You should have a look at the Oculars plug-in for Stellarium. I find it a lot easier to preview framing of objects, can be used for more wide-field Milky Way shots, can make sure objects are in the right spot in my sky, etc.
Thanks for introducing this site! This has many more useful features! I liked the one in which it can provide you the list of some suitable targets for a night which you are considering. It even gives 7 day weather forecast and tells you about the seeing. Pretty cool stuff!
Peter, excellent find in Telescopius. I'll keep that in mind. Right now, however, I'm still using the telescope simulator in Stellarium. It allows you to input camera sensor size, pixel size, telescope (or lens) size, eyepieces if you're using them and more. One of the really nice things that I like about Stellarium is that, of course, it allows you to slew to your target once your mount is polar and star aligned, AND, it allows you to set your sensor rotation. While most telescopes and long(er) lenses (in ring mounts) do not give you a rotation ring scale, you can 'rotate' the sensor in Stellarium to get the 'perfect' framing, and then rotate the camera on the telescope, or camera/lens assembly to something that is near to what you're seeing on the screen. Final adjustment would be from shooting a set of images and checking them . This would be important for something like M31 on a 400mm lens. I don't know if I mentioned it in my last comment to you (I hate getting old and forgetting stuff), I know I talked to you about the iOptron SmartEQ Pro+ and how that might be a replacement for your Skytracker or Skywatcher system. You've said previously that you're living out of your car for six months out of the year, so I understand space is at a premium. The Explore Scientific iEXOS-100 GoTo EQ Mount would be an ideal replacement for the star tracker system you have now, giving you true 'GoTo' capability and a slight increase in payload capacity for the same price as the base star trackers without accessories. For about twice the price, you could go with the EX iEXOS-200GT system, which the mount is bigger, but also boasts an almost 30 pound payload. I'll be interested to see what camera you have purchased and what lens adapter/spacers, etc., you'll be using to use your Nikon, and even possibly Canon lenses, with it.
I got my A7III and a lot of gear, (extra batteries, Samyang 14mm, tripod, 128gb uhsii sd card along with a uhs I) and I'm anxiously awaiting the new moon so I can go take my first astrophotography photo. I've been wanting to get into astro for about 5 years and I started researching and planning two years ago before I took the leap. I'm beyond excited to start taking pictures.
Thanks for this vid Peter, I’ve spend ages deciding on what dedicated camera to get, I have the D5600, and it does a great job on my Esprit 80/400 and also my Nikon lenses. So decided on the ZWO ASI 533mc Pro as I wanted to stick with colour... you can also get an adapter to use the Nikon lenses with the ASI533, so be interested if you have gone mono with filters or colour too!! Looking forward to your next video.
Thanks for this. Two excellent websites to "reconnoiter" camera and lens/'scope combinations! This video goes straight into my Save list for future reference.
When doing the Calculation for Arc Seconds, do you take into account the use of a Crop or Full Frame when it comes to Focal Length? Such as a 300 Lens on a Crop would be around 450 Focal Length, so that's what you would determine it by? Or does the Calculation only depend on the Focal Length of the Lens regardless of what Sensor size you may have? Great video btw!
How wide you talking? Like 14mm or wider? The Rokinon brand of lenses are usually pretty cheap and surprisingly sharp for astrophotography. I used a Rokinon 14mm for $350 and it did well. Only problem was the heavy vignette. Beyond that, you'll usually need to spend $1,000+ for a good wide angle lens
Question. Why not use a full-frame camera, and if you need a crop-frame sized image, just crop it in post production? Also helps get rid of aberrations in the corners of the image.
great video ...but I would have liked If you had spent a little time on arc sec per pixel...coz thats what matters tee most..the sharpness of the object....
This is great information. I see too many people spending way too much money on equipment they don't know how to use, when if they were to just watch a simple video like this, they'd be far better off. Except for the one guy using a $96,000 lense taking photos of the aliens looking out at the milky way :P
So i have a question, im thinking of buying the star adv pro with the 150-600. ive read that its not ballanced and you cant really take that long exposures. what do you think? for now i own a a7ii and 70-200 but im thinking to switch back to canon/nikon with 150-600.
