Astrophotography with K-r

DeadJohn · 06-26-2011, 07:19 AM

Originally posted by Elisha

Okay, finally got a chance out in the middle of nowhere on a clear night!! I'm a complete n00b, and was disappointed at how fast the stars got blurry. :P EARTH, STOP ROTATING SO FAST

But here's the best shot I got - I'm using the DA L 55-300 (all I have is this and the 18-55, lol). This exposure time was like... 20 seconds I think? And I brightened the stars a smidge in photoshop because a lot of the smaller ones didn't want to show up. They just look like a bunch of little dots, nowhere near as impressive as your BEAUTIFUL nebula shot, mikerigel, but I digress... :P

I don't see the EXIF information in your photo. What ISO, zoom length, and f-stop did you use?

I am just getting started in astrophotography. Don't dismiss the 18-55 lens. At wide angles you can take longer, brighter exposures before star trails become visible.

DeadJohn · 06-26-2011, 07:33 AM

Originally posted by mikerigel

The best is for you to try both techniques, that's what i did. And it's very fun to experiment.

[snip]

And finally, this is not a trail shot, just wanted to see the Kr ISO quality shooting wide open with my 77mm limited. This is a 6 seconds exposure at f/1.8 and ISO 800. For those wondering, this is a part of the Orion constellation, the 3 vertical stars being the belt and the red cloud in the middle is M42, the nebulae.
I am very happy with the details and the nice colors.
The Kr is an excellent performer in my opinion.

As I said, just try and you'll get some good stuff, you just need to find an interesting spot to shoot from, the darker the better.

That last photo is wonderful. Excellent star and sky colors. How light-polluted was the sky when you took that? Did you do much PP?

I'm curious because I'm striving for that type of photo myself. I want to become proficient with "easy" stuff before investing in astro-specific gear like an equatorial scope or the upcoming Pentax sensorshift GPS.

mikerigel · 06-26-2011, 03:10 PM

Originally posted by DeadJohn

That last photo is wonderful. Excellent star and sky colors. How light-polluted was the sky when you took that? Did you do much PP?

I'm curious because I'm striving for that type of photo myself. I want to become proficient with "easy" stuff before investing in astro-specific gear like an equatorial scope or the upcoming Pentax sensorshift GPS.

The sky was very nice and dark, hardly any light pollution. I didn't do a lot in pp, just used level to darkened the blacks and maybe added some saturation, I don't remember.
That astro Gps unit is very tempting to me too!

dorian_gray · 07-07-2011, 03:10 PM

I just bought an infrared remote for pentax k-r but I am still having problems taking pictures in Bulb mode:

1. I use a tripod and set the camera to bulb mode.
2. I push the shutter release on the remote.
3. I hear the shutter open.
4. I let the shutter open for 45 seconds.
5. I push the shutter release on the remote.
6. I hear the shutter close.
7. The camera switches off by itself and the only way for it to switch back on again is after removing and placing back the battery.
8. When I switch the camera back on, I would find that the camera has not taken any photo.

This camera is only a few weeks old and the battery is fully-charged. Am I doing anything wrong?

vampsy · 07-07-2011, 04:38 PM

I am learning to perfect it as well from using just a little light. Bulb and to the Highest ISO ^ ^

ricardocastro · 07-07-2011, 05:04 PM

You should wait te camera process the image, it should take another 45 seconds

dorian_gray · 07-07-2011, 05:24 PM

ricardo, thank you for the suggestion. i also switched off the slow shutter NR and it works faster now. problem solved--one happy camper again!

ablundon · 07-07-2011, 05:51 PM

A few year back I attempted a little astrophotography with my film A3000. I was pleased with the results but didn't pursue it very far.

Last night was the first clear warm night we've had this year. For the month of June our average daily temp was 9°C (48°F), our average daily high was 11.7°C (53°F), we never hit 20°C (68°F) once and there were 26 days where we had rain and 27 were we had fog.

Anyway, the moon looked good so I snapped a few with my K-r and DA 55-300. I liked this one best (cropped slightly).

.

I also took this one of the constallation Lyra. I was trying to see if I could resolve the ring nebula but I guess my focal length is too short for that. Still not bad.

