Successful astrophotography can be achieved with many types of cameras, but most amateur astronomers prefer using the 35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. The SLR camera allows the astronomer to look directly through the lens of the camera itself, a critical feature needed for aligning and focusing the image. This feature is necessary when photographing through a telescope. SLRs also offer flexibility in terms of lens and film availability.
Not all 35mm SLRs are suitable for astrophotography. Newer SLRs are generally fully automatic with everything from focus, flash, and exposure. Since astrophotos may require exposures anywhere from several minutes to several hours, the power required to keep the shutter open would drain the power out of the expensive camera batteries, rendering the camera useless until fresh batteries are installed. What is ideally needed for astrophotography is a camera that has a removable lens with a manually adjustable focus, provisions for attaching a cable release, a manually set mechanical shutter with a "B"(bulb) setting, mirror lockup, interchangeable focusing screens, and a provision to be attached to a tripod. (No battery should be required for "Bulb" function.)
So what cameras work best for astrophotography. The following table will suggest a few:
| Camera Model |
Non-battery Bulb Setting |
Manual Lens |
Interchangeable Focus Screen |
Mirror Lockup |
| Older Canon F-1 | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Newer Canon F-1 | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Leica R6.2 | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Miranda G | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Nikon F/F2 | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Nikon F3HP | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Nikon FM2 | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Olympus OM-1 | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Olympus OM-2 | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Olympus OM-2000 | Y | Y | N | N |
| Olympus OM-4T | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Pentax K1000 | Y | Y | N | N |
| Pentax LX | Y | Y | Y | Y |
There is an inconvenient feature with the OM-2 and OM-2000 cameras. The "underexposure" warning LED will still illuminate even if the camera is set to "Bulb." This will cause a red glow to show up on all your bulb exposures. Olympus's recommended fix is to remove the batteries from your OM-2 or OM-2000 before taking bulb exposures.
Editor's Note: One of my favorite cameras for astrophotography is the Olympus OM-1. Although the OM-1 is no longer available new, used models may be found at reasonable prices in camera shops, pawn shops, and on the internet. If you would like to find out more about the Olympus OM series SLR cameras, take a look a the Olympus OM SLR FAQ site.