This is an excellent video with tons of relatable advice. I'm a veteran astrophotographer with an APOD and Astrobin IOTD to my name. Some things I'd like to add: - A common mistake I see is blindly following online tutorials without actually trying to understand the topic. Nobody excepts anybody to memorize the exact math behind calibration and stacking, but if you constantly need to check the correct parameters for darks, flats and biases, that's a strong signal that you don't understand what's going on! - Another one is relying too much on software instead of doing the bulk of the work in the field. No algorithm will bring an out of focus photo back to perfect sharpness, or perfectly recover from any acquisition errors, or bring out any detail that wasn't the in the first place. Similarly, adding various "beauty marks" (star spikes, glow effects) to photos will instantly make them appear extremely fake to anyone with the slightest bit of decent knowledge in the field. - Tons of astrophotographers seem to completely ignore anything outside of deep sky imaging, which at the same time is the most expensive and demanding subgenre of this hobby. You may find deep sky too difficult, or simply realize it's not your thing - and that's okay, there are multiple alternatives! Solar System photography is unaffected by light pollution and can be easily done from urban areas. Nightscapes and travelling go extremely well together. Timelapses allow the most creative and artistic expression. I found myself slowly moving towards widefield work over the years. - Cheap equipment can do much, much more than many people think - but good observational conditions are *extremely* important. I remember one particular night in the desert during a US eclipse trip in 2017. Several beginner folks were literally falling on their knees behind their cameras when they saw how clearly the Milky Way appeared even in the most basic cameras.
@@AstroExploring Pin, pin, it's for sure a good one... There would be so many tips to give for any of these derivative styles too... And often experimented users/reviewers forget how unknowledgeable a beginner can be, and omit few essential tips/steps because it became so basic to them, like in a few videos where I see tens of minutes on how to use a small star tracker but omission to say how important it is to check that the tripod in use is properly leveled before anything else. True beginners need checkpoints on every step that had become such a simple routine for some that it doesn't come to their mind that this routine might yet be unknown to the newbie for simple it might seem. Dummies too want to learn...🎓🌠
The things I’ve learned so far (6 months into this amazing hobby) is don’t compare your results to others, but take them as a potential goal on what you want to achieve. And find your own pace. Don’t rush things, come back to old images, improve them and know the stars will be there again next year. Last but not least, be proud of your images. You photographed an Object millions or billions of kilometers/miles away and that’s something!
Good video, thanks. As a noob myself I feel like I still have some good tips to offer because of the things I've struggled with. 1. Learn to take astro images with a basic camera and tripod first. An ultra wide lens can get you a decent 30 second exposure with no polar alignment. 2. I only added this here, because if you want to buy a star tracker next, you'll want to know this stuff. Learn about some of the free star software and take some time to fully understand what calibration frames are (light, flat, dark, bias etc). I wish I would have learnt about these early on, it would have saved a bunch of confusion later on. 3. If you buy a star tracker next. Make sure you get a sturdy tripod. I initially just bought the tracker, but used an existing travel tripod, nice tripod, but not sturdy for astro use, I was constantly having to re-align every time I changed camera position on the ball head. 4. Learn to use an intervalometer correctly. Yes, I've screwed that up before..lol 5. Seems like a no brainer, but wear the right clothing. Trust me, there's nothing worse than you wanting to take some great shots, but it's the middle of winter and your fingertips are numb, your body is cold, your ears are freezing. You'll get frustrated very quickly and give up. There are times you'll spend hours outside in the winter, so trust me, it's worth it. I ended up buying some snowboarding pants/trousers. Most comfortable warm pants I've ever worn. Then I purchased a goose-down jacket with thermals for underneath. Extreme cold weather socks with a solid pair of winter boots. And the most important, gloves. You can't press buttons if your fingers are falling off. As the video states. Start simple and work up.
Define what 'enough money' is. When I started this a few years ago, and I've had some personal, financial and legal issues, so I haven't been able to do anything for over two years now, I was told $3,000-$3,500 would get you in the door for a half way decent imaging rig. I mean, let's be honest, you're not going to do a lot of astroimaging for less than $1,000 right? Let's us American dollars and American companies, and see what we can come up with for as little as possible, okay? The foundation of any good AP rig is mount, so let's start there. I have a Celestron AVX, and I'll immediately tell anyone starting out to stay as far away from that as possible. We have two ways to go here, we can go a computerized EQ mount, or we can go a non-motorized mount and add a motor drive to it. I personally think we should go with a computerized GoTo mount. For $800 USD, I'm going to recommend the Explore Scientific EXOS-2GT with PMC-8. For $100 less, we could go with the EXOS-1GT, which has a lower payload capability, so my opinion is the EXOS-2 is the better buy. www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/mounts/telescope-mounts/equatorial-mounts/explore-scientific-exos-2gt-goto-equatorial-mount-with-pmc-8-electronics-exos2gtpmct3-00 Next, you'll need a polar alignment scope. www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/mounts/telescope-mounts/equatorial-mounts/explore-scientific-exos-2gt-goto-equatorial-mount-with-pmc-8-electronics-exos2gtpmct3-00 Normally, I'd suggest an iOptron iPolar, but we're looking at keeping the price down. Total so far, $870. Next, you need to guide your mount. I said I bought an Orion package, the 'Magnificent MIni' and I won't recommend that to anyone, either. The camera that comes with that is fine, but the scope and the way it mounts in the bracket is, in my opinion, worthless. I would spend an extra $100 and get a 60mm guide scope and a far superior mounting and adjustment package with the same camera, $430. www.highpointscientific.com/orion-starshoot-autoguider-and-60mm-guide-scope-package-21404 Total is now $1,300. Okay, so we need a telescope! Remember, this is a beginning set up, and you'll acquire more telescopes as you go along. They'll multiply in the dark! My best suggestion will be a 'refractor,' the classic telescope tube that everyone thinks of when they think telescope. For the major, newbie items you'll want to shoot, I'm going to recommend a 70-80mm aperture. With a camera, the aperture isn't as important as if you were doing visual astronomy, since the camera can wait and capture more photons than the human eye can. What we're actually looking for is focal length and focal ratio. A shorter focal length, say under 550mm, will give you the ability to capture even the largest of objects in the sky. I have a 6" GSO Ritchey Chretien, but with my set up, it's TOO powerful to capture something like M31, the Andromeda galaxy. I also have a William Optics ZenithStar 71, which is perfect for capturing the Andromeda Galaxy. With a 0.8x field flattener, I can easily fit it on the APS-C Sony A58 I own. It will also fit nicely onto most dedicated astro cameras, like the QHY-294, QHY-268, ZWO ASI071, and even the 4/3 sized ASI 1600MM. Several terms, Apo, achro, ED, Petzvel and Quad often get thrown about. Knowing what each of those means is important. An 'achro', or achromatic telescope, uses two lens elements. Because of this, there is 'violet fringing.' This is caused by the two lenses not being able to focus the three primary colors, red, blue and green, all to the same point. Achros are the least expensive style of telescope. A well made achro may be able to reduce fringing, but not eliminate it. However, there are filters which can help to further reduce it. ED, or Extra Disperson, is also a two element design where there are special coatings on the glass to improve the performance of the glass and eliminate false colors. An Apo, or Apochromatic, has three lenses and by design will eliminate the violet color fringing in all images, since it is able to focus all three wavelengths of light at the same point. Petzvels and Quads are more specialty telescopes and are outside the scope of this discussion. i would recommend a William Optics ZenithStar 81 Refractor and an additional 0.8 field flattener/reducer. It sells at Highpoint Scientific for $918. Nicely, it also comes with a built in Bhatinov mask as part of the scope. Makes focusing a lot easier. www.highpointscientific.com/telescopes/refracting-telescopes/refractor-optical-tube-assemblies-ota/william-optics-zenithstar-81-apo-refractor-package-with-flattener-red-a-z81rd-ap This now puts us at $2,218. Even though this is for AP, you're still going to need a diagonal for eyepieces for centering, alignment and just those days you actually want to LOOK at something. William Optics has a 2" diagonal with their 'RotoLock' system for about $200. You can buy something less expensive, but this will keep your eyepieces nice and secure. www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/william-optics-2-inch-durabright-rotolock-diagonal-d-dig2d-roto-a2 For aligning your telescope and mount, you'll also want a special eyepiece for centering. This one has an illuminated crosshair to help you align everything. www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/eyepieces/orion-illuminated-centering-eyepiece-08239 This brings us to about $2,550. Since we want to do AP instead of visual astronomy, we won't need too much in the way of eyepieces, but we should always have a few, just if we want to look at something. I would recommend Explore Scientific as a great value. For $350, you can get a four piece kit that includes a 4.5mm, 10mm, 20mm and 30mm eyepiece. if for some reason, you wanted to add a 15mm, you can add that for $80 more. But, for now, we won't. This eyepiece kit brings us to $2,900. At this price point, we're not using a dedicated astro camera, we'll have to use a DSLR, and I have to assume you already have one. However, if you don't, you can find a used, modified camera with the IR filter removed on ebay, like this one, for under $400. www.ebay.com/itm/Excellent-Astro-modified-Full-Spectrum-Canon-EOS-550D-T2i-18MP-Body-Read/324445493282 With that, it brings us to $3,300 dollars. Add another $200 for software for camera control, "BackyardEOS', and stuff for processing your images, "Astro Pixel Processor" or the like, and then add a bunch of freeware, N.i.N.A., and PHD2, and other good stuff, and you're going to be a 'beginners' price of right about $3,500. Is that outside of your reasonable expectations?
This is all about what you want to image. What exactly do you want to Image. I cant make anything like the Hubble Telescope because I dont have enough money to build one. All you need is a DSLR and your kit lens and you can do some great stuff with Milky Way, Carina Nebula, M31. You dont even need a tracker. Then start slowly adding more in when you save up.
Hahahaha, that's funny. But seriously, I've been able to afford a modest setup, but it took me two years to build. If you are patient, you can do it. Astrobiscuit has probably some of the best stories about how to take used equipment and get great results.
I started with a 100 dollar table top telescope and a cellphone clip. Naturally my results sucked but it gave me the bug. Slowly over the years, one piece at a time I got a decent rig.
If you’ve never done astrophotography before then listen to mistake number 2! I tried it for the first time last week and my photos are horrendous. I already had my mind set on the fact that they would be bad so I just spent the whole 4 hours learning as much as I could for the next outing and I’m really glad I did.
Have also noticed that people with almost no photography experience expect to suddenly know their way around apertures, focal lengths, ISOs, white balance, etc. Bit like buying a top end bike and then not understanding why you can't win the Tour de France. I have 20yrs of (regular) photography experience and have recently tried my hand at astrophotography but experienced the same incredibly steep learning curve it requires, even with considerable knowledge/experience behind the lens. I'm almost a year into this journey and now only just taking shots that I would deem "good".
One thing to add. Autoguiding has been the big step change for me. Still using a relatively cheap scope, mount and my regular DSLR but I invested in an autoguiding camera and ASIair. Imagery is considerably better for it (mainly because I can take much longer subs now without the risk of star trailing and tracking inaccuracy).