.

I think I may try a few more sometime...

AB

cbrux71 · 07-07-2011, 07:18 PM

I've tried a few times with decent results with my k-x. The galaxy was piggy backed on a meade lx-200 with a 100-300mm ebay cheap lens and then tracked with a illuminated reticle eyepiece for 10min, and the milky way shot was done with the stock k-x lens and a 30sec exposure at 1600iso.

Vincenc · 07-08-2011, 03:17 AM

Hello

I was wondering how you go around focusing your cameras once they're attached to the telescope? Is L.V. as helpful as I imagine it being? Any tips for a newbie astro photographer? I am sill waiting for my K mount converter but I hope to have some images to present next week.

Kind regards,

Vince

Elisha · 07-08-2011, 05:35 AM

Originally posted by DeadJohn

I don't see the EXIF information in your photo. What ISO, zoom length, and f-stop did you use?

Eeep, sorry for disappearing!! Got into a horseback riding accident and was in the hospital. :P It's because I resize/save everything in folders on my computer, photoshop loses the exif information. I remember which file it was on my camera, though, and I'll be able to check later today and get that info, I'll edit this post or something when I can do it.

cbrux71, WOW, that lost shot is GORGEOUS. Jealous!!!

cbrux71 · 07-08-2011, 07:04 AM

Focusing is one of the most difficult aspects of getting a good astrophoto, live view will def help alot and if your going for planets and the moon it should be easier to focus on them first and then move onto the dimmer nebula and galaxies that you cant see in the viewfinder since there so dim.

Andrei87 · 07-08-2011, 06:08 PM

First attempt on startrails...not so nice but I will improve!

33 photos stacked, 400 iso, 15 sec, f4, about 21mm, WB tungsten customised to as cold/blue as can be

compressed a lot here...original had 46 mb

I think the sensor is overheating when shooting long exposures one after another, because the camera stopped taking pictures (in intervalometer mode) after 33 photos in a row, although i set it for about 200 pictures (batery was full). Could this be dangerous for my K-r?

devorama · 07-11-2011, 04:01 PM

I took these star trails photos last year when I was in Michigan.

This first one was with my K-x. It's about 250 stacked exposures, each one being 30 seconds. I stacked them with the program from startrails.de. Since I didn't have an intervalometer, I just set the exposure to 30 seconds, set the drive mode to continuous, then held the shutter release down with a rubber foot and a rubber band. The rubber foot is the kind you can buy in a hardware store to stick onto the bottom of things to make them non-skid. It worked like a charm.

The second shot is from an old Pentax K1000 with Kodak Ektar 100. The shot is F/4 for about 2 hours. As you can see, there's a lot less detail visible.

jezza323 · 07-11-2011, 05:24 PM

playing with astrophotography is great fun, and easy enough for wide field stuff

here is my first try from a long while back with my K200D using Deep Sky Stacker. Taken with the kit DA 18-55mm AL II at 18mm and f4.0, ISO 1600 (thats the max on the old K200D). I took 8 15 sec exposures, add +2 EV in Lightroom then stacked those images using Deep Sky Stacker. This was out in the Great Dividing Range where you can see the Milky Way with your naked eyes. I'd love to go somewhere with a better view of the sky (this was just from the camp site, playing around you know) with a newer body (if i had one) with higher ISO.

Here is a single bulb exposure from a spot close to the previous image, but not up in the hills. Again the milky way was visible with the naked eye. This was same body, same lens, same f4.0, same ISO but a single 124sec exposure (was aiming for 2 mins) with long exposure NR turned on. I was trying to balance the exposure length while trying to keep the trailing of the stars to a minimum for this one.

Finally a simple star trail from the same evening as the previous shot. This was again 18mm and f4.0 but instead I used ISO 200 and a 372 sec exposure with long exposure NR turned on to get the trails. I happened to be quite fortunate that the wind was quite low and the tree wasnt moving. Think I may have light painted the tree a little with a torch actually...

As I said, simple stuff to try out, and good fun, especially if you are out away from city lights camping or some such. Have fun with your crazy high ISO bodies you lucky K-r owners!

