Powershot G7Xii shoots the sky

[mermaidkiller]

Recently I got this cute little camera as a replacement for my deceased S100.
It is MUCH better, although not a replacement for my 6d, it is excellent for quick (video) shots without carrying the bulky 6d + lens(es) and it is small and portable and has about the same range as my 24-105L.

I took a few shots of the sky in RAW and processed it in Photoshop. Hier one of them of the Hydra - Canis Minor - Gemini - Taurus area, 15 seconds @ f/4 ISO 1600.

I did not use f/1.8 for better sharpness and too much light pollution.


Original RAW unprocessed, only converted to JPG.


Processed with Photoshop.

And I had a DIY eyepiece adapter made from PVC plumbing parts for my S100 on which I glued a 58mm PVC ring to fit it over the larger G7X ring. The eyepiece fits tightly in the PVC tube, while the lens is not obstructed when it opens.

I tested it on the Moon using an 80mm f/6.5 refractor with a Nagler 13T6 (40x) direct in front of the camera fully zoomed in.

The result is not that bad.


The Moon

Conclusion: the camera is suitable for some (light) astrophotography.

--
Ricoh KR-5 ... Pentax ME Super ... Canon T90 ... ... ... 40d ... 7d ... 6d

 

[bmike]

I too have this camera - it was my replacement for my G12 which was my carry everywhere camera - lots of hiking, cycling, etc.

I took this while teaching in the Berkshires. The cupola is from the school house, and I was sleeping in my tent nearby. I had been playing around with ‘Star mode’ and found it mostly useless - but after spending some time with the manual settings I was able to get a few nice images.

Cupola, Stars

Certainly not going to win many fans in this forum, or any Astro imaging awards, but pleasantly surprised at what was possible with such a small camera.

Night in the Berkshires