Hi Nick, some good advice... The only one I would like to add to this for beginners is that is very important for good tracking is to ensure your tripod is well and truly level before you load up the mount with gear... If you are setting up on your garden lawn is to give the tripod a good push down into the ground, this will reduce the chances of the tripod legs sinking into the lawn once you have loaded up with gear... 1° degree out on level can mean 10° out on tracking correctly... Second tip especially for star trackers is to take your time on polar alignment... I always take 15mins for polar alignment so I recheck (1st) on inital alignment 2nd once ive loaded up the mount with all the kit I intend to use that evening, and then 3rd re check alignment before I start my image sequence... Clear skies...
Actually, no, you don't need your tripod to be level. As long as you polar align your mount, the RA axis will be parallel to the Earth axis and it will track without any issues. Leveling your tripod is just to simplify polar alignement and to ensure the center of mass is centered.
5:30 Setting up during the day and polar alligning, etc. during twilight completely eliminates this, as you don't have dark night anyways. Also: Find data to practice on, lots of people make their data public, or for a small fee, which you can use for editing practice.
This is one of the best astrophotography videos I've ever seen. I have only been into the hobby for a few months and, given the lack of clear skies we have in England I consider myself an almost complete beginner. These tips are great.
You nailed when you told us that we should expect problems. I’m using a dedicated observatory and a telescope that is well polar aligned, and every time I go out there are problems. I’ve got a mental checklist of the significant (and repetitive) issues I experience and that list grows over time. It usual takes five minutes to get the observatory open and then another 30-45 minutes to get all the equipment trimmed out. There are those occasional outings where things go perfectly, but those times are few and far between. Your most important tip here is, have fun. Your worst night of astrophotography will likely still be better than your best days working. Thanks for putting into words what most in this hobby know implicitly.
6 months ago I was taking shakey photos of the Orion Nebula with my phone through the eyepiece of my telescope. I then graduated to an ioptron skyguider pro and a stock dslr with a small refractor (redcat51). Ended up being given a bunch of really expensive gear in exchange for guitar lessons, and through many nights of trial and error I’m finally producing awesome images and using much better gear. Channels like yours and astrobackyard are the reasons I made it lol. That and determination. My only advantage starting out was being familiar with the night sky and owning a few small scopes throughout the years for visual astronomy. Computers, cameras, go to functionality, and basically every other aspect of astrophotography were all completely foreign to me 6 months ago. So thanks for your guidance man. Without folks like you and Trevor the learning curve may have been too much.
Couldnt agree more. 👏 Also, taking your photo gear out every time can seem a bit like work. So, I try to prioritize viewing in at least half of my sessions.
My best tip...keep a close eye on eBay/Facebook Marketplace/Forum for sale feeds/etc. You don't need to buy kit brand new and there are plenty of guys upgrading their equipment, so selling their old stuff off. My current mount, scope, guide camera and ASIair is all pre-owned. In fact, the only things I bought boxfresh new in my setup is the guide scope and a few camera filters!
In other words: be patient, keep at it, and make sure to think about the simple things. :) Thanks for the upload. You're right, this is such a great hobby!
I've been a photographer and an astronomer for over 30 years and it's been great! - In the last 5 years since I decided to put a camera on a telescope there have been dozens of times that I wanted to just leave my gear in the field! Fortunataely, I did not. Your tips are all spot on. You can't overpower this hobby with money. It takes practice, planning, and research. I will say that I am guilty of the planning thing a lot. I'll get out and set up and shoot from the hip on a target. It's not usually a big deal since I go to a dark site with a great view but I should plan better.
Your advice is welcomed and so true. I wish I saw your video before I bought “everything” . The KISS principle (keep it simple stupid) is the best advice. I have seen amazing photos taken with a cheap camera and terrible photos taken with an expensive camera.
My experience so far: I started this hobby 6 months ago, and the amount of support i've gotten from other astrophotographers has helped me SO much. I'm guilty of comparing my work with others, but I'm getting better. I'm still finding my taste in a astro photo. The community is amazing, everyone is helpful, and kind. Great video, huge eye opener!
I used to have the same setup as you (I have a different mount now)! What’s that plate on top of your scope? I’m looking for something to mount my guide cam to
When it comes to faint objects like nebulae, the single biggest factor in final image quality is not the quality of the equipment; it is the time spent gathering light towards a given image. Hands down all the best images come from HOURS and HOURS of exposures stacked together.
Great video! I went out a few nights ago after purchasing my new ASIair. It had been weeks since clear skies. I was photographing the Needle Galaxy. After spending 5 hours on this target and wondering why my subs were so poor I realised a fatal mistake....I left the narrowband filter on. What’s worse is I spent the entire following day thinking I had set up ASIair wrong and not being able to process my image. Day and a half wasted 😂. Just a share to encourage all those making mistakes.
Great video Nick. I have made the mistake of buying all the gear without experience in photography let alone astrophotography. - a Williams Optics GT81 on a Eq6 mount and a canon 60da. Although I got reasonable images of M42 I think that was just luck. I can’t get Jupiter to be more than a bright white ball with the Galilean moons. I can’t see any bands on the planet despite varying iso and exposure time 🤦🏻♂️
I first bought a 8” Newtonian for visual, to check if I could really like AP, being under the stars, etc. Visual soon got too limited, and I took the plunge with an EQ mount, DSLR and 90 mm refractor (a used one). From there it was indeed step by step to a more sophisticated setup with dedicated AP camera, , power management, better software etcetera. You need to learn a lot, but once you know it, it’s quite easy 😀
Great video. The most exciting part of astronomy for me was to see a poor quality image of Jupiter or Saturn, and then over time to improve the quality of the equipment, such as the eyepiece, mount or telescope to improve the images. The excitement of receiving the upgrade in the post and then the anticipation of waiting for a clear night is the most rewarding part for me.
Hello Nick, this is so true; I picked up this hobby April 2020, after having let my C8 gather dust in the garden shed for more than a decade, to finally drop it while moving it outside. In the meantime it's replaced by a Newtonian (budget ...). If there's one thing I've learned in these past months, with this hobby there's no room for compromise, good enough is just not good enough, it has to be spot on! Thanks for confirming this with this video! g.
Well...I made my way and feels like the water I step into is getting deeper and deeper...started with a bino and took some moon shots when I was like...12 years old, maybe? I already loved the astronomy back then. And that was all I did, nothing much happened in next 15 years or so. Maybe I took some MilkyWay photos but nothing serious. So good time after my wife bought me a scope, which was a great gift and then love to astrophotography exploded. I started to dig, bought myself another scope (Sw150/750 on eq3-2) and ...had to use all the knowledge I have learned myself before. Polar align is easy understandable. So I got eq3 motorized for longer subs. After two years it was nothing more but frustrating because I wanted to go with longer subs. So now, I sit with Heq5 Pro, with additionally goto which helps a lot and saving some time. Got recently the guiding cam, optolong lpro...and just found out I would like soon to buy a dedicated astrocamera 😳 neverending story... The biggest problem is that some of the beginners can't name even the brightest stars, or they don't even know how the sky works. With some basic knowledge in physic and astronomy things can be so much easier!
100% the best advice for beginners. I started in March of this year, (2022) and with every youtube video I watched, I was deeper and deeper into going around in circles rather than learning the basics first. I still struggle with polar alignment. It seems every night I go out to polar align and track, some issue ( software, clouds, mount) stops me. All the equipment I bought was used. So I didn't spend much at first. But I am still learning Sharpcap, Skysafari, Pixel Insight etc. I also realized that I didnt know as much about operating a camera as I thought. Knowing your camera and lens thoroughly will save lots of fumbling in the dark. I really wish I had watched this 8 months ago. The upside? I realize I am not alone in my frustration and decided its going to be one day at a time. Many thanks, Mike
Good advice Nick the reaching out helped me to figure out my retailer had sent me the wrong flattener after many frustrating nights, thankfully the astro community could see the issue in the shots very quickly. Invaluable resource. 👍
Hi, just subscribed to your channel, you speak a lot of sense and I feel you are a good mentor too! I have just got back into the hobby after a 5 year all clear from cancer during which time I lost all my confidence completely. I feel watching your videos that I could possibly start over agaain in this hobby. So thank you for that. Andy.
I started getting into astrophotography a few months ago and i can defintely relate to some points of your video. Regarding gear shopping, it is really hard to not constantly strive for the next upgrade since at the very start, every upgrade has clear advantages that are directly noticable. Also, i am definitely guilty of rushing my setup and being disappointed when it shows after the session. But making bad decisions and mistakes is all part of it i think, as long as you reflect on it and make it better next time.
As a noob I am finding this a great hobby, and was guilty as charged with wanting desperately to find the "right" gear so it would all work out for me, which I thought might happen right away. I quickly found there were tons of new challenges which fortunately for me, I have loved solving, but it sure put things in perspective about starting simply. Even just getting my gear organised so I don't fumble around in the dark and knock things over took a few nights. I built a tray on my dob to keep gear central - like glasses (I have to take mine off), cellphones, eyepieces.... and it was really satisfying just to be able to solve that problem! Then I added setting circles and a digital inclinomiter to the dob so I could even find some of sights. I also bought a tracker, and I'm not even buying a small telescope or a better DSLR yet, I'm having quite enough trouble down here in NZ doing a polar alignment (a) even seeing Octans, (b) crouching down (I'm getting on bit) to do it ! Still, its fun to work around these problems and learn new things. Like how different equipment will frame different areas of the sky for you. Your first photo is far from terrible to me, because a lot of the joy I'm having right now is simply having the camera reveal so much more than the human eye, can and the absolute WOW factor the more I think of exactly what it IS that I'm looking at. Observing and finding my way around the sky seems to be bringing a certain reality to what is up there, not just an abstract collection of single stars if that makes sense. Anyway, great post , thanks for posting and subscribed for sure.
Good advice. I am enjoying sky watching through my Meade Lightbridge dobsonian for now. Learning sky objects at home in the Southern Hemisphere Australia. I just purchased a used Canon DSLR to practice with. A tripod, Intervalometer and a couple of lenses, including the recommended Nifty fifty 50mm F1.8 are next on my budget. I may even try the camera on my 10" dobsonian when my adaptor arrives. I enjoy your tutorials. It is easy to get ahead of ones self, I'm already getting excited about a star tracker mount. Thanks for your great knowledge Nick. Currently writing myself a quick reference guide on my manual camera settings best for Astrophotography without a tracker.
I was going to start slow but didnt want to waste money buying a DSLR or these lower items just to want to replace them, costing more overall. It is cheaper to go straight to intermediate stuff that will last a long long time.
I have started Astrophotography with no more than 60mm refractor telescope on a manual alt az mount, no star tracker, and using my phone with a universal telescope phone adapter all in, it's around 90$ setup and I'm very proud of the pictures I get
Good advice. You have to do what makes you happy. Personally I don’t really look at what other people produce as equipment and $$$$ is a huge factor in astrophotography. I enjoy watching videos and learning but no interest in seeing others portfolios or IGs. Just get out and enjoy. And don’t spend every moment in front of the computer. Get some binoculars and enjoy the sky with your eyes while your scope collect subs. Too much automation takes away from the enjoyment.
