Hi everyone!

I've been interested in getting started in astrophotography for years. I haven't really taken the financial plunge to get a decent camera and the equipment, though. It's a really big investment! But now that my broke college years are behind me (no more Ramen, yay!) and I'm financially stable with a family, I think it's time to pick up the hobby I've always revered.

I know a little about photography, and I know a lot about astronomy. I'm looking to buy a new camera, because I'm getting a little frustrated with the limitations on my point and shoot digital camera when it comes to taking pictures of my kid. I come from a family of photographers, and I have been settling for just an ordinary "vacation" camera for years. Sometimes I get to borrow my brother's or my dad's proffessional cameras, and I just love the shots I get. I need a nice camera! I really really like Nikon cameras. It is down to a D5000 and a D90, but while I know these will take good pictures of my son and our family vacations, I am not so sure about the stars. Does anyone have experience with getting pictures with either of these? The maximum exposure time is 30 seconds; will that hinder anything? I want to take pictures of objects without a scope, like the pleiades and other constallations, but I also want to take planetary pictures and pictures of deep sky objects. Basically, I want to capture the wonderful things that I see through my telescope so that I can share them with the people in my life who wont be caught dead stooping over a metal tube in the ohio cold to get a peek. I'm also interested in capturing the lunar surface. Are either of these very good cameras to do this with? If anyone has any pictures they could share, that would be awesome too! I am really hoping to just have to buy one camera, instead of one camera for taking daytime pictures and a separate camera for sky pictures.

Also, what else should I know as a beginner? What filters would be best to start out with? and what computer programs are good?

Thanks!
Jess

There's so much you don't mention I don't know where to start. Are you imaging just with a camera on a tripod, telephoto lens on a simple mount, through a telescope of deep sky object or through the scope of planetary object (latter uses a web cam not DSLR)?

Most deep sky imagers use Canon cameras, not using DSLR I don't know why but they all seem to think them by far the best. I've seen some shots with Nikon but they never come close to work done with the Canon line.

30 seconds is very limiting. The one DSLR imager here uses 20 minutes I believe as a standard. Exposures of deep sky through a scope will require a method of guiding (second camera) and a mount that accepts inputs from the guiding software or camera. Also a DSLR's internal IR cut filter blocks not only IR but HII so emission nebula's strongest emission line (except for planetary nebula) is blocked unless it is removed or replaced. While a replacement can allow ordinary photos be taken color balance is never quite right without extensive post processing to regain correct color balance from what users have told me. If you aren't picky about color then it can work but replacing them can void a warranty unless you buy it from dealers already modified. Hutech and others do this.

I'd advise finding a local club with experienced imagers to get you started. Also a book like Covington's Astrophotography for the Amateur will help you learn the many issues you probably aren't aware you need to think about.

Rick