Equipment list
First camera; Canon Rebel EOS T6s. This is my main camera for nature, macro photography and some astrophotography. There are 3 main lenses I utilize. A 400mm zoom with a 2x adapter, an 18 - 135mm and a 10 - 22mm. For macro I have a macro MP-E 65mm with dual flash lens mount lights. (Frankly a pain in the ass to use but when done right.. oooh so nice).
Second Canon is a modified EOS Rebel T2i. Takes all the same lens as above but I performed surgery on this one to remove the infrared filter over the sensor.
My dedicated astrophotography cameras include a ZWO ASI 2600 colour and a ZWO ASI 178 monochrome. The latter is used for deep space while the 178 is used for planetary.
Other cameras include a GoPro 12 Black, a DJI Mini Pro 3 drone and of course an iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The telescope is a Celestron 9.25 Edge HD.
Better when chilled
When I first got into astrophotography I knew nothing, and it was evident. If I knew then what I know now I would've re-thought my decision. Slowly I started digging in to the hobby, researching everything I needed to know just to get a decent picture. One of the first things I learned was astrophotography is better when chilled. Or more accurately the telescope, camera and any connected equipment need to be at the same temperature as the outdoors. This has to do with heat dissipation within the scope mostly. Think of looking down a highway on a hot summer day. See the heat rising off the road? That distortion also affects a camera's view through a warm telescope on a cold night.
The next tidbit was you can't take just one picture and call it a night. The subject you're trying to capture is millions of miles away and sometimes too faint to see with the naked eye. Several pictures need to be taken and then post processed into one image. This means learning what software to use for each step along the way and for what target you're trying to capture.
The more pictures you have the better. Sometimes only about 50, other times 9 or 10 thousand when doing planetary.
Most of this photography is done with the Canon T6s coupled to a 400mm zoom lens Especially the bear. Nothing like staying clear of a grizzly looking for food after hybernating!
Using the T6s and the macro lens a tripod is needed for extreme closeups. Because the field of view is so narrow several pictures must be taken at increments of .25 to .5 mm advancements of the camera to the subject. Then all pictures are analyzed, their focused section copied and merged with all the other focused sections to make one final image.
Astrophotography is the most time consuming and expensive part of photography yet. The learning curve is astronomical. (See what I did there… ;-) It can be the most rewarding though. However you're playing against the odds. Everything has to align just right. No clouds, no wind over 16km//h. Humidity, barometric pressure and temperature all play a part as well. Then your equipment, programs and wiring all have to play nice. I think that's why it can be so rewarding. When you beat the odds your final image means that much more.
