Camera Comparison Chart Here is a camera comparison chart that lists the following camera features and specifications

that are of interest to astrophotographers for every D series DSLR camera produced by Canon and Nikon: Camera Model Pixel Pitch Pixel Array Sensor Size in millimeters Number of pixels Bit Depth Crop Factor Sensor Type Memory Card Type Dust Reduction Live View Computer Connection Announced Availability Price

Considerations for Long-Exposure Deep-Sky Astrophotography Listed below are some things to consider when choosing between a Nikon and Canon DSLR camera for long-exposure deep-sky astrophotography. The list is not meant to be exhaustive as things change very rapidly in the world of DSLRs. Canon 1. Canon recognizes that astrophotography is a specific use of their cameras and has produced the Canon 20Da, a camera that is specifically designed for astrophotography. Although this model has been discontinued, it can still be found used. 2. Canon provides excellent documentation on their equipment, such as detailed technical documents like the EOS 400D white paper, EOS 1D Mark III white paper, EOS 350D white paper, and this white paper on full-frame Canon CMOS sensors. 3. More support for Canon cameras is available from third party software vendors, such as Images Plus and Nebulosity. Although these vendors are beginning to implement more extensive support for Nikon DSLRs, Canons are usually supported first because so many more people are using Canons for astrophotography. 4. Canon EOS Digital SLR cameras can only use EF auto-focus lenses. When Canon designed their EOS system, they completely redesigned the lens mount. Canon's previous FD lens system for film SLR manual focus cameras are not made for EOS bodies. The lens flange to focal plane distance for the FD series is 42mm. The lens flange to focal plane distance on the EOS series is 44mm. You can get a simple mechanical adapter that will mount FD lenses on EOS bodies, but they will not focus at infinity. You can also get a more complex

optical adapter that has lens elements that will allow focusing of FD lenses at infinity on EOS bodies, but the Canon version is no longer manufactured and is difficult to find and very expensive when available. The Canon optical adapter also had a 1.26x multiplier factor which made the focal length of the lenses longer and also slower by that factor. As with the use of any multiplier or converter, optical quality also suffered somewhat. Third party manufacturers also make optical converters, but their optical quality is very poor. 5. Because of the shorter lens flange to focal plane distance on Canon EOS bodies, other manufacturer's lenses (indeed, such as Nikon) can be used on Canon DSLR bodies with inexpensive adapters, such as this one from Fotodiox for $28. Note that the lenses must be used in stop-down metering mode and auto-focus doesn't work, but these are not a necessity for astrophotography anyway. Many other brands of lenses can be used with Fotodiox adapters on Canon DSLR cameras. 6. Canon has a plug on the camera body for a hard-wired remote shutter release to allow use of the TC-80N3, a very handy and useful timer remote control. Out of the box, this timer remote control has a proprietary Canon N3 plug on the end of the cord that will only fit the high end Canon EOS DSLR cameras such as the 1D series and the 40D, 30D, 20D. However, it can very easily be adapted to work with the Canon EOS consumer DSLR cameras such as the 300D, 350D and 400D. All you have to do is cut the plug off and replace it with a mini stereo plug. It is just three wires involved and is simple to do. While the Canon TC-80N3 remote is expensive at $130, it allows you to completely automate the image acquisition portion of an astrophotography session because it is also an intervalometer which allows shooting numerous frames at a particular exposure with a pre-determined amount of time between exposures. Much less expensive Chinese clones of remote release interval timers are also becoming available. Go to Ebay and search for "Aputure Timer Remote" or "Timer Remote Control" by DSLRBaby. 7. The latest generation of Canon cameras, such as the 50D,40D, 500D, 450D, 5D Mark II 1D Mark III can be controlled through a single USB cable. Even long bulb exposures (exposures longer than 30 seconds) can be controlled with this single cable.

Nikon 1. Because of the relatively long flange-to-focal-plane distance on the Nikon cameras, few lenses from other manufacturers can be used because they will not reach infinity focus with an adapter. 2. You must use an infrared remote with some of the Nikon cameras such as the D40x, D40, D50 and D70. They do not have a plug for a hard-wired remote shutter release at all. This can be quite inconvenient. The Nikon infra-red, while inexpensive at $17, only has one button that triggers the shutter on the camera once, and must be used from in front of the camera where the IR sensor is located.

