[Kully]

Hi All

Apologies if I have posted in wrong forum. In which case please direct me to appropriate forums or any existing threads that answer my question below.

This past year I have gotten into visual astronomy but now would like to get involved in astrophotography.

I own a Meade LX65 8" ACF Maksutov Cassegrain telescope and also a Altair 72 EDF Refractor telescope.

So far most astronomy forums recommend a Nikon or Canon but I came across some Youtube videos singing praises about Pentax for astro work.
(Star Field setting ...)

Ideally I would like a camera that can shoot astro skies directly without being attached to a telescope but can also be attached to my telescopes in order to capture Deep Sky images of galaxies/Nebulae etc. I understand that generally for deep sky work one will have to get the IR filter removed from any standard DSLR.

Any advice appreciated.
Which cameras to go for new or secondhand?
Do I need a separate camera for deep sky work ( IR filter removed)?
What additional software I will need to learn for deep sky work or is Pentax Starfield setting appropriate for most settings (including some deep sky work).

Thanks in advance.

Cheer
Kully

[Mooncatt]

Welcome. I've been watching this guy's videos a lot lately, and he walks you through the step by step process of doing astro work with just a camera, lens, and tripod. He has some fantastic results.

Nebula Photos - YouTube

For a camera, I don't recall him saying removing the IR filter is required, and I don't think his regular DSLR has been modified. He also covers how to use multiple programs to process the images. What makes Pentax stand out is the Astrotracer function, which shifts the sensor to follow the stars for much longer exposures without getting star trails. This requires a camera body with GPS built in (I.e. The K1 line or K3 II), or purchasing the Pentax hotshoe mounted stand alone GPS unit for other cameras.

If you want the best single shot image, then one of the K1 full frame bodies would be best, due to high ISO noise handling. If you plan to stack images like in the Nebula Photos videos, then noise isn't much of an issue. In that case, I would consider the K3 II (not the original, which doesn't have GPS) if you want an all in one solution, or the KP plus the GPS unit if you want brand new and the budget allows. The APS-C sensor size will give you 1.5x extra reach for deep sky work. A 300mm lens on that would be like a 450mm lens on a full frame camera.

I personally bought the K3 II in part to do astro work. It's relatively new to me and haven't tried it myself, but the sample photos I've seen from it by others have been astounding.

[aslyfox]

welcome to the forums

you will find friendly members and a lot of knowledge here

I am going to suggest you look at some articles :

Astrophotography Part 1 of 6: Planning the Shoot
Getting ready to take pictures of the night sky
By K David in Articles and Tips on Mar 12, 2015

Read more at: Astrophotography Part 1 of 6: Planning the Shoot - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

there are 6 articles in that series

here is another article to look at:

Pentax Astrotracer Guide and GPS Feature Comparison
A look at the O-GPS1 versus in-camera GPS
By K David in Articles and Tips on May 10, 2018
Pentax cameras offer GPS functionality in two ways: either through the built-in antenna found in the Pentax K-1, K-1 II, and K-3 II, or through the O-GPS1 accessory, which works with most other DSLRs since 2010.

Read more at: Pentax Astrotracer Guide and GPS Feature Comparison - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

[Kully]

Welcome. I've been watching this guy's videos a lot lately, and he walks you through the step by step process of doing astro work with just a camera, lens, and tripod. He has some fantastic results.

Nebula Photos - YouTube

For a camera, I don't recall him saying removing the IR filter is required, and I don't think his regular DSLR has been modified. He also covers how to use multiple programs to process the images. What makes Pentax stand out is the Astrotracer function, which shifts the sensor to follow the stars for much longer exposures without getting star trails. This requires a camera body with GPS built in (I.e. The K1 line or K3 II), or purchasing the Pentax hotshoe mounted stand alone GPS unit for other cameras.

If you want the best single shot image, then one of the K1 full frame bodies would be best, due to high ISO noise handling. If you plan to stack images like in the Nebula Photos videos, then noise isn't much of an issue. In that case, I would consider the K3 II (not the original, which doesn't have GPS) if you want an all in one solution, or the KP plus the GPS unit if you want brand new and the budget allows. The APS-C sensor size will give you 1.5x extra reach for deep sky work. A 300mm lens on that would be like a 450mm lens on a full frame camera.

