Imaging Deep Sky Objects with a Complete Astrophotography Setup - Astrophotography Tutorial

[@chrislj2890]

It's a shame that you've only made three videos, since you do such a nice job. Hope you are well.

You deserve more followers as you do great educational videos,👍👍👍👍thankyou

[@dslrnightsky]

Gray Franklin I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for watching! 😀🔭

[@robertpendergast2620]

Very nice presentation. Thanks.

[@dslrnightsky]

I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching. 😀🔭

[@michaelharang7078]

Awesome video, going thru your equipment , setup, and usage for anyone to follow and understand. To the point and very clear.

[@RaysAstrophotography]

Absolutely great video.

[@dslrnightsky]

Ray's Astrophotography thank you! 😀

[@OddSoxChris]

Fantastic. I am really impressed how dark frames work for reducing noise. Thanks for this video. It explained a lot to me.

[@dslrnightsky]

Chris Z I’m glad the video helped. Thank you for watching! 😀

[@kohoko1952]

Your final 'shot' was stark with pinpoint precision...beautiful! Thx for sharing.

[@dslrnightsky]

Kohoko thank you! 😀🔭

[@laserguide]

Excellent video and very informative. Looking forward to the next one.

[@dslrnightsky]

laserguide I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching! 😀🔭

Fantastic video, huge thanks for this and a superb comparison of guided and auto guided end results.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jimmy Boab thank you for watching! Best wishes! 😀🔭

[@henrygoss-custard3364]

wow, that was amazing and some of those photos were outstanding but it all was a bit too complicated for me.But then I'm only ten!!!!!

[@dslrnightsky]

Henry Goss-Custard I am glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching! 😀

[@88fxstd]

I enjoy your videos. I'm a beginner in the hobby and you have inspired me to purchase a setup basically like yours except the mount, I went with the Sky Watcher EQ6-R Pro (belt drive). I appreciate the details that you give us. As a beginner you can get lost easily without some form of guidance. I would like to see you do a video of your stacking process and the software that you use. Keep up the good work and thanks!

[@dslrnightsky]

88fxstd thank you for watching, I’m glad you enjoyed the video. This is a great hobby and I am glad my videos have helped. Congrats on your equipment choice. 🔭

[@innercityastro7742]

Great videos, are you going to be doing more?

[@dslrnightsky]

InnerCityAstro Hello. Other commitments have taken a lot of my time over the last year but I do have quite a few plans for new videos. I’m planning to start on them soon. I have acquired some new items over the last year so hopefully I can include a few product reviews as well. Thank you for watching.

[@m1w]

Awesome video, great job

[@dslrnightsky]

Mindwave thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! 😀🔭

[@FreedomToRoam86]

Nice pics, and good explanations of rig. Thanks!

[@dslrnightsky]

DellsDad86 thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! 😀🔭

[@adamkovacs589]

Great video , nice gear , good job ! 🌌👏

[@dslrnightsky]

Ádám Kovács thank you for watching. 😀

[@GarnettLeary]

I think you nailed it. This is the absolute best video available for describing a typical astrophotography session. There are many good videos but I must admit I believe yours is the clearest, most defined, example. Fine job sir. I will definitely be sharing this to my club. I am totally all about information sharing and problem solving. You are an asset to others. You spent a lot of time on making this video. Many will appreciate that. Thank you. Clear skies.

[@dslrnightsky]

Garnett Leary Thank you and I am glad you enjoyed the video. I hope people find the video fun to watch and useful when planning out their own astrophotography gear and session. Thank you for the complement and for watching. Clear skies!

[@thos759]

Wow! Learned a lot on that one !!! Time to upgrade!! Great video and keep em coming!!

[@dslrnightsky]

thos759 I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching! 😀🔭

[@JohnS916]

I found your video very informative and especially liked the time you took to set up the comparison images between unguided and guided subs. Your Orion Sirius or Sky View Pro mount was impressive for a production mount. Thanks again and I'll continue to look for more of your videos.

[@dslrnightsky]

John S I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching! 😀🔭

[@dougedworthy9733]

Good videos! Looking forward to more.

[@dslrnightsky]

Doug Edworthy I am glad you enjoyed the videos. Thank you for watching! 🔭

[@hanns1401]

Congratulations on the new setup. I'm rocking the Minn Kota battery box too. Love that thing!

[@dslrnightsky]

Hanns yes the box works great. Thanks for watching!

[@astrounclejoe2572]

Hi, I just wanted to say thank you. I sincerely mean that. I’ve watched quite a few of your videos and it comes through both your love of the hobby and the knowledge you willingly share. I have been learning and researching for some time and a month ago took the plunge. With the current environment and shortages on equipment it has taken a month to order and receive everything and configure my system. Tonight I will do my first dry run of polar, star, and guide alignment. I’ve documented a checklist and have included a number of your tips as items to check. Thank you again and Clear Skys! Joe..

