Love the lighting. Exceptional image and thanks for sharing.

Jay

As mentioned, the lighting is spectacular. Incredible image...thanks for sharing.

Jay

I'll be interested to see how both of you like the SGP. Would love to see some photos.

I can relate as well. Over the past week, we've had probably the 5 best nights of the year for astro work. Cool, no wind, no humidity, NO BUGS, good seeing, crystal clear and do you think I could even get out one of those nights? Not a chance. Work interferes with life.

Clear skies!

I think you're going to like the SGP and the results you get using the lenses you have.

The setting you use are going to be defended by the conditions you are shooting under. To give you a bit of guidance, consider the following. There will be significant vignetting with the 14 mm on a full-frame camera but on an APS-C camera it should be hardly noticeable by stopping down to f4. Typically, lenses aren't their sharpest wide open so stopping down from f2.8 to f4 could significantly improve your photograph. However, try it wide open and try it stopped down one or two stops to see what results you like better. As far as ISO, again see what works best for you'll be limited by the amount of ambient light you have to deal with. I've seen ISO of 6400, 3200, 1600, and 800 used for Milky Way shots. The lower the ISO the lower the noise. As far as exposure time, you might take a 5 min exposure under really dark skies but more often than not, you're exposure time is limited by your conditions.

I've watched some of Peter Zelink's videos and think they are quite well done. If you haven't seen them, check out Lonely Planet and Ian Norman's videos as they are specific to Milky Way astrophotography.

You've also made some great choices in the apps you'll be using. I can't say enough good things about the Polar Scope Align Pro. I seem to find something new each time I use it.

One of the most difficult things to do, at least for me, is getting a great focus. Just something to think about.

I hope you're in a location where you have the possibility of getting to some reasonably dark skies as they are few and far between for me here in west Florida.

I've attached a MW shot I took about a year and a half ago under the darkest sky conditions I've ever encountered. It is a single 10 s shot from my tripod using a Canon 6D, the Rokinon 14 mm f2.8 set at f2.8 and at ISO 6400. From my backyard, the setting would be completely different. At least this gives you some frame of reference.

I hope this is helpful.

(Download)

I've been using the Sky Guider Pro for about 1.5 years and would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Polar alignment is the most important attribute that will lead to good results. I found its best to start with a wide field lens (e.g. 14 mm, 24 mm) and work your way to larger lenses. It's really important to get a good understanding of the fundamentals of how it operates without pushing its limits. As you learn and become more in tuned with the nuances of the equipment, it's much easier moving up in the size of your lens. Results will be better and frustrations will be lower. I've been there.

You don't need a telescope to take really nice astrophotos. You can take great wide field photos of the Milky Way, which is a great way to get started in this hobby and it can be done with most any camera. Having a tripod and a shutter release so you don't shake the camera are good to have. I've been doing astrophotography for about 2 years with a DSLR and different lenses such as a 14 mm, 24 mm, 50 mm, 300 mm and 400 mm plus other equipment and have turned out some nice pictures. There is a lot of information on the internet that will be very helpful to you. Read it carefully and watch videos to help you learn. The learning curve of astrophotography is very, very steep. It takes lots of time to learn and can get to be quite spendy.

Good luck with it.

Very cool shots. Thanks for sharing.

What a great opportunity! Thanks for sharing the photos and experience.

Jay

How cool is that! I've never seen such a colorful Swallow before. Super sharp as well. Thanks so much for sharing.

Jay

Talk about fat and happy. Thanks for sharing.

Jay

Talk about fat and happy. Thanks for sharing.

Jay

One thing I recently learned that has really helped my moon processing of the moon is to start by turning your contrast all the way down...seriously rock bottom and leave it there. That may sound counterintuitive but it's really helped me a ton. You may also want to make an adjustment to your WB at the very start to reduce some of the yellow. Also, don't be afraid to jack up saturation and vibrance to a lesser to bring out the color. Once you get your image just about the way you want it, hit it with a medium contrast S-curve, which should be the only contrast adustment you use. Hope that helps.

Jay

Very cool. I've only seen it on TV and your photos give a different perspective. Nice job. Thanks.

Jay

Every time I see one of your sets, CLICK...there's my learning switch getting flipped on. You can breath life into any object be it a lighthouse or styrofoam cup. Your attention to detail turns facts into fun and photography into art. Thanks again for sharing.

Jay

Love your work. Thanks for sharing.

Jay