I too took a pic of the Rosette last month with an unmodified cam but did not get quite as nice of detail, I had the older canon 60D and a smaller lens, canon 400mm 5.6 (~70mm 'scope') on a Skyguider. Thank you. Any ideas about that? But rabbit holes are everywhere! The days are warm and the nights are clear, summer star gazing is here! 4. Light Pollution Filters for Astrophotography, Deep Sky Astrophotography in Light Pollution, Use a DSLR Ha Filter for Astrophotography, Deep-Sky Astrophotography During a Full Moon. Eagle Nebula (M16) with an unmodded DSLR In the past, I have used light pollution filters such as the Astronomik CLS, and IDAS LPS clip-in models on my Canon DSLR. It is a nice article and I would appreciate your interaction Equipment: Skywatcher 250PDS, Skywatcher AZ-EQ6GT mount, Unmodded Nikon D5200 DSLR. A light pollution filter, especially one with a narrow band-pass that isolates hydrogen-alpha (h-alpha) light is best. This shows how the star color is more natural,but less detail was captured in the nebula. Its interesting (and perhaps inspiring) to witness the progress made on a specific target over time. I think I have reached my happiness level. Stumbled on your youtube channel while looking for some astrophotography tutorialsonly shot milky ways before but you got me addicted to astrophotgraphy. The Cygnus Wall. Can you explain the dependency? Some recommend not to fully attach the lens so that the contacts do not engage. You need to get a tracking mount if you want to start shooting deep-sky. In this review, I will be testing 3 filters from SkyTech that are designed to block out light pollution, and allow you to partake in astrophotography from the city. I live in North Dallas so a lot of light pollution. Light Pollution from Niagara Falls is to my East, and Toronto to the North. In early Nov 2020, I photographed Orion Nebula wide field with my 102mm f/7 refractor at ISO 125 for 30s and it turned out pretty okay for my first try. Modern lenses have electronics for autofocus and stabilization inside. The photo above was captured from my backyard in March 2019 using a Sky-Watcher Esprit 100 APO refractor telescope. As telescopes are pure manual devices you won't run into that trouble with a telescope. If you are shooting deep sky objects (Especially emission nebulae) Youll see a big improvement with a modified cam. Nebula by Standard Alternatives: Top 10 Video Hosting Services and This version is an excellent option for astrophotography with a stock DSLR. Looking forward to your first image! Its right up there with the Orion Nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy. Indeed, I suspect even expert imagers might be hard pressed to discern differences between images captured with an "ordinary" DSLR and LRGB images with high-end gear. You star colours are really nice too. Results Using a $200 DSLR for Astrophotography Copyright 2021 Stargazers Lounge These images can then be combined in Photoshop to create a composite with both the intense deep sky details and natural sky and star color. This means youll be able to record a much larger field of view. It reminds me of the similar discussion about golf clubs. Several functions may not work. This article should be a must read for all beginners (like me) as there is a fair amount of hand wringing that will be obviated by the really illustrative point hits home. In regards to astroscapes or milky way photography would you recommend the L-pro from Optolong or the Lpro Max from Skytech? You have managed to get the duality of colour in the image that I was not able to capture. When the stars are reduced in size during post processing the objects show up more clearly. Please excuse the over-processing, I'm a totalnovice when it comes to Photoshop. It's pretty bright in the hierarchy of Ha targets. If you go for a full spectrum mod the chromatic aberration of UV and IR will blur your image when you have a refractor. Related Post: Narrowband Imaging for Beginners. Lots of options and decisions to make from here man. Traditional light pollution filters designed to help you photograph deep sky objects in broadband (true-color) are useful, but a hydrogen-alpha, Continue Reading Use a DSLR Ha Filter for AstrophotographyContinue, The clouds have parted, and I have enjoyed 2 cold, clear nights of astrophotography back-to-back! This group overlaps with the last one. The combination of a modified DSLR such as the 450D with a 50mm camera lens attached offers some tempting photographypossibilities. IC434 Horsehead Nebula by Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, UK. I have been imaging for about 4 months. I dont recommend trying to create a wide-angle Milky Way portrait from your suburban backyard, save that for a camping trip or trip to darker skies. Canon T7i, TS 65mm Imaging Star, f/6.5, 40x30sec, ISO 400. Thanks for posting! The North America Nebula captured using a DSLR camera and telescope. Heres the jpeg. Owners of high-magnification, long focal length telescopes (1000mm+) tend to focus their attention on a specific area of the nebula. You can buy cheap ones or ones that will set you back almost as much as top-end astrogear. Probably the most famous one in the northern hemisphere is the Great Orion Nebula. The Rosette can definitely be done with an unmodified DSLR. Wanted to ask you, why didn't you add a link to a good site that explains what the modding is all about. Binoculars and small telescopes will show this nebula as a faint, foggy patch of light. Why not? Adjusting the levels and setting the black point finally reveal the deep sky wonders in the photo, and obliterate the ugly glow of a washed out night sky. @boxcorner, indeed it was that thread. The LPRO Max and CLS filters offer a wider band-pass for more natural looking stars. This makes a DSLR camera much better at recording the red light of hydrogen-alpha emission nebulas. I live in a medium-sized city in Southern Ontario. Due to the extreme light pollution from my backyard, Ive decided to create a grey-scale version of my image. I started with my unmodified T3i and was very happy. Canon T7i, GSO RC8 at f/6, 51x2min, ISO 400. I only got 3.75 hours of data but still ended up with a recognizable image. In this article you review the SkyTech filter line and include a fine pictue using the CLS filter, but when asked to make a recommendation you said Astronomik CLS filter. By That is the magic of a light pollution filter. Isn't a link to modding somewhat misplaced here? Thanks for you compliment! To simplify the answer the IR cut in the CLS-CCD allows the Good IR light to come through, not the