[@dslrnightsky]

Thank you for watching the videos. I’m glad you enjoyed them. Congrats on your plunge into this hobby. Best wishes!

[@JeffClay-clayhausphotography]

Excellent resource. well done. I’ve learned a lot from this ...thanks.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jeff Clay I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching! 😀🔭

[@JeffClay-clayhausphotography]

@@dslrnightsky I have just recently purchased a telescope and have begun my journey into astrophotorgaphy. You convincingly proved to me that autoguiding is in my near future! By the way, is that observatory site in the Sierra Nevada foothills? Looks like a great spot.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jeff Clay congrats in starting out in AP! It is a great hobby! Best regards. 😀🔭

[@MadMikey1010]

Great video! Thanks for taking time to go over your gear and techniques in such detail. Final image of the galaxy looks amazing.

[@dslrnightsky]

Michael Galea thank you. I hope you found the video helpful. Best regards.

[@_J.F_]

Great video! Having not yet even started any deep sky astro photography myself (currently just trying to learn and find out the equipment level I will aim to start off with) I find your videos very educational, well explained, and certainly very inspiring too. Thank you very much for sharing.

[@dslrnightsky]

J F Thank you for watching. I hope my videos help. This is a very expensive hobby....if you let it be....if you are just starting out I would always advise starting with a simple tracking mount and a camera lens. Explore Scientific, iOptron, Orion, Skywatcher, etc all offer tracking mounts that you can learn on before you make a large investment. This is really an amazing and rewarding hobby! LOL...like most things though, the more you learn, the more you realize you still need to learn. Please let me know if you have any questions. Best regards. 😀🔭

[@_J.F_]

@@dslrnightsky Thank you very much for the great advice. I already own a 102/1300 Sky-Watcher maksutov cassegrain on a manual AZ-EQ Avant mount, that I use for observation. I have also experimented with some regular DSLR on a tripod night sky photography like the moon, lunar eclipse, and some star trails as well. I can even mount my DSLR on my telescope, but without a tracking mount it is not really worth it, unless I want some close ups of the moon that I can shoot on a quite fast exposure. As this hobby can certainly be expensive you are probably right in suggesting that I start with a basic tracking mount, possibly even second hand, and make the most of the equipment I already own. Thanks again for your advice. I shall have a look around for any good deals on second hand tracking mounts, and more importantly hope for some clear skies too.

[@Nottsboy24]

Fantastic upload ☺👍🔭

[@dslrnightsky]

Notts boy24 thank you! 😀🔭

[@themonkeykingkaiser]

I love your videos. Please make more!

[@dslrnightsky]

Cosmic Hawk I’m glad you enjoyed the videos. Thank you for watching. 🔭

[@melobcm]

What an amazing video. Congrats. Hope to get to your level one day. Thanks for that and waiting for the next ones.

[@dslrnightsky]

Bruno Melo thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I imaged for years with a basic setup and was quite happy with it. 😀

[@nickup77]

I just re-reviewed your video so I could remember the settings on all of the darks, flats, & biased frames, even though I had printed it out, it was good to have a refresher course from the Master..still a great instructional video..Your still the best teacher to the new and old astro-imager alike..Thanks Night sky :)

[@dslrnightsky]

Nick J I’m glad you found the video helpful. Thank you for the compliment, it is appreciated! 😀. Best regards and clear skies! 🔭

[@mccarthymccarthy1]

Thanks for a great video. Super informative and great presentation. And amazing photo to finish with.

[@MalcolmCrabbe]

Thank you for explaining the process of darks / lights / bias frames etc... I now know where I was going wrong all these years !!

[@dslrnightsky]

Malcolm Crabbe I’m glad you enjoyed the video and I’m glad the video helped. Thank you for watching.

[@AstroGuina]

I'm starting with deep sky photography and your videos have been of great value. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in such a didactic way. Hugs from Brazil.

[@darwin-101]

More videos, excellent tutorial. I am still deciding about astrophotography.

[@smittysmith3227]

Thank you for your video. New subscriber, new to the Sacramento area from the Contra Costa County. I have been a visual observer for just over 5 years equipped with a 10” Dobsonian and Celestron 8SE with many accessories. I am now looking into AP and following your video volgs for learning purposes. I also have started following the SVAS webpage and FB page.

[@dslrnightsky]

Smitty Smith thank you. I’ll look forward to meeting you at a future SVAS star party! Best regards. 😀🔭

[@howardhopkinson]

A superb video and explanation. Liked and subscribed!

