Quote:
Originally Posted by Cimitar
Hi Adam, I agree with what others are saying, however just thought I'd add a different perspective based on my personal experience. In short, visual astronomy doesn't excite me. I owned a 5 inch scope and was disappointed/bummed with the experience. So I switched to a 16 inch dob expecting to see more (I live in a very dark site) and was still disappointed. I then bought better eyepieces, a UHC filter etc. to no avail. I enjoy nebula and galaxies the most, but they're called "faint fuzzies" for a reason!
So, I started doing some basic astrophotography with my DSLR and a $25 tripod. You can get 25sec subs using an 18mm lens, on ISO 6400 I was able to achieve some awesome images of the Milky Way (including colours in nebula via processing). I then sold my 16 inch and I've now gone down the path of a modest imaging telescope rig to chase my galaxies (I rarely do visual work). I still get out the trusty $25 tripod occasionally though to take some wide field shots! Have a look in the nightscapes image gallery to see what's possible.
Clear skies!
Cheers, Evan
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The one warning I can give with what Evan is suggesting... Once you catch the imaging bug your cash reserves just disappear before your very eyes
