Hi, it has been awhile since I have visited your RUclips channel. Now that the Milky Way season is approaching here in United States, I expect to return again. Love your videos and your enthusiasm for night photography. Thanks for sharing. Nyall
Richard, absolutely fantastic and amazing yourworkflow for night photography and the milky way. i love it. you are the number one, i watch all your videos and try to learn as much as possible, even if here in italy we have a lot of light pollution and the milky way is not as good as it is in your area. Thank you for making me even more passionate about night photography and in particular the milky way. THANK YOU
Hi Richard love the new contents and the challenges you adress to the team.My star tracker is now out of the dust and ready to scan the nightsky as soon as the MW core be reasonably above the horizon here in northern hemisphere.Following your proposal 2 pictures will follow today so you may choose the one more representative of your workflow I use in my PP. All the best and keep safe.
Thanks again Richard, great idea viewers to post nightscapes for your perusal and a new video, perhaps include shots from your student that have done your classes, good to see you are trying new things to improve your photography but not all people can afford skytracker and change their cameras for night work. Keep up the great videos that you are producing!
Thank you for another great video. I appreciate your drive for growth, learning and adding value. Will be interesting to learn what you can do with the trackers. I am considering getting a tracker myself and looking forward learning from you. Great idea to share some images from your audience.
Terrific idea to expand your knowledge Richard, nice work. Often thought of astro modifying one of my cameras, will be watching your achievements with great interest.
Agree with you Richard about the iPolar, even here in the northern hemisphere, a game changer. You're correct that the iOptron equatorial mount is difficult to set, thanks for the suggestion about using a pano mount to get around it.
Great video Richard and really cool to hear about the mod for the Z6 you got done. Loved the images mate, outstanding work as always. Thanks for sharing the video mate, cheers 🍻 👍🙏
Great video Richard. Alyn’s Z bracket is on my list for when I’m well enough to get out this summer. Thanks as ever for the inspiration and tuition you give
It's great to see you Richard. I must admit that I was suffering from a bit of 'Nightscape Images' withdrawal as the weather has been terrible for images here on the west coast of Canada. I'm intrigued with eventually purchasing a sky tracker and I'm looking forward to joining you on your journey of discovery. Great to have you back!
Another excellent job, very well Richard. These 15 days were an internship without seeing his work. There is a lot of pressure every week, understand this stress well. Welcome :)
Great video Richard, the mod Z6 certainly gets a lot more Ha! Excellent shots there!! The count down timer on the long exposures is great, my Fujifilm cameras do that and I missed it when I went to Nikon!
Thanks a lot Ian. Yes you're right .. in fact I'm finding myself toning it down a bit in post. But I'm really happy with the results. .especially on the tracker.
Stunning my friend! I got my 60D modified WAY too early on in my learning adventure. I’m just now going back to it ...a bit better equipped knowledge-wise. Thanks for sharing and keep growing and changing!
This was awesome!!!! I just got a MSM...I know it’s entry level but I can’t wait to try it out. I have the A7lll which also has the built in TL..it is SO much easier to use than an external device.. I AGREE we have to keep challenging ourselves..THANK YOU for sharing your work!!
Nicely done Richard. I've been shooting Astro stuff with a stock Nikon D5300 and just purchased a full spectrum modified D5300 to use on my Ioptron SkyGuider Pro so this was great info! I know exactly what you mean about locking down the Alt-Az base and may purchase a pano base mount as you showed here... looks like a great option and also considering the Skywatcher base as well. Thanks again and cheers from Tucson, AZ! Subscribed!
Hi Richard this photography game is a constant learning curve and very organic how it can evolve, so keep up the good work, if we can get a dry spell with clear sky’s I can get out with my tracker and capture some images with stars in them, most of mine seem to be cloudy skies 😂😂
Thanks Richard, I liked your video so much I subscribed. Thanks for going through all your gear, and probably helping many Astro blokes alike. I am new to Astro photography and also photography. I just threw myself in at the deep end, I bought an Ioptron Skyguider pro,and opted for the William Optics mount jeez it's a beast and well worth the money. I also bought a 2nd DSLR specifically for Astro,I will modify this myself,thanks to some youtube video's. Cheers from Wales,U.K mate. (Please keep up the great work)
Awesome work mate your new images look fantastic, and I am looking forward to seeing the work other people have done. I hope you get a good response and get lots of photos to show us.
Its great to hear you happy and enthusiastic again, like a kid with new toys, lol. Your quality of work is still awesome and its good to hear you enthusiasm for developing your photography in a new area! I personally prefer your light painted fg to silhouettes, but still its great to see your shots on ig. So Richard are you ready to take us adventuring with your new gear ;-)
Its great to see you again on YT, Richard. I might be wrong but I sense so much energy and emthusiasm back again. Just wonderful, good on ya mate. As of the trackers and astromodifying your gear and all: so cool to see you're enhancing the technique and pushing things further. I can easily imagine you as a deep sky photographer at some time down the road, just for the fun of it. It'll be a natural next step since you've managed to overcome all of the problems regarding deep sky photography just as a byproduct while enhancing your nightsky photography. Cant wait to see where you're going... 💪🤘 Take care and as always: thanks for sharing your passion 🌈🍀🍻👍
The images taken with the Astro modded camera look great. So much deep sky reds. Those MSM Z & V Mounts area great aren't they, I'm going to get another one and use it as replacement for the the wedge on my star tracker. Have fun with the new setups :)
Great tutorial Richard, I’ve gone from my Sony A7r4 to the A7s3 for shooting day to night & sunrise & sunset timelapses due to the superior low light/noise performance & rendered at 4k there is hardly a noticeable difference between 61mp & 12mp. Also the 61mp files were killing me to edit & would always crash LR Timelapse when visualising previews. Soooo much easier with the 12mp files! Love your channel & love all the new challenges that you set for yourself! I’m glad that there is variation in your channel. I really appreciate that! 😀👍🥰👌
Thanks a lot Nash. I loving your timelapse work as well. Good to see you pushing the boundaries with the Sony gear. I think it's always good to set ourselves new challenges.
Great Video again. Buying a tracker is definitely on my list for the near future. Because of the lockdown here in Germany, I have a lot of Money to Spend 😂 for Camera gear.
I have a d750 at the camera clinic now getting a full spectrum modification so should be interesting to see the difference with your z6, great video once again mate!
Awesome gear, Richard. I have similar gear as you are except the Ioptron . I love the Sky Watcher. I have also the Mini version (SAM). I sold my Z6 and got the Z6 II and Z7 II the other day. I do have a dedicated Astro camera as well, a full-spectrum Astro modified Nikon D810. I use it for deep space object (DSO) photography with William Optics Red Cat telescope, narrow-band filters, and ZWO auto-guider and guide scope. I also recently purchased Allyn’s Z and V mounts. For the price, they are amazing. Move shoot move has very good customer service. They recently reached out regarding the screws that they have to replace because of manufacturing defects. Pretty soon mate, you’ll be shooting DSO images. Cheers!
