Re: [APML] Astrophotography 2004 - Price Shock Horror

[stephen pitt <lthuedk@pe.net>]

I understand, Chris.  I was at the RTMC, as well, and stayed long enough 
for my presentation plus two hours to visit some friends.  A quick, 
painless hit.

The sight of a forty-thousand dollar OTA made me cast my eyes downward. 
  I do understand.

My step towards digital has been modest: a $1500 Canon 10D that gets me 
decent APs, wildlife images, and commercial work.  Astrophotography is 
still a hobby for me, and little more.  Thats enough.

I realized a few years back, that large, expensive scopes, mounts, and 
cooled cameras were well beyond my means.  That the hobby slid towards 
affluence has been unfortunate, since it took beyond the reach of the 
most capable sensibilities many of the highest-end work products.

Money now makes pretty pictures, not skill.  Somehow, knowing this has 
not made me resentful, only wise.  My background in Fine Art proved to 
me long ago that pictures don't begin with money, but ideas.

So, I'll manually guide my GM8 during the long cold nights, then hurry 
home, sleep deprived, to anxiously turn the computer on to process my 
modest images; because, its still a hobby for me.  My borrowed, 4" scope 
somehow is enough, even with the memory of the glitz and reality of RTMC.

Best regards,

Stephen Pitt


Chris Schur wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> The all too depressing financial reality set in for me
> this weekend at the RTMC from the current trends I am
> seeing in the amateur skyshooters options.  A decade
> ago, you could take a home made mounting, a less than
> a hundred dollar 35m SLR, and a 3 buk roll of film and
> with a lot of care and patience, get stunning images
> that could rank up there with the best
> astrophotograhers, and get those images published in
> the magazines.  
> Now all of that has changed.  Exept for mine, all of
> the talks this year were centered on digital or CCD
> imageing.  Must-have gear includes the $4000 to $8000
> ccd cameras, a new $12K mount because that mount that
> worked so well with film isnt good enough anymore, and
> of course a complete digital darkroom wtih the
> software alone costing more than the 35mm SLR was.  
> Dont get me wrong, I do like to see the hobby
> advancing, but to now the playing field is no longer
> level - highly skilled astrophotographers can no
> longer compete on the world playing field without
> being very well to do financially as well.  This was
> painfully apparent when most of the old time friends,
> which were the best of the best film photographers
> only what seems a short while ago simply can no longer
> afford a fraction of the gear needed to show off thier
> SKILLS.  
> 
> The trend that seems to be geling is that most imagers
> of today must be both competent in both making money
> as well as have the rudiments of sky shooting skills. 
> 
> I love change, but is this really fair? 
> 
> Any comments ?
> 
> 
> 	
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