astrophotography with Fuji XT1

Any XT 1 owners out there who are night sky shooters? Any feedback on the performance of this camera in this field?

axolotl223 said:

Any XT 1 owners out there who are night sky shooters? Any feedback on the performance of this camera in this field?

Click to expand...

I don't have an X-T1, but given the fact that the sensor is practically identical to that in my X-E1, I feel qualified to say that these cameras do very well in low-light situations, such as astrophotography. Are there any specific questions you need to have addressed, such as interval timers, stacking, etc, or are you basically just interested in signal-to-noise behavior?

Check out some examples here.

axolotl223 said:

Any XT 1 owners out there who are night sky shooters? Any feedback on the performance of this camera in this field?

Click to expand...

Here is a comprehensive review by Ian Norman:


His earlier review:


His recommended lenses for Fuji X series for astrophotography:

FF sensors still beat it obviously, but with a lens like rokinon12mm it holds its own with any aps-c camera

axolotl223 said:

Any XT 1 owners out there who are night sky shooters? Any feedback on the performance of this camera in this field?

Click to expand...

I am, and I like what I get using the Fujinon 16mm, and the 21mm, and even the 23mm. Living in Chicago it is hard to plan trips to dark locations, but I do as much as I can. I also have a Sony a7S which I like with the Sony Zeiss 24 f2.0. I got the Sony gear strictly for Galaxyscape type of shooting.

My flickr page has three Wide Field Astrophotography shots using my X-T1 which I really really like using. I was a Nikon guy until I got an X-T1, then dumped all my Nikon gear. Currently I'm looking, reading, and thinking about ways to light my foregrounds to improve the overall images. Raw images of course and I try for a second below the general 500 rule. I process my images in Lightroom (latest version) and noise reduction in Nik Dfine 2.0. Recently I have picked up Topaz Labs DeNoise but haven't used it enough to know if I will switch to that for WFA shots. The three examples below were all processed using Dfine 2.0 and all EXIF data is available at flickr.

In the field you biggest issue is manual focus at infinity. Bulb mode nicely counts out the seconds for you on the LCD screen if T mode 30,25,20,15,10,5,2,1 seconds doesn't work for your shot. I have a good sturdy tripod and use the Fujifilm cable release.

Please, have a look at these...

X-T1 & XF16mmF1.4 R WR - flickr

X-T1 & XF14mmF2.8 R - flickr

X-T1 & XF23mmF1.4 R - flickr

Thanks to all who replied. I am still looking for a lightweight system that will take astrophotos. The Fuji may be my dog , but ......?

How is this achieved with lenses that are focus by wire? Is it even possible?

Thanks,

Jim

It is fine with the clutch mechanism like in the Fuji 16/23 or with the very popular manual Samyang 12mm 2.0. With the Fuji 56 I failed completely several times to get the focus right.

axolotl223 said:

Any XT 1 owners out there who are night sky shooters? Any feedback on the performance of this camera in this field?

Click to expand...

Some define astrophotography as shooting via telescope and an adapter for the camera body but if you are like me and enjoy Wide Field Astrophotography then the Fuji X-E2 and X-T1 work quite well.

All of the photos below were taken using the 18-55mm "Kit Lens" or the 18mm prime with the X-T1. It's best to click on each photo below to see the stars and detail.



















--
Jim Radcliffe
The ability to 'see' the shot is more important than the gear used to capture it.