As someone who is relatively new to astronomy, I have developed a keen interest in astrophotography, particularly in the photography of deep sky objects (DSOs) such as galaxies and nebulae. I’ve been doing some research on the topic and playing about with my DSLR on a simple tripod, but I think it’s time to make a more substantial investment. I was hoping to receive some guidance from the community here regarding the construction of an astrophotography equipment suitable for DSOs that is beginner-friendly.
These are some ideas I have in mind:
Budget: I have between $1,500 and $2,000 to work with. Although I understand that this restricts my possibilities, I’m trying to find a setup that provides a decent trade-off between performance and cost.
Portability: I want to visit places with dark skies because I reside in a light-polluted location. As a result, convenience of setup and portability are crucial.
Mount Suggestions: I’ve heard that DSO astrophotography requires a good equatorial mount. Does anyone know of any dependable, reasonably priced options?
Type of Telescope: For astrophotography, I’ve seen recommendations for both reflectors and refractors. What would you suggest a novice try? For simplicity’s sake, should I start with a small refractor?
Camera: Is there a reasonably priced specialist astrophotography camera I should purchase, or should I continue using my DSLR for the time being?
Any guidance on certain models or brands would be very valued. I’m eager to absorb knowledge from your gen ai experience!
As someone who lives in a heavily light-polluted area, and who finds it difficult to travel, I want to put on the table the possibility for you to do some narrowband photography too.
Narrowband is something I didn’t always like, but it does allow you to enjoy your hobby in your backyard, more often. Broadband filters are usually good-ish for visual astronomers, but for astrophotography I’d avoid them.
Filters aside, if you already have a DSLR, consider small equatorial mounts like the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer, which will set you back only a few hundred dollars, is extremely portable, and will allow you to start with what you already have. Then you can move onto some Askar or RedCat refractors, which usually work very well with those small mounts.
Considering you already have a DSLR, you can get a set like this one for less than $1000. Then maybe add some filters, or upgrade when the time comes.
The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer, as Sebastian says, I would not buy. I am not saying anything about the device itself, but if you also want a telescope, you can’t do much with it. Invest in a good EQ mount, then you can go on for years. That was also the advice I got. I have a Sky-Watcher EQ6, but there are more of course. A telescope… well, it just depends on what you want to photograph. An astro camera is something you can wait a while with. I have photographed with my Canon EOS 7D for years and that works fine too. Also invest in a guide scope and camera. There are also a lot of astrophotography channels on YouTube that explain what you need as a beginner. I hope this helps a little.
Yeah regarding Rob’s suggestion about YouTube channels, some are really very good. If you haven’t found it already I highly recommend Nico Carver’s channel, which is @NebulaPhotos.
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