I use the 150-600mm and get great shots. The problem you'll have with the Star Adventurer is the small counterweight. However, if you lower the declination bracket as far as it'll go, you should be able to balance it with the single counterweight. I demonstrate this in my star Adventurer video here on TH-cam. Keep in mind, you may only get 30 second exposures at 400mm+. If you get an auto-guider though, you should be able to get up to 5 minute exposures (best case scenario).
Whats the best lens for either Canon T8i or Canon 90D? I mean the best lens not best budget. THE BEST. I need the price to be under 1200$. Also is Canon T8i or Canon 90D good for Astrophotography? Which one between the two is better?
thanks man :) really helped me out. but my canon 6D with 600mm creates an image from Andromeda that isn't zoomed in as much as this program tells me. but at 200mm it is pretty accurate ;)
That's normal. He showed what a 600mm with an APSC camera (1.5 crop factor) produces so it is actually equivalent to a 900mm focal distance on a full frame camera. So yeah, your image isn't as cropped in because it is a 600mm focal distance rather than 900mm as shown in the video. 1.5x for Nikon, fuji, etc and 1.6x for Canon.
ViveLa France yeah you are right but I tried myself with the right sensor size of the 6D and it was not accurate at 600mm but at 200mm As I shot Andromeda in the past it was not as big in the frame as the web site showed to me.
I have a canon 6d mii, pixel size of 5.67, the graph seems to tell me I will be under sampled at the 360mm focal length of my small refractor. It's the only one I got. How can I compensate in my camera settings?
There's not much you can do with camera settings, as I understand it. It simply means your stars will be a little blocky. I wouldn't worry about it too much, you'll still be able to get great photos
For me that Telescopius site does not give realistic results. When I fill in my camera's sensor size (APS-C 22.3x14.9mm) and lens focal length (200m) it shows the Orion nebula as frame-filling. In reality it fits in a 200x300px area of the 5184x3456px resolution of the image. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or if it's just the site that's way off.
Okay Peter, being a newbie I’m confused. In one of your prior videos you we’re using the red cat second gen, that’s a 51 mm scope. In this video you recommend a far longer lens. So what am I missing, sure it’s something. I do enjoy your vids, they are very good.
Yeah, that might have been my 2020 Gear video. I'm still planning on using the Space Cat, but I recently bought a new camera with much smaller pixels and a smaller sensor, which will allow me to essentially get more zoom. As I mention in my Space Cat Review video, I think 250mm is not long enough if you have a full frame camera. It's fine if you're just getting started, but if you really want to get some great photos , where you fill the frame with the object, you'll want 400mm - 600mm on a full frame camera.
Thank you for sharing. I had the chance to witness a rocket launch in 2018. Unbelievable experience. I posted a pretty fun video of the trip to my channel.
I prefer Astronomy.tools instead of Telescopius. Their FOV calculator has a database of cameras and scopes already in there and you can compare different scopes/lenses/cameras on the same image simultaneously.
@@PeterZelinka That's interesting... I would expect Europeans to have a better understanding of the metric system than us Americans. I'm a chemist in my day-life (milkywayphotographers.com in my nightlife!), so I'm kind of pedantic about units! There is a unit of length called a "micron", which is equal to a µm (a micrometer, a 1/1000 millimeter). Saying "micronmeter" is equivalent to saying a "micrometermeter." So "µm" should be pronounced "micron" or "micrometer". Before 1967, micron was an accepted name for a micrometer, but that was officially removed from the SI (International System of Units) in 1967. However, it's still in traditional use in many fields, like geology, biology, physics, and astronomy and in applied fields like machining and manufacturing. Kind of like how "mil" is used in the USA to denote 1/1000 inch. It seems some people use the term "micronmeter" to refer to a device like a caliper or a screw gauge for measuring (metering) lengths down to 0.01 millimeters. But the proper name for those is "micrometer" as well, not micronmeter. I'm really enjoying the channel! Are you going to the NIghtscaper conference this year? If so, I hope to see you there!