@@nightscapeimages.richard I'm sure you'll create amazing DSO images. Your nightscape photos are great! Looking forward to the videos with your workflow using the Halpha mod Z6. The images are amazing and the color balancing of the Milky Way and the foreground were well done!
set up an asiair and guidescope/camera, has phone app polar alignment becomes very precise on the star adventurer and bonus you now have guiding as well ;)
Thanks for the vid and your interest in expanding photo methods. Thanks also to A. Wallace also. I ordered the V/Z mounts. And the Sky Guider Pro. In for a penny... ;-)
Thanks Richard, another great video. I have a Z mount but it requires an allen wrench and it is just a pain. I'll be ordering the MSM V mount, that looks like a much better option. I always enjoy seeing your work, keep them coming.
Hi mate, You can attach the electronic polar scope to your skywatcher declination bracket. The 3/8 inch unused screw towards the bottom can be used. I use a polemaster with a cyclopoptics PM polemaster adapter and it screws on to that. I imagine you can attach a sticky plate with 3/8 female thread similarly and do the same. The software accounts for the cone error and you will have excellent tracking. I imagine the software is similar for the ipolar therefore it will also account for the cone error of not mounting the scope perfectly in line with the RA axis rotation. I haven’t used the ipolar but think that it doesnt mount on the RA rotation axis dead centre anyways so pretty sure it would work. A trip to Bunnings or somewhere Im sure you could adapt something to make your ipolar work. Otherwise as always nice videos. Great presentation style.
Thanks a lot for that info my friend. I think the ipolar is very similar to the polemaster. Mine is permanently fixed inside the Sky Guider Pro but your idea for mounting on the Star Adventurer is great.
Thanks a lot for watching Roger. Yes by definition when tracking the sky you have to replace the foreground as it's very blurry. See this video on an example of how I do it. ruclips.net/video/3snX_1iCB1E/видео.html
Great to see you back again Richard for my weekend fix. Being in NZ I am just about to order a Skyguider Pro taking your advice and Peter Zelinka’s, mainly for the iPolar facility. It would seem some mods may be required, watch out credit card! Thanks as always. When would you expect the dates for your courses in 2022 be available? Must come to one of those. 😊
Really interesting video Richard although i would never buy a tracker its still fascinating how they work and the images you can get by using one all the best Phill
I modded my Canon 5D mk2 myself. Was interesting but I moved to the Astro camera. Astro camera allows a set temp for lights and later, not out in the field, set the astro camera to the same temp and take lots of hours of darks at home. Also, once I start a session, I leave the image train all in situ so that I can take flats later at home.
Hi Richard , as we text my 6d is getting modified by camera clinic, now trying to get a star tracker, as the ioptron is sold out for now. The reason for doing it is to try something different and getting longer exposure times , and its something completely out of my comfort zone , so for this astro season , and as you say, you want to improve ,simple as that. By the way , the 50mm shot of the milky way kissing the horizon with the windmill is very cool .
I need to buy that PB-70 rotator. In my opinion, in every wedge , when you adjust the knobs to left or right, there will be only a minor turn. To get more turn in case the polar alignment is too far off, that PB-70 can help the process much easier. Thanks for a that.
Great treat to watch on a Saturday morning, Richard - thank you. It’s interesting to see you use a modded camera for Nightscapes. I have a bargain modded Canon 450D that I’ve so far only used at relatively long focal lengths (including through small refractors) specifically on nebulae; I’ve used almost exclusively my 6D full-frame for nightscapes. But as I approach my first Milky Way season since getting into all this (thanks to you!) I’m tempted also to try using the modded camera for some nightscapes too. Thanks as ever for the inspiration and looking forward to seeing some of the light painting work of others who watch the channel (I might hold back on submitting any of mine at the moment - I’m still at the early part of this incredible learning curve!!). All the best.
I really do appreciate you watching Paul. It will be interesting to see what you can come up with. You may find the modded 450D is a lot noisier than your 6D for nightscapes.
Dun dun dunnnn... another comment from me... be afraid be very afraid 🤣 No but seriously it was great, god knows l don't have the patience or brain to operate a star tracker but am still keen to know about them and l can see the difference in your work and it makes you happy so that's a win! I promised my husband l wouldn't buy yet another camera lol but those features would be great to have, how is the battery life Richard in comparison to the original Z6? I know that it's something that bothers me at times. Keep being you my friend, you've got this 🙂
Hey Leigh I always treasure comments from you. The battery life is very good. You can actually power the Z6ii via usb-c with a powerbank but I've not had the need to do so. For my timelapses lately I've been using electronic shutter on both the original Z6 and the new one. Both seem to last longer that way.
Great to see you again so soon. Also some wonderful shots with the Z6. Looking forward to seeing your next video mate. Also I am buying the new Benro Polaris Astro tripod head, and I am really looking forward to seeing what it can do. What was the email for submissions please.
Richard thank you so much for all the awesome tutorial videos you do!! With your astro modified camera what white balance (setting on the camera)do you use for the stars, and when you shoot the foreground what white balance (in Camera) do you use?? I should be getting my mod camera in a couple of weeks
Thanks so much for watching Safari. I tend to shoot at about 3000k white balance. Also I've increased the green tint by a couple of notches as well. I usually still do some alterations in post but that's my staring point. Same for the foregrounds.
Terrific episode Richard. I was amazed that you could get the Z6 modified, I considered this a few years ago and found no companies in europe who did this, maybe you could give a link to the one in Melbourn? I had noticed a number of pics you showed some weeks back and thought that they had used a modified sensor, the H-alpha really stands out. I was also interested to see you using the SMS plate, I had seen this on Alan's channel and will probably get one too. I have the Pole MAster and have often wished it would run as an app on my phone. I love the viewersidea of sharing photos on your site, I will definetely uplad some.
Thanks so much David, Camera Clinic in Melbourne said they loved working on the Z series of cameras. The V mount plate is well worth the cost. Camera Clinic Melbourne. www.cameraclinic.com.au/index.php/en/
Beautiful images and very interesting video too. fascinated by the modification. I do a bit of IR and wonder if its similar? You said its not a full spectrum mod but do you still need a channel mixer for processing? Thanks and regards.
Thanks a lot Victor. It's just an extended range mod . .so it see's more of the red colour. I do adjust the colours separately to achieve my required colour balance .. I'm still working through that.
Hi Richard, once again you have taken some more really awesome shots. Very nice indeed. Your tracker is of interest. I was wondering if you had considered adding a guide camera. I'm led to believe a guide camera helps extend the exposure time when using of a longer lens. Given that, it might give extended time with a wider as well. What are your thoughts?
Another excellent video! A couple of questions. First if you did have not have the Sony A7S lll, could you make the Z6 ll work for your video needs? Would you consider the Nikon upgrade to allow Prores and the Black Magic RAW as well as line skip RAW?. I edit with Resolve and Black Magic RAW seems like a great codec option. I currently shoot video with a Sony RX100 MK 7. The 4K is really pretty decent but the stills quality is horrible. I just do not like the Sony system of menus... I have owned Panasonic’s and love the video quality except the darn autofocus. The G9 is pretty awesome. The second question is do you ever use third party adapted lenses with the Z6 ll? I own two Sigma lenses that I would love to use with a Z6 ll. I have a very sharp copy of the 150 to 600 Sigma Contemporary lens. It works like a dream with my D750 and D7200. The other Sigma is a 105 mm f2.8 Macro. Bonus question...😉 Do you have any qualms about buying Nikon gear given their financial situation? I need another full frame camera and wonder if waiting for the Sony A7 lV might be the smart move. The open sourcing of the Sony mount allows some great affordable Tamron offerings. I have a big video project coming in May hence the video centric questions.
