Hello from Norway - Forums

Topic starter

Mar 25, 2020

Hi there good people!

Im a professional photographer and a film maker, and ive decided to dive into astro photography, but its a brand new world which i dont know anything about, and feel like a rookie again

You guys have a good recomendation on where to start in here, in terms of equipment, photography techniques, and post processing.
I got basically all i need in terms of camera and lenses, and thinking of getting this tracker, is it a good one for a little heavier cameras?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1452448-REG/sky_watcher_s20512_star_adventurer_pro_pack.html/accessories

For post processing, anyone heard of this before?
https://www.facebook.com/190630838511547/posts/494553714785923/?d=n
Just popped up on my timeline, probably cause Google spied on my activity

Cheers, Chris

Engaging

astropical

Perfect post

Mar 26, 2020

Hei Chris,

The Sky Adventurer is a fine choice primarily because it supports autoguiding in right ascension. Please note that unlike specified on the B&H page, the SA has no WiFi control! It is worth while to get the Pro Pack. I mount a Nikon D5500 with a Samyang 135mm, a Ø30mm f4 guidescope, and ASI290MM. All this sits on a sturdy Vixen SGX AL130 tripod. The SA is specified for a max payload of 5kg, but the 1kg counterweight is included in that you have 4kgs for gear BUT better make it 3kg max.

Regarding Astropanel, sorry never heard of it.

And yes, Google and purchased companies know exactly what you are doing. As soon as you go online you are "under attack" :-)

Cheers
Robert

Helpful

Chris D

Topic starter

Mar 26, 2020

Hei Chris,The Sky Adventurer is a fine choice primarily because it supports autoguiding in right ascension. Please note that unlike specified on the B&H page, the SA has no WiFi control! It is worth while to get the Pro Pack. I mount a Nikon D5500 with a Samyang 135mm, a Ø30mm f4 guidescope, and ASI290MM. All this sits on a sturdy Vixen SGX AL130 tripod. The SA is specified for a max payload of 5kg, but the 1kg counterweight is included in that you have 4kgs for gear BUT better make it 3kg max.

Regarding Astropanel, sorry never heard of it.

And yes, Google and purchased companies know exactly what you are doing. As soon as you go online you are "under attack" :-)

Cheers
Robert

Thanks Robert,

What, no wifi? I should get a discount as i already ordered it

But do i really need the wifi?
I saw some Syncscan wifi adapter, can it be pluged in to this?
Or dont i really need it?

How about a sync cable for my Canon? Any shops in Europe/Scandinavia that ships fast?

Where should i start reading to get the hang of everything?

astropical

Perfect post

Mar 26, 2020

Chris, the WiFi adapter is not for the SA since it does not have GoTo function, for which reason WiFi wouldn't make much sense. It has however an autoguide port which is way more important as you will see after using the mount for a while. Perhaps B&H will give you a coupon for a future order :-)

Once you have pointed your camera at a target you can fine-adjust both axes which is extremely useful for framing an image. Also a ball head would be of great advantage (not bundled).

My SA Pro Pack included a sync cable, but you may wish to use an intervalometer for your Canon, which you may already own.

Please do not tighten the lock handle of the wedge too strongly. Inside it is made of plastic tooth-wheels. Mine is now turning freely 360 degrees :-(

The included instruction manual of the SA is quite detailed. The most important thing is accurate polar alignment including calibration of the built-in polar scope. There is a discussion forum here in AstroBin about the Star Adventurer.

Cheers
Robert

Helpful

Chris D

Topic starter

Mar 26, 2020

Thanks Robert,

What kind of accesory can i connect to the autoguide port, any recomendations?
I got a couple of ball heads at the office, so i should be able to use one of those.
There was a sync Cable for Canon you say, a 3 pin or a mini jack?
Thanks for the headsup regarding the lock handle.

Any other sources you can recomend in terms of shooting, how many exposures/bracketing to get the best results, focal lenghts, etc?

Ola Skarpen SkyEyE

Mar 26, 2020

Lykke til.
Jeg kan sikkert bidra med noen tips etter hvert 😊

Dave Erickson

Mar 27, 2020

Hi Chris,
Welcome.
Dave

Kevin Morefield

IOTD Staff

Perfect post

Mar 27, 2020

Not familiar with the software but it looks like it might be more for landscape astrophotography.

Velkommen!

kevin

astropical

Perfect post

Mar 27, 2020

Chris D:
Thanks Robert,What kind of accesory can i connect to the autoguide port, any recomendations?
I got a couple of ball heads at the office, so i should be able to use one of those.
There was a sync Cable for Canon you say, a 3 pin or a mini jack?
Thanks for the headsup regarding the lock handle.

Any other sources you can recomend in terms of shooting, how many exposures/bracketing to get the best results, focal lenghts, etc?

Hi Chris,
Sorry, I gave the Canon cable away because I have a Nikon DSLR with intervalometer.

The minimum requirement for autoguiding is a small autoguide scope, such as the ZWO 30F4 and a small guide camera, such as the ZWO ASI120MM Mini. An autoguide cable is usually bundled with an autoguide camera. Orion and other mfc provide similar setups. Light-weight is crucial for portable mounts. "PHD2" is the most popular and intuitive software for controlling autoguiding. I'd first try short lenses up to 200mm without autoguiding and see how it works.

There are no general recommendations for shooting, as this depends on the object. In case of wide deep sky objects, such as the Orion and North America nebulae, I like to use a 135mm prime lens at f2.8, ISO800 and as many 30-second exposures as clouds would allow :-)

Cheers
Robert

Helpful

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