Please help

[djeuro1981]

Ok,

Before I begin I know this question has been asked god knows how many times, but I am wanting answers for myself so I no what path to take,

Ok I have been into photography for maybe 3/4 months now and all I have been taking pictures of is the moon and the night sky as there is just something about it that makes me smile, I spoke to a colleague of mine and was told I should buy a telescope as you can see a lot more with that and also once I strap on my DSLR canon 60D I will get some amazing photos "so I have been told"

I'm really interested in taking detailed shots of the moon + filming its craters with the Full HD video recorder built into my DSLR, Also id love to take pictures of Deep space "if I can" and (Jupiter , Mars , Saturn etc.)

I have been looking at a few Telescopes and still have no clue what to get as I don't no if its better to go with a telescope that has a BIG (Aperture and Focal Length or does that stuff not matter) ???

Please help as I am only looking at spending around $500-$600 on my first scope, Also should I buy separate Barlow Eye pieces also or just use what I get at first??

Kind Regards

Shane

[mental4astro]

Hey Shane,

Mate, don't despair. There are many ways that scopes can be used to give great images, and they don't need to be expensive. Even a dob can be used to create fantastic photos of the Moon and planets. There's a couple of great articles written on this very topic in the "Projects and Articles" heading in the left margin. You can then start with just a modest dob, and as your experience, confidence and bank balance grows you can decide if you pursue further the astro photography part, or keep things as they are.

Not sure what scope to get? I suggest you go to a local astro club or other star party and see what these things look like, how they work, how simple or complicated they are, and what they cost. There is no single perfect all round scope. Every scope is a compromise somewhere, and other aspects are a trade-off. Astro clubs are listed under the "Our Community" heading in the left margin. Other star parties and informal gatherings are noted in the Star Parties forum. Two popular monthly informal gatherings around Sydney happen at the Pony Club at Mangrove Mountain, north of Sydney, and at Katoomba Airfield, west of Sydney. Both are noted in the Star Parties forum.

I have some 6 different scopes. Each does a particular thing well, and I use them like wise. While my niche within astro is visual and sketching, the only "imaging" I do is with an astronomy video camera plugged into a cheap little Newtonian, and show galaxies to folks under urban skies. It's a simple rig, and all I need from imaging. Otherwise its all pencil and paper stuff for me, :) .

Mental.

[ourkind]

All good sound advice :thumbsup:

[elfinke]

G'day Shane,

I won't offer any advice re: which scope to buy, there are others with more experience who have (and will) share that advice to you.

Instead, I want to share this 20 minute video, of some deep space photography without the aid of a telescope or tracking gear or anything like that. It's just a dude, his camera and a tripod.

Depending on what you're interest actually is with your impressive DSLR, you may find that with a decent tripod, lens and (lots of) patience you might be able to take the photos you're interested in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0JSTF8SGi4