Thanks a lot for watching again. For me the low light performance is the main reson for buying the A7s3. And the flip screen as I work alone and regularly film myself. The Z series cameras produce wonderful video but at night are not as good as the A7s3. Also the lack of flip screen is a deal breaker. I agree the G9 is a wonderful camera but I've moved past it now. Agree about the autofocus issues. I'm not worried about codecs or other extras . .they are all good from that perspective. I'm also not at all concerned about the future of Nikon. Yes I have used adapted lenses on the z6 and they work fine as long as they aren't older models. Some won't auto focus.
Your new equipment is running foul of my wallet, your images are fantastic (as usual) and I really don't know if (or for how long) I will resist the urge, but given the turmoil of 2020 just getting out will be enough for now I had my A7RIII modified by Camera Clinic in late 2019, just in time for all the lock downs, and they replaced the cut filter with clear glass (I chose to convert it to a full spectrum camera) but by inserting an Astronomik or a STC OWB clip filter I can return it back to normal or into an IR camera by using a range of IR clip filters and there are also Multispectra clip filters that reduce the interference from artificial lighting in the city and enhance the wave length of Hα, Hβ, OIII and SII - perfect for astrophotography I can use any lens even the very wide angle ones with fixed hoods (even works with a circular fish eye lens) and I have not had any focus problems in either auto or manual modes with any configuration The beauty is I can also take IR images during the day and Astro at night with the same camera stcoptics.com/en/icclipfilter/ www.astronomik.com/en/clip-filter.html
Hi dear Sir,How are you and your family? Always amazing to see and learn from your videos. Indeed it's amazing to see how you enhance your skill level everyday and how bring to us amazing videos and education for beginners like me to grow and learn and how we can take step by step to improve and experiment and take an step further to improve our photography level. Always looking forward to learn from you your fine art nightscape photography and attend your beautiful workshop soon.Cheers dear Sir Buddha bless you always and your sweet family always :)
I will have to dig out my Sky Adventurer Astro rig (never used) for several reasons, we have so many ideal locations in Tasmania and many just a short drive from home base. I have a range of Nikkor and other lens makers, that would be interesting to test in night-scape’s. 60 years in medical, scientific & Astro photography, one tends to collect lenses on the way. I have had several Canon & Nikon cameras modified-including full spectrum-Peltier cooled. I have a Canon 450D modified to monochrome & Cooled, thus using all pixels for luminescence/resolution, as I am interested in UV imaging with El Nikkor enlarger lenses. Greetings from Tasmania Australia-Southern Cross Observatory-42 South.
Yes a lot of people have star trackers sitting around that have not been used .. you'll have to get it setup and see what you can find in that beautiful state of yours . .!!!!
I like the idea of emailing night scapes and having a look at what everybody else does. I managed to go out the other day (night) down to the inlet here in Denmark/Western Australia, despite so many other commitments and came home with two composites I actually liked. Scouting compositions during the day, and identifying safe spots for the tripod is definitely worth it. Astrophotography is no photo walk! One question I would have is: What mozzie repellent do you use :-D Cheers Richard!
Have you tried shooting star trails? Flip the switch to the northern hemisphere and you can make star trails twice as fast. You might even try other settings to make it even faster.
with polar alignment in south hemisphere have a look at this apple ap its daytime setup or starhop adjusting easy and plenty of calculators for exposure etc Polar Scope Align Pro 4+ Scope alignment & astro tools Dimitrios Kechagias
Richard, thanks for getting into the astro tracking field. I did have a question that came from watching this video, and that was about flicker/flutter in your time lapse work. Is the z class body and native lenses more, less, or about the same as the later D series (D850 or D750) bodies and f-mount lenses??? While I love LRTimelapse, I also like being able to shoot and quickly process and post. Getting rid of flicker would be a huge reason for me to move to the z series.
I haven't ever had a flicker problem except when doing day to night timelapses. I think the Z series cameras do timelapse better than the DSLR previous models. Certainly the Z6ii is excellent .. even the inbuilt modes are great.
Great video! If I were to astro modify a new camera, is it still suitable for use as a normal daytime camera? Or only for astrophotography after modification?
Yes you can still use them for normal photography .. but it depends on what modification you do as to what process you need to look at to balance out the colours.
For the foreground you could use an IR cut filter then take it off for the sky shots . Your foreground looks good though. Just something I was planning on experimenting with.
Hi Richard fantastic info here. Richard two questions ...what did you have done to your Z6 in terms of the astro mod? HA or full spectrum? Would you recommend have the Z6 or Z7 astro modified?
Great to see you again on my screen mate. Are your d750's still for sale? I'm yet to get out to try out my new tracker, but looking forward to tracking some 4 minute+ milky ways and some DSO nebula portraits. Do you use an app for polar alignment on your star adventurer? Loving the colors youre achieving with the astro modified rig. Keep up the great work. 👍
Thanks a lot Mick. No I've already sold all the stuff to pay for what I have now. I'm yet to find any apps that are any more accurate than my alignment by eye to be honest. I've found all the apps I've tried to be way off the actual south celestial pole. I've checked them against the ipolar camera in the Sky Guider Pro. It may be my phone as they are all controlled by the gps and compass inside the phone.
Hello! I love your videos! Just a question , I was thinking maybe modding a sony a6000 as well through camera clinic as well. I spoke to them already and they said the most common mod for astro is a full spectrum mod. Is this the mod you got done as well? In the video you mention a "H alpha mod". Are they the same?
Hi Richard, I recently bought a Z6 astromodified and I’ve been struggling a bit with the white balance too. A good solution for now that I found is to simply use a custom WB (Fn1 button). I tried several settings, from a 18% grey card in bright daylight (good for normal photography, I saved it as a preset in case of), to several tweaks. The best result I have for nightscape is to set the WB by setting the white reference with a star. How did you set it on your side?
On the Z6ii have you tried the cameras USB power connected to a power pack to extend the run time? That option for night time photography would resolve having to change out the internal battery.
Yes it's a great addition Francesca. I haven't tried it yet. I'm getting heaps of time out of the standard battery. I'm running most of my time lapses in electronic shutter mode which appears to save battery power.
Great video, Richard, as always. I have been curious about astro-modded cameras so this has answered many questions, thank you. Is it just a matter of WB alteration if you use a modded camera for normal, daylight photography? Not a huge issue?
Thanks so much Simon. There are different astro mods that are possible so I think sometimes white balance alone may not be able to fix colour issues. I wouldn't use my astro mod camera for daytime use.
