doctp Loc: ny

Hi and ty in advance!
I have a Nikon d 500 and astrophysics “Traveller “ 105 mm, F6 refractor .
Want to start photographying Saturn, Jupiter , and Mars and other planets and comets and star trails and meteor showers.
I know I need a “T” adaptor and cable release .
Would like recommendations on ISO , f stop and shutter speed .
Is any of this possible on a standard tripod, I do not have a German/Equatorial,go to mount.
Too expensive for my budget at this time and no plans for “Deep Sky” photography, at this time.
Also some suggestions on the moon and sun.
I have a Lunt 60 mm solar scope, B1200 diagonal and 50mm Etalon for far end of the scope.
Anyone with a list of camera settings for the planets, moon, sun and stars.?
Is post processing necessary, such as photoshop or light room?
Would rather not post process , not good with programs, would like quick, one shot images!
All help is appreciated, ty.
Tom
Doctp12@aol.com

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

You have a nice scope. Treat it (settings) just as you would any DSLR lens. Of course a fl610mm lens.

Planets are very bright, typically done with video, but not required. You could add a Barlow to increase fl and f number. Given that planets, Sun and Moon are all very bright, you will want the higher F-number. ISO will depend on the f-number. Exposure times will be very quick, it depends on the other items I just mentioned.

Mojaveflyer Loc: Denver, CO

I bought a Omegon Minitrack LX-2 for about $160 last year. It's a wind up star tracker you mount on your tripod and then mount the camera to it. It's nice because you can use it in the middle of nowhere because it doesn't need 110 volts to make it work. I ran it for 2 1/2 hours and it tracked the stars well after I got it set up pointing towards Polaris, the North Star.

I would look for Dave Morrow's website that gives some excellent pointers for astrophotography including a four page pdf file.

(Download)

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

Nice image James.

doctp Loc: ny

Ty for the info. Interested in only planets for now.
Interesting that the AP Traveller scope is 610mm with excellent optics.
I have a Nikon 200-400mm Zoom used for wildlife with mt Nikon D 500 camera. The 200-400mm lens would actually be 300-600 mm on my camera, should I use the lens or Astrophysics scope?
TY for your help.

doctp Loc: ny

Second Question: For deep sky photos, can I use my D 500 "as is" or does it have to be modified..Remove the IR filter allowing me to capture the "REDS" or does my camera come without that filter?
Tom

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

I’m not a DSLR guy, but I would assume you are referring to the crop factor. So this would be the case on your telescope as well. You can test the image quality between your lens and telescope.

For planetary, you want large FL. Planets may be very bright, but they are also very small, at least relative to Astro.

Here is a good series on planetary imagining. Although you can take some good pix with single shots, most planetary imaging use video.

http://planetaryimagingtutorials.com/

Take your time, experiment and have fun. Astrophotography is an ongoing learning experience. It can be challenging, but also fun.

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

Second question: you do not need to have your camera Astro modified. If you do, it will do better, but definitely not required. You will find the most improvement for a modified camera is for the Ha regions, ie nebula. I’m a fan of them being modified, but in my opinion, I would start out using it as is. If you want a bigger bang for your buck, get a Light Pollution clip in filter. These will clip on to your camera, right in front of your sensor. If you can swing it, don’t cheap out on the filter.

Mojaveflyer Loc: Denver, CO

I use my Canon 5D MkII as is, filter intact.

doctp Loc: ny

Do you have to post process in photoshop to bring out the "red"?

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

Yes and no. If you are using a LP filter, it will affect the color balance, so you will need to edit it in something like PS. In general, Astro needs lots of post processing, but that is a huge discussion. Ie, DSOs generally require hundreds of shots and hours of total exposure time. These hundreds need to be stacked to make a single image. DSOs are dim and require stretching the image, stretching introduces other problems, and it goes on and on. Astrophotography is quite rewarding, but also labor intense.

And depends on what you are photographing. When you are talking about red, I generally think of Nebula. The red will be there, just may need color balanced.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I used my Nikon D3300 as is. I think you would be money ahead to retain your 500 as is to be more versatile.
If you think you might like to go forth into deep space, you can explore camera options to take you there.

For the relatively small price of a T-adapter, you can retain your 500, and use your Telescope as a lens for Earth and for the Stars.

When I have mounted my DSLR on my telescope, it serves very well for both. Surprisingly so.
Because that is one place a refractor telescope works great, both venues.

When I took images of the Ring Nebula with it, the object was almost lost in this huge beautiful star field. If not for the blue appearance of the Ring Nebula it would have been hard to find.
Personally, I'm kind of afraid of hurting my DSLR's sensor by using it for long exposure imaging. So it pushed me towards getting a true Astro camera. Which are pretty daunting an expense.

But by all means, explore as much as you'd like with your DSLR mounted to your Telescope. You might find it does everything you desire.

I also used an electronic shutter release, and a delay. Touching the Camera/Telescope can cause disruptions to the image.