[@dslrnightsky]

Howard Hopkinson thank you! 😀

[@vixdname]

Just watched your video, as a newbie just dipping my toe into Astrophotography I found it very helpful and eaay to follow. Thank you sir.

[@keithwepking9988]

Excellent video, just what I was looking for to learn astrophotography. I will subscribe to learn more. Thanks!

[@dslrnightsky]

Keith Wepking I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Best wishes! 😀🔭

[@MrBengourben]

Thanks for this great video. Very concise and easy to follow. Brilliant result, too! Looking forward to more.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jason Murphy I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching.

[@markc7889]

Wow! Another nice and informative video! Thank you for sharing. Keep it coming!

[@dslrnightsky]

Mark Chang thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. 😀

[@benjamincherniawski8564]

Thanks for sharing you experience! I have a setup similar to the "entry level" one you mentioned. The equipment and techniques you address in this video come at the perfect time as I am still learning to complete a proper imaging session. If you are near Davis, CA give me a shout.

[@dslrnightsky]

Benjamin Cherniawski I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.

[@scopedope8706]

Awesome Video. Unintimidating and Very Informative. You nailed it start to finish. Keep them coming. Nice image also. Stay Humble.

[@dslrnightsky]

Scope Dope thank you! I appreciate the compliment. 😀. I am glad you found the video interesting. Best regards.

[@andyweeks2216]

The Flat Frame kit is a great idea, thank you!

[@dslrnightsky]

Andrew Weeks you’re welcome. It is easy to make and (as long as it’s made correctly) does not interfere with others who may also be imaging. Thank you for watching!

[@astronomyrocks7378]

Andrew Weeks this kit works very well! I never liked the T-shirt method.

[@astronomyrocks7378]

Another great video! Very informative and a lot of fun to watch. Thanks for posting! 👍

[@dslrnightsky]

Astronomy Rocks thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video.

[@nadiyajason]

Wow! This is my favorite Astrophotography channel! Well done! I have the same mount and also use the Polemaster. I can attest to the quality, a great setup indeed! Looking forward to seeing your next video. 😀

[@dslrnightsky]

Sierra Astronomy thank you for the compliment. I hope people find my videos helpful. AP is an amazing hobby! 😀

[@makers_lab]

Great video and images :) I'm fairly new to astro, did my first guided shots on my EQ3-2 a few days ago with the same guider as yours, and wow, it's transformed the experience with my little Skymax 127. I 3D printed a stepped wedge to use to help eliminate cone error, which is almost zero now and definitely helps, got the guider algned with the OTA, and with no more red dot struggling, getting excellent polar alignment is vastly easier. That plus then the guided tracking is huge.

[@dslrnightsky]

Nick Lindridge I’m glad you are enjoying this hobby. It is a journey every step of the way! Thanks for watching. 😀

[@HesDeadJim2]

Awesome video! Thank you for sharing!! I did notice that your link to the "Explore Scientific ED102CF-FCD 100 Apochromatic air spaced triplet" appears broken....

[@dslrnightsky]

Steve Stang thank you for watching my video and for letting me know about the link. The link has been fixed. Best regards and clear skies! 😀

[@daltonleeh]

Nice video ! Awesome to see an individuals process, helps us noobs get a groove ! lol

[@dslrnightsky]

Dead Parrot thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the video. Let me know if you have any questions. Best regards. 😀🔭

[@matthewwilkes6065]

Superb and informative video. Keep up the awesome work.🙂

[@dslrnightsky]

Matthew Wilkes thank you, I am glad you enjoyed the video. 😀

[@stpal001]

Great tutorial for us mere mortals.

[@dslrnightsky]

grady price blount I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for watching! 😀🔭

[@astrosathya1984]

Very good and informative video, made in a really simple to understand and straightforward manner. Kudos to you. :)

[@dslrnightsky]

sathya kumar Prasanna I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.

[@sanjeebguru]

Thanks for another great video. Worth the wait.

[@dslrnightsky]

sanjeeb guru thank you again for watching. Best regards.

[@cmelton.photography]

Thank you so much for explaining all the types of frames briefly in a single video, untill now, I didn't know what a bias frame did, I knew how to do it, just not what it did.

[@dslrnightsky]

I’m glad you enjoyed and found the video helpful. Thank you for watching. Best regards! 😀🔭

[@jackdeangelis6585]

Great video for anyone just starting out. Subscribed.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jack DeAngelis thank you for subscribing. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. 😀

[@commentculture1118]

Beauty bud, keep up that good work and thanks for sharing!

[@dslrnightsky]

Comment Culture thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video.

[@brucenunn9621]

Great Vid.. very Helpful.. thank you.

[@dslrnightsky]

Bruce Nunn I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching. 😀

[@vladimirmachek2524]

Great video, very informative, thank you very much.