I personally bought the K3 II in part to do astro work. It's relatively new to me and haven't tried it myself, but the sample photos I've seen from it by others have been astounding.

Thanks for your help

[Kully]

welcome to the forums

you will find friendly members and a lot of knowledge here

I am going to suggest you look at some articles :




Read more at: Astrophotography Part 1 of 6: Planning the Shoot - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

there are 6 articles in that series

here is another article to look at:




Read more at: Pentax Astrotracer Guide and GPS Feature Comparison - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

Cheers. Great Links

[aslyfox]

as to which Pentax camera to buy

as @Mooncatt stated, if the full frame sensor ( same size as the old negative frame on a SLR ) is desired, the choices are either the K 1 or K 1 II

as far as an ASP-C camera with its smaller sensor ( 1.5 x )

the choices expands based on the budget especially if you also use the O-GPS1 to include the KP. K 70, K 3II, K 3. .K 5 II and K 5 IIs and more

the camera comparison tool can be used to quickly compare up to 4 different Pentax Cameras

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-cameras-compared/?c1=Pentax+K-1+I...=Pentax+K-3+II

[Topsy]

I've had some good results with my K-1 + astrotracer earlier this year after following the extensive guide by Roger N. Clark. It's a bit a difficult read (physics heavy) but definitely worth it.
Beginning Astrophotography 002, Clarkvision.com

[tmwellington]

Good advice all, but if you get serious about putting the camera on the back of a telescope you want to be able to control the camera with software that also controls the telescope. This is something I have been looking into as natively, most of the available astronomical photography software supports only Canon and Nikon. There is really excellent software for eclipse imaging (Eclipse Maestro, Eclipse Orchestrator for example) that I want to try in 2023/2024. They support Pentax through the CS-205 remote control and the use of a special usb cable, see The Shoestring Astronomy Store - Shutter Control Products.


I have yet to try this, it will be a last attempt to avoid just buying a Canon or Nikon body to use this way.


The reason for modifying the camera by removing the IR filter is because much of the dust in space glows in the light of hydrogen, in the near IR. A good primer on this is here How to Modify Your DSLR for Astrophotography - Sky & Telescope - Sky & Telescope


If I lived out west, with clear dark skies, I'd have a hard time not looking at the Canon EOS ra camera. But I've also taken great images with my K-3. I did invest in a tracking platform that goes on my tripod. For normal nightscape use, a good fast wide field lens is as important as the camera. Half the fun is just finding cool sites and being outdoors, have fun!

[Topsy]

KStars supports Pentax cameras, I'm not sure what functions though, I never got round to giving it a proper go myself but do plan to sometime.

[tmwellington]

I looked at kstars...the module I would need to make work is the ekos bit. That seemed to lead to a daisy chain where pkTriggerCord was needed, and I never got it to work. A long kludge that would be resolved if only Pentax had long ago released an SDK to allow for third party support. Because it is more excitement than most of us need to install software that says"The program uses undocumented features of the cameras. Use it at your own risk!"

There is a thread about some of this here:
Pentax support in Kstars - Astrophotography - PentaxForums.com

[SharkyCA]

Just to add to excellent info already posted, did you check Pentax home site? PENTAX: The choice for astrophotography / explore | RICOH IMAGING

[awscreo]

I personally use my K-1 and dfa 15-30 on a steady tripod, and then stack the frames (at around iso 6400, f2.8, 10-20 frames) in Sequator. It produces whistle clean images, with a ton of light data.

Some samples achieved with this technique:

Champlain-Memorial Lighthouse - Summer night | Timur Dzhambinov | Flickr
Milky Way over the old fort | Timur Dzhambinov | Flickr

[tmwellington]

Beautiful!

And yes, Sequator is a great software for stacking landscape images. Sequator
For images through the telescope I use the also free DeepSkyStacker. DeepSkyStacker - Free

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome to the forum from the Highlands of Scotland

[Kully]

Welcome to the forum from the Highlands of Scotland

Thanks for link