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I plan to take long exposure photos of the night sky, anywhere between 1-2 mins to 8-10 mins ( i will figure out the exact time through trial and error ).

Is there any specific precautions i should take purely for the safety of camera ?

I am not asking about tips to get good image quality ( using tripods, what aperture to usee, pick dark location, cloudless sky etc.).

I am also not asking about physical safety of the object ( falling over with wind, getting stolen etc. ) or about carrying spare batteries . I will be accounting for all these other issues.

I am talking purely about any possible damage to the mechanisms or working of the camera. Like maybe some harm to camera, due to shutter staying open for long, or sensor being exposed for long , or some other part/mechanism/electronics leading to some problem ( i have no idea what).

I am using Nikon D5600 with the default kit lens Nikkor AF-P 18-55 mm 1:3.5:5.6 G VR

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  • \$\begingroup\$ SHouldn't be any problem. If it were during the day you might have problems with UV affecting the sensor, but that's not a problem at night. Biggest concern might be condensation on/in lenses or electronics after bringing it back into a warm room from the cold outside. \$\endgroup\$
    – bob1
    Commented Jul 17, 2021 at 10:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ @bob1 Cool, cold is not a problem i think, where i am from, the temperature does not fall below 25 degrees at night. \$\endgroup\$
    – silverrahul
    Commented Jul 17, 2021 at 10:45
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    \$\begingroup\$ @silverrahul Condensation depends on relative humidity/temperatures. If you are in air-conditioned rooms, the advice may apply in reverse for going outside. \$\endgroup\$
    – user98068
    Commented Jul 17, 2021 at 11:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ @user98068 Okay, Thank you for that info. i am not in AC/heated or any kind of climate controlled room, so that wont be an issue. \$\endgroup\$
    – silverrahul
    Commented Jul 17, 2021 at 12:21

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Nope.

Your Nikon D5600 and most other recent digital cameras are designed to be able to take very long exposures in settings such as you describe.

There are a few things to be aware of that can harm the camera, but long exposure astrophotography is not one of them. They're more other kinds of things such as:

  • Allowing a strong enough laser to shine through your camera's lens and onto the sensor can permanently damage it.
  • Pointing a high magnification lens (that is, a long focal length lens) at the sun when it is more than about 10-15 degrees above the horizon can permanently damage the lens and/or camera.

If you are in a very hot location and leave the sensor energized long enough for it to heat up to the point of potential damage, most current cameras have built-in safeguards that will shut the camera down until it has sufficiently cooled.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ " leave the sensor energized " What exactly does this mean ? When is the sensor said to be in an energised state ? \$\endgroup\$
    – silverrahul
    Commented Jul 18, 2021 at 4:53
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    \$\begingroup\$ @silverrahul Energized means it is turned on and current is flowing to it. When? That depends on the specific camera. In general, mirrorless cameras energize the sensor the entire time they are turned on, other than possibly when one is continuously reviewing images on the LCD for extended periods of time. For DSLRs with optical viewfinders, the sensor is energized from just before a photo is taken until just after it (or the last photo in a continuous burst) is taken, and not energized when the mirror has been down for more than anywhere from a fraction of a second to a few seconds. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Jul 19, 2021 at 22:34

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