Astronomical Imaging Hardware

The latest technology often includes longer time exposures coupled with noise reduction and more sensitive sensors, making these digital cameras much more useful for astrophotography.  Canon, Fuji, Pentax and Nikon seem to be most favored by amateur astro-photographers.

Canon EOS digital SLR cameras and Canon L series telephoto lenses

I currently use an unmodified Canon 7D  and a Canon XTi modified to be more sensitive to infra-red wavelengths of light. My first Canon camera was the EOS 300D Digital Rebel which was subsequently replaced with the Canon 30D, then the 50D, and finally the 7D. Along with many other Canon dSLRs, these are all highly recommended by astro-photographers around the world. Canon develops the best low noise high sensitivity CMOS sensors currently available.  The XTi is modified by Hutech for astronomical use.  There are several important features which make these cameras ideal for amateur astrophotography:

I use both dSLRs for Prime Focus photography on a Meade LX200R 14" SCT telescope, and also use them prime focus on my Borg 101 ED f/4 Astrograph apochromatic refractor mounted on a Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro mount.  I also mount the cameras and telephoto lenses directly on an Astrotrac travel mount or directly on the HEQ5 mount. The Canon CMOS sensors produce superb, low noise images, which can incorporate noise reduction while the single shot is taken, or during post processing.  I normally save images in Canon RAW format, giving 48 bit dynamic colour range instead of the 24 bits used by the standard jpg or tiff formats.  I use the modified XTi when photographing emission nebula, and use the unmodified 7D when photographing celestial objects that do not emit much infrared.

I am a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Victoria Centre.  As a group, we operate a well-equipped Observatory which includes a Meade LX200 14" SCT mounted on a Paramount ME.  I used to own a Meade LX200R 8", but sold it when Victoria Centre purchased their LX200 14".  I now have access to this superior setup virtually anytime I want it. I can take advantage of the superb tracking of the Paramount ME, which gives me prime focus photography through an f/10 3,556mm focal length scope.  This setup is perfect for photographing small objects such as planets, planetary nebulae, and smaller galaxies. Have a look on my Zenfolio - Joe Carr gallery for some recent examples of this type of work.

The Canon ES 400mm L series telephoto is a sweet lens for astrophotography.  It is like having a widefield refractor telescope, but in a smaller form factor.  I first used this lens (with a Baader solar filter) for my shots of the 2006 Total Solar Eclipse in the Libyan Sahara Desert (see The Sun for photos). I have subsequently used the 400mm telephoto for quite a few wide field Deep Space images, and find it to be a perfect companion for travel, especially when mounted on the portable Astrotrac mount and a Manfrotto 055 tripod.

The Canon TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller is a great piece of gear for an astrophotographer such as myself.  It replaces using a laptop computer to run automated sequences of shots.  I have modified the TC-80N3 to control either the 7D or XTi by cutting the cable and inserting a mini stereo jack and plug.  I plug the two halves together to control the 50D shutter, or use the mini stereo plug to control the XTi shutter.

Astrophotography makes use of the fact that taking a series of images and "stacking" them will create a single resultant image with a superior signal-to-noise ratio.  For example, a series of 20 images taken for 1 minute exposure time each will yield a noticeably better image (when stacked together) than a single 20 minute shot. The exposure timing and programming available with the TC-80N3 to control the Canon dSLRs saves me from doing an otherwise tedious manual timing and recording task during my astrophotography sessions in the field.

Imaging Hardware - Past History - browse here if you wish to see how my gear has progressed over the years.