[@dslrnightsky]

Vladimír Machek I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching!😀🔭

[@tezzastutorials5592]

He's back! Good to see you post again!

[@dslrnightsky]

Tezza's Tutorials thank you for watching! 😀

[@jonathanshields2016]

Wow. A lot of work goes into the process but a great result.

[@barbadosart7059]

Very interesting video again, thanks for sharing!

[@dslrnightsky]

Rojo Bulgaro thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. 😀

[@Pescadoraficionado]

Otro gran vídeo Sr. La foto salió estupenda , vídeo realmente muy bien explicado, organizado y hecho. Su persona refleja mucha paz lo felicito y siga adelante. Saludos desde México. Cielos despejados.! Hope translation it would be correct. Another great vídeo sir. The photograph was great, vídeo really well explainded, organized and done. Your personas réflex many piecefull, congratulations and keep it up. Grettings from México. Clear skys!!

[@dslrnightsky]

Jes Fonsi Hello from California. I am glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching. Espero que esta traducción sea correcta. Hola desde California. Me alegra que hayas disfrutado el video. Gracias por ver.

[@davidwalsh2020]

Great video, thanks for posting, I have to start saving up my pennies. Really impressive

[@dslrnightsky]

David Walsh thank you for watching! 😀🔭

[@inquisitivesoul8978]

How about a link to that light box you used for your flat exposures? Thanks. Nice video.

[@dslrnightsky]

Benson Ricks please check the video description. I’ve included a link. Thank you for watching. 😀

[@stefanxifl]

Thank you. I really enjoy your videos, the explanations and the passion you have. Sadly i am on hold with this hobby because my exams... but i am so looking forward when i finally have time again. Until then i enjoy your videos (i guess a few more times ^^) aswells as astrockbackyard´s channel. Hope there will be more in the future. Wish everyone clear skies ^^

[@dslrnightsky]

Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the videos. I do have plans for future videos. Best regards. 😀

[@josepht1575]

great job, no filler just informative and interesting at the same time. that's hard to do.

[@josepht1575]

is the 50mm extension tube necessary with that scope if you don't have a field reducer installed?

[@dslrnightsky]

Joseph Tarling I believe it is. For Astrophotography I would not imagine without the flattener, it really improves the image out toward the edge. I prefer to use the 50mm extension tube instead of the threaded extension as it allows me to easily switch to visual at the end of the night. Thank you for watching. 🔭😀

[@sbradley7007]

Great video. I loved the comparison photos of different guide times. That's outstanding performance for that mount. One thing to note, the Aperture Priority setting you use for Canons does not work on Nikons. It won't shoot on the A setting without a lens attached.

[@danno1374]

Did you need any adapters for the Orion 50mm guide scope to fit on the explore scientific?

[@dslrnightsky]

Danno yes you will need an adapter. I purchased mine from scope stuff.

[@tob187sr]

Ty bro I just bought a telescope and a mount I need all the teaching I can get 👊🏿

[@dslrnightsky]

Congrats on your purchase! This is a really great hobby! 😀🔭

[@astronovice5688]

Hi, great videos! What bracket or adapter do you use to connect your Orion Finderscope to the ED102 OTA? I want to order both but not sure if I also need an adapter in between since Explore Scientific base I don't think works with other brands.

[@dslrnightsky]

Astro Novice thanks for asking. I purchased an adapter from ScopeStuff. Here is the link. www.scopestuff.com/ss_s2es.htm

[@dslrnightsky]

Hope that helps. Thanks for watching. 😀

[@gabewrsewell]

great stuff, i love videos just like this where it just feels like you're out under the stars sharing information with a cool person. it should be noted that there is a midpoint between a setup like this and a beginner imaging setup. My rig consists of a sky watcher star adventurer mount, a photography tripod, an entry level nikon dslr on the same level as a rebel series camera, a william optics 61mm apo astrograph, and a lacerta mgen II standalone autoguider. It has its cons but it's not too expensive, i could carry my entire rig in my backpack on a hike if i wanted to, plus i have the benefits of autoguiding and the image quality of an apochromatic refractor. there's plenty of options out there for you people looking to get started on or upgrade your astrophotography setup!

[@philippedeschenes470]

Gabe Sewell hi Gab. Would love to hear about your experience with your stand alone autiguider. Clear skies!