The latest Nikon Digital cameras, such as the D300, D3, D80 and D200 do have a hard-wired release plug. Nikon offers the MC-36 Multi-Function Remote for $130 with the proprietary Nikon plug for the high-end Nikon cameras such as the D300, D3, D100, D200 D1 and D2 series. It is very similar to the Canon TC80N3. There are much less expensive Chinese clones of the Nikon MC-36 also available. Go to Ebay and search for "Aputure Timer Remote" or DSLRBaby "Remote Timer Control". 3. If you already have a significant investment in Nikon Lenses you can save money by going with a Nikon DSLR and not having to replace all of your lenses. Many photographers have been loyal Nikon users for years. For these photographers, sticking with Nikon may save them a lot of money if they would have to replace an extensive collection of lenses. Just about every Nikon F series lens ever made will work on the latest DSLR bodies (with a couple of exceptions). Unlike Canon, Nikon did not change their lens mount when they went to autofocus lenses. Not all functions, such as autofocus will work on all of the Nikon DSLR bodies however. 4. Some Nikon entry-level cameras, such as the D60, D40 and D40x, will only autofocus with AF-S and AF-I Nikkor lenses. These cameras do not have an autofocus motor built into the camera body. They require an autofocus motor in the lens. Other lenses can be used on these bodies, but you will have to focus manually. This is not really a problem if you are shooting through a telescope however. 5. Nikons must use an inconvenient "mode 3" work around to acquire true raw files from the Nikon DLSR cameras, documented on Christian Buil's web page. This appears to be true even for Nikon's latest top-of-the-line D3 camera as documented here. Nikon apparently applies a mathematical median blurring filter to their images (in addition to the low-pass filter in front of the sensor) after the in-camera dark frame subtraction for built in noise-reduction. This occurs even before the raw image is written to the file. To work around this and get a true raw file, it is necessary to physically turn the camera off during the in-camera dark frame acquisition. This is called the "mode-3" workaround. This work-around will make it difficult to automate the acquisition of multiple light frames which is the usual method of imaging with a DSLR for a dim astrophoto subject. Or, you can just live with this extra blurring from the median filter. 6. Nikon is also apparently truncating low-level signal during the digital-to-analog conversion performed by the electronics. See Christian Buil's Nikon D3 analysis. Emil Martinec reports that Nikon is doing the same thing to the D300. This is probably not really be a serious concern since most of this low level signal may be noise. 7. Nikon raw NEF files are not truly lossless in the Nikon D70. See Christian Buil's D70 vs 10D comparison page and also the discussion on Fazal Majid's weblog. Again, this is probably not a serious problem since the compression scheme seems to be very efficiently applied. Newer models offer user selectable options for lossy compressed, lossless compressed, and uncompressed raw NEF files. 8. Nikon's latest generation of cameras, such as the D3 and D300 can also be controlled with a single USB2 cable. However, Nikon software will still not allow

bulb exposures (exposures longer than 30 seconds). A separate bulb cable with a proprietary Nikon plug must be used in addition to the USB2 cable to automate an astrophotography imaging session.

Honestly, today's camera models from both Nikon and Canon are very low-noise, the most important thing for long-exposure deep-sky astrophotography. If you get a camera model with Live View, you won't go wrong. Nowadays, the quality of images produces with current generation DSLR models is more dependant on the skill of the astrophotographer than on the camera.

Astrophotography Examples - Canon DSLR Cameras Canon 5D Mark II (Unmodified) - Comet Kushida and the Hyades by Dean Salman Canon 500D (Unmodified) - Trapezium region of M42 by KB Koh Canon 1000D (Modified) - B33, M42 by Jerry Lodriguss Canon 450D (Modified) - Gary Honis Gallery Canon 1D Mark III (Unmodified) - Galaxy NGC 253 by Jerry Lodriguss Canon 1D Mark II (Unmodified) - Markarian's Chain of Galaxies by Jerry Lodriguss Canon 50D (Unmodified) - M15 by Mike Unsold Canon 50D (Unmodified) - M45, The Pleiades by Mark Jenkins Canon 40D (Modified) - Galaxy M81 by Hap Griffin Canon 20D (Modified) - Orion by Giampaolo Salvato Canon 20D (Modified) - B33 and M42 in Orion by Phil Hart Canon 20D (Unmodified) - The Horsehead Nebula by AnnMarie Jones Canon 20D (Modified) - M42, The Orion Nebula by Danny Perry Canon 20D (Modified) - M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy by Michael Hernandez Canon 20Da (Modified) - The Horsehead Nebula by Chuck Vaughn Canon 20Da (Modified) - M20, The Trifid Nebula by Chuck Vaughn Canon 10D (Unmodified) - M31, The Andromeda Galaxy by Johannes Schedler Canon 10D (Unmodified) - M31, The Andromeda Galaxy by Stephen Pitt Canon 10D (Unmodified) - The Witch Head Nebula by Stephen Pitt Canon 10D (Unmodified) - M45, The Pleiades by Stephen Pitt Canon 10D (Unmodified) - M42, The Orion Nebula by Rick Krejci Canon 10D (Modified) - M42, M45, NGC 1499 - Clayton W. Kessler Canon 450D (Modified) - B33, The Horsehead Nebula by Gary Honis Canon 400D (Rebel XTi) (Unmodified) - M31, The Andromeda Galaxy by Rick Krejci Canon 350D (Rebel XT) (Unmodified) - M45, The Pleiades by Gedas Canon 350D (Rebel XT) (Unmodified) - M42, The Orion Nebula by Gedas Canon 350D (Rebel XT) (Unmodified) - M45, The Pleiades by Gedas Canon 350D (Rebel XT) (Unmodified) - B33, The Horsehead Nebula by Rick Saunders Canon 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - M31, The Andromeda Galaxy by Gedas Canon 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - B33, The Horsehead Nebula by Ivan Eder Canon 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified)- M42, The Orion Nebula by Hap Griffin Canon 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - NGC 2359, Thor's Helmet by Brian Peterson

