A Guide To Astrophotography
..A beginners guide
Just a quick warning that the following information could lead to an empty bank account. Simply because the deeper you get into astrophotography the more expensive it gets.
Ok lets start with ..
Mobile Phones
So lets assume you have a telescope or you have access to one and you would like to take pictures of what you are seeing through the telescope.
For mobile phones the best bit of equipment you can get is called a Digi-scope adaptor (available from Amazon or photography shops like Wex), in which your mobile sits allowing the rear camera to see down the eyepiece in the telescope. This device is clamped to the eyepiece. From there you can then plug in your wired headphone lead that has the + - for volume control, as pressing the + will activate the phones camera, allowing to take the image without camera shake/vibration.
Another trick is once you have focused the telescope, place your finger on the phones screen and hold it on until the AF or the focus box enlarges and then reduces. At that point take your finger off the screen, this sets your phones camera focus so you dont have to keep refocusing.
Some other interesting items to obtain for mobile phones are a phone holder that allows connection to a tripod for a steady image of the night sky(available from Waterstones which come with a small tripod or Amazon). Lastly there is a clip on Fish eye lens, which allows taking pictures of the entire night sky. Great as a video for capturing those meteors flying through our Atmosphere.
Compact & Bridge Cameras
For those with compact cameras that have the lens shoot out when you turn on the camera on and bridge cameras with the fixed lens, you would need to obtain a similar Digi-Scope product, except you will need one that allows vertical adjustment as well (available from Wex or Amazon).Remember to allow for the lens to shoot out before securing the camera to the adaptor, otherwise you risk damaging your camera.
DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras
These cameras can plug straight into the telescope, in exactly the same place as the eyepieces go.
To do this you will need the following items, which are available from Photographic shops like Wex or Amazon or Astronomy shops.
Firstly, the ring adaptor, this is specific to the make and model of your camera. To fit it remove your lens and replace it with the ring adaptor it connects just like your lens would.
Secondly, is the T adaptor, this looks like an upside down T and the bottom thread screws into the ring adaptor.
T adaptors come in 2 different sizes, 1.25 and 2". Depending on the diameter of the tube in which your eyepiece goes into, normally its 1.25.
To fit, gently take the camera with both adaptors fitted and place them in the tube where the eyepieces normally go, then secure them as you would an eyepiece.
You can now turn the camera on and use the LCD screen of the camera to view. Point the telescope to the moon and using the telescope focus the moon in the viewer.Once focused you can start imaging, but try to use a remote shutter lead to avoid camera vibration.
Just one further accessory you might like is a Barlow, this will magnify the image depending on how large you want it to be.
Barlows are available in 1.5x 2x 3x and 5x magnification. Oh and you can stack the Barlows into each other if you really want to. Barlows fit into the telescope tube just like an eyepiece and the T adaptor with the camera fits into the Barlow.
CCD & CMOS Imagers
Information to be added soon.
Just a quick warning that the following information could lead to an empty bank account. Simply because the deeper you get into astrophotography the more expensive it gets.
Ok lets start with ..
Mobile Phones
So lets assume you have a telescope or you have access to one and you would like to take pictures of what you are seeing through the telescope.
For mobile phones the best bit of equipment you can get is called a Digi-scope adaptor (available from Amazon or photography shops like Wex), in which your mobile sits allowing the rear camera to see down the eyepiece in the telescope. This device is clamped to the eyepiece. From there you can then plug in your wired headphone lead that has the + - for volume control, as pressing the + will activate the phones camera, allowing to take the image without camera shake/vibration.
Another trick is once you have focused the telescope, place your finger on the phones screen and hold it on until the AF or the focus box enlarges and then reduces. At that point take your finger off the screen, this sets your phones camera focus so you dont have to keep refocusing.
Some other interesting items to obtain for mobile phones are a phone holder that allows connection to a tripod for a steady image of the night sky(available from Waterstones which come with a small tripod or Amazon). Lastly there is a clip on Fish eye lens, which allows taking pictures of the entire night sky. Great as a video for capturing those meteors flying through our Atmosphere.
Compact & Bridge Cameras
For those with compact cameras that have the lens shoot out when you turn on the camera on and bridge cameras with the fixed lens, you would need to obtain a similar Digi-Scope product, except you will need one that allows vertical adjustment as well (available from Wex or Amazon).Remember to allow for the lens to shoot out before securing the camera to the adaptor, otherwise you risk damaging your camera.
DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras
These cameras can plug straight into the telescope, in exactly the same place as the eyepieces go.
To do this you will need the following items, which are available from Photographic shops like Wex or Amazon or Astronomy shops.
Firstly, the ring adaptor, this is specific to the make and model of your camera. To fit it remove your lens and replace it with the ring adaptor it connects just like your lens would.
Secondly, is the T adaptor, this looks like an upside down T and the bottom thread screws into the ring adaptor.
T adaptors come in 2 different sizes, 1.25 and 2". Depending on the diameter of the tube in which your eyepiece goes into, normally its 1.25.
To fit, gently take the camera with both adaptors fitted and place them in the tube where the eyepieces normally go, then secure them as you would an eyepiece.
You can now turn the camera on and use the LCD screen of the camera to view. Point the telescope to the moon and using the telescope focus the moon in the viewer.Once focused you can start imaging, but try to use a remote shutter lead to avoid camera vibration.
Just one further accessory you might like is a Barlow, this will magnify the image depending on how large you want it to be.
Barlows are available in 1.5x 2x 3x and 5x magnification. Oh and you can stack the Barlows into each other if you really want to. Barlows fit into the telescope tube just like an eyepiece and the T adaptor with the camera fits into the Barlow.
CCD & CMOS Imagers
Information to be added soon.