It is all about fun for me , if I get a image great if not meh . Tried with a dedicated Astro camera last night and got nothing but learned heaps, play with the gear before you shoot is a great idea . Have just stepped up from dslr and tracking Mount to a shiny new refractor and a dodgy second hand go to mount with a Astro camera. Let’s just say it is a steep learning curve but heaps of fun . It is the perfect hobby for those of us with insomnia and I am lucky enough to have dark skies at my back door . Pity there have been no clear skies except for 2 hours last night since November. Cheers from Australia
Outstanding advice in so many ways! In comparison, and for perspective, I am a model builder (have been for many years) and am still trying everyday to get better. However, my biggest mental blocks in doing so come when compare my work against that on social media against those who have either been in the hobby longer, have different access to higher-end equipment, have mastered certain techniques better, etc., (much like you pointed out about beginning of this video). It can be demoralizing to say the least if not looked at in the proper perspective. But just the simple gems in explaining to new people just starting to be aware of that, and then encourage them, is worth more than anything I can think of. All of your points are spot on--especially using the jigsaw puzzle as an example. And on those days I start to feel "beat" in either model building or astrophotography, I plan on pulling this video up again and again and listen to the wisdoms that are in it. These principals are just as applicable in any hobby one might start out it. Very well explained. Thanks!
Very helpful summary, Nick. TY from a Noob to the hobby, but not to success in other ventures. Learning comes with doing. Risk it. Do it. It is OK to be frustrated. It’s part of the learning process. Change thoughts, strategy, equipment, etc... you always can go at it a new. That’s what is keeps me engaged, excited and looking for a better captured and processed image. Agreed, key is having fun along the way!
Glad I watched this before started to buy stuff 😄. I have a reflector telescope and equatorial mount gathering dust. Mount isn't driven but I'll still attach the camera to it and see what I can get. Saved me some money (for the moment), and an awkward conversation with my better half
And if you live at my latitudes, where summernights are long and 'sufficiently' warm, but just no dark skies, and the only dark nights are through winter time, wear warm cloths! As you said, don't rush set-up. You are mostly standing/sitting still for PA, focus, framing etc. If you get cold, you start to rush and make mistakes. Stay warm! :-)
Great points you have made. As a beginner myself, I can say that these are very true. While I have bought pretty much everything at once, I don't plan to start imaging for some time. But will get in to it slowly, adding more and more gear as I go. Once all my gear (finally) arrives after months of waiting, I plan to do many practice setups in the garage, just to practice the setup process. In the mean time, i will be able to use the mount and telescope for some visual time, to learn more about our skies.
I'm a complete beginner and I even have a reasonable budget to buy new gear but what have I bought? Nothing (except a head torch and dew heater). All I am using so far is my ageing DSLR, 70-300mm lens and a tripod. Not even a mount. The reasons are exactly as you outline here. So I'm spending the time learning - understanding the processes, the work flow, where things are in the sky, what the points of failure are (hence the dew heater for example), how to use DSS, planning my sessions and so on. My results are of course rubbish - I'm stacking 2 or 3 sec subs + calibration frames through a frosty lens using naff gear - but for me at present that's irrelevant. I'm having fun learning and that's the entire point for me for now. New gear will come eventually but not until I'm comfortable with what I'm doing.
I'd like to add something for the newest beginners, those who haven't even bought their gear yet. ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE you buy. As Nick mentioned, Stargazer's Lounge is one place, Cloudy Nights is another. There are new member forums, at least on Cloudy Nights, and I'm sure Stargazer's Lounge has one, too. If you plan on buying an AP rig, make sure you ask before hand, and LISTEN to what they say. I bought for my first rig a Celestron AVX, a GPO 6" Ritchie Chretien telescope, an Orion auto guider system, and planned on using my Sony A58 DSLR as my imaging camera. I had a laptop especially to go out at night and shoot the stars, loaded with software and cables, and I bought a battery pack. The Celestron AVX is probably the worst mount I could buy. Trying to balance it was near to impossible because they use so much grease, like wheel bearing grease. It won't balance! Hence, my autoguiding was horrid. Next, the autoguider itself is okay, but the scope set up I bought from Orion is horrid. It's near impossible to get it aligned with the telescope, and the slightest bounce knocks it out of alignment. Why I thought buying a 6" RC was a good idea is beyond me. I ended up with a William Optics ZenithStar 71mm refractor (I still have the RC), which is far more appropriate for what I wanted to do, at least for now. Next, if you're going to buy a DSLR, I really recommend buying a used Canon, or Nikon. The mirrorless cameras like my Sony A58 are noisy at low light levels, and forget actually using the screen to try to focus. There is no optical pathway to the eye, it's all electronic, so trying to see those dark fuzzies is crazy hard. I'm not even sure a Bhatinov mask would have been any help. Of course, I was told all of this once I got on the forums, and I eventually listened. Don't be like me, don't think you know it all, and that reading biased reviews is going to help you make a good choice. Do the research, but ask people for help. I ran into a run of hardship, I've lost most of my AP gear, I'm going to have to replace a lot of it. It's expensive, I figured to do it right, it's going to cost me between $6-8,000. But, that's a lot of money and I wouldn't recommend running out and spending that to get something because it meets your desires. I agree with Nick, start small, but, shop wisely, and ASK for recommendations before you start!
It's hilarious, because i have exactly the same first picture as you, it's mediocre, but i love it because it's the first image i took a few days ago with my DIY tracking mount and my really bad 75-300 canon lens.
Make a checklist of your setup. I once spent 20 min figuring out why my guide scope wasn't working before I realized I'd left the cap on. I'm still mad about that lol
Regarding that first bit of advice; an exception might be buying a complete rig from an estate sale. I bought a working scope with lots of accessories for about 1/3 of what it was worth.
Ok. Nice video 👍 i will try to brake rule no1. At the moment have few pictures of the moon with Powerseeker 127eq. Just got HEQ5 pro mount (rowan belt moded by me), with Starwave 102ED-R scope, DSLR which i modified by my self. Guiding scope, camera and bla bla bla. Can't wait to try it out. Not expecting superfancy picks from the start but really interesting what challenges waiting 😍 Of course you guys are brilliant with all the help for newbies like me. Thanks for that 😉
Think money is the biggest obstacles, so many known astrophotographers have not bought their gear, but either loaned or given by companies to top you tube astrophotographers as a way to promote their gear, but the vast majority cannot afford decent gear
3 weeks ago i spent 30 minutes trying to work out why my focus was showing two bright stars rather than one. Then i noticed my mount was pointing at the reflection of garden lights in my kitchen window :(
So.. I've been watching your channel for a while. I've ordered a lot of the kit you use, which is all back ordered. Now I'm worried I've gone too far too quickly. Should have watched this video first :)
Hi Nick. Thanks for the advice and these tips as I started with single lens camera back in 1990s and it was great. Then I got dslr and learned alot before I took great shots and now 72ed and star adventurer I'd say start with the Moon till you get used to gear as the moon is so easy to find and photograph as it's bright then learn all about what you've bought. I'm not rushing into this and alot of people who start out think I'm going to get shots like the Hubble space telescope and they see it's nothing like Hubble shots and say waste of money because the best gear could never match Hubble space telescope. I'm looking for places locally where people won't see me just in case a nutter see me. I know alot of great places to go to in the highlands of Scotland well away from people and light pollution. I knew what I wanted from this setup from the start and through time I'll get better. You said in video last year to go for easy targets that's near bright stars and go for the bright objects. M42 is so easy to find just look below prions belt and you see it. I've bought alot of gear and I'm going to have fun with this gear and learn the basics first. I'm going to use the evoguide 50ed guidescope for deep sky imaging as I bought the flattener for it so I'm ready for it. Skyview app on android is a great way to locate deep sky objects. You have given excellent advice in this video and when the covid-19 pandemic ends I'm going to the highlands with my setup for all my astrophotography. Uig in isle of Skye is a very dark location and even out side portree as I wild camp out side portree and it's dark there. Thanks for sharing this video and your first shot of m31 is very nice. Take care and stay safe!!!
Funny... I walk away from my imaging sessions wondering how I'm going to convince my wife that those two trees really need to be cut down :) You talked a lot about the setup and capture, here are my tips on the processing: 1) Take your calibration frames. Don't skip them. Get into the habit of always taking those flats and darks, etc. 2) Astrophotography is NOT terrestrial photography. A lot of what you know does NOT apply. 3) Just because you captured great data on great equipment does not mean you automatically end up with a great result. Data processing is probably 75% of the entire AP experience. 4) You've just likely spent thousands of dollars on cameras, scopes, mounts, etc. Do NOT skimp on the editing and processing software. 5) Do not be afraid to ask for help and to share what you've created. The AP community is extremely helpful. We've ALL been where you are.
The biggest mistake is these people buying a large aperture to start with and wrong gear, example Celestron SCT telescopes on alt alz mount, wrong scopes yet noobs buy them and think they can really amazing results, for planets are fine, DSO, the alt alz mount is very limiting.
Hi, absolute beginner here, can i ask some questions? The last weeks i'm thinking about buying an tracker / equatorial mount, and i think the EQM-35 PRO will be a good first start for me. I'm planning to use first (to get experience with it) with my Canon 1100d and 200mm lens - so no telescope just yet (maybe later, but i want to start slowly). However i doubt the EQM-35 will be enough to put my Canon 1100d directly on it - what other 'parts' do i need to buy? For example: - Something (some kind of connector?) between my camera and the mount? - Some device with a red dot? Forgot the name. Or don't i need that, because of the GOTO system? - A wireless trigger (i guess i need to use BULB mode on the camera to hold it longer open than 30 seconds?) - Something else? If you can help, much appreciated... i've searched around, asked on a forum for help, but somehow i'm still not sure.
You could use a ball head adapter to connect your camera to the mount. You can pick them up cheap on Amazon if you don’t have one already. Checkout firstlightoptics.com, they have some images of the mount with a camera attached to give you an idea. You don’t need to use a red dot finder as it’s a go to mount so you will use the handset to skew to your target after doing a polar alignment and star alignment. You will need a remote shutter release cable to do longer exposures and set the exposure time to bulb. You can pick one up for about £15 on Amazon but be sure to get the right one for your camera
@@AstroExploring Thank you! Something like this? www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-vixen-type-v-series/adm_bogen_ballhead_vixen_bar.html I already do have a remote shutter release thing (cabled) but i'd rather have something in the future to be able to set a timer digitally. But the ball head is most important for now i think.
@@AstroExploring I found this, but i'm not sure it'll be enough to connect: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1092110-REG/sky_watcher_s20550_star_adventurer_ball_head.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxNT8BRD9ARIsAJ8S5xb5aRv9nr28P6sjEdEXkEKXeiDYwlpOKql1k3nsXwNSs80ai3lPtrYaAh2dEALw_wcB This is also the problem with just starting, it's not just buying the EQ, it's also other stuff which is needed - but really difficult to figure out which stuff.
@@AstroExploring Ok, think this will fit: www.modernastronomy.com/shop/accessories/dovetails/deluxe-vixen-style-photo-dovetail-kit/ I'll still look around though.