Canon Canon Canon Canon Canon Canon Canon Canon Canon Canon

350D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - Sh2-132 Nebula by Ivan Eder 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - IC 1396 Nebula by Jeff Ball 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - M20, The Trifid Nebula by Jim Solomon 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - M31, The Andromeda Galaxy by Gedas 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified)- M42, The Orion Nebula by Hap Griffin 350D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - Galaxy NGC 253 by Hap Griffin 300D (Rebel XT) (Modified) - The Rosette Nebula by Hap Griffin 300D (Rebel) (Modified) - M42, The Orion Nebula by Antonio Fernandez D60 - The Horsehead Nebula by Johannes Schedler D60 - M42, The Orion Nebula by Johannes Schedler

Astrophotography Examples - Nikon DSLR Cameras Nikon D5000 (Unmodified) - M42, The Orion Nebula by Julian I. Spring Nikon D90 (Unmodified) - M42 and M27 by George Varros Nikon D3 (Unmodified) - M42, The Orion Nebula by Todd Hargis Nikon D3 (Unmodified) - B33, The Horsehead by Todd Hargis Nikon D300 (Unmodified) - Comet Holmes by Johnny Horne Nikon D200 (Unmodified) - IC 1396 by Wei Hao Wang Nikon D200 (Unmodified) - M31, The Andromeda Galaxy by Wei Hao Wang Nikon D40 (Unmodified) - Tarantula, Trifid, 47 Tucanae, M31, M42, Eta Carinae by Chris Malikoff Nikon D40 (Unmodified) - M42, The Orion Nebula by Roger Brooker Nikon D40x (Unmodified) - Milky Way by Rick Lapsley Nikon D50 (Modified)- The Horsehead Nebula by Kohchi Kondo Nikon D50 (Modified)- M42, The Orion Nebula by Kohchi Kondo Nikon D50 (Modified)- Antares and Rho Ophiuchus by Kohchi Kondo Nikon D50 (Unmodified)- M8 and M20 by Duncan Munro Nikon D70 (Modified) - The Horsehead Nebula by Walter Koprolin Nikon D70 (Modified) - M42, The Orion Nebula by Walter Koprolin Nikon D70 (Modified) - Sagittarius Scorpius Milky Way by Erwin van der Velden Nikon D100 (Unmodified) - M42 by Christoph Kaltseis

Red Sensitivity and Long-wavelength Filters Normally the CMOS and CCD chips used in DSLR cameras are sensitive to red light. Most DSLRs however, are designed with a built-in, low-pass, long-wavelength cutoff filter in front of the sensor. The low-pass characteristics of the filter are designed to prevent moire. The long-wavelength filtration is designed to improve color reproduction and make it more like our human visual perception. The problem is that the long-wavelength filtration also filters out most of the light at 656.5nm, the wavelength of hydrogen-alpha. This is the red light of emission nebulae. Filtering out most of this light is a problem for astrophotography if you want to take pictures of these red nebulae, which are some of the largest and most beautiful objects in the night sky. Canon was the only manufacturer to make a DSLR camera body specifically for astrophotography with improved hydrogen-alpha sensitivity, the EOS 20Da. Canon however, has discontinued production of this camera as of the spring of 2006.

It is possible to modify other DSLR cameras for astrophotography of emission nebulae by removing the low-pass, long-wavelength filter. This, of course, invalidates the warranty and runs the risk of ruining the camera if not done correctly. However astrophotographers have successfully removed the filters in both Nikon and Canon cameras and produced excellent images of objects with emission wavelengths. Gary Honis provides instructions if you want to do it yourself. Additionally, third-party vendors such as Gary Honis and Hap Griffin offer modified cameras with these filters removed and various replacement filter options. * WARNING: Modifying your camera VOIDS the manufacturer's warranty. Any modifications are undertaken at your own rise and the author is not responsible for any damages that may be incurred.

I recommend Canon EOS DSLR cameras for long-exposure astrophotography because of their proven performance, low noise and ease of use in working with true raw files. However, it is possible to take excellent astrophotos with Nikon equipment as well as the Canons. The final result will come down more to the technique and expertise of the photographer, and how much work he is willing to do, than to the particular camera model he uses, provided he uses a camera with low-noise characteristics. If you are interested in red emission nebulae, both the Nikons and Canons can have their long-pass filters removed or replaced to make them good for astrophotography of hydrogen-alpha nebulosity.