A step in the right direction.

[Dribbles182]

Howdy all!

My name's David, I currently live in Mackay on the central QLD coast. I'm an avid photographer and extremely amateur astronomer. It's more of a love interest at the moment. Lately I've been finding myself standing out under the stars late at night with my tripod set up and 550D pointed to the heavens snapping any shots I can that I see as being half interesting.

I've had an interest in science, astronomy and the universe for a long time and though a lot of the numbers behind it (and theories) go over my head I still appreciate it for the beautiful being that it is.

I want to try my hand at astrophotography. I've been reading any article I can get my greedy mitts on lately but I think it's all left me a little bewildered and confused. There's so much to take in and terms and phrases that aren't explained, science behind apertures and focal lengths and different types of scopes + filters and attachments for my camera.

I have a few basic questions that I'd greatly appreciate if they could be answered by you fine folk:

Is it true that cassegrain telescopes are the best design for photography?

Are there any telescopes that are recommended for beginners?

Should I purchase the scope through a local chain retailer or order it off the net (and save a few $100 it seems)?

I apologise for this being my first post but I want to get involved in this as soon as I can but I don't want to rush in and make a purchase I regret. My budget is $1,000 give or take, with the ability to gradually obtain accessories over time. Though initially I'd just love to have a scope and mount that I can observe through. I figure I'd just like to have some "alone" time with the scope before I try and complicate things by attaching the camera. BTW am a fit and able young man if I do say so myself so weight of scope + portability isn't a HUGE factor.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time. :)

[Dribbles182]

For the sake of sharing I meant to upload a pic I captured last night just using my 550D with a Tamron 18-270mm lens. Focal length 270mm, .15s exp, f/10, ISO 100, shot in raw with tweaking to brightness, contrast and sharpness. (:

[barx1963]

Hi David and a big :welcome: to IIS!
You are certainly doing the right thing by asking for advice before spending $$$. The moon shot is very good BTW and just shows what can be done without specialised astro gear.
Unfortunately $1000 is a fairly small budget for getting into imaging but the good news is it will go a long way for Visual use. A 12" dob can be picked up for well under that figure and that will keep you happily observing for years.
Please bear in mind that imaging gear and visual gear are largely exclusive. Almost all serious visual observers use large Dobsonions these, and when I say large I mean as large as they can afford, if your budget only runs to an 8", then that will still give you views of thousands of objects.
I would suggest you research clubs in your area or any astro camps coming up that you can get to. Once you see some of the gear actually being used it all makes a lot more sense.

Malcolm

[Nortilus]

Hi David, Im from mackay also. There is a small group of us there that try to get together every now and then to do some observing/chin waging. Look up tropical stargazers and you shall find us.
Oh, and i have just spend alot of $$$ on getting gear for astrophotography. but with $1000 you should be able to get a great scope on a dobsion mount. Bigger is better by the way...so get as big as you can afford.

[midnight]

Welcome David!

Invest in a good scope. In the years I have been observing, the only thing I still have after all this time is my trusty scope and I'm glad I went for the best scope I could buy at the time (the mount is average and I've since upgraded).

Good luck and it's also amazing what you can do with just a DSLR + lense and a simple tripod without any astro gear (star trails, wide fields in a dark sky etc).

Darrin...

[Dribbles182]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'll be heading back to Mackay this afternoon and will drop into the local shop to have a look at what they have and see what they'd recommend for the money I have and what I want to use it for. They had a 12'' dobsonian at one point for a bit over $1,000 I'm pretty sure. Though I had no idea if this is at all compatible with my camera and a T mount. The photography part may have to wait for a bit as I just really want to get my hands on a scope.

Is astrophotography really that expensive to get into? I had a look at the Tropical Stargazers group. (: I do roster work and am only in Mackay 80% of the time, the other 20% is spent in Bowen sadly with nothing in the way of astronomy groups as far as I can tell.

Thanks midnight, Yeh I'll definitely be getting the best scope I can buy! :D

[barx1963]

Yes Astrophotography is usually expensive, but like anything else, you can do some things a bit cheaper. As metioned to do star trails all you need is a fixed tripod and a caera that allows the shuuter to be held open for long periods.
Another option is to buy a simple EQ mount, a basic scope, piggyback a camera with a 50mm prime lense and learn to hand guide - very cheap and can produce interesting widefields, but you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time hand guiding in the cold dark night:shrug:
For most imaging work a good mount is essential and the minimum would probably be an EQ6 Pro style mount which is going to set you back $1500+, add to that a scope, guidescope, guide camera, software, laptop, cables, adaptors, focusers, power supplies etc.... and that assumes you are using a DSLR as your camera. If you get dedicated astro cameras they start at around $2000 and head north from there and may also need filters and filter wheels.

Best advice is get the biggest dobsonion you can afford and handle, enjoy it and if the astro bug really bites then have a look at imaging.

Malcolm

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup:Nice photo David , , one word of advise that I think every one here understands ......:) Watch out for the upgrade bug ! she bites hard in the wallet :eyepop:But mate enjoy it ,,its a cool hobby .
One who has been bitten ,,( many times)
Brian.

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup:Really good advise Malcolm . Get out and enjoy the beauty.
Brian .

[ZeroID]

Hi Malcolm and :welcome:to the edge of the $$$ pit.I am just getting into astroimaging myself and ignoring exchange rates I have already spent the best part of $4000 (NZ) and still not taken a decent picture or bought a serious astrocamera. It's all gone on an EQ6 mount, rebuilding my 10" DOB to a Serrurier truss, Finders and guidescopes, and various other important hardware and bits. And I am lucky in having a ready supply of PC equipment free, a decent workshop, and a reasonably good DSLR and lenses. Next is the tin shed observatory and more software and work.

But it's all been great fun and a real challenge to get this far. The help on here has been amazing with advice and encouragement so hang in there, don't try to go too fast. This astronomy thing takes some getting to grips with and imaging is a whole new ball park in itself.

Cheers
Brent :D