Hi Richard, another educational video. Thank you. I have a query regarding the Star Adventurer tracker. About a month ago, I ordered the Skywatcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Kit from Digidirect in Sydney, as it was on special for less than $600. (I could not justify the extra cost iOptron iPolar equivalent kit, even though I agree the ease of polar alignment is clearly on the iOptron's side.) I am interested in finding out if you use the Feisol PB-70 Panning Base on your Skywatcher Star Adventurer's set up? You clearly state it is a "real advantage" with the iOpton base, but you did not make any comment regarding the Star Adventurer's base? Thank you. Regards, David
Thanks a lot for watching David. I think the star adventurer base is a lot better than the ioptron one but I did find the Feisol PB-70 makes it really smooth and easy to turn. Hope that helps.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thank you Richard. I will be implementing this system, when the star adventurer arrives. Thank you for this great and simple idea.👍
Hi Richard - please forgive me if someone has already asked this (so many interesting comments to read ), but are the improvements in the Z 6ii worth paying the extra for this upgraded camera? One of the most challenging aspects of night photography, for me, is finding my gear, in the dark, changing settings on intervalometer really messy as the display not very bright...I wear a jacket with numerous pockets but still struggle, and am intrigued by new features of the Z 6ii
Thanks for watching Robyn. In my opinion the new features are worth the upgrade, especially if you shoot nightscape images. The extra long shutter speeds come in very handy . .I use that all the time. Also the in built intervalometer is really good. That's not to say the older Z6 isn't a great camera . .I have both.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thank you! I am keeping my D750, a camera that never let's me down, but am looking at mirrorless Nikon , as a second camera just for astro photography... doubt I will reach your skill level, but am having a lot of fun trying!
Can you add a link to the camera mod firm, please. I have many Nikon’s including the Z6ii as a recent addition. Many thanks, enjoy your night-scape images. Greetings from Tasmania Australia-Southern Cross Observatory-Tasmania 42 South.
Thanks so much for watching Shevill. I had my Nikon Z6 modified at Camera Clinic in Melbourne. They have gone out of business but Imaging by Design have started up in the same location. imagingbydesign.com.au/
I wonder why you did decide against the move shot move (MSM) tracker? Did you consider to buy this one? Is it not precise enough for you? I ask because I think to buy the MSM racker..
I don't particularly like anything about the MSM except the price .. and that's why so many people are buying it. The sky watcher and ioptron units are better all round .. especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Of course the sky watcher and ioptron units are better. And bigger and heavier. I just was thinking, when the MSM does the job as well, why not to go for it.. Thanks a lot for answering me.
@@kowalskik.1333 The weight is what makes them better. Also in the southern hemisphere the original MSM will unwind the ball head as it rotates .. and eventually the camera can fall .. very unnerving.
I really wanna use star tracker. The only problem is there is so much cloud where I live all year. I guess I’m gonna have to stick with my astro mod A7IV.
@@nightscapeimages.richard if you really needed a large file you could drop it in something like gigapixel and res it up. I have the Z7 but I am like you, would be totally ok with the 24mp neighborhood. I think we tend,as photographers, to pixel peep too much. Some of the most beautiful photos I’ve ever taken wer with a D700. I love that camera to this day! And that was a 12mp camera.
Got to keep learning and moving forward
Yes that's my motto Spence. Thanks so much for watching.
Really glad to see you happy again
Z6 II 👏👏👏📷🤩 amazing camera for astrophotography
Yes it sure is Robert
Saturday morning I wait for your show every weekend,great video thankyou
Thanks so much for that Phillip
As usual very educational. Thanks Richard, I really appreciate your channel.
Thanks so much for watching Tom, I really appreciate your support.
Great video and fantastic images as always! Thank you so much Richard, clear skies!
Thank you so much for watching George.
Another informative video Richard. Got to love that timer on the Z6II - what a game changer!
Thanks a lot Tony, really appreciated.
Great video, I like the Astro mode photos. Orion looks amazing. I definitely will seed some of my photo as well. Thank you for the opportunity.
Thanks a lot for watching Sean, really appreciated.
Hi, it has been awhile since I have visited your RUclips channel. Now that the Milky Way season is approaching here in United States, I expect to return again. Love your videos and your enthusiasm for night photography. Thanks for sharing. Nyall
I always appreciate you watching and leaving a comment Nyall. Thanks so much my friend.
I like the direction you are going....ever evolving
I'm doing my best John, thanks so much for watching.
Richard, absolutely fantastic and amazing yourworkflow for night photography and the milky way. i love it. you are the number one, i watch all your videos and try to learn as much as possible, even if here in italy we have a lot of light pollution and the milky way is not as good as it is in your area. Thank you for making me even more passionate about night photography and in particular the milky way. THANK YOU
You're very kind Raffaele. I appreciate you watching and your kind words of encouragement.
Hi Richard love the new contents and the challenges you adress to the team.My star tracker is now out of the dust and ready to scan the nightsky as soon as the MW core be reasonably above the horizon here in northern hemisphere.Following your proposal 2 pictures will follow today so you may choose the one more representative of your workflow I use in my PP.
All the best and keep safe.
Thank you so much my friend.
Another great video Richard . 👌🏼
Thanks as always Michelle.
Welcome back, Richard, good to see you again. Really looking forward to learning a lot from you, good luck!
Thanks a lot for watching Nikhil
That is an amazing feature with the long exposure
Yes I agree Daniel. Thanks for watching.
Thanks again Richard, great idea viewers to post nightscapes for your perusal and a new video, perhaps include shots from your student that have done your classes, good to see you are trying new things to improve your photography but not all people can afford skytracker and change their cameras for night work. Keep up the great videos that you are producing!
Thanks a lot for that Dave. You certainly don't need all those gadgets to get great photos that's for sure.
Great video Richard. I love your images with the Astro modded camera, and nicely processed and not to overly saturated.
Many thanks indeed Gavin, really appreciate that.
Nice to see you back. I'll post another comment after watching.
Thanks my friend
Thank you for another great video. I appreciate your drive for growth, learning and adding value. Will be interesting to learn what you can do with the trackers. I am considering getting a tracker myself and looking forward learning from you. Great idea to share some images from your audience.
Thanks a lot for watching again Frank. Yes I'm interested to see where 2021 leads us all .. thanks for sending through some images.
Terrific idea to expand your knowledge Richard, nice work. Often thought of astro modifying one of my cameras, will be watching your achievements with great interest.
Thanks so much Dominic .. as you know it's a constant learning curve .. .!!!
Agree with you Richard about the iPolar, even here in the northern hemisphere, a game changer. You're correct that the iOptron equatorial mount is difficult to set, thanks for the suggestion about using a pano mount to get around it.
Thanks so much for watching Bill. Really appreciate that.
Great video Richard and really cool to hear about the mod for the Z6 you got done. Loved the images mate, outstanding work as always. Thanks for sharing the video mate, cheers 🍻 👍🙏
Thanks as always Adrian, hope you're going well mate.
Great video Richard. Alyn’s Z bracket is on my list for when I’m well enough to get out this summer. Thanks as ever for the inspiration and tuition you give
I'm really pleased you like the video Gavin, all the very best to you.
It's great to see you Richard. I must admit that I was suffering from a bit of 'Nightscape Images' withdrawal as the weather has been terrible for images here on the west coast of Canada. I'm intrigued with eventually purchasing a sky tracker and I'm looking forward to joining you on your journey of discovery. Great to have you back!
Thanks so much Bob, it's really good to be back.
Another excellent job, very well Richard.
These 15 days were an internship without seeing his work. There is a lot of pressure every week, understand this stress well. Welcome :)
Thanks so much for watching Rui, I really appreciate your support.
Great video Richard, the mod Z6 certainly gets a lot more Ha! Excellent shots there!! The count down timer on the long exposures is great, my Fujifilm cameras do that and I missed it when I went to Nikon!