@@lotus30com I didn't say "micronmeter", just put the emphasis on a different part of the word "micrometer". Instead of saying it like normal here in the US - "micro meter" it's something like "mike-rah-meter". Kinda like "aluminum" and "aluminium". Same thing, just two ways to say it. Anyway, no big deal haha I'll be in Kanab, but I probably won't be at the conference.
@@PeterZelinka Hey Peter - no problem. I relistened and I see I misheard you! Sorry for the mistake. It was pretty late when I watched it last night! Definitely look into the NIghtscaper Conference. Royce Bair did a great job putting it together last year. There's going to be a lot of interesting people presenting. Last year's conference was awesome!
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 91 | คู่เอก "คมอาวุธ vs อเล็กเซย์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/V0RkEfYFsgM/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice work Peter, I think you're method of communicating this info in simple layman's terms is great.
"Welcome to 2020, I'm personally excited and have a ton of things planned" .......oh didn't we all...
His positivity cursed us all! Everyone blame Peter.
You should have a look at the Oculars plug-in for Stellarium. I find it a lot easier to preview framing of objects, can be used for more wide-field Milky Way shots, can make sure objects are in the right spot in my sky, etc.
Thanks for introducing this site! This has many more useful features! I liked the one in which it can provide you the list of some suitable targets for a night which you are considering. It even gives 7 day weather forecast and tells you about the seeing. Pretty cool stuff!
Thank Peter! That was very informative. The websites you provided are great! Thanks again!
Peter, excellent find in Telescopius. I'll keep that in mind. Right now, however, I'm still using the telescope simulator in Stellarium. It allows you to input camera sensor size, pixel size, telescope (or lens) size, eyepieces if you're using them and more. One of the really nice things that I like about Stellarium is that, of course, it allows you to slew to your target once your mount is polar and star aligned, AND, it allows you to set your sensor rotation. While most telescopes and long(er) lenses (in ring mounts) do not give you a rotation ring scale, you can 'rotate' the sensor in Stellarium to get the 'perfect' framing, and then rotate the camera on the telescope, or camera/lens assembly to something that is near to what you're seeing on the screen. Final adjustment would be from shooting a set of images and checking them . This would be important for something like M31 on a 400mm lens.
I don't know if I mentioned it in my last comment to you (I hate getting old and forgetting stuff), I know I talked to you about the iOptron SmartEQ Pro+ and how that might be a replacement for your Skytracker or Skywatcher system.
You've said previously that you're living out of your car for six months out of the year, so I understand space is at a premium. The Explore Scientific iEXOS-100 GoTo EQ Mount would be an ideal replacement for the star tracker system you have now, giving you true 'GoTo' capability and a slight increase in payload capacity for the same price as the base star trackers without accessories.
For about twice the price, you could go with the EX iEXOS-200GT system, which the mount is bigger, but also boasts an almost 30 pound payload.
I'll be interested to see what camera you have purchased and what lens adapter/spacers, etc., you'll be using to use your Nikon, and even possibly Canon lenses, with it.
I'd recommend also checking out blackwaterskies imaging toolbox, there's alot of presets, scope, camera and object wise.
Been looking for a good video review of lenses like this! Thank you for posting!!
As always a very straight to the point video. Great job Peter!
I got my A7III and a lot of gear, (extra batteries, Samyang 14mm, tripod, 128gb uhsii sd card along with a uhs I) and I'm anxiously awaiting the new moon so I can go take my first astrophotography photo. I've been wanting to get into astro for about 5 years and I started researching and planning two years ago before I took the leap. I'm beyond excited to start taking pictures.
Thanks for this vid Peter, I’ve spend ages deciding on what dedicated camera to get, I have the D5600, and it does a great job on my Esprit 80/400 and also my Nikon lenses. So decided on the ZWO ASI 533mc Pro as I wanted to stick with colour... you can also get an adapter to use the Nikon lenses with the ASI533, so be interested if you have gone mono with filters or colour too!! Looking forward to your next video.
