I'm at nothing with a 350D and a Skylux - my options?

So Seanie, how do I put this. Maybe I got this wrong, but I kinda feel that you gave the skylux a couple of chances and now your giving up on it. Don't take this the wrong way but maybe it's your experience with astrophotography thats the issue here and not the kit.

You are never gonna get the results you want until you've developed the techniques. As you develop these you will then also gain the knowledge to appreciate where your gear is letting you down. I remember some of my first efforts and they were really pityful. If you look around the net you will see some decent enough images taken with a skylux.

Lashing money at the problem now may well dig you deeper into a hole.

For planetary photography even a 70-80mm refractor will give you enough to get reasonable images. If you are not getting 'reasonable' results then dont give up on it. Learn from it, practice, practice practice. When you get to the point where you've max'd out the capabilities of the scope you'll know it for sure and then you can make a better choice about what you need to do/get to take you further.

I hope you don't take any of that the wrong way mate.

In principle, I agree with Dave. Now, not so much for Seanie, but for others reading this thread with interest...

Those who are actively partaking in astrophotography can attest to the blood, sweat and tears invested in even getting the most mediochre image out of any system.

Irrespective of the equipment you have, the techniques, methods and processes are probably by far the larger part of what is an incredibly steep learning curve.

Anyone who is "thinking" of getting into astrophotography, even at its basic level, prepare yourself for a bumpy ride. It really is a lot harder than you think. Not that I'm trying to put anyone off - there's tons of help here and across the net - but you really have to invest a huge amount of time in learning the processes - and prepare for huge disappointments. I reckon that about 10% of the time of the time I have invested in astrophotography has resulted in an image of any kind of worthiness. Sure, now I've got to the stage I'm at, that percentage will increase exponentially (I hope). But in the early days, for every 10 days worth of imaging, I'd get no more than a couple of half decent images.

As regards equipment, sure, if you want to go out and spend about 100K, that'll get you a pretty good system - but you will not be taking images with it - it would take you the same amount of time to learn how to use it as a system costing a fraction of the price.

Another reason for starting small is learning what you want to do. If you want to simply take great images of the night-sky to share with others, there's certain choices you will make. If that's planetary, lunar, deep sky etc, your choices will narrow. If you want to do science, that'll lead you down a different path. Spend the early days figuring out what you want to do - each niche in astrophotography has its own kit, processes, methods, discipline etc. Start small, learn the ropes, decide where your future path is going and then take the plunge...

HTH

Dave

Tis true that learning to take even halfway reasonable astrophotos will necessarily involve taking lots of really bad ones!

Hi Fintan,

I recently got a modified 400D and was looking around for the best solution to attach at prime focus.
I came across these guys : www.cncsupplyinc.com/
They do a direct 2" adapter for the Eos and you can also get it with a safety undercut so your nice new camera shouldn't fall out of the visual back.
It arrived pretty quick from the US and so far I'm very happy with it.

So Seanie, how do I put this. Maybe I got this wrong, but I kinda feel that you gave the skylux a couple of chances and now your giving up on it.......

......I hope you don't take any of that the wrong way mate.

Thanks for the feedback Dave, all of it appreciated with no backlash from me!

I was 'put off' by the small images I was getting whist using prime focus. What I don't understand is that, even with my 35mm eyepiece, the FOV is small, yet there have been some fab images taken without an eyepiece and just a camera, that produced decent sized-results. What's the connection there?

Seanie.

Seanie,

I am coming in rather late on this thread but everyone has made excellent points. In terms of equipment, I would also state that a very good mount is the best foundation for any work involving astrophotography. No matter how good the optics and your technique may be, it will all be compromised by an average or poor mount. I was using a Losmandy G11 mount for over ten years and no words could describe my frustration built up during this time (but lots of experience though!). Once my AP1200GTO arrived, I was reborn and suddenly I had a wealth of experience to draw upon!

Also, decide if you are looking at deep-sky work or solar system work. Yes, both are challenging either way you see it but the challenges differ between these two animals.

Also, Dave MacDonald made excellent points which are easy to overlook. There is no better way to test your patience and "boiling point" than with astrophotography. For a great result you need 1001 things to go right simultaneously. Blow it on just one little thing and your all-nighter in the freezing cold goes out the window.

The learning curve that Dave mentions is indeed very steep and it does not involve one or two things. For example, good technique requires time, practice and some reading. Processing is a huge hill (more like a mountain) that also requires time, practice, reading, experimentation and collaboration with friends and colleagues.

To paraphrase Dave, all of this is not meant to discourage you but simply to let you know that your frustrations are, in fact, the norm and it is something we all experience no matter how good our equipment/skill set/environmental conditions etc may be.

I suggest you adopt a "hard-headed" personality and simply keep at it incessantly. There will be a point where things will start slowly to fall into place and many things that did not make sense before (or were even not obvious) will now be obvious.

Being around fellow-nuts will also help since you will be able to draw on their experience and tips rather than having to reinvent the wheel yourself. However, the last point about reinventing the wheel is also not bad since mistakes do help one understand and learn at a much quicker pace than having all of the answers in front of them from a more experienced person.