[@dslrnightsky]

Hello, I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I agree about the benefits of a budget setup. I spent several years imaging with a basic eq mount and several camera lenses. I share some of those options in my other videos. Please watch if you are interested and let me know what you think. Best regards. 😀

[@gabewrsewell]

DSLR Night Sky Oh believe me i've watched all of your other videos multiple times lol. I started my setup similar to how you did too. I think even if I did upgrade to a substantial setup like you have here, i would still keep my small mount and scope, i'm sure you'll agree you just can't beat the convenience of a small form factor. Philippe: I bought my mgen II a month ago from teleskop-express.de, it's a european product and as such it's very difficult to find an american or canadian retailer. I'm very glad I bought from that site though and i would highly recommend it to anybody else, because the man in charge of email correspondence, Tommy, is incredibly friendly and helpful in getting you up after running. Once you're acquainted to the mgen II you can get set guiding very quickly. Last weekend was my first experience with my Mgen II out in the field under a remote dark sky; from the time I powered on my guider until i was guiding on a star and having the mgen control my camera taking photos was no more than 3 minutes. It's as close to plug and play as i've seen an autoguider get. I've never autoguided before, and i had no trouble using this device. I've also seen huge imaging rigs using the very same guider, it's very versatile and it looks like you can keep it as you upgrade the rest of your rig. My favourite part is the camera control, you can hook your DSLR up to the Mgen II and use it to control your exposure sequences, i.e. exposure length, number of frames, mirror lockup. You can also program multiple different sequences to be done together, for example if you were imaging the orion nebula and you wanted both short exposures for the core as well as long exposures for faint detail, you can do that too. You can even use the Mgen to do dithering in between the exposures! I'd recommend it for sure!

[@AstroTechGuy]

Very interesting video! Thanks for all the work (Must have taken days for editing), that you put into it.

[@dslrnightsky]

TaranoGuy thank you for watching. Yes the video did take several days of editing 😀 but if people find it helpful then it was worth the effort. Best regards.

[@karlsitell]

Very informative! Thanks.

[@dslrnightsky]

Karl Sitell I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for watching! 😀

[@Mawssoua]

Great and informative video . Thank you 👍

[@dslrnightsky]

Yassir Lairgi I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching. 😀

[@MrGp3po]

Great video. Do you plan to make more?

[@dslrnightsky]

MrGp3po thank you very much! I’ve got lots of plans. I just need to find the time. Best regards! 😀🔭

[@golfbiker100]

Wish you would create more content, really like your posts

[@mehmetnusretozturk9717]

What do you think about bresser exos-2 . Is it enough for astrophotography?. Thanks.

[@dslrnightsky]

mehmet nusret öztürk This eq mount looks similar to the eq mount I previously used. From what I read online it would probably be a good starter mount for wide field Astrophotography. I started with a similar budget friendly eq mount and it kept me happy for several years. There do seem to be upgrades for the mount, motor drives and a goto system. I hope this helps.

[@mehmetnusretozturk9717]

@@dslrnightsky thank you so much.👍

[@dslrnightsky]

mehmet nusret öztürk you’re welcome. Thank you for watching. 😀

[@mehmetnusretozturk9717]

@@dslrnightsky www.telescopehouse.com/bresser-messier-ar-127-1200-exos-2-goto.html this product.

[@dslrnightsky]

mehmet nusret öztürk I would not use the telescope listed in the link for imaging. If you are just starting out then try using a simple camera lens around 250mm to 400mm with this eq mount. Then upgrade to a small apochromat later.

[@argafirmansyah]

Great video and detailed guide... i'm living in southern hemisphere very close to the equator (-6 degree south). I'm wondering is there any way to use that Polar alignment camera on the southern sphere?

[@dslrnightsky]

Arga Firmansyah hello. I googled that topic and what I found is that it is possible as long as the southern celestial pole is visible. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.

[@damian8051]

Really informative tutorial! Something I don't quite understand though is, at what point does the mount start tracking? (not the autoguiding part which I know requires it's own dedicated scope and camera) but just tracking? is this something you initiate through the hand controller? Thanks

[@dslrnightsky]

Damian yes, the mount will track once you get it aligned. I am actually using EQMOD now and I can turn on and off the side real tracking whenever I want. It is a nice feature.

[@damian8051]

@@dslrnightsky Awesome, thanks!

[@louboom5711]

Great video, very informative thanks! I just acquired this mount (never been used but it's 12 years old) and I wanted to run it with my ASI Air Pro, do you happen to know how to connect these two so they talk to each other?

[@utskb15]

Hello, This was a very helpful video on many fronts. Very instructive. I have the same mount that I guide with PHD2 and a ZWO guide scope+camera pair. Your guide curves look amazing, and way better than what I get. I usually get 1 arc-sec RMS error on both axes. From the curves from your video it appears that you may be getting way smaller tracking error. Wanted to ask if you have done any modifications to the mount or hyper-tuned etc? I would really appreciate if you can provide any information on that front. I explored many parameter tuning routes, but am not able to improve my guiding performance any further on that Sirius EQ-G mount. Thanks for your help.

