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Digital Astrophotography: A Guide to Capturing the Cosmos | 
 enlarge | Author: Stefan Seip
Publisher: Rocky Nook
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $19.77
You Save: $10.18 (34%)
New (27) Used (4) from $17.78
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 113150
Format: Illustrated
Media: Paperback
Pages: 162
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.6
ISBN: 1933952164
Dewey Decimal Number: 522.63
EAN: 9781933952161
ASIN: 1933952164
Publication Date: December 15, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
At first glance, the challenge of astrophotography may appear daunting. But not only are spectacular results possible, they are easy to learn with the step-by-step instructions provided in Stephan Seip's Digital Astrophotography: A Guide to Capturing the Cosmos. Today, amateurs can produce images that only twenty years ago a large professional observatory would have been proud of; and this book shows you how. Learn how to: Set up your camera for optimum results Focus your camera for razor-sharp images Take beautiful night shots with a simple compact digital camera, a tripod, and a telescope Use a DSLR camera to shoot the Sun, Moon, stars, star clusters, and nebulae through your telescope Get brilliant images of planets with a Webcam Capture remote galaxies with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera just like a pro Also included are lessons on the processing that is done in the "studio" after your shoot, including how to: Shoot RAW format images and improve them with calibration frames Take short exposures of faint deep-sky objects and combine them into a longer exposure Perform brightness, contrast, and color correction Make corrections to correct for vignetting and uneven field illumination Process your images for stunning results Equipment requirements for astrophotography range from nothing but a simple camera and tripod to a multi-thousand dollar computer controlled telescope equipped with a CCD auto-guider and separate guide-scope. Researching the best equipment for your needs is a task in itself. Seip helps you to sort out which cameras are best for the various celestial objects, what to look for when buying a camera, and what accessories you really need. The rewards of this fascinating hobby, as the author says, "Grants you unforgettable hours under the night sky; it allows you to produce aesthetically rewarding and lasting results. Astrophotography is a love-match between physics, photography, art, and digital image processing. It is exciting!"
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Good introduction to digital astrophotography October 12, 2008
Little Old Granny (Redding, CA)
Wanting to learn more about astrophotography, I purchased this book. Although I am not trying astrophotography now, this book has been very helpful. The author discusses astrophotography in general. Then he goes through various kinds of astrophotography and the types of cameras suited and/or best for a particular format. The types of cameras discussed are;
Compact digital cameras
Webcams
DSLR
Astronomical CCD cameras
Each section divided into individual chapters for each type of camera
1. Applications with subheadings:
a. Characteristics of the camera
b. Suitable photo Photo motifs
c. Advantages and disadvantages
2. Buying tips
3. Information on taking astrophotos with the particular camera (example:
web cams)
4. Processing images taken with a particular camera
Some of the processing directions are more detailed; depends on which camera is being discussed.
There is also an appendix with a table summarizing application areas for each type of camera.
There are also photos illustrating what various cameras are capable of. Overall I liked the book and refer to it often just for information. It is written in a very clear and understandable way. I would recommend it for anyone, new to astrophotography or more of an expert. Especially good for a newbie.
 Disjointed with only very general information. May 9, 2008
steveeb
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
I am relatively new to the hobby of astrophotography, however, I've done a lot of research online through astrophoto websites and by joining forums dedicated to the subject. Wanting to increase my knowledge, I bought this book for two reasons: First of all it's a newly published book, so I figured it would have information pertaining to the latest cameras, devices, and software available. Secondly, I read all the 5 star reviews here on Amazon which sealed the deal for me.
I'm sorry I ever bought it. The book felt very disjointed. It felt like every paragraph introduced you to a new topic, but never really explained anything. By the end of the paragraph you would be wanting more, only for the book to go on about something new.
To make things worse, the book is filled with sentences that will leave you scratching your head. Here's a perfect example from page 27. And I quote:
"If your camera does not allow the complete manual setting of the exposure, you may be able to use the camera's exposure compensation. For example, if the automatic mode produces over exposures, you can try a manual correction selecting shorter exposures."
What was that he said?? Ok, maybe he'll explain it clearer in the next paragraph... Not.
On the subject of processing your photos, telling me to open Photoshop and click and drag on the curve to adjust the colors doesn't quite cut it. Can we be a little more specific?? Here's the quote:
"In order to create an impressive nighttime image, the following menu item is more helpful: Image->Adjustments->Curves...
As shown in the curves dialog box, you can click and drag on the straight line with the mouse to change the shape of the curve. The result (image 3) more closely resembles a nightime shot"
I need a little more why's and how's than this book offers. The majority of the book is pictures, and even the pictures lack the information normally found in photography books. I'm used to seeing photos where the photographer explains the equipment and settings - you won't find any of that here.
If you already have a general knowledge of astrophotography, I would suggest that you pass on this book.
 Wonderous Book For Seeing the Cosmos Through The Lens April 28, 2008
Daniel McKinnon (Tewksbury, MA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
'Digital Astrophotography: A Guide to Capturing the Cosmos' is a wonderful guide for any hobbyists that enjoy looking up at the night sky and wishing to record the images they see for prosperity. Like all of the photography genre there is so much more to taking pictures than just pressing a button and aiming, no matter what the subject matter is. When you look up at the sky and all you see for the most part is black with objects in between, there certainly is an art form to this as well, well presented in this book.
Not a long book, content is spread over 150+ pages and 5 chapters. Discussing regular cameras, web cams, computer settings, ISO, balance, etc. all the basics that you would expect to be discussed are done here. Interspersed throughout the text are pictures of the cosmos, beautiful and basic.
If you are an amateur photographer or a newbie that is looking to find out how you can take pictures of the night sky better and more effectively, this is a great resource to have.
Easy to recommend, fun to peruse, a solid addition to any photographers shelf.
***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Wow! Approachable and Complete April 4, 2008
Jeremy Hall (Pleasant Grove, UT USA)
First off, wow! This book has very good detail introducing any level of photographer to astrophotography. I have been interested to see how people not affiliated with a major college or governmental organization get amazing photos the night time sky. What I appreciate from this title is various methods are described from as small as a web cam to as involved as a camera attached to a telescope. Hardware recommendations and Photoshop enhancements are all spelled out with great examples and easy to understand steps. If you are at all interested in capturing photos of the moon, stars and even impressive galaxy shots better than the average snapshot anyone can take, this book will is the ultimate guide.
All levels of astrophotography are covered in a guide perfect for both photography and science libraries April 3, 2008
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
DIGITAL ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY: A GUIDE TO CAPTURING THE COSMOS covers all the basics of astrophotogaphy, from choosing equipment and obtaining sharp images to taking lovely night shots with a digital camera and tripod setup and using a webcam to get planet images. All levels of astrophotography are covered in a guide perfect for both photography and science libraries at all levels of interest, with color examples throughout supplementing step-by-step directions, tips, and overviews.
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