Here is an image of the spectacular Comet Hale Bopp. It was taken with a Pentax SLR camera using a normal Kodak Gold 400 film. Proof perhaps that astro photography is possible without any expensive extras. Obviously I used a tripod.
The first photograph was taken on Sunday 6th April at about 22.20 GMT. It was shot at Wimbledon Common in London. I took a number of shots with a standard 50mm lens, all at different exposures ranging from 10 to 20 seconds. I also varied the aperture. A hit and miss job. This was the best of the bunch.
To see a full screen size image of this photograph (which you can also download as desktop wallpaper) please click here.
The second photograph is a close-up of a 300mm telephoto lens shot taken at the same time. This time the aperture was fully open. It would appear that a 10 second exposure reveals little or no planetary movement.
Jimi King