FOMO regarding optional kit

[CodySyd]

Hey everyone,


I'm pretty new to all this and am suffering a bit of 'fear of missing out' when it comes to buying accessories. Dealing with computer equipment I'm used to owning something for 2 years then being unable to purchase any of the original accessories. It seems like astro-gear has a much greater lifespan, but I'm concerned I won't be able to get the extras when I want them.


Especially with brand specific things, in particular at the moment I'm thinking of the equatorial wedge for my Celestron SCT. I definitely don't need it yet but I already see it out-of-stock at Bintel, is it something I should chase down, or are these sort of things long-lived?


Thanks for any advice, I'm well over budget already :)

[raymo]

You are quite right, astro gear does indeed have a much greater lifespan;
there are many mounts and some scopes in use out there 30-40yrs old, and
a smaller number older than that. Accessories similarly have a long production life, and there is a thriving classifieds section here too.
Bintel will be short of stock because of covid, as are all other importers of
astro gear.
Regarding an equatorial wedge for your SCT, I'm assuming that you want to do some photography. SCTs are the worst possible choice for
beginners unless you want high magnification for planetary/ lunar work. They are very slow photographically, necessitating long exposures, and due to their great focal length are much harder to guide accurately, and also have a narrow field of view so that only parts of larger targets can be photographed at any one time.
raymo

[AdamJL]

Yeah this is unlike other hobbies. The same telescope can be in production for 20 years with no improvements. You’re fine. Buy when you need not for FOMO

[CodySyd]

Thanks, that helps calm my nerves.. I didn't really think about Covid. Silly me. If I don't have to rush to snap up parts I find when they're available, I will stop being swamped with kit I don't know how to use yet! I have enough of that..

[Reilly1502]

I had the exact same problem when I started out! I ended up buying too much gear to quickly and making my learning curve steeper than it needed to be. Spent ages trying to play catch up, you'll also probably change your mind multiple times which is better to do before buying the toys. For example I really wanted a wedge but a few months later decided to get an EQ mount instead which would've been expensive had I decided to buy the wedge when I saw it.