[@dslrnightsky]

Subir Biswas I have not modified the mount in any way. My guiding has actually improved significantly since. I’ve found that with this mount, east heavy balancing is very important. Also I perform the polemaster polar alignment procedure twice. I completed the periodic error correction (PEC) training through EQMOD which has also helped. Hope that helps. Best regards. 😀🔭

[@tedbratton2225]

I have an Explore Scientific ED 102 and was wondering if you needed an adapter for the Orion guider package?

[@dslrnightsky]

Hello and thank you for watching. Yes, you will need an adapter to use the Orion guide scope with the ED102. Explore Scientific and Meade scopes use a different style of finderscope shoe/base which will not work with the Orion finderscope without an adapter. I purchased an adapter from Scopestuff for $29, which works very well. Here is the link I have. www.scopestuff.com/ss_s2es.htm

[@tedbratton2225]

Thank you

[@dslrnightsky]

Ted Bratton you’re welcome. 😀

[@Apocalypsor]

Hiho, thank you for posting the next entertaining Video! As usual its very interessting to see your sequential steps during your night of imaging. You made a very big equipmentwise step! I hope that you still appreciate your 80mm apo! Maybe one hint from my side due to my recent experience with my setup: you can ignore the ST4 cable and go for the pulseguiding option in eqmod. At least one cable less to worry about, and it slightly increases the guiding results. Anyhow, its up to you since your guiding results are awesome compared to my Neq6 xD Please make many more vids & CS Chris

[@dslrnightsky]

Chris Wojcik Thank you and I am glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, I did make a pretty big step up but I believe it was well worth the investment. I’ll certainly look into doing away with the st4 cable once I have upgraded my laptop. Best regards.

[@kkrolf2782]

I'd LOVE to know where you were to get that AMAZING night sky shot!!!

[@dslrnightsky]

kk rolf if you mean the wide field image showing M33 M31 and the Milky Way...that is a tracked 4 minute exposure. ISO 400 with an 18mm camera lens. Any dark sky site will work.

[@hurriyetpek77]

2 tips.. 1. get rid of the st4 cable.. as you are already connected the mount to the pc/laptop. 2. place the polemaster on the dovetail to also use it as a finderscope with sharcap. great vid btw

[@dslrnightsky]

Black Hole Crater yes I am already working on doing away with the ST4. Interesting idea about the Polemaster. I’ll look into that. 😀. Thanks for watching!

[@niccoc1603]

Very informative

[@dslrnightsky]

niccoc1603 thank you for watching! 😀

[@RaghuramKhandrika]

How to eliminate the shutter slap on the Nikon D50 while taking Astrophotos. It gives that shake on the stars and I can't seem to eliminate the shutter shake in post processing

[@dslrnightsky]

Raghuram Khandrika have you tried using Astrophotography Tool (APT) for camera control? I believe APT supports many Nikon models and if your model is supported, then you can program in a anti-vibration pause into each image. This will effectively do away with the shake that takes place when the mirror flips up at the start on each exposure. Hope this helps. Thank you for watching.

[@RaghuramKhandrika]

@@dslrnightsky Hi, thank you for the reply. The list of models supported doesn't contain Nikon D50, but Nikon D40 is a close match, which is a 6.1 MP CCD Image Processor.

[@ManosZafirakis.ShapeMixStudio]

Hi !! Thanks for the video. I don't own a telescope yet but I watch videos for astrophotography and I would like to take photos in the future but I am a little bit confused.... You don't need an eyepiece when you take images ? I suppose that an eyepiece is necessary when the object in the sky is far away so you have to magnify it, isn't it ? Thanks in advance.

[@dslrnightsky]

Iris Manta There are different ways to take an astrophoto. The technique I use is called prime focus where the telescope essentially acts as the camera lens. There are others ways to image such as eyepiece projection where the eyepiece acts as a lens and you either hold the camera (some use their cell phone) in front of the eyepiece or use an adapter which helps the process. Prime focus is the preferred method and generally results in a better image. Thank you for watching. 🔭😀

[@ManosZafirakis.ShapeMixStudio]

@@dslrnightsky Ok understood !!! Many many thanks my friend. And if the object is small in our camera how we can magnify it without eyepiece ? Sorry if I make many question :)

[@dslrnightsky]

Iris Manta the image from your camera can be cropped some to make the target larger in the frame. Other than that, I would advise you to try out the field of view calculator on the astronomy tools website. I hope this helps.

[@ManosZafirakis.ShapeMixStudio]

@@dslrnightsky AAaa ok, yes it helps this, thank you so much

[@bazpearce9993]

Nicely produced video. Excellent results too :). Do you ever do any narrow band imaging?