Rookie mistake last week. Got everything setup and running perfectly, decided that my target wasn’t framed properly. Turned the camera but forgot to fine tune the focus again because at a glance the stars looked good. 4 hours later... it was all trash.
Its not for everyone as the learning curve is very frustrating and very high. For me I perfer planetary photography on my alt alz, or video astronomy with revolution imager, ideal for alt alz mount
For setting up the gear it helps to have something like a checklist. Once you've got familiar with all the steps it is easy, but in the beginning you can just forget one step like balancing the telescope before polar alignment. I often forget to turn on or plug in the dew heater or leave the bahtinov mask on the scope and wonder why my images look weird. Starting slow with just the camera and a good and sturdy tripod, then move on to a simple tracker and step up to a short refractor is really a good advice. Maybe not during all the Covid 19 restrictions, but after that has been cleared, find others close to you doing the same. Learning together and sharing experience helps a lot. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that. With about two months now without any night that I could use for this hobby videos like yours keep me up and motivated hoping that soon I will be able to go out and take images again.
I wish I'd watched this before being convinced to buy everything at the start. Through a logical process, I've worked out that I just need to learn proper telescope alignment techniques and enjoy looking at the sky before trying to take pictures of it :)
Hi and thank you for your videos. I was wondering what would be for a beginer with, say a 100 to 400 prime lens, the best objects to picture attempt from May to August (I'm in Southern California, 34 Deg. lat.). I know now that Andromeda, which I thought I'll jump on to do my first try, comes best in Autumn. So much for that now... So what do you think would be nice to attempt with a chance of success ? Any insight welcome. (I'm on Canon 6D or 7D II, with either a SpaceCat 51 or old Canon 400mm f5.6 (but here I think the Cat51 will be much better glass). I also have a small Ioptron Skyguider pro (like I guess many beginners in this field, it's either that or the Skywatcher...) , and as many astro beginers, the two hard things to achieve is aligning right (Polaris) and finding the objects in the totally unknown sky. The technicalities of the rest seem rather simple, if many (camera settings, flats, bias and such, it's just a breakdown of simingly easy steps, but the polar align on a small tracker in the dark and finding the nebulas, clusters (easier) and other faint galaxies might make one sweat at the start, thus my question on the easier targets for newbies wanting to attempt a simple DSLR/Lens capture. Thank you if you have time for a few tips and suggested targets...🌌
Thanks for your words of encouragement! I'm a visual astronomer eager to move into astrophotography, and the added complexity is a bit daunting. Fortunately, I'm fairly patient and I would be happy just to get some decent lunar and planetary shots in the near future. Any advice on how to stitch several photos of the moon together in a mosaic? I don't care to lose resolution by using a focal reducer, and I can't get the moon in the frame using just one image.
Great video Nick! You're spot on with each of the mistakes you outlined! I should know, I've done them all! :( Clear skies and you'll be at 4k subscribers soon! Woohoo!
Honestly Michael I had a list of about 20 things that I’d done but didn’t think anybody would want to watch a 30 minute video about how incompetent I am 😂
@@AstroExploring Speaking of incompetence, I've had one night of clear skies in the last 30 days and during that short night of shooting, I completely forgot to complete a meridian flip. I was about 20 minutes late and, by then, my camera had already come in contact with the mount and caused issues with my tracking. I'm hoping I didn't do permanent damage to my EQ6 and am awaiting support from their customer service department. Dumb move on my part! :(
@@michaeldavis2818 sorry to hear that ☹️ hopefully it’ll be okay. I’ve actually dropped my HEQ5 with the telescope attached before and somehow everything managed to survive! Fingers crossed for you 🤞🏻
The two tips are. The mount, the mount, the mount. And expect to split your budget: 1/3 for the telescope, 1/3 for the camera and 1/3 for the mount. If you want to do any type of times exposures, you will need to ensure that you have a solid mount. If you are just starting out you can do wonders with a simple barn door tracking setup, on a sturdy mount with a simple camera that can do timed exposures. The other bit of advice.. try some visual astronomy without a go-to mount. A great way to just explore what's out there.
I have a DSLR w/ Telephoto lens, have no tracker and have tried KStars plate solving. My balcony is kinda constrained. I am not sure that I'll stick with astrophotography. Should I get an HEQ5/eqm35?
How big is your lens? If you’re not sure about the hobby but want a tracker then look for a Star Adventurer or similar portable tracking mount and then you won’t have as much expense
@@AstroExploring I've got Nikkor 70-300. It's not collar mounted so using the single screw on the camera base is going to be kinda unstable :D. I'm probably going to need a DSLR L bracket that's somehow mountable on Vixen but that's another topic.
Just started to play with my new Sky Watcher Star Adventurer pro after a couple of years of regular astrostuff. One stupid question. After I do my setup, polar align, do I need to turn off the tracking mount if I would like to fine tune my composition or maybe even recompose the picture? Or shall I just leave it on? I was wondering about this tonight :D
Not investing enough time on a target. When you are starting out there are so many objects you will want to image and it is tempting to try to get 1-2 hours on one object and then 1-2 on another etc. But that will just get you several mediocre images which will not be of the same quality as the images you see others posting online and it will be demotivating, especially when you are trying to process that data and you want to bring out the nebulosity but just end up with a grainy noisy mess. Patience will give you the best results and that will motivate you to continue with the hobby.
Hi Nick - as a fellow UK photographer, how do you deal with the clouds? My last properly clear night was back in October and it really doesn't help you improve when you can only get 1/2 clear nights a month
Mistake #1...not getting into an astronomy club. For about $50 per year, you get to use all the club's sophisticated and expensive equipment, along with hands-on expertise from the other seasoned members. We have an 18" obsession, 14" edge on paramount, stellarvue on paramount with remote control, solar scopes, various other equipment. Imagine getting to use a $5000 setup basically for free. Everything is set up. Just have to show up and use all their stuff. One of the most underutilized resources in this hobby.
Nice advices! There are people talk about when moving to dedicated camera one should get a monochrome (if budget is not an issue) instead of osc. Others said starts with osc and get the workflow right before Monochrome. The total time will be the same more or less between the two. Do you have any opinion on these two polars of concept? Thanks.
I think if you’re going to dive into mono anyway then why not start there. It’s a heavily debated topic and I don’t have a preference for either approach really. Mono will be a steeper learning curve but once you’ve got over that your results will be better than OSC, but OSC has the benefit of being much easier. If it were me then I would go OSC first but that’s only because I prefer the easy life. With mono you’ll want an auto focuser too, otherwise you’ll need to manually adjust the focus each time you move on to a new filter. You’ll also need to take flats for each filter as I understand it. It’s a much more cumbersome process with mono but the results do appear to be worth it
Thank you. I think there are already a lot to learn now so perhaps I would start with osc as well and spend more time on pixinsight. I think in AP post processing is 80% of the works. I can always sell the osc and get a monochrome.
Tip: If you really want to have fun, don't ever purchase the stellina smart scope. It's a waste of money. Invest in legit mounts, scopes, filters, and other excesories.
I need help with my auto guide I have my EQ6R PRO working ok My PoleMaster I have working great I just wish I could get help with getting the auto guide to work I think I can get one of my cameras to work tell I figure out the big ones going I live in Indiana if there's someone that can help Or if you can help Thank's
I recommend getting a DSLR with a flip out screen as that will save your neck when the scope is point up. Also if you can’t find a modified one then definitely get it modified too. A lot of people go for a Canon 600D, I have a slightly newer version of that in the 650D. I managed to pick one up second hand pretty cheap with only 7k shutter actuations
Good video but I think you're a bit harsh on yourself to label your Andromeda galaxy pic as 'garbage', especially in the context of your point about not judging one's images. It looked reasonable to me 😃. A tip I'd give is when doing an imaging session, just concentrate on one or two targets of choice. It is all too easy to want to capture as much as possible on a clear night, which can lead to a lot of time wasted for limited returns. Done it many times myself! 😃
Thanks Steven, that’s a really great tip and something I’ve certainly been guilty of as well. As for my Andromeda image, well I’ve always been my own worst critic 😃
I live Very close to the highest point of Indiana like 4 miles from my house Good dark spot there Is there someone close to me that can help show me Or are give me some pointers with my setup
Triffic video. I tick all them boxes 😁. Been at it a month now and still not an expert. Unbelievable. Biggest problem I have just now is, believe it or not, focussing. I just don’t seem able to get sharp images. Thought about a Bahtinov thingy but can’t find one for my camera lenses. Don’t seem to do em. Plus the stacking software gets me in a twist. As for the Photo editing software and histograms and stuff, don’t get me started........😂😂
There are lots of templates for Bahitnov masks online where you can make your own by printing it. Just be sure to use the right mask not only for the lens size but focal length also, hope this helps
This is an excellent video with tons of relatable advice. I'm a veteran astrophotographer with an APOD and Astrobin IOTD to my name. Some things I'd like to add:
- A common mistake I see is blindly following online tutorials without actually trying to understand the topic. Nobody excepts anybody to memorize the exact math behind calibration and stacking, but if you constantly need to check the correct parameters for darks, flats and biases, that's a strong signal that you don't understand what's going on!
- Another one is relying too much on software instead of doing the bulk of the work in the field. No algorithm will bring an out of focus photo back to perfect sharpness, or perfectly recover from any acquisition errors, or bring out any detail that wasn't the in the first place. Similarly, adding various "beauty marks" (star spikes, glow effects) to photos will instantly make them appear extremely fake to anyone with the slightest bit of decent knowledge in the field.
- Tons of astrophotographers seem to completely ignore anything outside of deep sky imaging, which at the same time is the most expensive and demanding subgenre of this hobby. You may find deep sky too difficult, or simply realize it's not your thing - and that's okay, there are multiple alternatives! Solar System photography is unaffected by light pollution and can be easily done from urban areas. Nightscapes and travelling go extremely well together. Timelapses allow the most creative and artistic expression. I found myself slowly moving towards widefield work over the years.
- Cheap equipment can do much, much more than many people think - but good observational conditions are *extremely* important. I remember one particular night in the desert during a US eclipse trip in 2017. Several beginner folks were literally falling on their knees behind their cameras when they saw how clearly the Milky Way appeared even in the most basic cameras.
Amazing tips! Thanks so much, I’m going to pin this comment
@@AstroExploring Pin, pin, it's for sure a good one... There would be so many tips to give for any of these derivative styles too...
And often experimented users/reviewers forget how unknowledgeable a beginner can be, and omit few essential tips/steps because it became so basic to them, like in a few videos where I see tens of minutes on how to use a small star tracker but omission to say how important it is to check that the tripod in use is properly leveled before anything else.
True beginners need checkpoints on every step that had become such a simple routine for some that it doesn't come to their mind that this routine might yet be unknown to the newbie for simple it might seem. Dummies too want to learn...🎓🌠
Take the Bahtinov mask off after you did the focus!
It's amazing how often that happens. I know people that have decades under their belt, they STILL leave it on.
Ho boy, how many photos this guy ruined....😂
The things I’ve learned so far (6 months into this amazing hobby) is don’t compare your results to others, but take them as a potential goal on what you want to achieve. And find your own pace. Don’t rush things, come back to old images, improve them and know the stars will be there again next year. Last but not least, be proud of your images. You photographed an Object millions or billions of kilometers/miles away and that’s something!
