Astrophotography or astro imaging tends to spark the curiosity of most hobbyists sooner or later. Some people choose to use a standard web camera for astrophotography but an SLR camera is ideal. The camera should have a B or T setting for shutter control and a cable release. If one wishes to get longer trails on their photos they may wish for a longer exposure time. Also, the exposure for astrophotography depends on the darkness of the sky.
There is also something called "piggybacking" which is when one attaches their camera and telescope through a special adapter. The picture is still taken through the camera's lens, but the telescope assists with tracking the astral bodies. This method is generally done with motorized mounts, but can be done without. It is extremely important to ensure the mounts are polarized when doing astrophotography.
When considering a camera for astrophotography one needs to choose one which has interchangeable lenses and full manual control of exposure. This includes ensuring that using long exposure won't run the batteries down. As stated above, an SLR camera is preferred. Features that typically are included on camera, such as autofocus, autoexposure, and a light meter, aren't needed for astrophotography so older SLR cameras are more popular amounts astrophotographers.
Digital cameras aren't recommended for astrophotography because they can't take long exposures and suffer from too much electrical noise. If one wishes to broach the area of digital astrophotography they would need to use a CCD camera that has special cooling elements to compensate for this.
The critical element for astrophotography is the film. Generally astrophotographers prefer to have their pictures created on slides so that they can train local labs to render an accurate picture. In the older days, paper printers were also subject to reciprocity failure was a common problem for astrophotographers, but that is no longer the majority. The type of film one needs depends on the type of astrophotography they are going to be doing.
Astrophotography can be a rewarding experience for a hobbyist, but it can also be extremely frustrating and time consuming. The key is to start small and slowly build one's way up. Astrophotography is a science, but it also takes a lot of adjusting and simply "playing around" to get the best results. One person's idea of a perfect picture is not going to be the same as another. With all the different options available, there is no set formula for astrophotography.
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