08 May 2011

Astrophotography Poll Results

A poll has been open for several months on the Knightware website that asks the simple question:

Do you do astronomical imaging?

The results are:

No, never: 21%

Yes, mostly webcam: 7%

Yes, mostly DSLR: 42%

Yes, mostly dedicated CCD: 28%

Yes, film camera: 0%

It is surprising to me that DSLR usage came in first. It is a very accessible imaging device and this must account for its top ranking. Dedicated CCD is the most popular device among my own astro-imaging friends, but obviously not among astro-imagers in general.

The last place finisher is film camera. That is really no surprise. My Nikon FM2 hasn't been used for years on anything, much less astrophotography. I keep it for archival black & white work - just in case.

I expected higher usage of webcams. Most of my imaging friends don't do much webcam work, but I have seen some outstanding results from the few that do. Based on the views we are having of Saturn lately, maybe the webcams need to come out and play!