[ATMoB-discuss] Best <$400 camera for astro photography

[George Roberts]

Pedro,

   Can you explain more?  Do you also need a camera for daytime photography?  Because if this camera is used only for 
astrophotography I think it's a bad choice.

   Were you planning on doing piggy back photography?  That's where the camera is mounted to the telescope but doesn't use the 
telescope optics and the telescope is used only for guiding.

    For piggy back, you need a camera that can do several minute long images so make sure any camera you get can do that.

What kind of astrophotography did you want to do?

1) piggy back - large field usually - constellations, comets, milky way
2) guided (through the scope) for pictures of faint objects like the Orion nebula
3) planetary - for bright objects like the moon and planets, satellites
4) Tripod fixed photography - bright constellations

As John said, the cameras you mentioned can't be used for #2.  #3 is usually done now with cheap video cameras where the best images 
are selected and combined to get amazing pictures of the moon and planets.  #2 is very difficult and requires lots of equipment and 
the right kind of telescope drive.

Do you have a telescope?  Does it have a drive motor?  Does it have a declination motor?

- George Roberts
http://gr5.org