Couldn’t agree more!
Thanks, if I don't compare my results to others they are awesome results. Thanks again, God bless you!
Good video, thanks. As a noob myself I feel like I still have some good tips to offer because of the things I've struggled with.
1. Learn to take astro images with a basic camera and tripod first. An ultra wide lens can get you a decent 30 second exposure with no polar alignment.
2. I only added this here, because if you want to buy a star tracker next, you'll want to know this stuff. Learn about some of the free star software and take some time to fully understand what calibration frames are (light, flat, dark, bias etc). I wish I would have learnt about these early on, it would have saved a bunch of confusion later on.
3. If you buy a star tracker next. Make sure you get a sturdy tripod. I initially just bought the tracker, but used an existing travel tripod, nice tripod, but not sturdy for astro use, I was constantly having to re-align every time I changed camera position on the ball head.
4. Learn to use an intervalometer correctly. Yes, I've screwed that up before..lol
5. Seems like a no brainer, but wear the right clothing. Trust me, there's nothing worse than you wanting to take some great shots, but it's the middle of winter and your fingertips are numb, your body is cold, your ears are freezing. You'll get frustrated very quickly and give up. There are times you'll spend hours outside in the winter, so trust me, it's worth it. I ended up buying some snowboarding pants/trousers. Most comfortable warm pants I've ever worn. Then I purchased a goose-down jacket with thermals for underneath. Extreme cold weather socks with a solid pair of winter boots. And the most important, gloves. You can't press buttons if your fingers are falling off. As the video states. Start simple and work up.
Mistake number one: Not having enough money
*change my mind*
This ^^
Define what 'enough money' is. When I started this a few years ago, and I've had some personal, financial and legal issues, so I haven't been able to do anything for over two years now, I was told $3,000-$3,500 would get you in the door for a half way decent imaging rig. I mean, let's be honest, you're not going to do a lot of astroimaging for less than $1,000 right?
Let's us American dollars and American companies, and see what we can come up with for as little as possible, okay?
The foundation of any good AP rig is mount, so let's start there. I have a Celestron AVX, and I'll immediately tell anyone starting out to stay as far away from that as possible. We have two ways to go here, we can go a computerized EQ mount, or we can go a non-motorized mount and add a motor drive to it. I personally think we should go with a computerized GoTo mount.
For $800 USD, I'm going to recommend the Explore Scientific EXOS-2GT with PMC-8. For $100 less, we could go with the EXOS-1GT, which has a lower payload capability, so my opinion is the EXOS-2 is the better buy.
www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/mounts/telescope-mounts/equatorial-mounts/explore-scientific-exos-2gt-goto-equatorial-mount-with-pmc-8-electronics-exos2gtpmct3-00
Next, you'll need a polar alignment scope.
www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/mounts/telescope-mounts/equatorial-mounts/explore-scientific-exos-2gt-goto-equatorial-mount-with-pmc-8-electronics-exos2gtpmct3-00
Normally, I'd suggest an iOptron iPolar, but we're looking at keeping the price down.
Total so far, $870.
Next, you need to guide your mount. I said I bought an Orion package, the 'Magnificent MIni' and I won't recommend that to anyone, either. The camera that comes with that is fine, but the scope and the way it mounts in the bracket is, in my opinion, worthless. I would spend an extra $100 and get a 60mm guide scope and a far superior mounting and adjustment package with the same camera, $430.
www.highpointscientific.com/orion-starshoot-autoguider-and-60mm-guide-scope-package-21404
Total is now $1,300.
Okay, so we need a telescope! Remember, this is a beginning set up, and you'll acquire more telescopes as you go along. They'll multiply in the dark!
My best suggestion will be a 'refractor,' the classic telescope tube that everyone thinks of when they think telescope. For the major, newbie items you'll want to shoot, I'm going to recommend a 70-80mm aperture. With a camera, the aperture isn't as important as if you were doing visual astronomy, since the camera can wait and capture more photons than the human eye can. What we're actually looking for is focal length and focal ratio. A shorter focal length, say under 550mm, will give you the ability to capture even the largest of objects in the sky. I have a 6" GSO Ritchey Chretien, but with my set up, it's TOO powerful to capture something like M31, the Andromeda galaxy. I also have a William Optics ZenithStar 71, which is perfect for capturing the Andromeda Galaxy. With a 0.8x field flattener, I can easily fit it on the APS-C Sony A58 I own. It will also fit nicely onto most dedicated astro cameras, like the QHY-294, QHY-268, ZWO ASI071, and even the 4/3 sized ASI 1600MM.
Several terms, Apo, achro, ED, Petzvel and Quad often get thrown about. Knowing what each of those means is important.
An 'achro', or achromatic telescope, uses two lens elements. Because of this, there is 'violet fringing.' This is caused by the two lenses not being able to focus the three primary colors, red, blue and green, all to the same point. Achros are the least expensive style of telescope. A well made achro may be able to reduce fringing, but not eliminate it. However, there are filters which can help to further reduce it.
ED, or Extra Disperson, is also a two element design where there are special coatings on the glass to improve the performance of the glass and eliminate false colors.
An Apo, or Apochromatic, has three lenses and by design will eliminate the violet color fringing in all images, since it is able to focus all three wavelengths of light at the same point.
Petzvels and Quads are more specialty telescopes and are outside the scope of this discussion.
i would recommend a William Optics ZenithStar 81 Refractor and an additional 0.8 field flattener/reducer. It sells at Highpoint Scientific for $918. Nicely, it also comes with a built in Bhatinov mask as part of the scope. Makes focusing a lot easier.
www.highpointscientific.com/telescopes/refracting-telescopes/refractor-optical-tube-assemblies-ota/william-optics-zenithstar-81-apo-refractor-package-with-flattener-red-a-z81rd-ap
This now puts us at $2,218.
Even though this is for AP, you're still going to need a diagonal for eyepieces for centering, alignment and just those days you actually want to LOOK at something. William Optics has a 2" diagonal with their 'RotoLock' system for about $200. You can buy something less expensive, but this will keep your eyepieces nice and secure.
www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/william-optics-2-inch-durabright-rotolock-diagonal-d-dig2d-roto-a2
For aligning your telescope and mount, you'll also want a special eyepiece for centering. This one has an illuminated crosshair to help you align everything.
www.highpointscientific.com/telescope-accessories/eyepieces/orion-illuminated-centering-eyepiece-08239
This brings us to about $2,550.
Since we want to do AP instead of visual astronomy, we won't need too much in the way of eyepieces, but we should always have a few, just if we want to look at something. I would recommend Explore Scientific as a great value. For $350, you can get a four piece kit that includes a 4.5mm, 10mm, 20mm and 30mm eyepiece. if for some reason, you wanted to add a 15mm, you can add that for $80 more. But, for now, we won't.
This eyepiece kit brings us to $2,900.
At this price point, we're not using a dedicated astro camera, we'll have to use a DSLR, and I have to assume you already have one. However, if you don't, you can find a used, modified camera with the IR filter removed on ebay, like this one, for under $400.
www.ebay.com/itm/Excellent-Astro-modified-Full-Spectrum-Canon-EOS-550D-T2i-18MP-Body-Read/324445493282
With that, it brings us to $3,300 dollars. Add another $200 for software for camera control, "BackyardEOS', and stuff for processing your images, "Astro Pixel Processor" or the like, and then add a bunch of freeware, N.i.N.A., and PHD2, and other good stuff, and you're going to be a 'beginners' price of right about $3,500.
Is that outside of your reasonable expectations?
This is all about what you want to image. What exactly do you want to Image. I cant make anything like the Hubble Telescope because I dont have enough money to build one. All you need is a DSLR and your kit lens and you can do some great stuff with Milky Way, Carina Nebula, M31. You dont even need a tracker. Then start slowly adding more in when you save up.
Hahahaha, that's funny. But seriously, I've been able to afford a modest setup, but it took me two years to build. If you are patient, you can do it. Astrobiscuit has probably some of the best stories about how to take used equipment and get great results.
I started with a 100 dollar table top telescope and a cellphone clip. Naturally my results sucked but it gave me the bug. Slowly over the years, one piece at a time I got a decent rig.
Great video. You’re absolutely correct, develop into the hobby, don’t go all in from the outset as you be overwhelmed and totally demoralised.
If you’ve never done astrophotography before then listen to mistake number 2! I tried it for the first time last week and my photos are horrendous. I already had my mind set on the fact that they would be bad so I just spent the whole 4 hours learning as much as I could for the next outing and I’m really glad I did.
Have also noticed that people with almost no photography experience expect to suddenly know their way around apertures, focal lengths, ISOs, white balance, etc. Bit like buying a top end bike and then not understanding why you can't win the Tour de France. I have 20yrs of (regular) photography experience and have recently tried my hand at astrophotography but experienced the same incredibly steep learning curve it requires, even with considerable knowledge/experience behind the lens. I'm almost a year into this journey and now only just taking shots that I would deem "good".
One thing to add. Autoguiding has been the big step change for me. Still using a relatively cheap scope, mount and my regular DSLR but I invested in an autoguiding camera and ASIair. Imagery is considerably better for it (mainly because I can take much longer subs now without the risk of star trailing and tracking inaccuracy).
Hi Nick, some good advice... The only one I would like to add to this for beginners is that is very important for good tracking is to ensure your tripod is well and truly level before you load up the mount with gear... If you are setting up on your garden lawn is to give the tripod a good push down into the ground, this will reduce the chances of the tripod legs sinking into the lawn once you have loaded up with gear... 1° degree out on level can mean 10° out on tracking correctly... Second tip especially for star trackers is to take your time on polar alignment... I always take 15mins for polar alignment so I recheck (1st) on inital alignment 2nd once ive loaded up the mount with all the kit I intend to use that evening, and then 3rd re check alignment before I start my image sequence... Clear skies...
This is amazing advice, Jez! Thanks for the contribution, people will find this very useful
Actually, no, you don't need your tripod to be level. As long as you polar align your mount, the RA axis will be parallel to the Earth axis and it will track without any issues. Leveling your tripod is just to simplify polar alignement and to ensure the center of mass is centered.
@@fuckednegativemind See Newbies reading... That's the smart knowledge we need... Well explained and making sens, thank you Sicltur...
5:30 Setting up during the day and polar alligning, etc. during twilight completely eliminates this, as you don't have dark night anyways.
Also: Find data to practice on, lots of people make their data public, or for a small fee, which you can use for editing practice.
All great points!
I make some of my data available on Patreon too 🙂
This is one of the best astrophotography videos I've ever seen. I have only been into the hobby for a few months and, given the lack of clear skies we have in England I consider myself an almost complete beginner. These tips are great.
Thanks so much Paul, I really appreciate that!
You nailed when you told us that we should expect problems. I’m using a dedicated observatory and a telescope that is well polar aligned, and every time I go out there are problems. I’ve got a mental checklist of the significant (and repetitive) issues I experience and that list grows over time. It usual takes five minutes to get the observatory open and then another 30-45 minutes to get all the equipment trimmed out. There are those occasional outings where things go perfectly, but those times are few and far between. Your most important tip here is, have fun. Your worst night of astrophotography will likely still be better than your best days working. Thanks for putting into words what most in this hobby know implicitly.