bad. Heres the plan: Since I do not want to rip apart my 450D just yet, as I use it A LOT for daytime photography, I will wait until boxing day, at which point I will buy a new DSLR, then either mod the 450D myself, or fork out the cash to do it right at KW Telescope. I have recently tackled the heart nebula (see below) but have really struggled with detail despite getting 70 x 5min subs, with 50 x darks and 50 x bias. A Skytech CLS-CCD filter was used to help reduce the city glow and capture more contrast in the nebula. Ill discuss my way around this below. The image above was cropped after processing in Photoshop to remove unwanted stacking artifacts near the edges. The mono can be used to take Ha only and mix it into the color data taken with the DSLR or OSC. M101 and M33 are among the largest and brightest galaxies. It is perfectly possible to take decent images of the night sky with an unmodified camera. So I did have all the other factors favouring the image attempt. I believe the image is useful to those looking to frame up this target using a telephoto camera lens or a wide-field telescope. I would be very happy with those images myself. @Rocklobster thanks, I saw your image on your thread. This results in a more natural-looking Milky Way, and the best option for wide angle nightscape shooters. The focal length of my ED 102 is perfect for capturing wide field views of the nebulae in Sagittarius. nice images. Canon T7i, GSO RC8 at f/6, 57x2min, ISO 400, M27. From the northern hemisphere, the best time to observe and photograph the North America Nebula is from June September. If you go for a shorter focal length you need a mask with more and smaller bars. Was my first proper night guiding, I was thrilled being able to shoot this! But having said that, a dedicated astrocam does have additional benefits and dont get me started on mono cameras. Star clusters reside near or in our own galaxy. This photo was captured using a dual-bandpass filter (Ha + OIII) and a one-shot-color dedicated astronomy camera. It comes out red. Some open clusters are located in hydrogen clouds and make the cloud glow red. Taking a photo of the international space station is demanding and requires a long focal length, much longer than what was to my disposal. For me, a 20-minute drive out of town with the iOptron SkyGuider pro would make more sense. best deep sky objects by month - isi-mtl.com Thank you for sharing it. I took this as a challenge to make a nice image of a nebula with an unmodded cam. I used a Astronomik CLS filter under a suburban, almost countryside, sky. With my scope just 600mm focal length and a full frame unmodded DSLR, the nebula is just so tiny. Hey! Stacked with Dark Frames in DeepSkyStacker, Processed in PS CS5. One needs to know all options to make the right decision. I'm sure someone more proficient would be able to tease more detail out of the image. There are some options available for full frame cameras on the market (I know that Optolong makes some) Clear skies! It often appears like using an unmodded camera isn't an option. Ive learned a lot more about clip-in DSLR light pollution filters since then. If you don't know what Bortle scale you have clearoutside.com will give you an estimation. Total Exposure: 1 Hour, 18 Minutes . Hi Jaap, I would suggest the Astronomik CLS EOS clip filter or the IDAS LPS clip filter from Hutech for your DSLR. Each SkyTech filter uses polished Schott glass in a precision laser-cut housing. There is a known issue. I knew not to expect much. Does that mean you must not image it? Hey man, I just stumbled on your youtube channel and wanted to say thank you, Ive just recently been interested in astrophotography and I live in Toronto and find your videos very helpful/relatable. Camera D11000 Dumped that can be modified (what Clip filters should I buy for modified Camera?) have you heard about any good filters for Nikon cameras? It may be one of the first topics a beginner comes across and sometimes the recommendation sounds like modding is an absolute necessity. Quite the adventure you are about to take on and I hope you do! A DSLR or mirrorless camera (even if has not been modified for astrophotography) is more than capable of capturing breathtaking images of the North America Nebula. Still many regard it as one of the most beautiful sights in our night sky. I hope you guys like it and for everyone with an unmodded cam to show our equipment can still do something nice. Whether you shoot with a stock or modified camera, these Canon clip-in filters will block plenty of unwanted light. Wich one would you recommend? Between the stars there is interstellar dust that shows up as brown clouds. The image above was captured from my light-polluted backyard in the city (Bortle Scale Class 7). Im just getting into astrophotography and my first shot was of the Orion Nebula! https://hendric.smugrop/i-cFb7P7W/A. While it is exciting to see the Milky Way from a city location, taming the overwhelming glow in post-processing can be a pain. This image was captured from a Bortle Scale Class 8 backyard (where I lived in 2017), on a small camera tracker called the iOptron SkyGuider Pro. In the image above, the 550mm focal length of the telescope used (in combination with the image scale of the camera) was a little too deep to capture the entire nebula. Canon T7i, Askar FMA180 at f/4.5, 54x3min, ISO 200, Sadr region. Can I use an H alpha filter with an unmodified dslr? NGC 1499 - The California Nebula. Any object in close proximity to our home planet is a pure broadband object. The nights are longer, the temperature is warm, yet cool at night, and the breathtaking Milky Way core continues to stretch upwards into the night, as nightfall sets in. My night sky is classified as Bortle Class 8 in terms of sky quality, a white zone on the light pollution map. I have recently tackled the heart nebula (see below) but have really struggled with detail despite getting 70 x 5min subs, with 50 x darks and 50 x bias. The CLS-CCD filter improves the visibility of deep sky objects while blocking out a great deal of city glow. Cameras and Hydrogen-Alpha Emission nebulas, Filters In pretty poor conditions ( Bortle 6 and I think 80% moon ), Def doable, you just need a couple nights of good data. The raw data actually looked better than what I was getting with my previous IDAS LPS filter in terms of contrast in the deep sky object. . Some emission nebula are well suited for a stock camera, such as the Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius. I think that dark skies, good focus, and good tracking/autoguiding are more important.