K-5 For Astrophotography

Gimbal · 03-25-2013, 12:44 AM

Originally posted by valy

I don't have, I wish a k5. Actually the question is if you set a exposure of 3sec on the live view you will see the image taken with this settings or else?

No, live view is not affected. This can be a problem sometimes, for instance when trying to manually focus on the moon. If the moon is to small live view will overexpose it to a white blob.

valy · 03-25-2013, 02:11 AM

Originally posted by Gimbal

No, live view is not affected. This can be a problem sometimes, for instance when trying to manually focus on the moon. If the moon is to small live view will overexpose it to a white blob.

You can't control the exporure/iso for the image shown on the screen? It works on auto only?
On the other hand, when the moon is small and bright (no details), you can focus on a star which can provide some indications: when the light bulb is small then is in focus, if the light bulb increases you miss the focus, then switch to the moon.

Gimbal · 03-25-2013, 03:17 AM

Originally posted by valy

You can't control the exporure/iso for the image shown on the screen? It works on auto only?

Auto only, as far as I know.

Stone G. · 03-25-2013, 08:52 AM

Originally posted by Gimbal

Auto only, as far as I know.

Correct, but you can use the AE-L button to lock the exposure/sensitivity of the screen image. I sometime shine a lamp on my lens, lock the exposure and then go to the Moon.

valy · 03-25-2013, 08:59 AM

Ok, so we have workaround

.
Thanks.

**jbinpg** · 03-27-2013, 11:39 PM

Skies were clear all day so I took advantage and tried for the comet again. Same setup as last time but from farther out of town allowing much less skyglow from the city. In a few days, the comet will be passing M31, the Great Nebula in Andromeda. I sure hope it stays clear since this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Jack

sbruzzone · 03-28-2013, 08:34 PM

Hi!
Amazing pics everyone! I can't wait to get my camera and
contribute with some shots here.

I'm trying to find a good lens for astrophotography. I'm looking to take wide angle shots of the night sky and hopefully, some time lapses. .
I think that a fast lens would be great (2.8 or faster) for this purpose, and it would help to get
a nice psf for the stars. (to be point-like)
So, for that purposes, I think that a manual lens would be a nice thing to try considering that it would
help my budget too. I'm just starting my photo addiction here.
Do you have any suggestion about manual (legacy) lenses for that?
thank you!
All the best.
sebastian

**mattb123** · 03-28-2013, 09:41 PM

Originally posted by jbinpg

Skies were clear all day so I took advantage and tried for the comet again. Same setup as last time but from farther out of town allowing much less skyglow from the city. In a few days, the comet will be passing M31, the Great Nebula in Andromeda. I sure hope it stays clear since this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Jack

Great shot!

fuent104 · 04-03-2013, 02:51 PM

Does anyone have experience renting telescope gear in the Los Angeles area? A friend and are going to Nevada to shoot some photos of the sky in May, and we'd like to rent a complete setup or two.

valy · 04-03-2013, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by sbruzzone

Hi!
Do you have any suggestion about manual (legacy) lenses for that?
thank you!

For example Samyang, 85mm f1.4, 8mm fisheye, 14mm f2.8.

After all the wonderful shots above, this is my humble contribution here, one of the first shots with IIs, iso1600, 15s, 600mm f7.3 ed scope on eq mount (not very well polar aligned), crop::

DeadJohn · 04-03-2013, 03:11 PM

Originally posted by sbruzzone

Hi!
Amazing pics everyone! I can't wait to get my camera and
contribute with some shots here.

I'm trying to find a good lens for astrophotography. I'm looking to take wide angle shots of the night sky and hopefully, some time lapses. .
I think that a fast lens would be great (2.8 or faster) for this purpose, and it would help to get
a nice psf for the stars. (to be point-like)
So, for that purposes, I think that a manual lens would be a nice thing to try considering that it would
help my budget too. I'm just starting my photo addiction here.
Do you have any suggestion about manual (legacy) lenses for that?
thank you!
All the best.
sebastian

The Samyang/Rokinon/Bower/etc 14mm f2.8 is supposed to be good. I've seen some good star photos from it. Stars look reasonably sharp at the corners. It's on my list of eventual purchases ... unless their 10mm version becomes available first. The 14mm occasionally shows up on sale for under $300 new but is usually closer to $370.

johnc · 04-04-2013, 03:38 AM

Loving the awesome shots on here. And I would love to try some deep-sky objects when time/budget allows.

Thanks for all those posting whose tips I have drawn on in producing this image. This is a cross-post from DA* Lens Club - DA*16-50, based on around 12-15 times 30 second exposures (for the sky) together with a single exposure for the ground/sea-loch.

I have visited this location before and in retrospect I now know I could have improved this shot. I am slowly learning about how to do this stuff better.

