Orion Photograph

[IsaacT]

Hey everyone, I know this is a Laser forum, but I know a number of you guys also like
photography and astronomy, so thought I would throw up a picture I took a week ago of
the Orion Nebula as this was the first time it was visible this year in my area. Let me know what you guys think!

Settings used:
200mm Focal Length on APS-C Body(300mm FF Equivalent)
F/3.2 Aperture
ISO 2000
25s Exposure

Took 32 Pictures of the Galaxy and stacked them together to get rid of noise and average out the details using Deep Sky Stacker.

Post Processed using Levels and Curves in Photoshop. The first one was cropped to benefit from DSS's 2X Drizzle setting, whereas the second one is the 200mm view.

 

[Laser Chick]

Wow, that is a great capture using a 200mm :gj:

 

[olympus mons]

Laser forum or not keep these coming Isaac. Great work!

 

[IsaacT]

Thanks guys! I added a second picture. The first picture that I had was a slightly cropped version because of DSS's memory limits when using their Drizzle option(basically upscales the image really well). The second one is what it truly looks like at 200mm.

 

[Trendkilla254]

Amazing!

 

[CoherentRays]

Nice picture. Did you use any tracking gear for that 25 second exposure?

Ed

 

[IsaacT]

I use a Pentax K5-II DSLR, which in conjunction with their GPS attachment has the ability to move its sensor during the exposure to track the stars. So in answer to your question, sort of. I only used my DSLR and a Tripod but it does track.

 

[CoherentRays]

I use a Pentax K5-II DSLR, which in conjunction with their GPS attachment has the ability to move its sensor during the exposure to track the stars. So in answer to your question, sort of. I only used my DSLR and a Tripod but it does track.

Wow, I didn't know that that technology existed. Is that Pentax marketed as an astrophotography camera or are there other uses for that moving sensor feature? Does it also act as an image stabilizer for regular terrestrial shots?

I thought that that crisp an image through a 300mm lens for 25 seconds was far beyond what I could do with my Nikon D810 without a separate tracking mechanism.

Thanks for that stellar information. :yh:

Ed

 

[IsaacT]

Pentax is the only brand camera that has it. It is an in-camera stabilization that utilizes magnets to move the sensor during the exposure. Typically it just allows crisp images during normal photography, but Pentax figured out a way to adapt it to make it work for star tracking. I can do up to 5 minute exposures with a wider lens, or up to 45 seconds with telephoto, although 25 seconds results in a crisper image.

That functionality is what made me switch from Nikon to Pentax. It was early in my photography hobby though, so it wasn't a huge expense. I had a D5200 before that and got the Pentax instead of the D7100.

 

[joeybab3]

We should have an astronomy pictures thread, i have a few amateur ones of my own.

 

[CoherentRays]

Pentax is the only brand camera that has it. It is an in-camera stabilization that utilizes magnets to move the sensor during the exposure. Typically it just allows crisp images during normal photography, but Pentax figured out a way to adapt it to make it work for star tracking. I can do up to 5 minute exposures with a wider lens, or up to 45 seconds with telephoto, although 25 seconds results in a crisper image.

That functionality is what made me switch from Nikon to Pentax. It was early in my photography hobby though, so it wasn't a huge expense. I had a D5200 before that and got the Pentax instead of the D7100.

That's great! I'm envious, but since I bought my first Nikon F and lens in about 1963 and have been adding to the Nikon system ever since, I'm too heavily invested in Nikon now to make a switch.

I'd look into just buying that Pentax body and trying to find adapters to use my Nikon lenses on it but I doubt there would be any adapters that could exchange the complex lens/body information necessary to make the system workable.

Thanks again for sharing those pictures and information.

Ed

 

[Mattronium]

Very beautiful pics. +1!

 

[KapHn8d]

Good stuff.

I prefer the second, wider image that clearly shows the horsehead and flame nebula too... you are getting really good at this

cheers,
Clayton

 

[Pman]

Beautiful Isaac and great to hear f4om you and kap. Thought you 2 had kind of dissapered. +3
By the way, I kind of look like you with the beard/mustache Kap
Still enjoying the 589nm. Sounds to me as though you really spent the money well. Hate to ask but what does a setup like yours to take these shots run?

 

[RedCowboy]

Very nice.
I'm 15 miles from Atlanta and I just now as the nights are getting cool am able to see Orion's belt. Betelgeuse, Rigel and Bellatrix and the rest from my east side windows.
In the summer it's hard to see much, but at my sisters house 45 miles out I can see so many more stars, I really want to move out into the country for many reasons, seeing all those stars is one of them.

 

[IsaacT]

Beautiful Isaac and great to hear f4om you and kap. Thought you 2 had kind of dissapered. +3
By the way, I kind of look like you with the beard/mustache Kap
Still enjoying the 589nm. Sounds to me as though you really spent the money well. Hate to ask but what does a setup like yours to take these shots run?

I'm glad you are enjoying it still! Out of all the lasers I miss, it is that one....and my lightsaber

As for my setup. My camera is no longer available purchased new, but here is a run down of current market prices:

Pentax K5-II: $500
O-GPS-1 Unit: $190
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens: $850
BeeFree Tripod: $200
Shutter Release: $20
Nice SD Card: $70
----------------------------
Total: $1830 if no Tax

For a new camera, the K3-II has the O-GPS1 built in. So for 849 you can get a new camera with higher resolution and not have to buy the GPS unit. The biggest cost is the lens. You need a nice lens or it makes it really hard.

For Milky Way photography, which is wide field, you can start much more cheaply. A simple prime ultra wide lens could be had for about 270 or so.

Camera+Wide Lens+Other essentials= $900 or so to start playing with it.