 |
| The Nikon D780: It can go up to 900 seconds (15 minutes) and may just be the best new camera for astrophotography. |
Nikon
just announced its new
D780, which can do up to a 900 second (15 minute) long exposure
via the manual mode in pre-programmed settings without the hassle of
having to use an external remote timer. For astrophotographers who
also like to take terrestrial photos, this may just have become the
ideal astro cam as it offers the best of both worlds.
There have been digital cameras in
the past targeted toward astrophotographers that offered shutter
speeds as slow as 15 minutes, but there was a cost. The issue: these
cameras were designed specifically for shooting deep sky objects,
which often emit long-wavelength red light. In order to allow these
cameras to capture the deep reds emitted by many deep sky objects,
these cameras’ infrared filters (IR) were modified or removed
entirely in order to allow the sensors to record at the 656 nm
wavelength that a standard camera’s filter would block. Result: the
camera would capture all of the deep reds emitted by deep sky objects
but would be just about useless for regular photography because they
were so red sensitive.
Let’s face it: photography/astrophotography is not a cheap hobby and a camera that can do everything is very desirable. To look at the dollars, take Canon’s EOS R and EOS Ra (for astronomy) variant. Both cameras are essentially the same thing except for the fact that the EOS Ra has exposure settings that can go up to 15 minutes (just like the D780) and that it can record those 656 nm wavelengths, which the EOS R can’t. Unfortunately, thanks to its modified IR filter, the EOS Ra is essentially useless as a traditional camera, which would necessitate having to buy another camera (let’s assume the EOS R) for traditional purposes.
Let’s face it: photography/astrophotography is not a cheap hobby and a camera that can do everything is very desirable. To look at the dollars, take Canon’s EOS R and EOS Ra (for astronomy) variant. Both cameras are essentially the same thing except for the fact that the EOS Ra has exposure settings that can go up to 15 minutes (just like the D780) and that it can record those 656 nm wavelengths, which the EOS R can’t. Unfortunately, thanks to its modified IR filter, the EOS Ra is essentially useless as a traditional camera, which would necessitate having to buy another camera (let’s assume the EOS R) for traditional purposes.
Right now, the EOS R sells for around
$1800 as a body. The EOS Ra? Well, Canon thinks that the cost to
remove that pesky IR filter requires a $700 price premium as the EOS
Ra is priced at $2500, a 30+% price premium over its standard cousin.
Not to bash Canon, Nikon did the same exact thing a few years back
when it launched its D810 variant: the D810A (for astronomy,
naturally). Bottom line: for anyone wanting to do astro and
traditional photography with Canon, you’re looking at $4300.
Cue the D780.
The D780 is not marketed as an astro
cam as it has the standard infrared filter found on every other
Nikon, which means that things that are truly deep red in the night
sky will appear more pink/purple when shot with the D780 than they
would with a dedicated astro cam (like the EOS Ra or D810A) because
the D780 will not record the deep reds that a dedicated astro cam
would. On the other hand, this means that the D780 can do double duty
as a traditional camera!
Yes, the D780 will not hold a candle
to the D810A or EOS Ra when it comes to recording those deep reds
but, on the other hand, it will save you a lot of money at the cost
of having to spend more time in Photoshop in order to fully bring out
the reds that it will capture. For people who aren’t swimming in
money and actually have to worry about this pesky thing called a
budget, the Nikon D780 may just be your thing if you like to equally
use your camera under both Sun and star light.
Like What You Read?
Why not check out other great stuff about photography, present astronomy, historical astronomy, associated gear, and how to use it.
Think someone else would find this informative (or at least entertaining)? Use the buttons below to share!
Posts
