definitely use this as a supplement in teaching my friends!
Thank you this video was very helpful, I’m literally trying to learn it all, photography, Astronomy and photo editing, there’s a lot of information but it’s quite cool learning, I’m working on putting together my gear so it’s handy having a guide as there is a lot of equipment and everyone has different opinions on what’s best which makes it more confusing, once things start opening up I will join my local astronomy group, I’ve just joined a group on Facebook which is cool but I definitely benefit from being shown rather than told
Thanks for this very helpful video.
That's exactly what I was looking for.
Great channel and amazing pictures... keep going.. good job and greetings from Austria ☺👍
Another awesome vid, Trevor! Well done :)
WOW BLOWN AWAY Trevor. i switched from nikon d5200,
to canon 600d and the transformation is WOW the colours are magicaly transformed
I'm just getting started again at age 40, I used to have a 6" newtonian when I was in my teens and obsessed over it for years, I took a solid 20 years off as life happened, I then bought a used neq6 mount and a 10" skywatcher newtonian and immediately found myself in over my head so sold it off, now I'm just going back to basics with a 12" collapsible dobsonian and maybe a star adventurer and small refractor like you mentioned, it feels good to be back with many memories flooding back
did you write a fucking novel dude
Hi, I've watched some of your videos and I'm now a big fan, thank you so much for these. I don't own any telescope but i hope by watching more of your videos i can make a choice that works for me. Thanks again
Loved this video. Great info for getting into astrophotography.
Always enjoy these videos.
This is a great video, Trevor. I would like to add that shit escalates quickly! There are great deals on used gear on several sites but make sure you make a friend who can help you to not get ripped off.
Really appreciate your post. Great presentation and so helpful. Thanks
Thank you so much for sharing your passion and experience with us beginners.
Thanks Trevor. Always very helpful.
Thanks mucho Trevor. I definitely need to learn more. I started with a C-8 originally and a few years ago bought a Nextar 8SE and later bought the Star Sense Auto Align go to camera but just haven't spent the time I want to. Someday.
Thanks again
In the early stages, Polar alignment, finding targets and focus will be the most challenging - Prophetic! I've got PA squared away, i think. I have struggled with finding targets and my focus is awful. to make matter worse i have slight star trails. I will watch and read everything possible to get this right.
Thank you for the great info bud. I cant wait till im shooting shots like yours.
you are doing a fantastic work Trevor
The dog lol!!!! Adorable. Great vid, thanks!
Thanks for the guidance. I've been fooling around with the SVBony 105 camera, but would like to switch to DSLR. Your pictures are an inspiration!
Nice video, with a lot of key basics.
On a side note, I still get funny looks when I recommend the old school "3 prime lenses" setup as a good starting point for budget AP. But hey, even a 30yo prime lens kit can pull some really nice images when starting out. Plus, such kits leave more money for filters, mounts, and other needed gear.
I found a used LXD75 online, guy who sold it to me showed me that it moved etc.. I went out to use it and found out the chip in the hand held unit was ruined and had to spend the cash on a used unit, it added a fair amount to the cost. It was after that when I found your channel and it's been a great resource for information and reviews. Just wanted to say thank you for all you're doing for the folks just making their way into this challenging but rewarding hobby
Oh there is the skywatcher star tracker, thought you said in your previous video you didn’t have or use it so you can’t recommend it. Good to see it. Great video
Sir I really like watching your video. That's why I'm saving my time, thank you
I was looking to get into visual so i watched your video about the AD8 dob and bought one. i'm still waiting on that to ship but i'm already looking at photography. i knew to come here to get started. Thank you sir
This has been massively helpful thank you 🙏 I’m saving up for a tracker at the moment. Do you recommend turning off the long exposure noise reduction so that the exposures are taken quickly in sequence and then tidying up the image in post? Thanks!
I also share that photography, astronomy and astrophysics passion thus really appreciate your knowledge sharing!! Thanks a lot Trevor! Love your channel!! 👍👍☺
Went to engineering school.
Ours had an 'Omar' who was a PhD biophysicist. (Math teacher)
The campus joke was...
"What does a biophysicist actually do?"
Answer: "Teach math".
So what does an astrophysicist actually do? Same thing I bet.
I bought an adapter to mount a red dot scope on the hot shoe of my camera. It is very helpful to get on the target of interest.
Very informative and useful video.
Top quality content.
Thank you!
Thank you Trevor. I’m 7 months in on my Astrophotography journey and processing is without doubt my biggest challenge. Just downloaded your processing guide and can’t wait to give it a run out this evening (raining in UK😩) No doubt in my mind your guide will take my photos to the next level. Thanks a million 👍🏻🧐
Hi, what equipment did you start with?
another great "telescope" is the Canon 200mm f/2.8. Shoots great at full aperture, plus the advantage of being able to use Backyard EOS to do full electronic focus control of the lens.
Thank you very much for this. 🙏🙏🙏
A lot of information here. Thank you!!!
I have a Celestron AZ Go-to Astro Fi (powered by Starportal and SkySafari Plus), my phone and a Canon EOS camera. :) I love Astrophotography and if only i had time as I had to go to bed early for work tomorrow!
Should have mentioned the simple barn door tracker, it should work fine to use with cameras as starting point for deep sky astro.
the video I was waiting for!