6 months ago I was taking shakey photos of the Orion Nebula with my phone through the eyepiece of my telescope. I then graduated to an ioptron skyguider pro and a stock dslr with a small refractor (redcat51). Ended up being given a bunch of really expensive gear in exchange for guitar lessons, and through many nights of trial and error I’m finally producing awesome images and using much better gear. Channels like yours and astrobackyard are the reasons I made it lol. That and determination. My only advantage starting out was being familiar with the night sky and owning a few small scopes throughout the years for visual astronomy. Computers, cameras, go to functionality, and basically every other aspect of astrophotography were all completely foreign to me 6 months ago. So thanks for your guidance man. Without folks like you and Trevor the learning curve may have been too much.
Too kind!
Couldnt agree more. 👏 Also, taking your photo gear out every time can seem a bit like work. So, I try to prioritize viewing in at least half of my sessions.
My best tip...keep a close eye on eBay/Facebook Marketplace/Forum for sale feeds/etc. You don't need to buy kit brand new and there are plenty of guys upgrading their equipment, so selling their old stuff off. My current mount, scope, guide camera and ASIair is all pre-owned. In fact, the only things I bought boxfresh new in my setup is the guide scope and a few camera filters!
Absolutely spot on. Apart from my telescope, and now more recently my guide scope and cam, everything is second hand and is in great condition
In other words: be patient, keep at it, and make sure to think about the simple things. :) Thanks for the upload. You're right, this is such a great hobby!
I've been a photographer and an astronomer for over 30 years and it's been great! - In the last 5 years since I decided to put a camera on a telescope there have been dozens of times that I wanted to just leave my gear in the field! Fortunataely, I did not. Your tips are all spot on. You can't overpower this hobby with money. It takes practice, planning, and research. I will say that I am guilty of the planning thing a lot. I'll get out and set up and shoot from the hip on a target. It's not usually a big deal since I go to a dark site with a great view but I should plan better.
Best video I've seen on imaging approach.
Be aware of the moon phase. What time the moon rises and sets. Especially if you're shooting broadband
Your advice is welcomed and so true. I wish I saw your video before I bought “everything” . The KISS principle (keep it simple stupid) is the best advice. I have seen amazing photos taken with a cheap camera and terrible photos taken with an expensive camera.
My experience so far: I started this hobby 6 months ago, and the amount of support i've gotten from other astrophotographers has helped me SO much. I'm guilty of comparing my work with others, but I'm getting better. I'm still finding my taste in a astro photo. The community is amazing, everyone is helpful, and kind. Great video, huge eye opener!
I used to have the same setup as you (I have a different mount now)! What’s that plate on top of your scope? I’m looking for something to mount my guide cam to
love this video! This has helped me out a ton! thanks so much!
Hi Nick, great video !, thanks. I could picture myself doing half of the stuff you've mentioned.
When it comes to faint objects like nebulae, the single biggest factor in final image quality is not the quality of the equipment; it is the time spent gathering light towards a given image. Hands down all the best images come from HOURS and HOURS of exposures stacked together.
Great comment, thanks Rob!
Great video!
I went out a few nights ago after purchasing my new ASIair. It had been weeks since clear skies. I was photographing the Needle Galaxy. After spending 5 hours on this target and wondering why my subs were so poor I realised a fatal mistake....I left the narrowband filter on. What’s worse is I spent the entire following day thinking I had set up ASIair wrong and not being able to process my image. Day and a half wasted 😂. Just a share to encourage all those making mistakes.
These things happen to all of us 😃
Great video Nick.
I have made the mistake of buying all the gear without experience in photography let alone astrophotography. - a Williams Optics GT81 on a Eq6 mount and a canon 60da. Although I got reasonable images of M42 I think that was just luck. I can’t get Jupiter to be more than a bright white ball with the Galilean moons. I can’t see any bands on the planet despite varying iso and exposure time 🤦🏻♂️
I first bought a 8” Newtonian for visual, to check if I could really like AP, being under the stars, etc. Visual soon got too limited, and I took the plunge with an EQ mount, DSLR and 90 mm refractor (a used one). From there it was indeed step by step to a more sophisticated setup with dedicated AP camera, , power management, better software etcetera. You need to learn a lot, but once you know it, it’s quite easy 😀
Great video. The most exciting part of astronomy for me was to see a poor quality image of Jupiter or Saturn, and then over time to improve the quality of the equipment, such as the eyepiece, mount or telescope to improve the images. The excitement of receiving the upgrade in the post and then the anticipation of waiting for a clear night is the most rewarding part for me.
Hello Nick,
this is so true; I picked up this hobby April 2020, after having let my C8 gather dust in the garden shed for more than a decade, to finally drop it while moving it outside. In the meantime it's replaced by a Newtonian (budget ...). If there's one thing I've learned in these past months, with this hobby there's no room for compromise, good enough is just not good enough, it has to be spot on!
Thanks for confirming this with this video!
g.
Well...I made my way and feels like the water I step into is getting deeper and deeper...started with a bino and took some moon shots when I was like...12 years old, maybe? I already loved the astronomy back then. And that was all I did, nothing much happened in next 15 years or so. Maybe I took some MilkyWay photos but nothing serious.
So good time after my wife bought me a scope, which was a great gift and then love to astrophotography exploded. I started to dig, bought myself another scope (Sw150/750 on eq3-2) and ...had to use all the knowledge I have learned myself before. Polar align is easy understandable. So I got eq3 motorized for longer subs. After two years it was nothing more but frustrating because I wanted to go with longer subs. So now, I sit with Heq5 Pro, with additionally goto which helps a lot and saving some time. Got recently the guiding cam, optolong lpro...and just found out I would like soon to buy a dedicated astrocamera 😳 neverending story...
The biggest problem is that some of the beginners can't name even the brightest stars, or they don't even know how the sky works. With some basic knowledge in physic and astronomy things can be so much easier!
100% the best advice for beginners. I started in March of this year, (2022) and with every youtube video I watched, I was deeper and deeper into going around in circles rather than learning the basics first. I still struggle with polar alignment. It seems every night I go out to polar align and track, some issue ( software, clouds, mount) stops me. All the equipment I bought was used. So I didn't spend much at first. But I am still learning Sharpcap, Skysafari, Pixel Insight etc. I also realized that I didnt know as much about operating a camera as I thought. Knowing your camera and lens thoroughly will save lots of fumbling in the dark. I really wish I had watched this 8 months ago. The upside? I realize I am not alone in my frustration and decided its going to be one day at a time. Many thanks, Mike
Thanks Mike! Definitely not alone, things still go wrong for me several years later as my latest video shows 😃
Thanks Mike! Definitely not alone, things still go wrong for me several years later as my latest video shows 😃
Good advice Nick the reaching out helped me to figure out my retailer had sent me the wrong flattener after many frustrating nights, thankfully the astro community could see the issue in the shots very quickly. Invaluable resource. 👍
Hi, just subscribed to your channel, you speak a lot of sense and I feel you are a good mentor too! I have just got back into the hobby after a 5 year all clear from cancer during which time I lost all my confidence completely. I feel watching your videos that I could possibly start over agaain in this hobby. So thank you for that. Andy.
Thanks so much Andy! Congratulations on getting the all clear, that’s great news! All the best
Thank you and keep the videos coming they are priceless
I started getting into astrophotography a few months ago and i can defintely relate to some points of your video. Regarding gear shopping, it is really hard to not constantly strive for the next upgrade since at the very start, every upgrade has clear advantages that are directly noticable. Also, i am definitely guilty of rushing my setup and being disappointed when it shows after the session. But making bad decisions and mistakes is all part of it i think, as long as you reflect on it and make it better next time.
As a noob I am finding this a great hobby, and was guilty as charged with wanting desperately to find the "right" gear so it would all work out for me, which I thought might happen right away. I quickly found there were tons of new challenges which fortunately for me, I have loved solving, but it sure put things in perspective about starting simply. Even just getting my gear organised so I don't fumble around in the dark and knock things over took a few nights. I built a tray on my dob to keep gear central - like glasses (I have to take mine off), cellphones, eyepieces.... and it was really satisfying just to be able to solve that problem! Then I added setting circles and a digital inclinomiter to the dob so I could even find some of sights. I also bought a tracker, and I'm not even buying a small telescope or a better DSLR yet, I'm having quite enough trouble down here in NZ doing a polar alignment (a) even seeing Octans, (b) crouching down (I'm getting on bit) to do it ! Still, its fun to work around these problems and learn new things. Like how different equipment will frame different areas of the sky for you. Your first photo is far from terrible to me, because a lot of the joy I'm having right now is simply having the camera reveal so much more than the human eye, can and the absolute WOW factor the more I think of exactly what it IS that I'm looking at. Observing and finding my way around the sky seems to be bringing a certain reality to what is up there, not just an abstract collection of single stars if that makes sense. Anyway, great post , thanks for posting and subscribed for sure.
This is some top notch solid advice for beginners in AP, makes tackling the hobby less intimidating for a beginner like me.
Glad you found it useful!
Good advice. I am enjoying sky watching through my Meade Lightbridge dobsonian for now. Learning sky objects at home in the Southern Hemisphere Australia. I just purchased a used Canon DSLR to practice with. A tripod, Intervalometer and a couple of lenses, including the recommended Nifty fifty 50mm F1.8 are next on my budget. I may even try the camera on my 10" dobsonian when my adaptor arrives. I enjoy your tutorials. It is easy to get ahead of ones self, I'm already getting excited about a star tracker mount. Thanks for your great knowledge Nick. Currently writing myself a quick reference guide on my manual camera settings best for Astrophotography without a tracker.
I was going to start slow but didnt want to waste money buying a DSLR or these lower items just to want to replace them, costing more overall. It is cheaper to go straight to intermediate stuff that will last a long long time.
I have started Astrophotography with no more than 60mm refractor telescope on a manual alt az mount, no star tracker, and using my phone with a universal telescope phone adapter
all in, it's around 90$ setup and I'm very proud of the pictures I get
Good advice. You have to do what makes you happy. Personally I don’t really look at what other people produce as equipment and $$$$ is a huge factor in astrophotography. I enjoy watching videos and learning but no interest in seeing others portfolios or IGs. Just get out and enjoy. And don’t spend every moment in front of the computer. Get some binoculars and enjoy the sky with your eyes while your scope collect subs. Too much automation takes away from the enjoyment.