07-07-2011, 05:51 PM	#23
ablundon Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Paradise, NL Photos: Albums Posts: 106	A few year back I attempted a little astrophotography with my film A3000. I was pleased with the results but didn't pursue it very far. Last night was the first clear warm night we've had this year. For the month of June our average daily temp was 9°C (48°F), our average daily high was 11.7°C (53°F), we never hit 20°C (68°F) once and there were 26 days where we had rain and 27 were we had fog. Anyway, the moon looked good so I snapped a few with my K-r and DA 55-300. I liked this one best (cropped slightly). . I also took this one of the constallation Lyra. I was trying to see if I could resolve the ring nebula but I guess my focal length is too short for that. Still not bad.. I think I may try a few more sometime... AB

07-08-2011, 06:08 PM	#28
Andrei87 New Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 22	First attempt on startrails...not so nice but I will improve! 33 photos stacked, 400 iso, 15 sec, f4, about 21mm, WB tungsten customised to as cold/blue as can be compressed a lot here...original had 46 mb I think the sensor is overheating when shooting long exposures one after another, because the camera stopped taking pictures (in intervalometer mode) after 33 photos in a row, although i set it for about 200 pictures (batery was full). Could this be dangerous for my K-r? Last edited by Andrei87; 07-08-2011 at 06:31 PM.

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06-26-2011, 07:19 AM	#16
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,833	Originally posted by Elisha Okay, finally got a chance out in the middle of nowhere on a clear night!! I'm a complete n00b, and was disappointed at how fast the stars got blurry. :P EARTH, STOP ROTATING SO FAST But here's the best shot I got - I'm using the DA L 55-300 (all I have is this and the 18-55, lol). This exposure time was like... 20 seconds I think? And I brightened the stars a smidge in photoshop because a lot of the smaller ones didn't want to show up. They just look like a bunch of little dots, nowhere near as impressive as your BEAUTIFUL nebula shot, mikerigel, but I digress... :P I don't see the EXIF information in your photo. What ISO, zoom length, and f-stop did you use? I am just getting started in astrophotography. Don't dismiss the 18-55 lens. At wide angles you can take longer, brighter exposures before star trails become visible.

06-26-2011, 07:33 AM	#17
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,833	Originally posted by mikerigel The best is for you to try both techniques, that's what i did. And it's very fun to experiment. [snip] And finally, this is not a trail shot, just wanted to see the Kr ISO quality shooting wide open with my 77mm limited. This is a 6 seconds exposure at f/1.8 and ISO 800. For those wondering, this is a part of the Orion constellation, the 3 vertical stars being the belt and the red cloud in the middle is M42, the nebulae. I am very happy with the details and the nice colors. The Kr is an excellent performer in my opinion. As I said, just try and you'll get some good stuff, you just need to find an interesting spot to shoot from, the darker the better. That last photo is wonderful. Excellent star and sky colors. How light-polluted was the sky when you took that? Did you do much PP? I'm curious because I'm striving for that type of photo myself. I want to become proficient with "easy" stuff before investing in astro-specific gear like an equatorial scope or the upcoming Pentax sensorshift GPS.

06-26-2011, 03:10 PM	#18
mikerigel Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 354	Originally posted by DeadJohn That last photo is wonderful. Excellent star and sky colors. How light-polluted was the sky when you took that? Did you do much PP? I'm curious because I'm striving for that type of photo myself. I want to become proficient with "easy" stuff before investing in astro-specific gear like an equatorial scope or the upcoming Pentax sensorshift GPS. The sky was very nice and dark, hardly any light pollution. I didn't do a lot in pp, just used level to darkened the blacks and maybe added some saturation, I don't remember. That astro Gps unit is very tempting to me too!

07-07-2011, 03:10 PM	#19
dorian_gray Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: South Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 39	I just bought an infrared remote for pentax k-r but I am still having problems taking pictures in Bulb mode: 1. I use a tripod and set the camera to bulb mode. 2. I push the shutter release on the remote. 3. I hear the shutter open. 4. I let the shutter open for 45 seconds. 5. I push the shutter release on the remote. 6. I hear the shutter close. 7. The camera switches off by itself and the only way for it to switch back on again is after removing and placing back the battery. 8. When I switch the camera back on, I would find that the camera has not taken any photo. This camera is only a few weeks old and the battery is fully-charged. Am I doing anything wrong?

