View Single Post
  #20  
Old 05-08-2010, 05:01 PM
bmitchell82's Avatar
bmitchell82 (Brendan)
Newtonian power! Love it!

bmitchell82 is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Mandurah
Posts: 2,597
If your looking at astro photography a 10" dob when you have modified a few parts preforms extremely well. to the point where you wouldn't be able to pick that its of a low end dob variety unless you looked at it!

The NEQ6-w would be the absolute minimum that you could go for with a 10" even a 8" Newtonian. If you look at Skywatcher they use Pyrex glass which almost negates cool down time due to the low expansion.

If it was me i wouldn't bother with Go-to celestron scopes, sure they buzz around and sure you can see a few things but like it has already been said. What you pay gets divided between aperture and gizmo's. More aperature less gizmo's less aperature more gizmo's.

I myself own a 10" dobsonian that i have modified to work as a astrograph for astro photography

www.brendanmitchell.net/Project%20254
www.photobucket.com/brendanmitchell

Are examples of the 10" dobsonian (and a ED 80) with a Canon 40d. Also with my experience and though looking at people on this forum, if you are a keen photographer you will move away from visual generally in a speedy fashion. Not that you will forget about visual, just the camera holds a lot more.

Though in saying that, don't be fooled, astro photography isn't easy, as compared with the 1/1000th sec shots for day time, your integration time for a DSLR will generally be 10 min each exposure, and you will do that for 8 hrs. But is very satisfying when you get a good shot!

Good luck
Reply With Quote