Building a Deep Sky Astrophotography Kit
I am often asked for my opinion on the best route to take when it comes to building a deep-sky astrophotography kit for the first time. A popular option for many night sky enthusiasts is to start with a DSLR camera and telescope, and I can understand why. Building an astrophotography setup that revolves around a user-friendly, entry-level DSLR can reap some impressive results. Modern-day hobbyist/beginner digital SLR cameras such as the Canon EOS Rebel T7i or Nikon D3400 provide the least-steep learning curve when it comes to deep-sky imaging in a very technical and sometimes overwhelming h…
This Astrophotography Kit is Less Than $2K (and works amazing)
Astrophotography is about more than just the pictures you take, it’s about an overall positive experience along the way. I don’t like seeing people quit because they’re frustrated and confused. It doesn’t have to be that way. When starting out, I think it's important to choose a setup that is easy to use, and not overly complex. As you learn more about astrophotography, you can gradually upgrade your kit to include more advanced equipment. In this post, I am going to break down an extremely practical and affordable astrophotography setup under $2000 that will allow you to t…
How I Photographed a Nebula with a $200 Camera Lens
Taking impressive deep-sky astrophotography images is not reserved for those using an astronomical telescope. A budget camera lens can be used to take images of some of the best deep-sky objects in the night sky. A telephoto zoom lens can provide enough magnification to pull distant objects in space in for a closer look, but you'll need to find the lens' "sweet spot" for a clean shot. In this article, I'll share exactly how I photographed a colorful nebula region in space using a budget camera lens and a DSLR camera. In my latest video on YouTube, I photographed a nebula in the night sky u…
ZWO ASI2600MM First Impressions
The ZWO ASI2600MM Pro mono is the much anticipated monochrome version of ZWO's popular ZWO ASI2600MC Pro dedicated astronomy camera. It houses a 26 Megapixel Sony IMX571 back-illuminated sensor, and some seriously impressive specs. This camera uses a highly sensitive, cooled, monochrome CMOS sensor in the APS-C format. The size and resolution of this sensor is its biggest selling feature. The ZWO ASI2600MM Pro not only improves on nearly every aspect of its predecessor (the ASI1600MM), the sensor is now APS-C, capturing a larger field of view. In the land of deep space astronomy cameras, t…
8 Nightscape Photography Tips for Amazing Astrophotography
Nightscape photography involves capturing a landscape style image, at night. It can include the beautiful Milky Way, a starry sky, or your favorite constellation. This is a type of astrophotography, where long exposure images are taken to reveal the beautiful light of a seemingly 'dark' sky. Star photography requires quality optics, and some camera lenses are better suited for it than others. To really make your nightscape image amazing, you'll want to capture an interesting foreground, too. This can be snowy mountains, a waterfall, or in my case, just a dark, wooded forest. In the vi…
My Best Images & The Gear Used
On this website, I do my best to share information and astrophotography tips that provide value. I could pat myself on the back about all of the great astrophotography images I took this year, but it is of little interest to anyone if I don't explain how I took the shot. In this article, I'll share my best astrophotography images of 2020, and the equipment setups used for each image. This way, you'll have a better idea of what's behind each image, and how you can accomplish a similar result yourself. Capturing the images with the right set of gear is only half of the equation, of c…
Why I Bought the Canon EOS Ra
In early May 2020, I decided to purchase a Canon EOS Ra camera from B&H photo. This is Canon's latest astrophotography camera, and it has some seriously impressive specs (like a full-frame 30.3 MP astro-modified sensor). For a complete rundown of the Canon EOS Ra, you can read my full review from January of this year. Essentially, it is a clone of the popular Canon EOS R mirrorless camera, with a specialized IR cut filter optimized for astrophotography. In this article, I want to discuss why I purchased the EOS Ra, and share my results from the backyard. Is the Canon E…
Results Using a $200 DSLR for Astrophotography
In a recent video, I shared my results using a $200 DSLR for astrophotography. In a hobby known for being very expensive, I think it is very interesting that such results can be obtained using an old, inexpensive camera. In this post, I'll prove to you that incredible astrophotography results are possible with an old, used, entry-level DSLR camera. And no, it doesn't need to be modified to achieve impressive results. (I've got plenty of unmodified DSLR astrophotos to prove it). You can pick up a used Canon EOS Rebel T3i (600D) DSLR for under $200 on eBay, and it will likely include a kit…