07-07-2011, 04:38 PM	#20
vampsy New Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Libertad, Mandaluyong City Photos: Albums Posts: 20	I am learning to perfect it as well from using just a little light. Bulb and to the Highest ISO ^ ^

07-07-2011, 05:04 PM	#21
ricardocastro New Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 5	You should wait te camera process the image, it should take another 45 seconds

07-07-2011, 05:24 PM	#22
dorian_gray Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: South Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 39	ricardo, thank you for the suggestion. i also switched off the slow shutter NR and it works faster now. problem solved--one happy camper again!

07-08-2011, 03:17 AM	#25
Vincenc New Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 9	Hello I was wondering how you go around focusing your cameras once they're attached to the telescope? Is L.V. as helpful as I imagine it being? Any tips for a newbie astro photographer? I am sill waiting for my K mount converter but I hope to have some images to present next week. Kind regards, Vince

07-08-2011, 05:35 AM	#26
Elisha Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: North Carolina Posts: 69	Originally posted by DeadJohn I don't see the EXIF information in your photo. What ISO, zoom length, and f-stop did you use? Eeep, sorry for disappearing!! Got into a horseback riding accident and was in the hospital. :P It's because I resize/save everything in folders on my computer, photoshop loses the exif information. I remember which file it was on my camera, though, and I'll be able to check later today and get that info, I'll edit this post or something when I can do it. cbrux71, WOW, that lost shot is GORGEOUS. Jealous!!!

07-08-2011, 07:04 AM	#27
cbrux71 New Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: kingston ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 7	Focusing is one of the most difficult aspects of getting a good astrophoto, live view will def help alot and if your going for planets and the moon it should be easier to focus on them first and then move onto the dimmer nebula and galaxies that you cant see in the viewfinder since there so dim.

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07-11-2011, 04:01 PM	#29
devorama Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Chicago, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 638	I took these star trails photos last year when I was in Michigan. This first one was with my K-x. It's about 250 stacked exposures, each one being 30 seconds. I stacked them with the program from startrails.de. Since I didn't have an intervalometer, I just set the exposure to 30 seconds, set the drive mode to continuous, then held the shutter release down with a rubber foot and a rubber band. The rubber foot is the kind you can buy in a hardware store to stick onto the bottom of things to make them non-skid. It worked like a charm. The second shot is from an old Pentax K1000 with Kodak Ektar 100. The shot is F/4 for about 2 hours. As you can see, there's a lot less detail visible.

07-11-2011, 05:24 PM	#30
jezza323 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brisbane Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,421	playing with astrophotography is great fun, and easy enough for wide field stuff here is my first try from a long while back with my K200D using Deep Sky Stacker. Taken with the kit DA 18-55mm AL II at 18mm and f4.0, ISO 1600 (thats the max on the old K200D). I took 8 15 sec exposures, add +2 EV in Lightroom then stacked those images using Deep Sky Stacker. This was out in the Great Dividing Range where you can see the Milky Way with your naked eyes. I'd love to go somewhere with a better view of the sky (this was just from the camp site, playing around you know) with a newer body (if i had one) with higher ISO. Here is a single bulb exposure from a spot close to the previous image, but not up in the hills. Again the milky way was visible with the naked eye. This was same body, same lens, same f4.0, same ISO but a single 124sec exposure (was aiming for 2 mins) with long exposure NR turned on. I was trying to balance the exposure length while trying to keep the trailing of the stars to a minimum for this one. Finally a simple star trail from the same evening as the previous shot. This was again 18mm and f4.0 but instead I used ISO 200 and a 372 sec exposure with long exposure NR turned on to get the trails. I happened to be quite fortunate that the wind was quite low and the tree wasnt moving. Think I may have light painted the tree a little with a torch actually... As I said, simple stuff to try out, and good fun, especially if you are out away from city lights camping or some such. Have fun with your crazy high ISO bodies you lucky K-r owners!