I totally agree. Some nights I don’t do any imaging and just enjoy the view through the eye piece
It is all about fun for me , if I get a image great if not meh . Tried with a dedicated Astro camera last night and got nothing but learned heaps, play with the gear before you shoot is a great idea . Have just stepped up from dslr and tracking Mount to a shiny new refractor and a dodgy second hand go to mount with a Astro camera. Let’s just say it is a steep learning curve but heaps of fun . It is the perfect hobby for those of us with insomnia and I am lucky enough to have dark skies at my back door . Pity there have been no clear skies except for 2 hours last night since November. Cheers from Australia
Outstanding advice in so many ways! In comparison, and for perspective, I am a model builder (have been for many years) and am still trying everyday to get better. However, my biggest mental blocks in doing so come when compare my work against that on social media against those who have either been in the hobby longer, have different access to higher-end equipment, have mastered certain techniques better, etc., (much like you pointed out about beginning of this video). It can be demoralizing to say the least if not looked at in the proper perspective. But just the simple gems in explaining to new people just starting to be aware of that, and then encourage them, is worth more than anything I can think of. All of your points are spot on--especially using the jigsaw puzzle as an example. And on those days I start to feel "beat" in either model building or astrophotography, I plan on pulling this video up again and again and listen to the wisdoms that are in it. These principals are just as applicable in any hobby one might start out it. Very well explained. Thanks!
Wow thanks so much Douglas, you’ve made my day!
Make sure your polar scope is centered and aligned properly as you will never get an accurate polar alignment if it’s not
Very helpful summary, Nick. TY from a Noob to the hobby, but not to success in other ventures. Learning comes with doing. Risk it. Do it. It is OK to be frustrated. It’s part of the learning process. Change thoughts, strategy, equipment, etc... you always can go at it a new. That’s what is keeps me engaged, excited and looking for a better captured and processed image. Agreed, key is having fun along the way!
Glad I watched this before started to buy stuff 😄. I have a reflector telescope and equatorial mount gathering dust. Mount isn't driven but I'll still attach the camera to it and see what I can get.
Saved me some money (for the moment), and an awkward conversation with my better half
Just wiring power and usb tidying makes a massive difference.
thank you for the great tips..i'v gone through a few times now. and i'll make sure to have those at the front. cheers
great video my first andromeda galaxy looked about the same as 😉
And if you live at my latitudes, where summernights are long and 'sufficiently' warm, but just no dark skies, and the only dark nights are through winter time, wear warm cloths! As you said, don't rush set-up. You are mostly standing/sitting still for PA, focus, framing etc. If you get cold, you start to rush and make mistakes. Stay warm! :-)
Great points you have made. As a beginner myself, I can say that these are very true. While I have bought pretty much everything at once, I don't plan to start imaging for some time. But will get in to it slowly, adding more and more gear as I go.
Once all my gear (finally) arrives after months of waiting, I plan to do many practice setups in the garage, just to practice the setup process.
In the mean time, i will be able to use the mount and telescope for some visual time, to learn more about our skies.
I'm a complete beginner and I even have a reasonable budget to buy new gear but what have I bought? Nothing (except a head torch and dew heater). All I am using so far is my ageing DSLR, 70-300mm lens and a tripod. Not even a mount. The reasons are exactly as you outline here. So I'm spending the time learning - understanding the processes, the work flow, where things are in the sky, what the points of failure are (hence the dew heater for example), how to use DSS, planning my sessions and so on. My results are of course rubbish - I'm stacking 2 or 3 sec subs + calibration frames through a frosty lens using naff gear - but for me at present that's irrelevant. I'm having fun learning and that's the entire point for me for now. New gear will come eventually but not until I'm comfortable with what I'm doing.
I like you went andromeda where i was/am obsessed with orion lol
I'd like to add something for the newest beginners, those who haven't even bought their gear yet. ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE you buy. As Nick mentioned, Stargazer's Lounge is one place, Cloudy Nights is another. There are new member forums, at least on Cloudy Nights, and I'm sure Stargazer's Lounge has one, too.
If you plan on buying an AP rig, make sure you ask before hand, and LISTEN to what they say. I bought for my first rig a Celestron AVX, a GPO 6" Ritchie Chretien telescope, an Orion auto guider system, and planned on using my Sony A58 DSLR as my imaging camera. I had a laptop especially to go out at night and shoot the stars, loaded with software and cables, and I bought a battery pack.
The Celestron AVX is probably the worst mount I could buy. Trying to balance it was near to impossible because they use so much grease, like wheel bearing grease. It won't balance! Hence, my autoguiding was horrid. Next, the autoguider itself is okay, but the scope set up I bought from Orion is horrid. It's near impossible to get it aligned with the telescope, and the slightest bounce knocks it out of alignment.
Why I thought buying a 6" RC was a good idea is beyond me. I ended up with a William Optics ZenithStar 71mm refractor (I still have the RC), which is far more appropriate for what I wanted to do, at least for now.
Next, if you're going to buy a DSLR, I really recommend buying a used Canon, or Nikon. The mirrorless cameras like my Sony A58 are noisy at low light levels, and forget actually using the screen to try to focus. There is no optical pathway to the eye, it's all electronic, so trying to see those dark fuzzies is crazy hard. I'm not even sure a Bhatinov mask would have been any help.
Of course, I was told all of this once I got on the forums, and I eventually listened. Don't be like me, don't think you know it all, and that reading biased reviews is going to help you make a good choice. Do the research, but ask people for help.
I ran into a run of hardship, I've lost most of my AP gear, I'm going to have to replace a lot of it. It's expensive, I figured to do it right, it's going to cost me between $6-8,000. But, that's a lot of money and I wouldn't recommend running out and spending that to get something because it meets your desires.
I agree with Nick, start small, but, shop wisely, and ASK for recommendations before you start!
Lots of great info here! Asking beforehand is a great tip!
It's hilarious, because i have exactly the same first picture as you, it's mediocre, but i love it because it's the first image i took a few days ago with my DIY tracking mount and my really bad 75-300 canon lens.
Mistake number one happend to me... thanks for this video!!
Make a checklist of your setup. I once spent 20 min figuring out why my guide scope wasn't working before I realized I'd left the cap on. I'm still mad about that lol
I actually never thought astrophotography was such a difficult thing to do, any tips on which camera, telescope to buy on a tight budget??
Regarding that first bit of advice; an exception might be buying a complete rig from an estate sale. I bought a working scope with lots of accessories for about 1/3 of what it was worth.
Yeah absolutely. I’m not saying don’t buy it all in one go but trying to use it all together on your first night is definitely not a good idea
Thanks been enjoying all your videos. I’m very new to this and they are all a big help.
Thanks Dan, glad you find them helpful!
Ok. Nice video 👍 i will try to brake rule no1. At the moment have few pictures of the moon with Powerseeker 127eq. Just got HEQ5 pro mount (rowan belt moded by me), with Starwave 102ED-R scope, DSLR which i modified by my self. Guiding scope, camera and bla bla bla. Can't wait to try it out. Not expecting superfancy picks from the start but really interesting what challenges waiting 😍 Of course you guys are brilliant with all the help for newbies like me. Thanks for that 😉
Think money is the biggest obstacles, so many known astrophotographers have not bought their gear, but either loaned or given by companies to top you tube astrophotographers as a way to promote their gear, but the vast majority cannot afford decent gear
3 weeks ago i spent 30 minutes trying to work out why my focus was showing two bright stars rather than one. Then i noticed my mount was pointing at the reflection of garden lights in my kitchen window :(
So.. I've been watching your channel for a while. I've ordered a lot of the kit you use, which is all back ordered. Now I'm worried I've gone too far too quickly. Should have watched this video first :)
You’ll be fine, just take it one step at a time and practice when the nights aren’t clear, which is most of the time! Thanks for becoming a member 🙂
@@AstroExploring I'll do my best, but I'll probably still need some help :)
Hi Nick. Thanks for the advice and these tips as I started with single lens camera back in 1990s and it was great. Then I got dslr and learned alot before I took great shots and now 72ed and star adventurer I'd say start with the Moon till you get used to gear as the moon is so easy to find and photograph as it's bright then learn all about what you've bought. I'm not rushing into this and alot of people who start out think I'm going to get shots like the Hubble space telescope and they see it's nothing like Hubble shots and say waste of money because the best gear could never match Hubble space telescope. I'm looking for places locally where people won't see me just in case a nutter see me. I know alot of great places to go to in the highlands of Scotland well away from people and light pollution. I knew what I wanted from this setup from the start and through time I'll get better. You said in video last year to go for easy targets that's near bright stars and go for the bright objects. M42 is so easy to find just look below prions belt and you see it. I've bought alot of gear and I'm going to have fun with this gear and learn the basics first. I'm going to use the evoguide 50ed guidescope for deep sky imaging as I bought the flattener for it so I'm ready for it. Skyview app on android is a great way to locate deep sky objects. You have given excellent advice in this video and when the covid-19 pandemic ends I'm going to the highlands with my setup for all my astrophotography. Uig in isle of Skye is a very dark location and even out side portree as I wild camp out side portree and it's dark there. Thanks for sharing this video and your first shot of m31 is very nice. Take care and stay safe!!!
Comment your top tips for new astrophotographers below!
Funny... I walk away from my imaging sessions wondering how I'm going to convince my wife that those two trees really need to be cut down :)
You talked a lot about the setup and capture, here are my tips on the processing:
1) Take your calibration frames. Don't skip them. Get into the habit of always taking those flats and darks, etc.
2) Astrophotography is NOT terrestrial photography. A lot of what you know does NOT apply.
3) Just because you captured great data on great equipment does not mean you automatically end up with a great result. Data processing is probably 75% of the entire AP experience.
4) You've just likely spent thousands of dollars on cameras, scopes, mounts, etc. Do NOT skimp on the editing and processing software.
5) Do not be afraid to ask for help and to share what you've created. The AP community is extremely helpful. We've ALL been where you are.
The biggest mistake is these people buying a large aperture to start with and wrong gear, example Celestron SCT telescopes on alt alz mount, wrong scopes yet noobs buy them and think they can really amazing results, for planets are fine, DSO, the alt alz mount is very limiting.
Hi, absolute beginner here, can i ask some questions? The last weeks i'm thinking about buying an tracker / equatorial mount, and i think the EQM-35 PRO will be a good first start for me. I'm planning to use first (to get experience with it) with my Canon 1100d and 200mm lens - so no telescope just yet (maybe later, but i want to start slowly). However i doubt the EQM-35 will be enough to put my Canon 1100d directly on it - what other 'parts' do i need to buy? For example:
- Something (some kind of connector?) between my camera and the mount?
- Some device with a red dot? Forgot the name. Or don't i need that, because of the GOTO system?
- A wireless trigger (i guess i need to use BULB mode on the camera to hold it longer open than 30 seconds?)
- Something else?
If you can help, much appreciated... i've searched around, asked on a forum for help, but somehow i'm still not sure.
You could use a ball head adapter to connect your camera to the mount. You can pick them up cheap on Amazon if you don’t have one already. Checkout firstlightoptics.com, they have some images of the mount with a camera attached to give you an idea.
You don’t need to use a red dot finder as it’s a go to mount so you will use the handset to skew to your target after doing a polar alignment and star alignment.
You will need a remote shutter release cable to do longer exposures and set the exposure time to bulb. You can pick one up for about £15 on Amazon but be sure to get the right one for your camera
@@AstroExploring Thank you! Something like this? www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-vixen-type-v-series/adm_bogen_ballhead_vixen_bar.html
I already do have a remote shutter release thing (cabled) but i'd rather have something in the future to be able to set a timer digitally. But the ball head is most important for now i think.
