DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. This is a type of camera that uses a mirror in front of the sensor. The mirror normally re-directs the light that comes through the lens into the eyepiece where we can view the scene that we want to take a picture of. When we press the shutter release button, the mirror moves up out of the way, the shutter opens, and the sensor records the image. After the shutter closes, the mirror comes back down, and we can see through the eyepiece again. The tremendous advantage of a DSLR for normal daytime photography is that you see exactly what you are going to get when looking through the lens. The tremendous advantage of a DSLR for long-exposure deep-sky astrophotography is that it can take long exposures and has a digital sensor with interchangeable lenses. You can take the lens off the camera and hook it up directly to a telescope, so that the telescope functions as a telephoto lens. You can also use the normal camera lenses to take wide-field astrophotos of the constellations and the Milky Way. Another great thing about DSLR cameras compared to specialized astronomical CCD cameras is that you don't need a computer to run the camera. You can also use your DSLR during the daytime to shoot pictures of your family or whatever else interests you, something you can't really do with an astronomical CCD camera. Modern DSLR cameras also have remarkably good noise characteristics and sensitivity, two very important factors when shooting faint subjects.
What is the best DSLR camera to start with for astrophotography? Any of the latest models from Canon and Nikon are excellent. If you already have one of these, then that's the one you should start using. If you don't have a DSLR, there are plenty of good ones to choose from. Most of the Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras made in the last 4 or 5 years with Live View will work very well for long-exposure deep-sky astrophotography because they are low noise. Live View presents the image as seen by the sensor as a video in real time on the back of the camera on an LCD display. You no longer have to look through a dim viewfinder to try to focus. Newer cameras are even better because they have even lower noise. Go to my Canon - Nikon DSLR comparison web page to find the latest DSLR cameras with Live View from Canon and Nikon. Any of these cameras will make a great camera for both daytime photography and nighttime astrophotography. Recommended Cameras for Beginner Astrophotography
Canon and Nikon now produce four basic lines of DSLR cameras - professional models, prosumer models, advanced-amateur models, and consumer-level entry models generally targeted at beginners. Canon's professional models usually have a single digit name, such as Canon's top-of-the-line EOS 1D series with later models having a higher "Mark" number, such as the 1D Mark IV. Nikon's top-of-the-line professional cameras also have a single digit name, but it is increased with every new release of their best camera, such as the D1, D2, D3, D4 etcetera. Canon prosumer models also use a single digit (but not a number 1) such as the 7D and 5D series. Nikon prosumer models usually use three digits, such as the D300, D700 and D800. Canon's advanced-amateur models usually have a two-digit nomenclature, such as Canon's 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 60D, line. Canon's consumer-level entry models use a four digit designation, such as the Canon 1000D and Canon 1100D. Nikon's advanced-amateur models and consumer-level entry models now use four-digit designations, such as the Nikon D3200 and Nikon D7000. About every six months the major manufacturers come out with a new model. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, Leica, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung, Sigma and Sony all make multiple models of DSLR cameras. Many of these cameras may be good for astrophotography, but the problem is that not many people are using them for this purpose. The overwhelming majority of astrophotographers are using Canon cameras. Some are using Nikons. Although I'm sure some are being used, I don't personally know of anyone using any of the other brands for astrophotography. Not seeing examples of what these cameras can do makes it hard to judge their suitability for astrophotography. So Canon and Nikon will be the cameras we will discuss in depth.
Nikon kicked off the DSLR revolution with the D1 in 1999, but this camera was primarily aimed at professional photojournalists. I tried it for astrophotography, but it didn't work very well for long-exposures because of its high noise. Canon followed with the first DSLR aimed at amateur photographers with the D30 in 2000. It too had high noise for long exposures. Subsequent models followed regularly, but it was not until Canon released the 300D (Digital Rebel) in 2003 that amateur astrophotographers had a DSLR camera that was low-noise enough to shoot long-exposure deep-sky images. This is when the DSLR astrophotography revolution really took off. The next model, the 350D (Digital Rebel XT) was really outstanding, and even today is still a good camera for astrophotography. But unfortunately, it doesn't have Live View for focusing. Canon consumer cameras usually have two, or even three, different names for marketing purposes in different parts of the world, although they are exactly the same camera. For example, Canon calls the same camera the EOS Digital Rebel T1i in the United States; the EOS Kiss Digital X3 in Japan; and the EOS 500D in the rest of the world. Nikon's D70 was the first Nikon model that was widely used for astrophotography, and the D50 and D40 followed. At this point in history, Canon's DSLR cameras had the lowest noise of any DSLRs, so most astrophotographers adopted them. Today, with the very latest models, Nikon has caught up in the noise characteristics, but still lags behind a little bit in usability features, such as the ability to control the exposures longer than 30 seconds via USB and software control through a computer. But the latest Nikon DSLRs are also very good in terms of noise, one of the most important characteristics for astrophotography.
Live View focus is so helpful for focusing for astrophotography, that if you do not already have a DSLR camera, you should make Live View a priority if you buy a new camera. The latest model Nikon cameras also offer Live View focusing. DSLR cameras also offer a lot of other features, which we'll discuss in more detail in the next section, such as the ability to shoot live video with sound, and chips with a lot of pixels, and dust removal technology. But the two most important features for astrophotography are low-noise, and Live View. The state of quality of both Canon and Nikon right now is such that both make cameras that are excellent for astrophotography. If you already have a Nikon system, then stick with Nikon. If you don't have any equipment yet, you should go with Canon. Canon and Nikon's noise characteristics are probably about the same now, and both offer features such as dust reduction and Live View. But Canon DSLR cameras are easier to use for astrophotography if you really get serious about it and want to use advanced techniques. The quality of the latest generations of DSLR cameras is so good that either Canon or Nikon cameras can take excellent astrophotos. At this point it is more the skill of the astrophotographer than the camera that is the most important factor in producing good astrophotos.
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