Thanks a lot Ian. Yes you're right .. in fact I'm finding myself toning it down a bit in post. But I'm really happy with the results. .especially on the tracker.
Stunning my friend! I got my 60D modified WAY too early on in my learning adventure. I’m just now going back to it ...a bit better equipped knowledge-wise. Thanks for sharing and keep growing and changing!
Thanks heaps for watching, really appreciate it.
Great shots is always You might not invented Light painting But you are the master of it.
Wow have to scrounge up a really good shot the Sand in.
Thanks a lot for watching Jeff as always.
As always Richard great video and information. You need to do a workshop here in U.S.
Thanks so much James. I'm not sure I'll be visiting the US anytime soon though.
This was awesome!!!! I just got a MSM...I know it’s entry level but I can’t wait to try it out. I have the A7lll which also has the built in TL..it is SO much easier to use than an external device.. I AGREE we have to keep challenging ourselves..THANK YOU for sharing your work!!
Thanks so much for watching Helen. I'm sure you'll live the move shoot move tracker with the A7iii
G'day Richard. Thanks for this mate.
Thanks a lot for having a look John.
So interesting, as always!
I'm really pleased you liked it Carole, thank you.
@@nightscapeimages.richard
I’ve sent you an image by email a little earlier ... maybe you’ll feature it !!!
I will certainly look for it Carole
Nicely done Richard. I've been shooting Astro stuff with a stock Nikon D5300 and just purchased a full spectrum modified D5300 to use on my Ioptron SkyGuider Pro so this was great info! I know exactly what you mean about locking down the Alt-Az base and may purchase a pano base mount as you showed here... looks like a great option and also considering the Skywatcher base as well. Thanks again and cheers from Tucson, AZ! Subscribed!
Thanks so much for watching, really appreciate your comments.
Hi Richard this photography game is a constant learning curve and very organic how it can evolve, so keep up the good work, if we can get a dry spell with clear sky’s I can get out with my tracker and capture some images with stars in them, most of mine seem to be cloudy skies 😂😂
Thanks a lot Doug. Yes those clouds are a constant problem for sure.
Thanks Richard, I liked your video so much I subscribed. Thanks for going through all your gear, and probably helping many Astro blokes alike. I am new to Astro photography and also photography. I just threw myself in at the deep end, I bought an Ioptron Skyguider pro,and opted for the William Optics mount jeez it's a beast and well worth the money. I also bought a 2nd DSLR specifically for Astro,I will modify this myself,thanks to some youtube video's. Cheers from Wales,U.K mate. (Please keep up the great work)
Hey David. Thanks so much for your kind comments. Please keep in touch, I'll be keen to see how you go.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Will do mate take care and stay safe
Awesome work mate your new images look fantastic, and I am looking forward to seeing the work other people have done.
I hope you get a good response and get lots of photos to show us.
Thanks a lot Brad. I've already got heaps of images.
Its great to hear you happy and enthusiastic again, like a kid with new toys, lol. Your quality of work is still awesome and its good to hear you enthusiasm for developing your photography in a new area! I personally prefer your light painted fg to silhouettes, but still its great to see your shots on ig. So Richard are you ready to take us adventuring with your new gear ;-)
Thanks a lot Suzanne. I'm already well under way with it all.
@@nightscapeimages.richard cool, looking forward to the results
Modding my A7iii and getting a tracker are deffo on my list this year too. You’ll have to take us through your editing process with the modded cam!
Yes it's been a journey with the editing . .I'm still on it ...!!!
Its great to see you again on YT, Richard. I might be wrong but I sense so much energy and emthusiasm back again. Just wonderful, good on ya mate.
As of the trackers and astromodifying your gear and all: so cool to see you're enhancing the technique and pushing things further. I can easily imagine you as a deep sky photographer at some time down the road, just for the fun of it. It'll be a natural next step since you've managed to overcome all of the problems regarding deep sky photography just as a byproduct while enhancing your nightsky photography. Cant wait to see where you're going... 💪🤘
Take care and as always: thanks for sharing your passion 🌈🍀🍻👍
Thanks very much Jiffi, really appreciate your comments.
Just the right way to use new or more gear to grow. It’s just normal to try to get better. Every photographer do this.
Thanks a lot for watching my friend.
The images taken with the Astro modded camera look great. So much deep sky reds. Those MSM Z & V Mounts area great aren't they, I'm going to get another one and use it as replacement for the the wedge on my star tracker. Have fun with the new setups :)
Thanks a lot Brett.
Great tutorial Richard, I’ve gone from my Sony A7r4 to the A7s3 for shooting day to night & sunrise & sunset timelapses due to the superior low light/noise performance & rendered at 4k there is hardly a noticeable difference between 61mp & 12mp. Also the 61mp files were killing me to edit & would always crash LR Timelapse when visualising previews. Soooo much easier with the 12mp files! Love your channel & love all the new challenges that you set for yourself! I’m glad that there is variation in your channel. I really appreciate that! 😀👍🥰👌
Thanks a lot Nash. I loving your timelapse work as well. Good to see you pushing the boundaries with the Sony gear. I think it's always good to set ourselves new challenges.
Great Video again. Buying a tracker is definitely on my list for the near future. Because of the lockdown here in Germany, I have a lot of Money to Spend 😂 for Camera gear.
Haha, well there has to be some upside to the lockdown Matthias ...!!!
I have a d750 at the camera clinic now getting a full spectrum modification so should be interesting to see the difference with your z6, great video once again mate!
Thanks a lot Adam. Yes that will be very interesting indeed. They were really good to deal with I reckon.
Awesome gear, Richard. I have similar gear as you are except the Ioptron . I love the Sky Watcher. I have also the Mini version (SAM). I sold my Z6 and got the Z6 II and Z7 II the other day. I do have a dedicated Astro camera as well, a full-spectrum Astro modified Nikon D810. I use it for deep space object (DSO) photography with William Optics Red Cat telescope, narrow-band filters, and ZWO auto-guider and guide scope. I also recently purchased Allyn’s Z and V mounts. For the price, they are amazing. Move shoot move has very good customer service. They recently reached out regarding the screws that they have to replace because of manufacturing defects. Pretty soon mate, you’ll be shooting DSO images. Cheers!
Thanks a lot for watching George, really appreciate your comments. I'm resisting the urge to go full on deep space at this stage.
@@nightscapeimages.richard I'm sure you'll create amazing DSO images. Your nightscape photos are great! Looking forward to the videos with your workflow using the Halpha mod Z6. The images are amazing and the color balancing of the Milky Way and the foreground were well done!
set up an asiair and guidescope/camera, has phone app polar alignment becomes very precise on the star adventurer and bonus you now have guiding as well ;)
Thanks so much for watching mate. Yes there are lots of options out there. I'm not needing a guide scope myself but others doing deep space will.
@@nightscapeimages.richard yep not needed for wide field but does make it a breeze especially for the next step 400mm on that tracker! 😁
Sounds like a good set of investments for someone of your skill level. Will be interesting to see what you think of them over the next few months.
Thanks so much. Yes time will certainly tell my friend.
Thanks for the vid and your interest in expanding photo methods. Thanks also to A. Wallace also. I ordered the V/Z mounts. And the Sky Guider Pro. In for a penny... ;-)
Good on you Vince .. we have to spend out money somewhere don't we ...!!! Appreciate you watching.
