The best astrophotography camera for you depends on the subjects you intend to capture with it. For example, a DSLR or Mirrorless camera is great for wide-angle nightscapes and Milky Way photography, while a dedicated astronomy camera is better suited for deep-sky imaging of galaxies and nebulae.
If you are interested in photographing planets, a dedicated astronomy camera that is capable of capturing high frame-rate videos is best. These cameras can be surprisingly affordable due to their smaller sensor size.
Useful Camera Links
I have recently installed the Astro Photography Tool camera control software on my dedicated astrophotography laptop. From my very first imaging sequence, I knew I was going to like this application. There is no better way to learn a new imaging application than to put it to use for a night of deep-sky imaging. With…
Update: When this article was written, I referred to any non-DSLR camera a “CCD” camera. The correct term for this type of camera is “dedicated astronomy camera“, as the model mentioned in this post includes a CMOS sensor. Since then, I have had the pleasure of experience a true CCD camera, the Starlight Xpress Trius…
A Bahtinov mask is a clever tool for precisely focusing an astronomical telescope. The distinctive pattern of the Bahtinov design was created by Russian amateur astrophotographer Pavel Bahtinov in 2005. To use the mask, you simply need to cover the telescope’s objective and point the telescope at a bright star. The mask creates a pattern…
The very first camera I used for astrophotography was an old Canon Rebel Xsi (450D) DSLR. Even though the production of this camera was discontinued many years ago, I still use and enjoy this camera today. A DSLR camera like the Canon Rebel 450D is a versatile choice as it can easily be attached to…
Astrophotography video from Canon Canon shows you how to take great astrophotography and night sky photography The is the type of video I have envisioned creating for years now. The video features award winning photographer Phil Hart, as he explains the basics of astrophotography in a simple and easy to understand way. The video is…
Canon Rebel Xsi – Recently Modified 450D I am proud to say that I am now the owner of a Modified 450D. My recent “self-modification“ has really helped bring out the colour of this Emission Nebula. If you are interested in modding your own Canon Xs or XSi, you can find the tutorial…
The following photo of the California Nebula was captured using my DSLR camera before it was modified for astrophotography. NGC 1499 in Perseus is perhaps the best example of the difference removing the stock IR cut filter from your DSLR camera can make. For an emission nebula like this, an image with a stock camera…
Photograph the Moon with a point-and-shoot camera You can take some incredible pictures of the moon through a telescope using an inexpensive point-and-shoot camera. Some of my very first astrophotography images were of the moon in its many phases using the afocal method (eyepiece projection does not use a camera lens) method. The photo above…