Thanks for this. Two excellent websites to "reconnoiter" camera and lens/'scope combinations! This video goes straight into my Save list for future reference.
Great explanation Peter thanks for doing this.
I have a Sony a6400. Based on sensor size and pixel size it seems like a good choice. Yes?
how did you counterweight the 150-600mm f/5-6?
When doing the Calculation for Arc Seconds, do you take into account the use of a Crop or Full Frame when it comes to Focal Length? Such as a 300 Lens on a Crop would be around 450 Focal Length, so that's what you would determine it by? Or does the Calculation only depend on the Focal Length of the Lens regardless of what Sensor size you may have? Great video btw!
Don't include the crop factor, use the actual focal length (300 in this case). The 1.5x effect will be determined when you input the sensor size
As usual, very good information and tips!
I thinkt hey use the bloated image to show the dust lanes if you want to capture that aswell.
Is there any sharp and bright ultrawide out there that is somewhat cheap? Or does that just not exist?
How wide you talking? Like 14mm or wider?
The Rokinon brand of lenses are usually pretty cheap and surprisingly sharp for astrophotography. I used a Rokinon 14mm for $350 and it did well. Only problem was the heavy vignette. Beyond that, you'll usually need to spend $1,000+ for a good wide angle lens
@@PeterZelinka I'm on APS-C so preferably wider. Yeah will probably end up with the 12mm Rokinon or do you have anything else in mind?
@@dabj9546 that one should do a good job
Great content (and making me crazy [in a good way though] about wanting to up the ante on my gear to do more astrophotography work!!!
Question. Why not use a full-frame camera, and if you need a crop-frame sized image, just crop it in post production? Also helps get rid of aberrations in the corners of the image.
Can someone explain why the not recommended combinations from pixel size and focal length are worse?
how is the 150-600mm f/5-6 for astrophotography
great video ...but I would have liked If you had spent a little time on arc sec per pixel...coz thats what matters tee most..the sharpness of the object....
Really interesting! Thank you. I’ll go read your article for sure! 👍❤️
This is great information. I see too many people spending way too much money on equipment they don't know how to use, when if they were to just watch a simple video like this, they'd be far better off.
Except for the one guy using a $96,000 lense taking photos of the aliens looking out at the milky way :P
So i have a question, im thinking of buying the star adv pro with the 150-600. ive read that its not ballanced and you cant really take that long exposures. what do you think? for now i own a a7ii and 70-200 but im thinking to switch back to canon/nikon with 150-600.
I use the 150-600mm and get great shots. The problem you'll have with the Star Adventurer is the small counterweight. However, if you lower the declination bracket as far as it'll go, you should be able to balance it with the single counterweight. I demonstrate this in my star Adventurer video here on TH-cam.
Keep in mind, you may only get 30 second exposures at 400mm+. If you get an auto-guider though, you should be able to get up to 5 minute exposures (best case scenario).
Hi Peter, what is your opinion about mirror lenses? They are quite affordable and have big focal lengths.
Thanks for this video. Really need to grow my lenses, stop spending my money haha!
Whats the best lens for either Canon T8i or Canon 90D? I mean the best lens not best budget. THE BEST. I need the price to be under 1200$. Also is Canon T8i or Canon 90D good for Astrophotography? Which one between the two is better?
thanks man :) really helped me out. but my canon 6D with 600mm creates an image from Andromeda that isn't zoomed in as much as this program tells me. but at 200mm it is pretty accurate ;)
That's normal. He showed what a 600mm with an APSC camera (1.5 crop factor) produces so it is actually equivalent to a 900mm focal distance on a full frame camera. So yeah, your image isn't as cropped in because it is a 600mm focal distance rather than 900mm as shown in the video. 1.5x for Nikon, fuji, etc and 1.6x for Canon.
ViveLa France yeah you are right but I tried myself with the right sensor size of the 6D and it was not accurate at 600mm but at 200mm
As I shot Andromeda in the past it was not as big in the frame as the web site showed to me.
Thank you for the video and the links.