Thanks Richard, another great video. I have a Z mount but it requires an allen wrench and it is just a pain. I'll be ordering the MSM V mount, that looks like a much better option. I always enjoy seeing your work, keep them coming.
Thanks a lot Bill. Yes the easy handles on the V mount make all the difference.
Merry Christmas Richard
Good video
Brought a 2i
Sent my D750 for a mod
Waiting for the Z6iii
Etienne Swart
South Africa
Thanks so much for watching my friend. I'm also waiting for the Z6iii. Merry Christmas to you also.
Hi mate,
You can attach the electronic polar scope to your skywatcher declination bracket. The 3/8 inch unused screw towards the bottom can be used.
I use a polemaster with a cyclopoptics PM polemaster adapter and it screws on to that. I imagine you can attach a sticky plate with 3/8 female thread similarly and do the same.
The software accounts for the cone error and you will have excellent tracking. I imagine the software is similar for the ipolar therefore it will also account for the cone error of not mounting the scope perfectly in line with the RA axis rotation. I haven’t used the ipolar but think that it doesnt mount on the RA rotation axis dead centre anyways so pretty sure it would work.
A trip to Bunnings or somewhere Im sure you could adapt something to make your ipolar work.
Otherwise as always nice videos. Great presentation style.
Thanks a lot for that info my friend. I think the ipolar is very similar to the polemaster. Mine is permanently fixed inside the Sky Guider Pro but your idea for mounting on the Star Adventurer is great.
Might try some more milky way shoots soon, but man you are too good at this astro photography. Cheers Richard for sharing.
Well they say it's a fine line between brilliance and lunacy . .I think I'm a bit looney Jeremy .. take care mate.
Thanks for all your great videos, I would to see how you process your tracked images with Astro camera, are you tracking and replacing foreground?
Thanks a lot for watching Roger. Yes by definition when tracking the sky you have to replace the foreground as it's very blurry. See this video on an example of how I do it. ruclips.net/video/3snX_1iCB1E/видео.html
Great to see you back again Richard for my weekend fix. Being in NZ I am just about to order a Skyguider Pro taking your advice and Peter Zelinka’s, mainly for the iPolar facility. It would seem some mods may be required, watch out credit card! Thanks as always. When would you expect the dates for your courses in 2022 be available? Must come to one of those. 😊
Thanks so much Pete. I won't know what I'm doing in 2022 till a fair way into this year .. I'll keep in touch.
Really interesting video Richard although i would never buy a tracker its still fascinating how they work and the images you can get by using one all the best Phill
Thanks heaps Phill, really appreciate you watching.
I modded my Canon 5D mk2 myself. Was interesting but I moved to the Astro camera. Astro camera allows a set temp for lights and later, not out in the field, set the astro camera to the same temp and take lots of hours of darks at home.
Also, once I start a session, I leave the image train all in situ so that I can take flats later at home.
Yes the DSO stuff is certainly a different workflow, Love your work though Greg.
Hi Richard , as we text my 6d is getting modified by camera clinic, now trying to get a star tracker, as the ioptron is sold out for now. The reason for doing it is to try something different and getting longer exposure times , and its something completely out of my comfort zone , so for this astro season , and as you say, you want to improve ,simple as that. By the way , the 50mm shot of the milky way kissing the horizon with the windmill is very cool .
Good on you Erny. I'll be very keen to see how you go with that modified 6D. Appreciate you watching.
I need to buy that PB-70 rotator.
In my opinion, in every wedge , when you adjust the knobs to left or right, there will be only a minor turn.
To get more turn in case the polar alignment is too far off, that PB-70 can help the process much easier.
Thanks for a that.
Yes it's well worth the investment. Very smooth indeed.
@@nightscapeimages.richard I did order last night. Thanks
Great treat to watch on a Saturday morning, Richard - thank you. It’s interesting to see you use a modded camera for Nightscapes. I have a bargain modded Canon 450D that I’ve so far only used at relatively long focal lengths (including through small refractors) specifically on nebulae; I’ve used almost exclusively my 6D full-frame for nightscapes. But as I approach my first Milky Way season since getting into all this (thanks to you!) I’m tempted also to try using the modded camera for some nightscapes too. Thanks as ever for the inspiration and looking forward to seeing some of the light painting work of others who watch the channel (I might hold back on submitting any of mine at the moment - I’m still at the early part of this incredible learning curve!!). All the best.
I really do appreciate you watching Paul. It will be interesting to see what you can come up with. You may find the modded 450D is a lot noisier than your 6D for nightscapes.
Dun dun dunnnn... another comment from me... be afraid be very afraid 🤣 No but seriously it was great, god knows l don't have the patience or brain to operate a star tracker but am still keen to know about them and l can see the difference in your work and it makes you happy so that's a win! I promised my husband l wouldn't buy yet another camera lol but those features would be great to have, how is the battery life Richard in comparison to the original Z6? I know that it's something that bothers me at times. Keep being you my friend, you've got this 🙂
Hey Leigh I always treasure comments from you. The battery life is very good. You can actually power the Z6ii via usb-c with a powerbank but I've not had the need to do so. For my timelapses lately I've been using electronic shutter on both the original Z6 and the new one. Both seem to last longer that way.
Great to see you again so soon. Also some wonderful shots with the Z6. Looking forward to seeing your next video mate. Also I am buying the new Benro Polaris Astro tripod head, and I am really looking forward to seeing what it can do. What was the email for submissions please.
Thanks very much Roy, appreciate you watching.
Great video👍🏻
Really appreciate that Jeff
Richard thank you so much for all the awesome tutorial videos you do!! With your astro modified camera what white balance (setting on the camera)do you use for the stars, and when you shoot the foreground what white balance (in Camera) do you use?? I should be getting my mod camera in a couple of weeks
Thanks so much for watching Safari. I tend to shoot at about 3000k white balance. Also I've increased the green tint by a couple of notches as well. I usually still do some alterations in post but that's my staring point. Same for the foregrounds.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thank you so much. In about 21 days I’ll start shooting Orion . And let me tell that I’ve learned all from you.
Terrific episode Richard. I was amazed that you could get the Z6 modified, I considered this a few years ago and found no companies in europe who did this, maybe you could give a link to the one in Melbourn? I had noticed a number of pics you showed some weeks back and thought that they had used a modified sensor, the H-alpha really stands out. I was also interested to see you using the SMS plate, I had seen this on Alan's channel and will probably get one too. I have the Pole MAster and have often wished it would run as an app on my phone.
I love the viewersidea of sharing photos on your site, I will definetely uplad some.
Thanks so much David, Camera Clinic in Melbourne said they loved working on the Z series of cameras. The V mount plate is well worth the cost. Camera Clinic Melbourne. www.cameraclinic.com.au/index.php/en/
Good morning Richard.
Good morning Allan
Beautiful images and very interesting video too. fascinated by the modification. I do a bit of IR and wonder if its similar? You said its not a full spectrum mod but do you still need a channel mixer for processing? Thanks and regards.
Thanks a lot Victor. It's just an extended range mod . .so it see's more of the red colour. I do adjust the colours separately to achieve my required colour balance .. I'm still working through that.