The conditions were a notch less clear (and far more windy) than the previous occasion that I was lucky enough to get to the location. I was forced to ISO1600 for the sky by me stupidly leaving the CPL in place following a day's shooting - Doh! Without it I could easily have used ISO 800, which I find to be really significantly better for wide angle (this is 22mm) where conditions allow reasonable performance with long exposures at f2.8 or f3.5. I've found that at ISO800 the noise can be sufficiently low to avoid the requirement to stack altogether.

For those interested, this image has been put together using StarStaX's average function (following alignment in Photoshop) for the sky. Some minor post-processing in Photoshop has been undertaken to de-oval the stars (30s at 22mm seems to just about result in ovals!). The ground is a single exposure of around 30s ISO 800... all tweaked afterwards in Lightroom.

I'm still learning about the best post-processing for these kinds of shots - I am TRYING to avoid the current vogue for desaturating the sky and applying a midnight blue filter over the resultant area - though this seems to be a great way of controlling many of the undesirable artefacts inherent in this kind of photograph.

John

**jbinpg** · 04-04-2013, 07:21 AM

Beautiful fairy tale feel to this. One can't tell from this small version properly but it seems as if either the downscaling or the long exposures themselves have made it difficult to tell relative brightness of the stars accurately, e.g., Deneb does not look appreciably brighter than Albireo in this composite even though it is to our eyes. But that matters little since this is such a wondrous image in every other way.

Jack

johnc · 04-04-2013, 07:55 AM

Originally posted by jbinpg

Beautiful fairy tale feel to this. One can't tell from this small version properly but it seems as if either the downscaling or the long exposures themselves have made it difficult to tell relative brightness of the stars accurately, e.g., Deneb does not look appreciably brighter than Albireo in this composite even though it is to our eyes. But that matters little since this is such a wondrous image in every other way.

Jack

Thanks for the kind comment, Jack.

I'll have to check the star atlas, but well spotted. In fact, two of the brighter stars in the image were distractingly burnt out resulting in the appearance of excessively sized white orbs under the applied process, so they were locally edited in favour of the overall image (if not scientific accuracy).

krp · 04-05-2013, 05:53 PM

I got this a couple nights ago.

It was shot with a Pentax K-5 and Takumar 135mm f2.5 at 4 seconds, f/4, iso 3200. It is a stack of 40 light frames, 15 dark frames, and 15 bias frames. The horizon is on the right and it was quite a challenge to remove the gradient and glow from the light pollution.

03-27-2013, 11:39 PM	#336
jbinpg Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Prince George, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,546	Comet Panstarrs tonight Skies were clear all day so I took advantage and tried for the comet again. Same setup as last time but from farther out of town allowing much less skyglow from the city. In a few days, the comet will be passing M31, the Great Nebula in Andromeda. I sure hope it stays clear since this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Jack

04-04-2013, 03:38 AM	#342
johnc Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: United Kingdom Photos: Albums Posts: 735	My attempt! Loving the awesome shots on here. And I would love to try some deep-sky objects when time/budget allows. Thanks for all those posting whose tips I have drawn on in producing this image. This is a cross-post from DA* Lens Club - DA*16-50, based on around 12-15 times 30 second exposures (for the sky) together with a single exposure for the ground/sea-loch. I have visited this location before and in retrospect I now know I could have improved this shot. I am slowly learning about how to do this stuff better. The conditions were a notch less clear (and far more windy) than the previous occasion that I was lucky enough to get to the location. I was forced to ISO1600 for the sky by me stupidly leaving the CPL in place following a day's shooting - Doh! Without it I could easily have used ISO 800, which I find to be really significantly better for wide angle (this is 22mm) where conditions allow reasonable performance with long exposures at f2.8 or f3.5. I've found that at ISO800 the noise can be sufficiently low to avoid the requirement to stack altogether. For those interested, this image has been put together using StarStaX's average function (following alignment in Photoshop) for the sky. Some minor post-processing in Photoshop has been undertaken to de-oval the stars (30s at 22mm seems to just about result in ovals!). The ground is a single exposure of around 30s ISO 800... all tweaked afterwards in Lightroom. I'm still learning about the best post-processing for these kinds of shots - I am TRYING to avoid the current vogue for desaturating the sky and applying a midnight blue filter over the resultant area - though this seems to be a great way of controlling many of the undesirable artefacts inherent in this kind of photograph. John

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03-25-2013, 12:44 AM	#331
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	Originally posted by valy I don't have, I wish a k5. Actually the question is if you set a exposure of 3sec on the live view you will see the image taken with this settings or else? No, live view is not affected. This can be a problem sometimes, for instance when trying to manually focus on the moon. If the moon is to small live view will overexpose it to a white blob.

