Photoshop_User_-_February_2016

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photoshop user

› february 2016

080

PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS › ›

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Solar System Imaging: The Moon

Imaging the solar system is a natural progression from wide-angle sky images, and an easy way to delve deeper into astrophotography.

Because the targets are bright, exposure times are short enough to prevent blurry star images. A tripod as a base will suffice

and a full-frame DSLR will yield better images than cropped sensor bodies. Added cost will come into play if you lack a long focal

length lens.

After setting up, find the moon in your viewfinder. Shutter speeds will typically be 1/250 for a full moon, 1/60 for a quarter moon,

and 1/15 for a slivered crescent moon at ISO 400 and f/16. Once you have the moon composed in the viewfinder, shoot quickly

because the moon won’t stay in your frame for long.

Solar System Imaging: Planets

Going from moon to planetary photography requires a step up in equipment. To avoid blurry, faint images of planets, you’ll need a

telescope that has a focal length of 2000mm or more to achieve the necessary magnification for these targets.

An investment of $500 or so in a used 8"

Schmidt Cassegrain telescope (SCT) will give

you the necessary focal length. Celestron and

Meade have been making SCT telescopes for

years and they’re plentiful on the used market.

You’ll also need a T-mount attachment

for your camera to connect a DSLR camera

body to the back of the telescope. Finally, a

Barlow lens is a must. Barlow lenses increase

magnification without affecting f-stop value.

They come in various magnification factors

from 2–5x, and while you can scrimp on

these lenses, the only ones I’d recommend are

TeleVue Powermates. These are optimized for

photography and are well worth the price tag

of approximately $200 for a new one, less for

used ones.

The imaging process is the same as the one

described for shooting the moon, with one

exception: because of the slower shutter speeds,

use a remote shutter release or the camera’s self-

timer feature to trigger the shutter. You should

also lock your mirror in the up position. This

will minimize camera vibration, which produces

blurry images.

The Moon: Nikon D300, NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8 lens with 1.4x teleconverter, ISO 200 @ f/16 and 1/125.

Background: Nikon D3S, NIKKOR 17–35mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 3200 @ f/2.8 and 25 seconds.

Jupiter: Nikon D3S, Celestron NexStar 8SE telescope, and TeleVue 4x Powermate.

Ninety images @ ISO 800, f10, and 1/10th to 1/30th.