[@dslrnightsky]

Baz Pearce I am actually very interested in giving that a try. Do you have any suggestions on a filter which would work well with a DSLR?

[@bazpearce9993]

Baader are a good brand to go for. Not too pricey, but good quality. You'd have to check the specs for DSLR threads. I use a Starlight Xpress Ultrastar, so i can use 1.25" filters.

[@dslrnightsky]

Baz Pearce thank you, I’ll look into that. Best regards. 😀

[@jasoncross5684]

I have just discovered your video and boy am I glad I did, I am blessed enough to be getting a few thousand pounds coming my way early next year and had always planned on using it to get started on proper astrophotography and going through your list I think I should be able to get it all, one thing I do have a canon 5d mark3 camera already would that be adequate for this set up ( sorry for my ignorance) and would I need slightly different attachments for it??? Thanks again and now I'm going to watch more of your content.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jason Cross Hello. I am glad you enjoyed my video. With regards to the suitability of your full frame camera. I have seen people use full frame cameras as their main imaging camera. One item you might want to check on when you are considering different telescopes is the size of the image circle produced at the focus point. If the image circle is smaller than your full frame sensor then you will deal with a type of vignette and the outer corners will be significantly darker than the rest of your frame. I have had good results with my APS-C sensor as well as my camera with a 4/3 sensor. Regarding the adapter question….if using a refractor telescope you will most likely need a field flattener and an appropriate t-adapter which will connect the flattener to your camera. Thank you for watching my videos. Let me know if you have any other questions. 😀🔭

[@jasoncross5684]

DSLR Night Sky firstly thank you for your reply but do have a couple of questions 1st why no more videos in last year your enthusiasm and knowledge are just what is needed for us beginners. 2nd I would like to get a complete set up from scratch that will be mobile enough to take with me in my converted campervan and I will have a budget of about $4-5000 please could you give me a complete wish list ( I'm. In UK so know some equipment will be under different names ). Thanks again and I hope you well and getting some clear skies.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jason Cross Hello again. I know I have not made a video in a while. Other commitments have taken a lot of my time over the last year but I do have quite a few plans for new videos. I’m planning to start on them soon. I have acquired several new items over the last year so hopefully I can include a few product reviews as well. Regarding your wish list….. It will really depends on if you have any experience in astrophotography. If you are just starting out then I would advise to start very simple. You already have a fullframe DSLR and I would assume several decent lenses. Have you considered purchasing and starting with a star tracker (approximately $400 - $500 US)? My first few years I used a DSLR and a basic star tracker (see my first video). There is a lot to learn about this hobby. Learning set up and polar alignment, locating objects in the night sky, as well as stacking and post processing kept me very busy that first year. When the time was right I moved up. I received this advice when I started and I am glad I listened. If someone is just starting and they are very eager to jump in then I would advise a quality widefield 80mm apochromatic refractor, an equatorial mount which supports autoguiding (i.e. Skywatcher HEQ5, Orion Sirius EQ-G), an autoguiding package deal which would include both the guide scope and camera, a mid-range laptop with plenty of USB ports (3-4), a portable 12volt power source. You already have a DSLR. For image acquisition software I would advise starting with something easy to learn (yet powerful) such as Astrophotography tool and for guiding I would advise PHD2. For post processing I have used both Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. I prefer Lightroom as it is extremely easy and does 99% of what I need. I hope this helps.

[@jasoncross5684]

DSLR Night Sky that really helps as you rightly concluded I do have several good lenses and I do have a star tracker that I have been trying to use for the last year, the problem I have had with the star tracker is that I have a medical issue where I get very dizzy ( caused by a rare kind of stroke ) and I have really struggled with getting good polar alignment with the small scope in the star tracker, it has made me hungry for more astrophotography but the set up I have is just not working for me and I haven't been able to persuade any friends to come with me to help with the polar alignment ( many friends like the idea of it but beg off when it comes to getting out of there warm houses late at night, there loss) Look forward to further replies and suggestions and am very glad there are more videos to come.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jason Cross then you might consider a different mount such as the heq-5. On top of having the full goto functionality, you could also use a polemaster. Using a polemaster polar alignment camera would mean you would not need to get down on the ground to look up. It is also much more accurate. If you are not using the star tracker, you could always sell it to free up funds to purchase the polemaster. There are many tutorials online for using the polemaster. I would not image without it!

[@PrepperStateofMind]

Great video. Just now getting into this hobbie.

[@dslrnightsky]

Jeff Miller thank you for watching. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. 😀

[@nandobike]

Great video! I love how that you did compare many settings and show the results. I have a 1600 mm f/8 telescope... which kind of guider scope you recommend? I think that a 60mm (f/4) would be too short... (?)