That would certainly work but seems ridiculously expensive to me! I’m sure there will be cheaper options out there if you have a shop around
@@AstroExploring I found this, but i'm not sure it'll be enough to connect: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1092110-REG/sky_watcher_s20550_star_adventurer_ball_head.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxNT8BRD9ARIsAJ8S5xb5aRv9nr28P6sjEdEXkEKXeiDYwlpOKql1k3nsXwNSs80ai3lPtrYaAh2dEALw_wcB
This is also the problem with just starting, it's not just buying the EQ, it's also other stuff which is needed - but really difficult to figure out which stuff.
@@AstroExploring Ok, think this will fit: www.modernastronomy.com/shop/accessories/dovetails/deluxe-vixen-style-photo-dovetail-kit/
I'll still look around though.
That scorpion on your shirt looks so real
Rookie mistake last week. Got everything setup and running perfectly, decided that my target wasn’t framed properly. Turned the camera but forgot to fine tune the focus again because at a glance the stars looked good. 4 hours later... it was all trash.
Happens to all of us!
Its not for everyone as the learning curve is very frustrating and very high. For me I perfer planetary photography on my alt alz, or video astronomy with revolution imager, ideal for alt alz mount
For setting up the gear it helps to have something like a checklist. Once you've got familiar with all the steps it is easy, but in the beginning you can just forget one step like balancing the telescope before polar alignment. I often forget to turn on or plug in the dew heater or leave the bahtinov mask on the scope and wonder why my images look weird.
Starting slow with just the camera and a good and sturdy tripod, then move on to a simple tracker and step up to a short refractor is really a good advice. Maybe not during all the Covid 19 restrictions, but after that has been cleared, find others close to you doing the same. Learning together and sharing experience helps a lot.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that. With about two months now without any night that I could use for this hobby videos like yours keep me up and motivated hoping that soon I will be able to go out and take images again.
Definitely guilty of #4. I still do it sometimes lmao
I wish I'd watched this before being convinced to buy everything at the start. Through a logical process, I've worked out that I just need to learn proper telescope alignment techniques and enjoy looking at the sky before trying to take pictures of it :)
There’s no problem buying it all, just go through each bit in turn and learn it first before adding all the complexity in 🙂
Great video! Thanks.
Do you have any tutorial for 533c??? I received such a camera as a gift, and switching from a DSLR to a dedicated one gives me a headache.
Hi and thank you for your videos. I was wondering what would be for a beginer with, say a 100 to 400 prime lens, the best objects to picture attempt from May to August (I'm in Southern California, 34 Deg. lat.).
I know now that Andromeda, which I thought I'll jump on to do my first try, comes best in Autumn. So much for that now... So what do you think would be nice to attempt with a chance of success ? Any insight welcome. (I'm on Canon 6D or 7D II, with either a SpaceCat 51 or old Canon 400mm f5.6 (but here I think the Cat51 will be much better glass).
I also have a small Ioptron Skyguider pro (like I guess many beginners in this field, it's either that or the Skywatcher...) , and as many astro beginers, the two hard things to achieve is aligning right (Polaris) and finding the objects in the totally unknown sky.
The technicalities of the rest seem rather simple, if many (camera settings, flats, bias and such, it's just a breakdown of simingly easy steps, but the polar align on a small tracker in the dark and finding the nebulas, clusters (easier) and other faint galaxies might make one sweat at the start, thus my question on the easier targets for newbies wanting to attempt a simple DSLR/Lens capture.
Thank you if you have time for a few tips and suggested targets...🌌
Thanks for your words of encouragement! I'm a visual astronomer eager to move into astrophotography, and the added complexity is a bit daunting. Fortunately, I'm fairly patient and I would be happy just to get some decent lunar and planetary shots in the near future. Any advice on how to stitch several photos of the moon together in a mosaic? I don't care to lose resolution by using a focal reducer, and I can't get the moon in the frame using just one image.
I’ve never done a mosaic myself but I know a popular software choice is Autostitch. I can’t speak for how good it is, but it’s free so that’s a start!
Great info thanks!
Great video Nick! You're spot on with each of the mistakes you outlined! I should know, I've done them all! :( Clear skies and you'll be at 4k subscribers soon! Woohoo!
Honestly Michael I had a list of about 20 things that I’d done but didn’t think anybody would want to watch a 30 minute video about how incompetent I am 😂
@@AstroExploring Speaking of incompetence, I've had one night of clear skies in the last 30 days and during that short night of shooting, I completely forgot to complete a meridian flip. I was about 20 minutes late and, by then, my camera had already come in contact with the mount and caused issues with my tracking. I'm hoping I didn't do permanent damage to my EQ6 and am awaiting support from their customer service department. Dumb move on my part! :(
@@michaeldavis2818 sorry to hear that ☹️ hopefully it’ll be okay. I’ve actually dropped my HEQ5 with the telescope attached before and somehow everything managed to survive! Fingers crossed for you 🤞🏻
Is there some kind of check list that you can make while you setup?
I’m straight up New just got an 8 inch telescope and don’t know anything 🤠
The two tips are.
The mount, the mount, the mount.
And expect to split your budget: 1/3 for the telescope, 1/3 for the camera and 1/3 for the mount.
If you want to do any type of times exposures, you will need to ensure that you have a solid mount.
If you are just starting out you can do wonders with a simple barn door tracking setup, on a sturdy mount with a simple camera that can do timed exposures.
The other bit of advice.. try some visual astronomy without a go-to mount. A great way to just explore what's out there.
Great advice!
guilty as charged in all points, but I am still on it
Agree
I have a DSLR w/ Telephoto lens, have no tracker and have tried KStars plate solving. My balcony is kinda constrained. I am not sure that I'll stick with astrophotography. Should I get an HEQ5/eqm35?
How big is your lens? If you’re not sure about the hobby but want a tracker then look for a Star Adventurer or similar portable tracking mount and then you won’t have as much expense
@@AstroExploring I've got Nikkor 70-300. It's not collar mounted so using the single screw on the camera base is going to be kinda unstable :D. I'm probably going to need a DSLR L bracket that's somehow mountable on Vixen but that's another topic.
Just started to play with my new Sky Watcher Star Adventurer pro after a couple of years of regular astrostuff.
One stupid question. After I do my setup, polar align, do I need to turn off the tracking mount if I would like to fine tune my composition or maybe even recompose the picture? Or shall I just leave it on? I was wondering about this tonight :D
Just leave it on. The tracking is so slow you won’t even know it’s doing it
Not investing enough time on a target. When you are starting out there are so many objects you will want to image and it is tempting to try to get 1-2 hours on one object and then 1-2 on another etc. But that will just get you several mediocre images which will not be of the same quality as the images you see others posting online and it will be demotivating, especially when you are trying to process that data and you want to bring out the nebulosity but just end up with a grainy noisy mess. Patience will give you the best results and that will motivate you to continue with the hobby.
I am so guilty of this!!
Hi Nick - as a fellow UK photographer, how do you deal with the clouds? My last properly clear night was back in October and it really doesn't help you improve when you can only get 1/2 clear nights a month
I completely sympathise with your situation! The clouds are a menace in the UK. It depends on which bit you’re struggling with. Is it polar alignment?
Mistake #1...not getting into an astronomy club. For about $50 per year, you get to use all the club's sophisticated and expensive equipment, along with hands-on expertise from the other seasoned members. We have an 18" obsession, 14" edge on paramount, stellarvue on paramount with remote control, solar scopes, various other equipment. Imagine getting to use a $5000 setup basically for free. Everything is set up. Just have to show up and use all their stuff. One of the most underutilized resources in this hobby.
I have around £1,500 to spend on a full setup. I have been struggling to find a decent setup for cheap. I was wondering if you could help me.
Hi Callum. More than happy to help. Drop me a message on either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I’m AstroExploring on all platforms
Nice advices! There are people talk about when moving to dedicated camera one should get a monochrome (if budget is not an issue) instead of osc. Others said starts with osc and get the workflow right before Monochrome. The total time will be the same more or less between the two. Do you have any opinion on these two polars of concept? Thanks.
I think if you’re going to dive into mono anyway then why not start there. It’s a heavily debated topic and I don’t have a preference for either approach really. Mono will be a steeper learning curve but once you’ve got over that your results will be better than OSC, but OSC has the benefit of being much easier. If it were me then I would go OSC first but that’s only because I prefer the easy life. With mono you’ll want an auto focuser too, otherwise you’ll need to manually adjust the focus each time you move on to a new filter. You’ll also need to take flats for each filter as I understand it. It’s a much more cumbersome process with mono but the results do appear to be worth it
Thank you. I think there are already a lot to learn now so perhaps I would start with osc as well and spend more time on pixinsight. I think in AP post processing is 80% of the works. I can always sell the osc and get a monochrome.
Jep, been there, done that. Haha. Good video 👍
Mistake #6 - watching too many youtube vids telling me how many mistakes I make
Tip: If you really want to have fun, don't ever purchase the stellina smart scope.
It's a waste of money.
Invest in legit mounts, scopes, filters, and other excesories.
I need help with my auto guide I have my EQ6R PRO working ok My PoleMaster I have working great I just wish I could get help with getting the auto guide to work I think I can get one of my cameras to work tell I figure out the big ones going I live in Indiana if there's someone that can help Or if you can help Thank's
Over the past 4 months I’ve purchased the zenithstar 61 and the star adventure pro mount just can’t decide on a dslr. Any suggestions?
I recommend getting a DSLR with a flip out screen as that will save your neck when the scope is point up. Also if you can’t find a modified one then definitely get it modified too. A lot of people go for a Canon 600D, I have a slightly newer version of that in the 650D. I managed to pick one up second hand pretty cheap with only 7k shutter actuations
Good video but I think you're a bit harsh on yourself to label your Andromeda galaxy pic as 'garbage', especially in the context of your point about not judging one's images. It looked reasonable to me 😃. A tip I'd give is when doing an imaging session, just concentrate on one or two targets of choice. It is all too easy to want to capture as much as possible on a clear night, which can lead to a lot of time wasted for limited returns. Done it many times myself! 😃
Thanks Steven, that’s a really great tip and something I’ve certainly been guilty of as well. As for my Andromeda image, well I’ve always been my own worst critic 😃
I live Very close to the highest point of Indiana like 4 miles from my house Good dark spot there Is there someone close to me that can help show me Or are give me some pointers with my setup
Triffic video. I tick all them boxes 😁. Been at it a month now and still not an expert. Unbelievable. Biggest problem I have just now is, believe it or not, focussing. I just don’t seem able to get sharp images. Thought about a Bahtinov thingy but can’t find one for my camera lenses. Don’t seem to do em. Plus the stacking software gets me in a twist. As for the Photo editing software and histograms and stuff, don’t get me started........😂😂
Have you tried live view on your camera and using the 10x zoom? As for editing, I can’t help you with that on a comment I’m afraid 😂
Try first focussing on a bright star, with the live view of your camera. As far as i know, the star must become as small as possible in the live view.
There are lots of templates for Bahitnov masks online where you can make your own by printing it. Just be sure to use the right mask not only for the lens size but focal length also, hope this helps
Invest in yourself..... not just camera equipment.
Great advice!
Lmao #1st mistake mentioned is exactly what I did hahaha damn it where were you before I bought all my gear lmao