A large format CCD back from Mamiya

PTS

Hi,
This is an interesting item, see :

http://www.dpreview.com/news/080 ... Db_digital_back.asp

Apart from the 48 x 36 mm CCD, with 22 M pixels, its specification talks about "interchangeable IR cut filter".

It sound very suitable for us!

PTS

songallery

Hello,

I am new to here and I am new to Astro photo. I would like to know how you guys mount that digital back on your telescope for astro photo. I am a DB user and I always want to try astro photo with my digital back but don't know where to start.
Meanwhile, as I know, long exposure noise issue is a big problem for digital back, also the exposure time is not very long, battery lasting is another issue. And my phase one digital back won't work with Mamiya AFD2 body on Bulb mode, that's mean I cannot expose over 30sec. Or you guys has  your own solutions? I wanna know....thanks...

PTS

I am sorry if I have given you the impression that I have such "expensive" item.  I put the post out just as the title " some interesting item".
I believe all these DB are for some certain brand of camera...Mamiya, Bronica, Hassel...etc.  Thus if these bodies won't allow long exposures, it is a pity....
I have always assume that they will function like the good old film cameras which I have had some experience. I have even made my own large format body (4X5) to accomodate the old areal lenses.

That said, dark subtraction can always be done manually if noise reduction is not available in the camera.  In fact, I prefer doing this manually to any of the "built-in" dark reduction function of any camera.
For any exposure, simply cover the lens and make a "dark" exposure of the same length.  This is the dark frame to be subtracted from your "light" frame, to reduce the noise.  This dark frame should be taken at nearly the same time (sure enough you cannot make this at the SAME time), or better one before and one after the "light" frame, and get the average, to minimize the effect of temperature change.

PTS

songallery

The digital back has no limitation on how long you expose basically. But may not result very good if the exposure is real long, say up to 3hours. The real limitation is from the electronic camera body and batteries of both. Of couse you can find mechanical body with digital back, but rare.

I do have one true mechanical body with digital back, but it is a super wide angle machine, star trail, wide star field is possible with this machine.

Just if you can find or make some equipment can fit a mechanical body with digital back on the telescope. I think it is possible. And the battery issue of DB can be slove if you have long power supply to your laptop and connect the DB to the laptop is fine.

Alright issue need to be noticed. If you take a 1hour photo, your DB will need 1 more hour to save the RAW. This is killing.

Is there any soultion for DB astro photography? haha...I would love to try.