03-25-2013, 02:11 AM	#332
valy Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Bucharest Posts: 120	Originally posted by Gimbal No, live view is not affected. This can be a problem sometimes, for instance when trying to manually focus on the moon. If the moon is to small live view will overexpose it to a white blob. You can't control the exporure/iso for the image shown on the screen? It works on auto only? On the other hand, when the moon is small and bright (no details), you can focus on a star which can provide some indications: when the light bulb is small then is in focus, if the light bulb increases you miss the focus, then switch to the moon.

03-25-2013, 03:17 AM	#333
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	Originally posted by valy You can't control the exporure/iso for the image shown on the screen? It works on auto only? Auto only, as far as I know.

03-25-2013, 08:52 AM	#334
Stone G. Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: North Zealand, Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,516	Originally posted by Gimbal Auto only, as far as I know. Correct, but you can use the AE-L button to lock the exposure/sensitivity of the screen image. I sometime shine a lamp on my lens, lock the exposure and then go to the Moon.

03-25-2013, 08:59 AM	#335
valy Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Bucharest Posts: 120	Ok, so we have workaround . Thanks.

03-28-2013, 08:34 PM	#337
sbruzzone Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: London, ON Photos: Albums Posts: 64	Hi! Amazing pics everyone! I can't wait to get my camera and contribute with some shots here. I'm trying to find a good lens for astrophotography. I'm looking to take wide angle shots of the night sky and hopefully, some time lapses. . I think that a fast lens would be great (2.8 or faster) for this purpose, and it would help to get a nice psf for the stars. (to be point-like) So, for that purposes, I think that a manual lens would be a nice thing to try considering that it would help my budget too. I'm just starting my photo addiction here. Do you have any suggestion about manual (legacy) lenses for that? thank you! All the best. sebastian

03-28-2013, 09:41 PM	#338
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,872	Originally posted by jbinpg Skies were clear all day so I took advantage and tried for the comet again. Same setup as last time but from farther out of town allowing much less skyglow from the city. In a few days, the comet will be passing M31, the Great Nebula in Andromeda. I sure hope it stays clear since this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Jack Great shot!

04-03-2013, 02:51 PM	#339
fuent104 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: California Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,356	Does anyone have experience renting telescope gear in the Los Angeles area? A friend and are going to Nevada to shoot some photos of the sky in May, and we'd like to rent a complete setup or two.

04-03-2013, 03:11 PM	#341
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,833	Originally posted by sbruzzone Hi! Amazing pics everyone! I can't wait to get my camera and contribute with some shots here. I'm trying to find a good lens for astrophotography. I'm looking to take wide angle shots of the night sky and hopefully, some time lapses. . I think that a fast lens would be great (2.8 or faster) for this purpose, and it would help to get a nice psf for the stars. (to be point-like) So, for that purposes, I think that a manual lens would be a nice thing to try considering that it would help my budget too. I'm just starting my photo addiction here. Do you have any suggestion about manual (legacy) lenses for that? thank you! All the best. sebastian The Samyang/Rokinon/Bower/etc 14mm f2.8 is supposed to be good. I've seen some good star photos from it. Stars look reasonably sharp at the corners. It's on my list of eventual purchases ... unless their 10mm version becomes available first. The 14mm occasionally shows up on sale for under $300 new but is usually closer to $370.

04-04-2013, 07:21 AM	#343
jbinpg Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Prince George, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,546	Beautiful fairy tale feel to this. One can't tell from this small version properly but it seems as if either the downscaling or the long exposures themselves have made it difficult to tell relative brightness of the stars accurately, e.g., Deneb does not look appreciably brighter than Albireo in this composite even though it is to our eyes. But that matters little since this is such a wondrous image in every other way. Jack

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04-04-2013, 07:55 AM	#344
johnc Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: United Kingdom Photos: Albums Posts: 735	Originally posted by jbinpg Beautiful fairy tale feel to this. One can't tell from this small version properly but it seems as if either the downscaling or the long exposures themselves have made it difficult to tell relative brightness of the stars accurately, e.g., Deneb does not look appreciably brighter than Albireo in this composite even though it is to our eyes. But that matters little since this is such a wondrous image in every other way. Jack Thanks for the kind comment, Jack. I'll have to check the star atlas, but well spotted. In fact, two of the brighter stars in the image were distractingly burnt out resulting in the appearance of excessively sized white orbs under the applied process, so they were locally edited in favour of the overall image (if not scientific accuracy).

04-05-2013, 05:53 PM	#345
krp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery Posts: 470	I got this a couple nights ago. It was shot with a Pentax K-5 and Takumar 135mm f2.5 at 4 seconds, f/4, iso 3200. It is a stack of 40 light frames, 15 dark frames, and 15 bias frames. The horizon is on the right and it was quite a challenge to remove the gradient and glow from the light pollution.