Maybe I found it!

Wrapping up a crazy weekend with a very successful opening of the San Juan River exhibit. I am writing to follow up on some of the "return to astrophotography" musings I posted earlier. To reiterate some of my criteria for re-entry:

1. Ease of setup. This means no computers, no autoguiding, and lightweight mounts and scopes.
2. Quality data in one night. The system must be fast and produce superb images.
   
3. Everything must come together in a unique package that I am not seeing done by anyone else. This is very challenging, but we will give it a try.

So, I revisited some of my first impressions of astrophotography and recalled that I just loved the Schmidt camera field of view. Today everyone seems to be headed for the big 20" RC and small fields of view, at least with one non-mosaiced frame. My first thoughts on an imaging system were the Tak FSQ. Now this is a great scope and may be in my future, but I believe I have found a better alternative for my needs. The Canon 135mm f2 lens performed for Loke Tan very admirably on his trip to Chile. I revisited his website as I recalled the remarkable photographs taken with that lens and the SBIG 11000 camera. The 135 stopped down to 5.6 provides excellent quality at a fast speed. The field of view is roughly 9x6 degrees which is nearly equivalent to a 5" Schmidt camera. Even better is that it should not require a computer or sophisticated equipment for focusing as I should just be able to utilize infinity for focus on the barrel. I just reviewed the field of view in compositions on my star charts and I calculate at least 10 compositions that I feel are worthy to pursue with this lens. It should be simple to piggyback on a scope and should not require autoguiding with a well trained PEC mount. So, that is the update today as we are looking at the 135mm f2 lens with the modified Canon 400XTi camera from Hutech. Now to find a mount! No hurry, just thinking out loud, remember?

Addendum: After further research, it appears that the Canon 200mm f2.8L II lens is very good giving a little tighter field of view at a very affordable price. So this is perhaps the direction now.

Can it be done?

I have been researching the latest in astrophotography since my last photograph was taken nearly 3 years ago now. I am not sure I can do what I set out to do in my original post a few days ago. There are plenty of opportunities with scenic astrophotography with my current camera gear and I am preparing to explore those. My first efforts will be with next Saturday's Lunar eclipse at evening twilight. I have a composition in mind and I am hopeful for cooperative skies. But as far as imaging with a telescope, I am not sure I can setup a simple imaging system capable of acquiring quality data in one night of imaging. The major question I have is whether I can accomplish this without autoguiding. Astrophotography is complicated enough and the equipment starts to pile up unbelievably. I am trying to avoid the "need" for a computer at the telescope and thus eliminate an autoguiding setup. Autoguiding requires a separate scope, more batteries for computer and autoguider, and more cables. My hope is that I can image with the FSQ and focal reducer at f3.6 for at least 5 minutes with the Mach1 mount with periodic error correction turned on and calibrated. Will this work? I don't know, but I am in the process of evaluating the setup and its capabilities on paper at least. Stay tuned and hope for clear skies next Saturday.

Astrophotography revisited

Well, I am starting to get an itch to return to astrophotography. If I do, it is only because I feel that there is something unique I might be able to bring to the genre. I have been casually thinking about how to do it and here are some of my thoughts. First, it must be extremely convenient. What do I mean by this? Well, the equipment cannot be monstrous and I must be able to accomplish a significant image acquisition in one night. This means that I need to acquire enough data in one night to come up with a portfolio quality image. So that leads me to looking into fast short refractors, DSLRs, and very portable mounts with accurate tracking which require no autoguiding. The lead candidate for refractor is the Tak FSQ. The camera would be a modified Canon DSLR and the mount would be the new Astro-Physics Mach1. All of these together would yield a very light-weight setup, virtually airline transportation capable. I have no interest in investing in an off-site remote imaging station in the high elevations of New Mexico or Arizona. I primarily want a setup that I can take out on a clear night and get some significant imaging accomplished. When I get the chance to take the system to a remote location for an extended amount of time, the imaging system that I have chosen will more than meet those needs. So, just thinking out loud on what may or may not ever happen, but it is fun to think about.

Canon 1D Mark III

I don't dwell on new camera technology, but I do watch with interest what is happening at Canon. Today, Canon introduced its replacement for the 1D Mark II, a camera geared at sports and photo journalists. I don't completely evaluate the camera based on the size of the megapixels as I have seen dramatic improvements in images simply through Canon's improved in-camera processing and other chip improvements around noise reduction. This camera has a 10.1 megapixel chip and is capable of 10 frames per second. It is a APS-H sized chip translating to a field of view magnification over standard 35mm size of 1.3. I am anxious to now see the replacement for the 1Ds Mark III which will hopefuly deliver some new technology for the landscape photographer.

Here is a link to the press release:

Busy as a bee!

Hello,
Just a quick update as things are quite busy at the moment. The Florida trip was amazing and I will have some Podcasts and writings on the experience. I am hopeful of at least one portfolio quality image from the trip. At the present time, all of my spare moments are spent preparing the San Juan River presentation in my gallery which opens March 2. So my online interactions will be sparse. Thanks for your interest in Jeff Ball Photography and talk with you soon.