ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY 101

The Quick-Start Guide

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 At OPT, we want to empower the world to explore the
universe. That's why we created this handy guide to help
you with the essential DSLR settings to get starting with
imaging the Milky Way and the Moon. We've also included
an info guide to help you learn about going beyond the
Milky Way and shooting galaxies, nebulae, and more!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DSLR Settings ................................................................. 3

Camera Trackers & Mounts ................................... 4

Deep Space Essentials .............................................. 5

Deep Space Essentials Explained ...................... 6

OPT Equipment Recommendations ..................7

OPT Photo Gallery ........................................................ 8

OPTCORP

OPT TELESCOPES

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Astrophotography 101 | DSLR Settings

Basic DSLR Astrophotography Settings

MILKY
Settings Checklist
MOON WAY
LENS
Image stabilization & 10-20 mm lens
auto- focus OFF. SHUTTER 25-30 seconds
1/160 to 1/400
CAMERA SPEED seconds
EXPOSURE LENGTH
20-30 mm lens
All auto-functions
15-20 seconds
OFF. Settings set to
Manual.
Some light pollution
CAMERA NOISE 400-800
REDUCTION ISO 100-200
Turn off if you are Dark sky location
removing noise with 1600-6400
post-processing
software.
Wide open,
MILKY WAY lowest f number
To reduce camera
APERTURE f/6 - f/10
possible
shake, enable a 2-
second shutter delay.

RAW FORMAT WHITE BALANCE SETTINGS

Shoot in RAW to
Imaging in RAW format so you can change your white balance in post
maintain all image
processing. 3300K is a good starting place for light polluted skies. For
data.
darker skies, start at 4000K.

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Astrophotography 101 | Camera Trackers & Mounts

Ready to Take Better Astrophotos?

Astrophotography demands long-exposure tracked images to collect as much light as
possible which is why you need a camera tracker or telescope mount like the ones below

iOptron SkyGuider Pro Meade LX85

Great for: Great for:
Long Exposure Milky Way Galaxies (M31 Andromeda)
Photos Nebulae (M42 Orion)
Wide Field Deep-Sky Images Star Clusters (M13 Hercules)

With a camera tracker mount, With a telescope mount, you

exposures of 1 minute or more are are able to use dedicated
possible! Capture a deeper view of astrophotography telescopes to
the Milky Way and broad images of shoot galaxies and nebulae. With the
the universe by attaching a camera right equipment you can take
tracker to your imaging tool. exposures up to 10 minutes!

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Astrophotography 101 | Deep Space Essentials

GUIDE SCOPE

GUIDE CAMERA

OPTICS

TRACKING MOUNT

CAMERA
FILTER

TRIPOD

Deep Space Essentials

If you're interested in deep sky astrophotography, you will need these basic parts.
Adapters may be required, but you can always get in contact with us at OPT if you need
help. Check out our quick breakdown of each part on the next page.

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Astrophotography 101 | Essentials Explained

1. TRACKING MOUNT
The camera tracker/equatorial (EQ) mount
is the most important piece of equipment
for astrophotography. It allows your
equipment to stay fixed on a celestial
object by driving one axis at a constant
speed to make up for the motion of the
Earth. Tracking allows longer exposure
times to capture faint details on objects.

2. TRIPOD
A tripod keeps your equipment stable for
imaging. Any small bump or shake to your
camera could ruin your shot. Many
equatorial mounts come with a tripod.

3. OPTICS
A long focal length camera lens is a great
starting place since many people have one
already. By adding a telescope, you can
Astrophotography photograph fainter objects like galaxies and
nebulae.

Essentials 4. CAMERA
A DSLR is also a great starting place since

Explained many users already have one. Dedicated

astronomy cameras have the advantage of
cooling, allowing for extremely long
exposures with little to low noise (10+
minutes). Adapters may be needed to
attach to specific telescopes/lenses.

5. GUIDE SYSTEM
Even the best mounts will have mechanical
imperfections that result in slight tracking
errors. A separate, small telescope and
small camera (called a guide scope and
guide camera) are used in conjunction with
software to correct these slight errors to
ensure precise tracking during long
exposures.

6. FILTERS
Telescope filters can help reduce the glow
of the light pollution. To completely
eliminate light pollution, the Triad Ultra filter
is needed. Using filters does require an
increase in exposure time.

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Astrophotography 101 | Equipment Recommendations

Astrophotography Equipment List

iOptron Sky-Watcher Meade LX85 Meade 6000

SkyGuider Pro EQ6-R Pro Mount 70 mm APO

IO-3550 SW-S30300 ME-217000 ME-261000

CAMERA EQUATORIAL EQUATORIAL TELESCOPE

TRACKER MOUNT MOUNT

Sky-Watcher QHY 367 Cooled ZWO ASI183 Pro ZWO ASI120MM

80 mm Esprit APO Color CMOS Cooled CMOS Mini Monochrome

SW-S11400 QH-QHY367C ZWO-ASI183MC-PRO ZWO-ASI120MINI

TELESCOPE TELESCOPE TELESCOPE GUIDE CAMERA

CAMERA CAMERA

FOR MORE

ZWO 30 mm Mini Radian Triad Ultra Optolong L-Pro GUIDES LIKE

Guide Scope Quad-Band Filter Light Pollution Filter THIS VISIT US AT

OPTCORP.COM!
ZWO-30120 RT-TRIAD-ULT2 OL-LPRO-2

GUIDE SCOPE NARROWBAND LIGHT POLLUTION

FILTER FILTER

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Astrophotography 101 | Photo Gallery

READY TO GET STARTED?

OPT is here to help! Contact us at optcorp.com.

Rosette Nebula Jelly Fish Nebula

Andromeda Galaxy Lagoon Nebula

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