ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY W A6500 AND LASER POINTERS

[philreedshikes]

I have read that one can shoot a laser pointer thru a view finder to locate a deep sky object.  Not going to risk it just now...but does anyone have any knowledge about this or tips for using a laser in conjunction with the a6500?  thanks!

[Pieter]

Cameras and lasers usually don't go well together. What's more, I don't see how pointing a laser into the viewfinder of a mirrorless camera would do anything except damage your viewfinder. It's not like a DSLR where you can shine a laser through the lens by pointing it into the viewfinder.

[thebeardedgroundsman]

I agree with Pieter, the "viewfinder" on a mirrorless camera is like a TV screen so if a laser had any effect it would be to damage your camera.

It might be possible to mount one on the hot shoe but a) it would need to be a very powerful laser to reach the stars and, 

b) The Civil Aviation Authority, pilots etc. don't like lasers being pointed up at the skies because they have been known to interfere with planes, and even damage the eyesight of pilots. (Most reputable laser devices will carry safety warnings)

NB: I'm not a laser expert and have not used them at all in photography - I do have a laser pointer (with warning printed on it) and have used laser levels in my work.

[craig50]

You wouldn't use the laser through the viewfinder. The laser would only damage the camera if you pointed it into the camera. I've used laser pointers in the past to help find deep space targets. Many observatories will use lasers also to help identify targets. Yeah, you don't want to shine a laser at a plane (it is illegal) but the chances of actually hitting a plane are pretty slim. 

[astrnmrtom]

No, what you read is not possible.

Laser pointer can be attached to the side of a telescope tube to be used as a way to roughly aim a telescope, or to point out where in the sky the telescope is pointing to people standing nearby. There's no way a laser can be used to "find" a deep sky object. Even professional observatories don't use them this way. 

 

I can see mounting and aligning a laser pointer to your camera mount to aid in aiming to an object in the sky as long as you know where it is. I've never heard of anyone using them this way. Alignment is critical to point using a lens of any focal length and you wouldn't want the laser shining during your exposure. 

 

What kind of astrophotography are you interested in doing? A good way to get started is to do widefield sky images using a wide lens. Keep exposures under 20-30 seconds to minimize elongated stars caused by the Earth's rotation. Attached is my image of the winter Milky Way and Orion setting in the West. a6000 12mm f/2.8 lens, 30 exposure iso 4000. The middle "Star" in Orion's sword is a famous deep sky object - M42, the Great Orion Nebula. In my image you can see its larger than other stars. You'd need a long lens and a tracking mount to get a good image of it.

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