miklj

"The most important part of a camera is the 12" behind it." Ansel Adams. Don't lighten your wallet just to walk around with more curb appeal hanging around your neck.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

The think the 'professional' had never seen a great picture until he shot with a Sony!?

I've had the A7R and A7 II, and now own the A7S, A7R II, RX10 III and RX10 IV; couldn't be happier. If Canon had got off their butt regarding mirrorless I'd probably still be with them, however...

I still use some of Canon's great glass with a Sigma MC-11 adapter.

bwa

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If you walk around with a camera hanging from your neck, you have not curb appeal ....

jhkfly

I am very impressed with my Sony A7 II's performance with kit lenses and an old Canon FD 70-200 mm lens (I've had it for 7 months) but one thing has me annoyed: I can't get a decent shot of Jupiter and other planets through my Questar telescope. Through the telescope's eyepieces everything is sharp and clear. But the cameras images are poor blurs. I'm using a very heavy tri-pod and the Questar has its own a smooth-motion tracking system.

It's not the focusing, or motion blur; I just can't get with 24 megapixels what I used to get with my Canon FT-QL or my Olympus OM2 and tri-X film. I've varied shutter speeds and ISOs to extremes with no improvement. I've tried varied settings of "Steady shot" with no discernible difference. I can't believe it's just that digital images don't work for astronomy.

Any suggestions for amelioration will be appreciated.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Try turning off the steady-shot being mounted to a tripod. Next would be a wired remote shutter release and review of your exposure / shooting technique. Digital cameras are capable of all photography.

jhkfly

Thanks, CHG CANON. I've tried Steady-shot off with no improvement. I always use the 10-second delay. Though a few shots (4 out of fifty) show motion blur, the rest appear as very grainy spheres without even close-to-defined edges. I did get two shots at very high ISO that show three moons fairly clearly, but the planet was way over-exposed.

I have been taking RAW images. I'll see if JPG fine works better. A wired remote shutter release is a sound idea. I'll try that too.

BebuLamar

Did Ansel Adams say that?

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

As a Minolta --> Sony user, I do not find the Sony images to be HDR like. Sony offers a few menu settings that can produce an HDR effect in camera (i.e. HDR, multi-frame auto ISO, and handheld twilight). If the photog was using one of those setting he might be able to make that claim, but these settings do not produce an actual HDR looking image.

I have used each of these settings at times as they have a purpose. I am using the Sony A7Rii now.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Most of my professional video colleagues use Sony A7 series cameras. I have used them filming major TV documentaries and have nothing but good things to say about the video quality. As to still images, their sensors receive the highest ratings for full frame cameras. The look of a photo has mostly to do with how it is processed.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

Several years ago I upgraded from my a5000 to the a6000. And I still have it. But at the same time I also have the a99ii, a7s, and a7iii. I use the a6000 when I travel light. the a7iii for long shots with a Sigma 150-600mm because of it's super fast focus and eye fallowing ability. And the a99ii for my landscape shots (42mp). The a7s isn't used much any more but it was for low light star shots and I tend to use the a7iii for that now. Note that the a5000 and a6xxx series cameras are crop sensors and the a7 and a99 series are full frame. If you are using lenses made for your a5000 then the least expensive way to go is to upgrade to the a6500 or maybe the a6400. The a6500 has 5x image stabilization but the a6400 has the new super fast focus but only in lens image stabilization. The 5x stab is really nice. It will allow you to adapt ANY lens and have image stab. If you intend to do a quantum leap to full frame and the associated cost of full frame lenses then I would recommend the a7iii. I suggest renting the camera of your choice and then see how you like it. I rented a Sony a7iii from https://www.lensrentals.com for a week and loved it so much that I bought one. But check your local Camera store to see if they rent first. If you rent, don't forget to rent a lens too. Your a5000 lenses will fit and work but only in APS-C mode and you won't be seeing the full benefits of the full frame. All your a5000 lenses will work just fine on the a6500 or a6400. You may also want to check out the used market once you have decided on your camera choice. BTW, I have owned a Fuji XA-3. I like Fuji cameras and have recommended them to my students that have a hard time transitioning from film cameras to digital. most Fuji cameras are like your a5000, APS-C format. Do your homework. Enjoy your upgrade to whatever you finally decide on.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

It is nearly impossible to get surface features of Jupiter and its moons in the same image. Jupiter is very bright and its moons are fairly dim. I shoot each individually and combine the two results for the best results.

Digital cameras are great for astro-imaging. I started back in the '60's with film. Love the technology today!!

bwa

Jupiter & Moons - Sony A7S, 8" EdgeHD (40x1/100sec, 40x1/10sec @ ISO 100)

(Download)

jhkfly

Thanks, Bwana. Great image! That's what I see in my scope at 80X (but a little brighter). But my images of the planet don't resemble that in the least; more like a round galaxy with thousands of stars and no reasonably clear edge. (No, I wasn't photographing a galaxy!)

My lunar and solar shots are much better, even miniscule craters are sharp as are sunspots.

BTW, I used to live in Calgary. Don't know where Bergen is. I used to fly to quite a few of the smaller towns with airports.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Thanks.

Bergen is about 150km NW of Calgary.

The Misty Valley Ranch, the location of my observatory, is against the forest reserve.

bwa

danbir1 Loc: North Potomac, MD

The older we get, the less we want to go into the menus.
I have the Sony A6300 and the Sony RX100, both are wonderful.
My favorite camera though is the Fuji X-T20. ( I also have the X-A3)
I don't see much of a difference in the IQ from both makes, but the Fuji is more fun and easier to use.

le boecere

"the Fuji is more fun and easier to use": Very similar to my experience with both brands ~ I find good use for both and not ready to give up either.