Hi Richard, once again you have taken some more really awesome shots. Very nice indeed. Your tracker is of interest. I was wondering if you had considered adding a guide camera. I'm led to believe a guide camera helps extend the exposure time when using of a longer lens. Given that, it might give extended time with a wider as well. What are your thoughts?
Hey Ivan. I think more suited to long focal length and deep space shooting.
Very interesting video about your awesome gear. I will like to send my nightscape photos if them qualify.
Thanks Luis, send them through.
Another excellent video! A couple of questions. First if you did have not have the Sony A7S lll, could you make the Z6 ll work for your video needs? Would you consider the Nikon upgrade to allow Prores and the Black Magic RAW as well as line skip RAW?. I edit with Resolve and Black Magic RAW seems like a great codec option. I currently shoot video with a Sony RX100 MK 7. The 4K is really pretty decent but the stills quality is horrible. I just do not like the Sony system of menus... I have owned Panasonic’s and love the video quality except the darn autofocus. The G9 is pretty awesome.
The second question is do you ever use third party adapted lenses with the Z6 ll? I own two Sigma lenses that I would love to use with a Z6 ll. I have a very sharp copy of the 150 to 600 Sigma Contemporary lens. It works like a dream with my D750 and D7200. The other Sigma is a 105 mm f2.8 Macro.
Bonus question...😉 Do you have any qualms about buying Nikon gear given their financial situation? I need another full frame camera and wonder if waiting for the Sony A7 lV might be the smart move. The open sourcing of the Sony mount allows some great affordable Tamron offerings. I have a big video project coming in May hence the video centric questions.
Thanks a lot for watching again. For me the low light performance is the main reson for buying the A7s3. And the flip screen as I work alone and regularly film myself. The Z series cameras produce wonderful video but at night are not as good as the A7s3. Also the lack of flip screen is a deal breaker. I agree the G9 is a wonderful camera but I've moved past it now. Agree about the autofocus issues.
I'm not worried about codecs or other extras . .they are all good from that perspective. I'm also not at all concerned about the future of Nikon.
Yes I have used adapted lenses on the z6 and they work fine as long as they aren't older models. Some won't auto focus.
Your new equipment is running foul of my wallet, your images are fantastic (as usual) and I really don't know if (or for how long) I will resist the urge, but given the turmoil of 2020 just getting out will be enough for now
I had my A7RIII modified by Camera Clinic in late 2019, just in time for all the lock downs, and they replaced the cut filter with clear glass (I chose to convert it to a full spectrum camera) but by inserting an Astronomik or a STC OWB clip filter I can return it back to normal or into an IR camera by using a range of IR clip filters and there are also Multispectra clip filters that reduce the interference from artificial lighting in the city and enhance the wave length of Hα, Hβ, OIII and SII - perfect for astrophotography
I can use any lens even the very wide angle ones with fixed hoods (even works with a circular fish eye lens) and I have not had any focus problems in either auto or manual modes with any configuration
The beauty is I can also take IR images during the day and Astro at night with the same camera
stcoptics.com/en/icclipfilter/
www.astronomik.com/en/clip-filter.html
Hey that's fantastic Nick. Really appreciate you watching. I know what you mean about burning a hole in the old wallet ... !!!
Hi dear Sir,How are you and your family? Always amazing to see and learn from your videos. Indeed it's amazing to see how you enhance your skill level everyday and how bring to us amazing videos and education for beginners like me to grow and learn and how we can take step by step to improve and experiment and take an step further to improve our photography level. Always looking forward to learn from you your fine art nightscape photography and attend your beautiful workshop soon.Cheers dear Sir Buddha bless you always and your sweet family always :)
Thank you as always for your great support Aditya.
I will have to dig out my Sky Adventurer Astro rig (never used) for several reasons, we have so many ideal locations in Tasmania and many just a short drive from home base. I have a range of Nikkor and other lens makers, that would be interesting to test in night-scape’s. 60 years in medical, scientific & Astro photography, one tends to collect lenses on the way. I have had several Canon & Nikon cameras modified-including full spectrum-Peltier cooled. I have a Canon 450D modified to monochrome & Cooled, thus using all pixels for luminescence/resolution, as I am interested in UV imaging with El Nikkor enlarger lenses. Greetings from Tasmania Australia-Southern Cross Observatory-42 South.
Yes a lot of people have star trackers sitting around that have not been used .. you'll have to get it setup and see what you can find in that beautiful state of yours . .!!!!
I like the idea of emailing night scapes and having a look at what everybody else does. I managed to go out the other day (night) down to the inlet here in Denmark/Western Australia, despite so many other commitments and came home with two composites I actually liked. Scouting compositions during the day, and identifying safe spots for the tripod is definitely worth it. Astrophotography is no photo walk!
One question I would have is: What mozzie repellent do you use :-D
Cheers Richard!
Thanks so much for watching Rod. I'm really pleased you're getting out under the stars. I'm still searching for the perfect mozzie spray ....!!!!
@@nightscapeimages.richard 😄 cheers, I will let you know if anything comes up!
Have you tried shooting star trails? Flip the switch to the northern hemisphere and you can make star trails twice as fast. You might even try other settings to make it even faster.
I can see how that would work Robert, however my foreground will not be usable.
with polar alignment in south hemisphere have a look at this apple ap its daytime setup or starhop adjusting easy and plenty of calculators for exposure etc Polar Scope Align Pro 4+
Scope alignment & astro tools
Dimitrios Kechagias
Yes I have seen that app before but alas . .I'm an Android user.
Can't wait til summer goes away?
I have had 2 months below freezing now.
Can't wait til summer comes back! haha
Haha, well I have a feeling your summer and my summer are very different . .40 deg celcius is not my cup of tea.
Richard, thanks for getting into the astro tracking field. I did have a question that came from watching this video, and that was about flicker/flutter in your time lapse work. Is the z class body and native lenses more, less, or about the same as the later D series (D850 or D750) bodies and f-mount lenses??? While I love LRTimelapse, I also like being able to shoot and quickly process and post. Getting rid of flicker would be a huge reason for me to move to the z series.
I haven't ever had a flicker problem except when doing day to night timelapses. I think the Z series cameras do timelapse better than the DSLR previous models. Certainly the Z6ii is excellent .. even the inbuilt modes are great.
Richard love your videos. Do you use lens warmers at all with your equipment?
Thanks a lot Jason. Yes I often use lens warmers.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thanks is there a particular brand you favour?
@@JasonNgPhotography No not really. Most from Amazon work well.
Great video! If I were to astro modify a new camera, is it still suitable for use as a normal daytime camera? Or only for astrophotography after modification?
Yes you can still use them for normal photography .. but it depends on what modification you do as to what process you need to look at to balance out the colours.
For the foreground you could use an IR cut filter then take it off for the sky shots . Your foreground looks good though. Just something I was planning on experimenting with.
Thanks a lot for that Bruce. I don't think the IR filter will work as this isn't an IR modification though.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Yea I remember now . I did a full spectrum on one of mine.
I have the move shoot move tracker and it's amazing! I love the portability (and price) haha you should review it :)
Thanks for watching Paola. Maybe I should add one of those to my collection as well . .!!!!
