Canon EOS SL3 for astrophotography
As a new member I have seen the presentation by Russell Fraich and wanted some feedback if this is a good starting camera. I have a StarTravel 120 and I thing I will need to change my AZ3 tripod as well. Any comments
Thx
Ron L.
Hi Ron,
I still have my SL3 because it (still) is a good camera for my needs. To take decent pictures, you don't really need a fancy, expensive camera. I started with a Canon XSi, a camera I bought back in 2008. It was great for the first year and I learned a lot.
My suggestion is to use the camera you already have and try it out. Use the lens you have and put the camera and lens on your tripod and take pictures. Try different exposure times and ISO settings to see what works. You will be amazed at what you can capture.
If you are looking for an inexpensive camera to start out with, have a look at used Canon, Sony, or Nikon DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. Look for APS-C size and no larger. You don't need the much more expensive full frame cameras to take great pictures.
And save the telescope for later. With its 600 mm focal length, you will be able to take pictures of planets, but it will take some time to learn how to do it since the objects will be very small and very bright in your camera.
If you want to take pictures of dimmer objects such as galaxies, then you'll need a computerized tracking mount, another expense and another thing to learn about.
It can be done, but I would recommend doing it one step at a time.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Russell
Great answer, Russell. We use an astro specific camera. Mainly because we did not have a DSLR when we started. Like Russell says, start with what you've got.
If you use Facebook, you should join the Facebook Group: "RASC Montreal Centre Group" at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2001854050070054.
More members are active in the Facebook group than this forum so if you start a discussion there it might get more traction.
Several regular contributers there use DSLR's
Gerald
Thanks to both of you for your feedback. Looking forward to meeting up with you some time. I will take my time with this. One step at a time.