Astrophotography - 副本.docVIP

Astrophotography For those of you with single-lens reflex cameras sitting on your shelves, heres some breaking news — 35mm astrophotography is not dead yet. Michael E. Bakich If you listen to many advanced amateurs (and vendors), it seems you cant take a good astrophoto without an expensive CCD camera. This is simply not true. For a century and a half, astronomers - amateur and professional alike - used photographic emulsions to produce some outstanding images. And it still happens. If you are looking to capture the beauty of the heavens, dont discount film. A 35mm camera, tripod, and cable release are basic equipment. David Healy Cameras If you are planning to do film astrophotography, selecting a camera is quite simple. Choose a camera with the capability to hold open its shutter for extended periods of time. The shutter control must be of the manual type rather than the electronic or fully automatic variety. Most new 35mm cameras have electronic shutter controls, which make them unsuitable for long-exposure photography because the open shutter imparts a constant drain on the cameras battery. The small batteries cannot withstand long periods of holding the shutter open and will go dead quickly. With a manual shutter control, a cable release (with locking thumbscrew), and the cameras shutter speed set to the B (bulb) position, the shutter can be opened and held open indefinitely. A second important feature to look for in a camera is mirror lockup. When the shutter button on a camera is depressed, two things happen quickly. First, the mirror flips upward to allow the light entering the lens to get to the film, and second, the shutter opens. The motion of the mirror and its rapid, sudden stop sets up a vibration in the camera that often causes blurred images on the photograph. The best camera for astrophotography is one that has the capability to lock up its mirror before the shutter is opened. This allows the vibrations to settle out before the film is exposed. A