@@nightscapeimages.richard you def. Should. As you won't be able to find anything as portable and easy to use as this tracker. 😊😊
Hi Richard fantastic info here. Richard two questions ...what did you have done to your Z6 in terms of the astro mod? HA or full spectrum? Would you recommend have the Z6 or Z7 astro modified?
Thanks a lot Frank. I did the H-Alpha mod. It certainly makes the reds and pinks pop. But you certainly don't need it to shoot great astro images.
Great to see you again on my screen mate. Are your d750's still for sale? I'm yet to get out to try out my new tracker, but looking forward to tracking some 4 minute+ milky ways and some DSO nebula portraits. Do you use an app for polar alignment on your star adventurer? Loving the colors youre achieving with the astro modified rig. Keep up the great work. 👍
Thanks a lot Mick. No I've already sold all the stuff to pay for what I have now. I'm yet to find any apps that are any more accurate than my alignment by eye to be honest. I've found all the apps I've tried to be way off the actual south celestial pole. I've checked them against the ipolar camera in the Sky Guider Pro. It may be my phone as they are all controlled by the gps and compass inside the phone.
Hello! I love your videos! Just a question , I was thinking maybe modding a sony a6000 as well through camera clinic as well. I spoke to them already and they said the most common mod for astro is a full spectrum mod. Is this the mod you got done as well? In the video you mention a "H alpha mod". Are they the same?
Thanks for watching. No this is not a full spectrum mod. This is called an "Extended Range Mod" specifically the H-Alpha range. Hope that's helpful.
Hi Richard, I recently bought a Z6 astromodified and I’ve been struggling a bit with the white balance too. A good solution for now that I found is to simply use a custom WB (Fn1 button). I tried several settings, from a 18% grey card in bright daylight (good for normal photography, I saved it as a preset in case of), to several tweaks. The best result I have for nightscape is to set the WB by setting the white reference with a star. How did you set it on your side?
I set my white balance to 3300 with a plus 1 on the Green tint. But from there I'll do extensive editing in post anyway to get it right.
On the Z6ii have you tried the cameras USB power connected to a power pack to extend the run time? That option for night time photography would resolve having to change out the internal battery.
Yes it's a great addition Francesca. I haven't tried it yet. I'm getting heaps of time out of the standard battery. I'm running most of my time lapses in electronic shutter mode which appears to save battery power.
Great video, Richard, as always. I have been curious about astro-modded cameras so this has answered many questions, thank you. Is it just a matter of WB alteration if you use a modded camera for normal, daylight photography? Not a huge issue?
Thanks so much Simon. There are different astro mods that are possible so I think sometimes white balance alone may not be able to fix colour issues. I wouldn't use my astro mod camera for daytime use.
Hi Richard, another educational video. Thank you. I have a query regarding the Star Adventurer tracker. About a month ago, I ordered the Skywatcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro Kit from Digidirect in Sydney, as it was on special for less than $600. (I could not justify the extra cost iOptron iPolar equivalent kit, even though I agree the ease of polar alignment is clearly on the iOptron's side.) I am interested in finding out if you use the Feisol PB-70 Panning Base on your Skywatcher Star Adventurer's set up? You clearly state it is a "real advantage" with the iOpton base, but you did not make any comment regarding the Star Adventurer's base? Thank you. Regards, David
Thanks a lot for watching David. I think the star adventurer base is a lot better than the ioptron one but I did find the Feisol PB-70 makes it really smooth and easy to turn. Hope that helps.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thank you Richard. I will be implementing this system, when the star adventurer arrives. Thank you for this great and simple idea.👍
Hi Richard - please forgive me if someone has already asked this (so many interesting comments to read ), but are the improvements in the Z 6ii worth paying the extra for this upgraded camera? One of the most challenging aspects of night photography, for me, is finding my gear, in the dark, changing settings on intervalometer really messy as the display not very bright...I wear a jacket with numerous pockets but still struggle, and am intrigued by new features of the Z 6ii
Thanks for watching Robyn. In my opinion the new features are worth the upgrade, especially if you shoot nightscape images. The extra long shutter speeds come in very handy . .I use that all the time. Also the in built intervalometer is really good. That's not to say the older Z6 isn't a great camera . .I have both.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thank you! I am keeping my D750, a camera that never let's me down, but am looking at mirrorless Nikon , as a second camera just for astro photography... doubt I will reach your skill level, but am having a lot of fun trying!
@@robynwong5098 Well the journey is certainly worth the effort Robyn I reckon .....!!!!
Can you add a link to the camera mod firm, please. I have many Nikon’s including the Z6ii as a recent addition. Many thanks, enjoy your night-scape images. Greetings from Tasmania Australia-Southern Cross Observatory-Tasmania 42 South.
Thanks so much for watching Shevill. I had my Nikon Z6 modified at Camera Clinic in Melbourne. They have gone out of business but Imaging by Design have started up in the same location. imagingbydesign.com.au/
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Hi , what white balance do you set your Astro modified camera ?
Around 3200k and I also adjust the green tint up a bit.
I wonder why you did decide against the move shot move (MSM) tracker? Did you consider to buy this one? Is it not precise enough for you? I ask because I think to buy the MSM racker..
I don't particularly like anything about the MSM except the price .. and that's why so many people are buying it. The sky watcher and ioptron units are better all round .. especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Of course the sky watcher and ioptron units are better. And bigger and heavier.
I just was thinking, when the MSM does the job as well, why not to go for it.. Thanks a lot for answering me.
@@kowalskik.1333 The weight is what makes them better. Also in the southern hemisphere the original MSM will unwind the ball head as it rotates .. and eventually the camera can fall .. very unnerving.
I really wanna use star tracker. The only problem is there is so much cloud where I live all year. I guess I’m gonna have to stick with my astro mod A7IV.
Sorry I can't do much about the cloud cover PJ ... all the best my friend.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thx Richard. It sucks to live near the equator. Even stacking is hard. Cloud is moving like an F1 car. 😭
Yes I can only imagine @@XDR2201
Will you be adding a video in the future where you post-process a nightscape using an astro-modified camera?
I may well do that Andrea
Regarding star trackers, have you seen the Benro Polaris on kickstarter, looks very promising
Yes I have seen it . .not sure what to make of it yet.
I have backed the astro version, so when i get it sometime in july i will give a status about it 😀
@@SecondlifeThailand I'll be keen to hear about it for sure.
Is there areason for choosing the Z6ii over the Z7ii, Or is just Cost?
I have no need for the high megapixel files for what I'm doing. Thanks so much for watching.
@@nightscapeimages.richard if you really needed a large file you could drop it in something like gigapixel and res it up. I have the Z7 but I am like you, would be totally ok with the 24mp neighborhood. I think we tend,as photographers, to pixel peep too much. Some of the most beautiful photos I’ve ever taken wer with a D700. I love that camera to this day! And that was a 12mp camera.
@@curtishustace Yes you are spot on Curtis
Hi Richard I have both his V and Z mounts and they are fabulous if anyone is interested
Thanks a lot Shane. Yes I use the V mount on my tracker all the time.
Do you actually play the Les Paul in the background?
Not for about 20 years Curtis ...!!!
Thoughts on the MoveShootMove star tracker?
I've never used one Anay. Lot's of people have them though.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thank you for your reply! I've been binging your channel recently
Thanks so much Anay