Hi Peter
Great vid really great info I haven't heard of either of these sites.I will run all my gear through them.Be interesting.
I have a canon 6d mii, pixel size of 5.67, the graph seems to tell me I will be under sampled at the 360mm focal length of my small refractor. It's the only one I got. How can I compensate in my camera settings?
There's not much you can do with camera settings, as I understand it. It simply means your stars will be a little blocky. I wouldn't worry about it too much, you'll still be able to get great photos
Peter have you tried the Meade 70mm Quadruplet ED APO and if so which do you like better that or the redcat 51
I've never tried the Meade so I can't say
@@PeterZelinka thank u for your quick reply
great site peter thank you
Although telescopius is a good site, for simulations I prefer to use Stellarium.
For me that Telescopius site does not give realistic results. When I fill in my camera's sensor size (APS-C 22.3x14.9mm) and lens focal length (200m) it shows the Orion nebula as frame-filling. In reality it fits in a 200x300px area of the 5184x3456px resolution of the image. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or if it's just the site that's way off.
Okay Peter, being a newbie I’m confused. In one of your prior videos you we’re using the red cat second gen, that’s a 51 mm scope. In this video you recommend a far longer lens. So what am I missing, sure it’s something. I do enjoy your vids, they are very good.
Yeah, that might have been my 2020 Gear video. I'm still planning on using the Space Cat, but I recently bought a new camera with much smaller pixels and a smaller sensor, which will allow me to essentially get more zoom.
As I mention in my Space Cat Review video, I think 250mm is not long enough if you have a full frame camera. It's fine if you're just getting started, but if you really want to get some great photos , where you fill the frame with the object, you'll want 400mm - 600mm on a full frame camera.
Thanks
Thank you for sharing. I had the chance to witness a rocket launch in 2018. Unbelievable experience. I posted a pretty fun video of the trip to my channel.
I prefer Astronomy.tools instead of Telescopius. Their FOV calculator has a database of cameras and scopes already in there and you can compare different scopes/lenses/cameras on the same image simultaneously.
Great resource, Peter! By the way, μm is pronounced "micro-meters."
I guess I'm using the "european" pronunciation then, that's the way the Atik guy says it in his video on the subject.
@@PeterZelinka That's interesting... I would expect Europeans to have a better understanding of the metric system than us Americans. I'm a chemist in my day-life (milkywayphotographers.com in my nightlife!), so I'm kind of pedantic about units! There is a unit of length called a "micron", which is equal to a µm (a micrometer, a 1/1000 millimeter). Saying "micronmeter" is equivalent to saying a "micrometermeter." So "µm" should be pronounced "micron" or "micrometer".
Before 1967, micron was an accepted name for a micrometer, but that was officially removed from the SI (International System of Units) in 1967. However, it's still in traditional use in many fields, like geology, biology, physics, and astronomy and in applied fields like machining and manufacturing. Kind of like how "mil" is used in the USA to denote 1/1000 inch.
It seems some people use the term "micronmeter" to refer to a device like a caliper or a screw gauge for measuring (metering) lengths down to 0.01 millimeters. But the proper name for those is "micrometer" as well, not micronmeter.
I'm really enjoying the channel! Are you going to the NIghtscaper conference this year? If so, I hope to see you there!
@@lotus30com I didn't say "micronmeter", just put the emphasis on a different part of the word "micrometer". Instead of saying it like normal here in the US - "micro meter" it's something like "mike-rah-meter". Kinda like "aluminum" and "aluminium". Same thing, just two ways to say it. Anyway, no big deal haha
I'll be in Kanab, but I probably won't be at the conference.
@@PeterZelinka Hey Peter - no problem. I relistened and I see I misheard you! Sorry for the mistake. It was pretty late when I watched it last night!
Definitely look into the NIghtscaper Conference. Royce Bair did a great job putting it together last year. There's going to be a lot of interesting people presenting. Last year's conference was awesome!
Astronomy Tools also
Started watching this and went to find out my sensor size
Peter looks up my camera
Instant like
Hahah, that intro didn't age well. :')