:D
Cool video man. Astrophotography isn’t my thing, but seeing someone passionate about photography/videography is cool. I used to mess around with a refracting telescope, but since I moved to NYC, that’s a difficult thing to use, for the obvious reasons. Good stuff man! Enjoy
"SkEye" for android is amazing ! Has lots of features.. and a red mode :)
Good information. Another approach to presenting this information to a beginner is to show an image type (moon, planet, deep sky object), and then the type of equipment required and methods to capture that kind of image. Not every detail of the process, but a summary for each.
Really great vid thanks. I have a Nikon Z6 for video and know my way around premiere pro but I'm gonna be looking in a little cheeky side gear for astrophotography, and start to learn my way around photoshop
Excellent video and content, just about to purchase a Skytracker..
Awesome. Thank you ! I feel inspired!
Like some other people have said-amazing photos can be made without a telescope or tracking equipment. A wide fixed focal length lens and a camera with a good sensor on a tripod (stuff photographers already have) can make stunning images and introduce the beginner to photographing the night sky.
hello I just found your channel. I have dabbled in astronomy and been a photographer for many many years. I want to really get into astrophotography and so afr I have enjoyed the several video's I have watched. I am subscribed and trying to watch as many as I can.
place i stay in has terrible night sky, i just started "trying" astrophotography with no experience with telescopes or photography lol and couldnt find any good video that could help me learn. glad af i found this channel
i got a nikon d5600 with 70-300mm lens, will it do?
Trevor, what you said isn't wrong, but it mostly applies to people like perhaps yourself that come from a photography background getting into AP. For people like myself coming from a (visual) amateur astronomy background, I've found it easier to get started with lunar and planetary photography. Visual astronomers already have (sometimes big) telescopes and are not afraid to collimate them, but they are often on Alt-Az or even non-tracking mounts (Dobsonians) with medium-to-long focal lengths. On top of that, it is extremely unlikely they have a DSLR or even a camera outside their phone. A cheap ZWO planetary camera mounted on top of their existing scope can quickly and cheaply yield nice shots of the moon and with some practice Saturn Jupiter and Mars. In time they can move on to an equatorial mount, re-mounting their OTA and/or buying an APO, and the "planetary" camera will usually do nicely until they upgrade to a cooled camera.
I have both a DSLR (two in fact) and a Newtonian with an equatorial (manual) mount. When I hunt the night skies, I usually find my target (not always, that would mean I am not ambitious enough). Your comment seems very applicable to me. Yet, given exposure times (I took some shots at night on my fixed tripod and M42 came out nicely with long exposures, except that all stars became lines due to earth's rotation) does it mean my next step would be trying to mount the camera on the Newtonian and then take high luminosity objects (Moon or planets) with short exposure? Or do I need some tracking mount to compensate first? Should I try to mount a motor on my mount? Sorry if this is a bit long and thanks for your comment.
@@SubtleForces It depends on what you like to do of course (lunar/planetary or dso) . Deep Sky has the advantage that there is something to photograph year-round, especially if you ever move into narrowband and the moon is no longer an issue. Planetary has a bit of a disadvantage that the gas giants are close together these last few years and Mars is always a once-every-2-years kinda thing. The moon is a good target tough and with a longer focal length you can get some impressive shots.
First I would check (daytime, really far away object) if your newt can reach focus with a DSLR attached tough, many newtonians designed for visual can't retract the focus tube far enough to let a DSLR reach focus (the mirror in a DSLR causes longer back focus requirements). Many visual mounts can be motorized but lack sufficient stability and quality of gearing to do long-exposure deep sky AP. Should be fine for planetary/lunar tough.
If you want to do planetary/close-up lunar I really recommend a CMOS planetary camera (like an ASI120MC or 224MC - they don't break the bank esp used), a DSLR just can't deliver raw (uncompressed!) frames at a high enough speed to beat the seeing (lucky imaging). You can eventually use that as guide cam if/when you want to do deep sky with the DSLR.
If you would like to go into deep sky, then check the dslr focus issue I mentioned above, and then get a good mount. Make sure to keep below 50% of the manufacturer "rated capacity" for deep sky AP. Good luck!
Thank you very much informative. Greetings from Germany 👍
Thanks mate I have done some astro, but i hate the cold nights outside, i have subscribe so i might get over it
I kinda would love to get into astrophotography. Maybe someday!
Keep up the awesome videos!
Hi! Above all I want to say thank you so much for your channel and for making the time to freely share what I am sure took a lot of time for you to learn and experience. I really love your channel and it is time for me to follow in your steps! I am about to graduate law school and a dream of mine for a “Bar trip” is to hit up some dark sites in the States to try my hand at some images. I come from the traditional photography and photoshop world. I learned on film (teacher forced us - I am grateful) and I am completely comfortable with manual exposures and handling the files in Lightroom or Photoshop. I am stuck in a weird space between graduation and the start of work (where I imagine this trip taking place). I won’t have any income to purchase any new gear so I was wondering if my current set up could work and, in particular, understanding the limits. I will be trying to use a Canon 60 (this should work) with a Canon 70-200 f/4 non-IS lens (this is where I worry). Would love to chat about steps I can take to maximize set up. I will look into the trackers and a more stable tri-pod now! Thanks for everything!
Thanks for info, just purchased Sky-weather pro.
Thanks for this, really great amount of info here. I keep hoping theres a cheaper mount that one can use, shipping and exchange rates kill us for gear being far away from north america or europe.
Didn't understand a word of what he said, but im excited to get started!
Nice work Trevor!
Awesome advice! Also there is the Omegon mechanical tracker for $122.00 that will hold 4.2lbs payload..love mine for portability