Star Trails mark the sky at Callhoun County Park in Western Virginia. The author took 15 seconds for a total of one hour and 23 minutes at ISO-3200, with a Nikon D5300 and a 14 mm AF/2.8 Rokinon lens. Credit: Molly Wakeling
When we think of astrophotography, large telescopes usually come to mind on robotic supports that cost thousands of dollars. But you can capture beautiful astrophotos in a different way, with only one camera and a tripod.
I created one of my first Astrophotos on a business trip, on the side of the highway outside Albuquerque, in New Mexico, with a humble Nikon D3100, its 18-55 mm kit lens and a 6-inch tripod. I took nineteen images of 15 seconds to ISO 6400 (and accidentally in Jpeg!), I stacked using the stacking of the beginner DeepSkyStacker and I made an exciting blow of the Milky Way that left me breathless.
Time, practice and use of the Astrophotography software Pixininsight have improved the quality of these images for me, but it is a good reminder of the incredible shots that can be captured without any support, telescope or special camera. Make sure to catch images in raw format for the best quality. You can also try this with longer length lenses (100 mm or more, using shorter exposure times to prevent the star routes), occasionally adjusting the tripod to keep the target centered, for the smallest areas of the sky such as the core of the Milky Way, the Nebula Orion (M42) or the field around the Galaxy Andromeda (M31).
Under a dark sky, the images of night landscapes with single exposure are another exciting way to capture what is above. A quick-figure quick-figure lens (f/2.8 or lower) collects a lot of light and careful post-elaboration in photoshop or pixininsight to increase contrast, reduce noise and correct the color can create an attractive astrophot. Some cheaper lenses have a lot of chromatic aberration and coma when they are swept away, but one of my favorite objectives at affordable prices with few of these problems is the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8. With a certain correction of chromatic aberration in Photoshop, my Nikon Nikkor f/1.8g even less expensive has also made some fantastic shots.
Another type of image to be created with only one DSLR and a tripod is a stars image. Although they may appear as if the photographer left the shutter open for a few hours, this would have actually created too saturated an image. Instead, using an intervalometer (which costs about $ 50 online), you acquire exhibitions from 15 to 60 seconds between the ISO 800 and 3200 for a few hours. These can be obtained in JPEG or RAW. So, using software such as the Free Startrails (Startrails.de) application, you combine all the exhibitions to create a single image that shows the stars that drag up through the sky. Having something interesting in the foreground can make a more compelling image and in front of the celestial pole shows the movement similar to a wheel of the sky.
Concentrating at night can be a challenge. A way to concentrate is to use a brilliant astronomical light, such as the moon, Venus or Jupiter or even a distant lamppost. With a fairly bright target, you can use the function of the live view camera and digitally enlarge the light, then adjust the focus manually (turn off the autofocus!) Until it is as clear and small as possible. When these light sources are absent, I usually take a three-second exposure and then regulate the focus ring until the stars seem to pixelate-eco as you know they have reached focus. For completely manual lenses, the sign of infinity on the lens is generally accurate. The lenses that have autofocus are a little more difficult to find the infinite manually, but to use short exhibitions and hypotheses will take you there.
You don’t need a imaginative telescope or a mountain to start astrophotography! There is a lot that you can do with only a DSLR and a tripod, even with economic lenses. All you need is an intervalometer, a dark sky and a sense of adventure
