DSLRs and other “daytime” cameras (such as mirrorless, etc.) are popular choices for astrophotography (especially for imagers with less experience) for many reasons; they are relatively cheap nowadays, they have multiple uses including for normal photography, many people already own them before pursuing astrophotography, and they are less complicated than dedicated astro cameras (although not by much). For these reasons, there are many who use them for astrophotography and many software and hardware offerings exist to allow their usage on various telescopes and mounts. However, there are also downsides, some of which are insurmountable Continue reading “Using Nikon DSLRs for Astrophotography?”

There are many forum posts out there about how people started out in astrophotography and what their advice is for those who are also beginning. Many of these posts are really helpful since it can be overwhelming trying to get started. Here are some of the most common things out there from those giving advice to beginners: get a low focal length scope and image wider fields of view, spend roughly half of your entire budget on the mount, spend a lot of time getting used to aligning and working with your mount and setup, and don’t take on everything at once; small steps.

Generally speaking I think these are good points to consider, especially for those who don’t have a ton of hours a week to spend working on the hobby Continue reading “Advice for Starting Amateur Astro­photography”