topic Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography. in Alpha & NEX interchangeable lens cameras

Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

mistryj10 — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:04:37 GMT

Hi, I'm looking to buy an Alpha SLT camera and one of its uses will be for astrophotography using a T-adapter connecting to a telescope. Does anyone know whether this type of camera would be suitable for this?

Is is possible to take a photo with the mirror manually moved out the way?

Jay

Message was edited by: mistryj10

Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

blaireau_photo — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:46:39 GMT

Hello mistryj10 - welcome to the Sony Forums

I am discussing this potential use of an SLT camera with some contacts of mine and as soon as we come to a conclusion I will reply on here i.e. usage of the mirror itself within the camera.

Thanks,

Simon

Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

Blencogo — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:57:22 GMT

The SLT range has a fixed translucent mirror which cannot be lifted out of the way like a standard SLR and, to be honest, will take a very small amount of light from your image for metering purposes. However this does not appear to be a problem as this is miniscule.

You will find some sample images using a SLT-A55 here which look pretty good to me: -

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4395263/Main/4387137

The electronic viewfinder is an advantage as light cannot enter via the viewfinder and also allows you to view the image during an exposure. You will also find the "focus check" a real bonus.

It looks to be great for this purpose as the high ISO availability and excellent noise reduction features should give sharp, contrasty pictures.

Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

blaireau_photo — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:06:33 GMT

Hello again

As Blencogo says, the A55 does seem to be a good choice for Astrophotography. Another contact of mine has also now said that this camera is the first one that springs to mind for this purpose.

Thanks all,

Simon

Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

mistryj10 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:08:11 GMT

Thanks to everyone for your prompt and informative replies.

It looks like I will get the a55 after all.

Best regards

Jay

Re: Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

GaryPlum — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 09:05:02 GMT

Here are a couple of shots from my A37 with Sigma 18-250, 30 second exposure,ISO-1600 at Sawpit Creek, NSW, Australia in January 2014:

Re: Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

GaryPlum — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 09:12:24 GMT

And a couple more from my A77, Sigma 18-250, 3 minute exposure on Ioptron Skytracker, ISO-320.

West Barwon Dam, Victoria, Australia, February 2014

Re: Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

Thalamus. — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 11:03:03 GMT

Hi Gary,

welcome to the Sony User Community Forum..:smileyhappy:

Great shots, you may not be aware but there is a Photo Gallery attached to this forum which would be a better place for you upload & share your photos..

Click on the following link to open the Photo Gallery , then click on New Photo to upload your photos..

Re: Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

GaryPlum — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 22:21:23 GMT

Many Thanks, I'm just about to upload some there. I upgraded to A99 also so here's a couple for people still interested in astro with the A99 or any other SLT

Carinae nebulae, A99, Samyang 135 2.0

Lagoon & Triffid, A99, Samyang 135 2.0

Re: Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

jumpsuit — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 10:11:47 GMT

Wow! Superb shots @GaryPlum!

Looking forward to seeing more

Re: Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

GaryPlum — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 04:50:36 GMT

Thanks JumpSuit, here are a couple more you might like:

Large Magegellanic Cloud, A99, Samyang 135 2.0

Small Magellanic Cloud + TUC47 Globular Cluster

And a little Aurora Australis to brighten up the day!

Re: Sony Alpha SLT for astrophotography.

mikeyp2000 — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 15:14:16 GMT

I use my A6000 attached to a telescope for deep space photography. It's OK. The noise on the sensor seems very low but the camera is let down by a lack of full remote control options. The main catch is you can't set an arbitrary shutter speed in BULB mode unless you use a wired remote. I routinely shoot sets of exposures with duration 5 to 10 mins per exposure. The only way I can find of doing this is with a wired intervalometer (3rd party).

Most astrophotography software doesn't support Sony cameras at all. Canon and Nikon are widely supported.

I'm seriously thinking about getting a canon astro-modded DSLR for my telescope work....