Newbies to Camera!

aquacocoa85 · Post by **aquacocoa85** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 1:59 am

Anybody out there care to give any advice on good digital cameras for general all round use and probably able to take a few nice shots of objects at night for say under $700??

Btw are those 10x optical zoom cameras any good? like Olympus 740 or minolta z1?

Experts... any comments or advice to give?

Aq85

gwenyi · Post by **gwenyi** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 4:08 am

errm... i dun think u should take those that have the 10x zooms as they will degrade ur image quality. u shld get the cams with mega pixels ranging from 4.0 to 6.0.

aquacocoa85 · Post by **aquacocoa85** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 5:23 am

errm... i dun think u should take those that have the 10x zooms as they will degrade ur image quality. u shld get the cams with mega pixels ranging from 4.0 to 6.0.

Ermmm... so am i right to say that u're suggesting I should get the most mega pixel my buck can get me?

Tot optical zoom doesn't degrade pictures but it is digital zoom that does so?

Pls correct me if i'm wrong...

Newbie needing help,
Aq85

Post by **weixing** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 9:44 am

Hi,
A 3-4 MegaPix Camera will be good enough. Also, get one can give you the options of manual control and focusing and can have at least 1 minute of manual exposure.

If it is optical zoom, then it is OK. But the problem with most digital camera zoom lens is that the lens will move as it zoom in and zoom out. This will cause some problem if you use eyepiece projection. Try to get one with internal focusing and internal zoom lens - those camera lens won't move while zoom in/out. Also, make sure you can find an adapter for your camera before you purchase it.

Hope the information is useful...

harlequin2902 · Post by **harlequin2902** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 10:44 am

I'm using a 3.2 megapixel Canon A70 consumer class digital camera. Works quite ok if you're not fussy (i use it for normal, bird and moon/planet photography). It can go up to 9.6x with the digital zoom, but once beyond 6x, the picture already becomes very 'noisy'. Most of the time, I stop at 3x optical zoom. The retail price set by Canon when it came out was S$599 I think, but now you should be able to get it for about S$50-S$70 less if you know where to look. Price should've dropped, since Canon now has a new model out - the A80.

For starter and eager planet/moon photographers, aside from the main specs of the camera and the flexibility offered in manual settings, another thing you should take note when camera-shopping is whether or not the camera is able to accept the astrophotography adapters currently available in the market. Not all cameras are able to do so.

aquacocoa85 · Post by **aquacocoa85** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 1:00 pm

One more thing... i'm using a manfrotto 190 tripod. Won't I have to continually shift around to keep the object in my field of view? Won't that spoil my picture at higher magnification and long shutter times?

Are scoptronix the only company that producce adapters? And one more thing, u need an adapter and T-ring issit?

Aq85

Post by **weixing** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 1:51 pm

Hi,
You basically cannot take any astrophoto using a camera type or alt-azimuth type mount, except taking star trail photo or the moon. You need at least a EQ mount for most Astrophoto.

William-Optics also produce adapter eyepiece, DCL-4337 - a 40mm eyepiece adapter with 43mm and 37mm thread and DCL-28 - a 24mm eyepiece adapter with 28mm thread.

Hope the above information is useful to you...

aquacocoa85 · Post by **aquacocoa85** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 11:25 pm

Hey sameul, tot u use 190d also? How come u managed to use ur A70 for astrophotography? or ur hands are as smooth as a motor drive?

Aq85

harlequin2902 · Post by **harlequin2902** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 12:49 am

Hey sameul, tot u use 190d also? How come u managed to use ur A70 for astrophotography? or ur hands are as smooth as a motor drive?

Aq85

It's actually not that difficult once you get the hang of it. But be prepared for the initial frustration though - trying to get the planet into the FOV of the LCD the main cause of it all.

For moon and planet phtography, since the exposures required are all very very short - each just fractions of a second, you do not really need a motorized drive to get a decent shot even with a Manfrotto set up. Just a bit of practice and patience.

And like what Weixing said above, for astrophotography other than of the moon and planets (and maybe star trails if you like) - mainly those prime focus type which generate stunning photographic results of beautiful nebulae , galaxies...etc , you'll need some form of accurate auto tracking (on a good mount). And that's not all of course, just the beginning if you're thinking of going down that path some day.

Post by **VinSnr** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 2:31 am

aquacocoa85 wrote:Anybody out there care to give any advice on good digital cameras for general all round use and probably able to take a few nice shots of objects at night for say under $700??

Btw are those 10x optical zoom cameras any good? like Olympus 740 or minolta z1?

Experts... any comments or advice to give?

Aq85

Well, to cut it short....get a Nikon Coolpix. No offence to other brands, but for some reasons, Nikon coolpix has many eyepieces that can just thread into the lens. Other brands have to buy adaptors and stuff.

Also, the coolpix uses internal zoom, has good manual exposure and best of all, has a swivel body. That swivel body will save you a lot of neck strains when you position your scope in an awkward position. The coolpix design is almost godsend for astronomy purposes.

So if you want to cut through the whole puzzle, just get a coolpix 995 or better still a 4500. You can't go wrong with any of this.

SingAstro

Newbies to Camera!

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