[@dslrnightsky]

nandobike Several astronomy club members use the Short Tube 80 with longer focal length imaging scopes and get good results.

[@GasCanZa]

Great video. Can you perhaps make a video on PhD drift aligning? I am in the southern hemisphere and the Polemaster is just to expensive for me.

[@dslrnightsky]

Peet du Toit thanks for the suggestion. I’ll definitely consider that for a future video. Thanks for watching. 😀

[@savtheastroguy]

Does this mean that i will need a guide scope to make exposures longer than 1 minute? With the eq5 pro and skywatcher 150pds

[@my.username]

Where do you people find all those nice dark places to do AP from? I can´t seem to find any good spots at all living in the suburbs of a capital city in Northern Europe, it feels like a radius of at least 150 km is Light polluted here. Best place I can seem to find by traveling a bit is Bortle scale class 4 darkness, the place I live in is class 6, so not an ideal place.

[@dslrnightsky]

G. Costanza yes, it is getting more and more difficult to find a dark sky, especially in Europe and the eastern USA. Make the most of your Bortle 4 zone. I believe the Milky Way is still visible in a zone 4. Thank you for watching. 😀

[@ebrahemmh]

Thank you for the video. Do you recommend any guiding scope that I can attach to my dslr camera? Thank you

[@dslrnightsky]

Dr. Ebrahem Habibeh if you are using a short focal length camera lens for imaging you may not need a guide camera. I found this article on cloudy nights. I hope it helps. www.cloudynights.com/topic/606539-guiding-setup-for-a-dslrlens/

[@alejandrix0377]

I have a problem that when I want to make my flats images, when I turn my nikon in A mode, (what in Canon is Av) it doesn't let me shoot. It only let's me shoot when I have it in M mode. Please someone help. Thanks

[@dslrnightsky]

alejandrix03 you might try keeping it in manual mode and watching the histogram closely. Try short exposures, around 1/200th of a second. The go slightly longer, then shorter until your histogram is roughly in the middle. I hope this helps.

[@alejandrix0377]

@@dslrnightsky God bless you. Thanks a lot

[@constellationshots3893]

could I go with a longer exposure with a smaller focal length?

[@dslrnightsky]

Varun Vanga issues with tracking or guiding will be less apparent at a shorter focal length. 😀

[@constellationshots3893]

DSLR Night Sky ok great, I really wish there was a calculator for that.

[@remol-controto]

Great video! I have a Sony alpha 10mp and a nikon d5600 24mp, I can't modify the nikon couse it belongs to my wife but I can do it with the Sony alpha, do you think the images will be better or I keep imiging with the nikon just the way it is?

[@dslrnightsky]

gabriel fumagalli I’ve used a modified DSLR and actually prefer it unmodified. Stars seemed a little bloated when imaging with a modified camera. Thanks for watching. 😀

[@CitizenSniiiips]

Modifying your camera isn't necessary. Its all about how you handle your data in post. Google clarkvision and check out the guides he has about modified imaging. It is section 4e in the night photography series. very informative and scientific. Completely changed my opinion on modded astro

[@CitizenSniiiips]

to add to this, I did forget to mention that it really depends what specs your camera sensor has. Some sensors have plenty of IR (H-alpha) response unmodified while others have

[@remol-controto]

@@CitizenSniiiips thanks for the info!!! This helps a lot

[@remol-controto]

@@dslrnightsky thank you for doing this great videos!

[@ppi57]

I'll echo all the posts before mine... subscribed

[@dslrnightsky]

Rich thank you for subscribing. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. 😀

[@greadore]

Good, concise and clear video. Thanks! I'm surprised you only got good 1 minute unguided shots with that tracking mount especially with using the Polemaster. What focal length were you shooting at? I have a portable and low end mount (iOptron SmartEQ Pro) and had a terrible time polar aligning it with the polar scope, couldn't hardly get any exposures better than with just my camera and a tripod. Got the iOptron iPolar alignment camera and it made a HUGE difference. I can now get 1 minute or possibly 120 seconds without guiding at a 300 mm focal length. Boy, that guiding made a BIG difference, makes me want to consider that in the future! Thanks for the info and video!

[@dslrnightsky]

greadore I’ve actually updated my process quite a bit since this video. I completed the PEC (periodic error correction) training through EQMOD and everything has improved since. Sounds like you are on the right track. I love this hobby! Thanks for watching! 😀🔭

[@KulkarniPrashant]

This is one of the best AP videos I have ever seen, thank you so much! I'm wondering if you teach AP?

[@dslrnightsky]

Prashant Kulkarni thank you for the compliment. I do not teach AP but I really enjoy this hobby and am glad that so many others do as well. Thank you for watching! 😀🔭