Customer Reviews

Wide-Field Astrophotography: Exposing the Universe Starting With a Common Camera

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I'm a novice and found the information easy to digest and practical. Mr. Reeves spends a good amount of time on not just the process of wide-field photography - something anyone with a 35mm camera can learn - but he also discusses the pros and cons of specific brands of cameras and in some cases, specific models. There is an extensive list of films that he rates. Some of the films are fairly exotic but many are available at your local photo supply. He helps you choose from those easily available so you can start your photography quest quickly and easily. Of course, shooting quality images is very much a trial and error affair. Reeves provides a process for helping you to not only choose the right film and exposure, but provides some nice insight into focusing those little white dots. The photos in the book are disappointingly B&W and most have been taken with his Schmidt camera. A Schmidt is something few of us have access to, let alone own. However, aside from this quibble, the reading is very quick and I've used it repeatedly as reference. The book's organization seemed clunky to me but not distractingly so. I reread this book for fun too. It will make you realize what's within your immediate grasp.

Robert Reeves' "Wide-Field Astrophotography: Exposing the Universe Starting With a Common Camera" is one of the two must reads for amateur astrophotographers. Whereas most books on the subject cover the whole gamut of different types of astrophotography, Reeves justs focuses in on the most basic form of astrophotography, wide-field astrophotography, using a regular film camera and its lenses. He covers the topic from the basics of choosing an appropriate camera, lenses, mounts, filters and film thru to advanced darkroom techniques and graduating to a Schmidt camera. Though many of the films mentioned in the book have been replaced by their manufacturers, the author explains how to test a film for its suitability for astrophotography.

Chapters:
1. Introduction to Wide-Field Astrophotography
2. Piggyback Techniques Add Versatility
3. Cameras for Wide-Field Astrophotography
4. Lenses for Wide-Field Astrophotography
5. Filter Characteristics
6. The Schmidt Camera
7. Film Choices and Characteristics for Astrophotography
8. Guiding and Polar Alignment
9. Meteor and Comet Photography
10. Accessories for Wide-Field Astrophotography
11. Film Hypersensitization
12. Chemical Darkroom for Astrophotography
13. Darkroom Tricks
14. Problems in the Real World
15. Digital Image processing and Printing
16. Build-It-Yourself Projects
17. Our Astrophotographic Legacy
A. Suppliers and Other Information
B. Developer Formulas
C. 45 Unhypered Films Compared for Astrophotography
D. Popular Astrophotography Films
Bibliography
Index

If you are interested in detailed imaging of the planets with a digital camera or CCD astroimager, then this is not the book for you. But if you want to capture huge swaths of the Milky Way or take pictures of the constellations, then this is the best book available to give you your start. All the photos in this book are reproduced in black and white, but most of them were taken using black and white film. This book is appropriate for all levels from beginners to advanced astrophotographers, but its organization may make it a little inconvinient for an absolute beginner to find the information needed to get started, but it is a great reference for the intermediate, advanced, and serious hobbyist astrophotographers.

One of the few books on the subject, and luckily it's a good one. Robert Reeves has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he passes along here. A real asset to the beginner or the experienced photographer looking to try something different. Full of stunning black and white photos.