p.1 #1 · Astrophotography - help buy a telescope please
Hi Group,
I remember a while ago seeing lots of great astrophotography stuff on here and having chats with some of those individuals but I can not remember who they are ☹
A good friend of mine is wanting get a telescope I have suggested that a GPS enabled one would be a start and there may well be a requirement to take images of what he sees at some point down the track.
The question he has is what should he be looking for in a telescope and what are the good brands, what is a good starting point for him. Knowing the level of quality he looks for, I would say that he isn’t necessarily looking for the budget option here but that doesn’t mean silly money either.
Can probably do without the SLR mount right now but it would be nice for him to have the option to add a mount at some point.
Can anyone help me or point me to forum members who could?
p.1 #2 · Astrophotography - help buy a telescope please
Most would be in agreement that when it comes to Astronomy and Astrophotography it is mount first , optical tube second. Purchase the best quality Computerized ( Go-To) German Equatorial Mount you can afford. This will usually mean a investment in the $2,000.00 and up range and then an optical tube assembly of your choice. The OT could be a Refractor, Reflector or Schmit-Cassagrain. Other OT designs are available but are expensive. The later mentioned OT's will vary on a wide range of cost based on quality. With astronomy equipment..........you get only what you pay for.
This hobby can be great fun DSLR's and web cams along with freeware offered for processing has opened many doors for Astrophotography by the backyard amateur. Build a backyard observatory to cover your gear and away you go.......
p.1 #4 · Astrophotography - help buy a telescope please
I looked at the Celstron 8 and 6 series last weekend. The kit does not come with a wedge mount - which means that it cannot track for long, for pictures. So either the Celstron 3 - which includes a wedge or an upgrade to Wedge with Celstron 8 or don't expect long pictures. However, it is a great starter kit for short pictures.
I am debating a german equatorial mount with a refractor but I am still reading.
I bought the astrotrac and am going to experiment with that for a while before moving back to the telescope idea.
