#Sony a6000 for first camera

21 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

low plaza
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I've been looking into getting a camera for astrophotography for a few months now, and I think I've narrowed it down to the Sony a6000.

I'm aware it's a bit older, but I'm on a smaller budget ($300-500 for camera) since this is my first time actually spending money on this, and on top of that I'd like a decent camera for normal photography, so the a6000 seems to cover both fields.

From what I've seen in this server, some of you have gotten pretty good results with this camera, and I haven't seen anyone bring up any significant flaws or problems with it.

I should add that I'm still looking for a telescope as well, most likely a refractor, so any advice on that would be greatly appreciated.

spice silo
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Sure

maiden marlin
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Just make sure the firmware doesn't introduce the "star eater" issue

steel ledge
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And make sure it supports nina fully

umbral hemlock
umbral hemlock
# steel ledge And make sure it supports nina fully

The Sony isn't the best brand for astrophotography software compatibility as Sony don't release sdk.
I started out with the Sony back in 2020 and since then I've changed to zwo.

Sony will NOT work with NINA and other software but you can download some software that will make it work with Sharpcap AND nina. I can use my Sony with NINA without issues. It's a little tedious but works well. The Sony has a pixel size of 3.92 and 6000x4000 resolution.

umbral hemlock
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You'll need to connect the a6k directly to a USB on a laptop (or USB hub though) as going through the mount I DON'T think works.

low plaza
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Yea I found someone selling a rebel t3i along with a whole filming setup for only $180, so I'm going to use the rest of that budget on a good mount.

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But thanks for the information, I had no idea about sony having that issue.

low plaza
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Speaking of mounts, is the eq5 really the only good starting mount for long exposure dsi? I'm really not willing to spend so much on that, so if that's the case would it just be better for me to get like a 150eq and upgrade from there?

umbral hemlock
low plaza
# umbral hemlock I have the skywatcher Az-gti with a skywatcher 72ed. I also use guiding and my p...

Well seeing as how good mounts get very expensive, at least for someone like me who's building his first rig, I thought maybe it'd be more beneficial to just go for a 150 newt with an eq since you can find those for about $400-500.

So rather than buying an eq5 or heq5 pro, I think it'd be more suitable for me to get an eq3-2 with onstep, and then a Newtonian since they can be good with both dso and planetary to an extent.

umbral hemlock
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Yes. So if you building your first rig you want to be deciding if you'll be shooting dso or planetary.
With mounts there are so many to choose from these days. Harmony mounts will eventually take over the more traditional Worm Drives.
A 150 reflector will weigh from the 130pds at 4kgs upwards. The 150pds (pds being more suited for photography) then your looking at 6kgs or higher.
The skywatcher eq3-2 is not motorised so you'll be adding more cost and complexity with one step. Also the eq3-2 is upto 5kgs so so this is very limiting with a scope and all the extras that you'll eventually bolt on.
The eq3-pro is still 5kgs limit but this is has the built-in drives.
This is why I said about the heq5 Pro.

So your next question for yourself would be the scope and the weight of that scope.

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For thr heq5 Pro it's 11kgs weight limit.

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If you really wasn't to future proof yourself the umi17 is perfect. It's available on aliexpress as its not sold in the uk.
It's roughly £850 but is pretty much the same as the zwo AM5.

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The other way you can do it if you on a tight budget is something like a skywatcher adventure GTI.

It's fully portable and goto.
Then grab yourself a small refractor and get started that way. Your still looking at £800 or £900 for a complete rig with guiding.

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If you planning 5o use the Sony a6000 then you'll also need a field flattener (for refrators or a coma corrector for reflector scopes). These are £100+.

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Ut buying this mount and you want to change to a 130mm or 150mm reflector scope.. It won't handle good as the scope will be too heavy, so you'll eventually have to sell the mount and but a bigger mount, so you'll be spending out again.