Coming to the end....

....one giant leap for Spadkind

sorry to see you go

OK, so in a couple of years you'll be selling your Canon gear and moving on again. Not because there's anything wrong with Canon, but because you'll be wanting to raise cash to buy time on the JWST...

To be serious, though, have you any idea why the Pentax and Canon sensors are so different? The laws of physics are the same for both, so it must be something to do with either the components of the sensors or what is done with the data between the photons hitting the sensor and the creation of the RAW file (assuming you are using RAW). There are Pentax users on the American forum who do astro, have you raised the problem there?

Enjoy the next phase of your photographic journey (if that is possible when it involves sleepless nights and freezing weather... ). And do pop in here from time to time - your thoughts and comments on our (Pentax) photos have always been much appreciated, there's no reason to stop as far as I'm concerned.

Steve

Have you tried out some of the newer sensors? The KP/K-1/K-3iii might have different responses.

They're Sony sensors aren't they? So maybe Canon have a different sensor manufacturer or perhaps their glass layers on the sensor cut out very slightly different parts of the spectrum.

Well, they do make nice spectacle lenses...

Keep up the good work, no matter what gear you need to use.

Now this is intriguing.... and something I did not know.

Both my dedicated cooled astro cameras have Sony sensors!

A K1 would be a serious option. Wonder if I can rent one??? Hmmmmmm....

Try SRSMicrosystems. Their website says "We carry the largest range of cameras, lenses and accessories in the UK and also exclusively offer a rental service for Pentax equipment.".

There's also the Pentax 645Z if you can fit a medium format camera on your astro thingies. That seems to have a Sony sensor. Can be rented from Wexphotovideo.

Apparently, Canon manufacture their own sensors, unlike other camera manufacturers.

Steve

Canon make their own sensors, it's why their APS-C cameras are actually sub-APS-C with a 1.6x crop instead of 1.5x like everyone else. It's also why all of their cameras up until about the 5D mark IV have sensors with substantially less dynamic range than others - they were notably behind Sony (and maybe others) in terms of the technology used to make them. I used to deride them for that, and to some degree it's still a fair comment, but I have found with the 6D that the DR performance is sufficient for most things and to some degree it's made up for by the plethora of nice glass, nice jpeg engine and some other things.

I am intrigued by the choice of a 5D mark II though - that's a pretty old camera and I'm sure there are newer models which would perform better for astro, both from Canon and others. I think even the 6D is likely better for astro than the 5D II, and they cost around the same on the used market.

At that time that's all I could afford... plus I got it for a good price.

The 6D MkII & 5D MkIV are on my list. I have looked ar Sony & Nikon, but the reason I am leaning toward Canon is their lenses.

So only due to this thread, I sniffed around for info. I don't envy you Spad.

I stopped sniffing here:

https://www.primalucelab.com/blog/camere-per-astrofotografia-del-profondo-cielo-...

No doubt you've seen this all before. It's your turf!

Best regards

Just watched the video, K10D. Absolutely fascinating. Great catch. Astro isn't for me but that was so informative. Nice one.

Well Spad - your contributions and style will definitely be missed - Your Astro work in particular is of the highest standard, and your attitude towards trying anything is refreshing. I did enjoy reading your opinions on many things - we weren't left unsure of where you stand on things

Let's hope you get drawn back into the fold by the new full frame Pentax DSLR that is just about to released in 3 variants (ultra-HD, Monochrome and ultra-Astro) - had nobody mentioned these to you

Thank you and yes I've seen lots of info on that subject, and immersed myself in it!

Astrophotography is a lot more indepth. I have two OSC DSO cameras. One is good with two of my scopes but crap with others. The other is great with all but one of them bar 1!!! It can get a bit mind boggling!

No..... but it could be a bit beyond my financial reach....

Think I may hold fire tho, on selling up....

Whatever you decide is fine with me but I must say I've enjoyed your work (and your humour!) immensely.

Best regards
Mike

I seem to remember a couple of years ago or so, speculation that Pentax looking to explore niches were considering an astro version of one or more of their top end DSLRs...the Monochrome version was also mentioned as a possibility which we know was brought to fruition.

Astro would seem to fit the bill I would have thought going forward as another potentially successful 'niche' market. Existing rugged designs and excellent outdoor/poor weather performance would make these models particularly attractive.