Astrophotography with Sony a57

Hi Chiradeep,

Thanks for your interest in astrophotography - welcome to the group! I have no experience with the a57, nor have I seen any results with that camera. But I have little doubt that its capable of some fine results. If its anything like my NEX-5N, it should do fine. One of the principal requirements is that noise be well-controlled at higher ISO. Sony seems to do well in that regard. I believe it makes at least some of the sensors for Nikon. Also the ability to go beyond 30-second exposures is helpful.

I'll try to do my best in answering your questions. Perhaps some others will have some more helpful suggestions:

1. Of course a good lens in critical to good results. But you can do a lot with a lens of around 50mm or less. Even tripod mounted imaging can produce some fine results, as we have seen on this forum. The longer the focal length the more important tracking becomes. If you already have some nice lenses, you might consider of good tracking mount. What follows is a link discussing mounts for astrophotgraphy. Bear in mind Jerry Lodriguss is a very experienced astrophotographer using some premium equipment. So he has rather high standards.
   http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/MOUNTS.HTM
   
2. You mention the CG-5. Forum member razor2277 is doing some excellent work with that setup. For camera adapters you might check this site:
   http://www.telescopeadapters.com/
   
3. Can't help with this one, having never lived in the area. Maybe some others have tips in dealing with imaging in light polluted environments.

Here's wishing you success in your astrophotography!

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Best Regards,
Russ