Thanks, I'll try and give a bit more information. Please be patient with me as I am just an enthusiastic newb.
I have some good DSLR equipment :
Sony A65 (this has the interesting electronic viewfinder, where I can see what the camera will actually see)
2 particularly good decent lenses, which I am not sure are particularly good for astrophotography however, we will see (my A65 is away for adjustment at the moment).
Minolta 100mm f/2.8 AF Macro and the Minolta 28-135 f/4 Secret Handshake, a particularly good lens, again, not sure how good for astrophotography, if anything, probably only for some lunar shots. That's why I want a telescope.
I have the equipment for long exposure (shutter remote). I know a little about noise reduction, but need to learn about techniques to improve image quality. I generally shoot in RAW.
I have some books (Turn Left at Orion, Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe).
I have a carbon fibre tripod 1.5m
So that covers the DSLR side of it.
From my research (much of it from here
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/SCOPES.HTM), I figure the following
But then, what newb really knows what they want
- thus the reason I am here, right?)
I am a rank beginner. I have perhaps $400-600 to spend now, but am patient and can build up what he has, or wait for a longer time if more is really needed. I don't want to buy something that immediately loses its value, as if I just don't get into it, I will need to sell it and I prefer a market to exist where I won't lose too much. I don't mind getting one thing and then waiting for the next (staggered purchasing), if I am still interested, so I guess a big initial bang for my buck is a good idea to sustain interest. Anything I can do to dual-purpose the equipment for general photography would be especially cool.
My interest is in general astrophotography (exploring) and it would be nice to see some deep sky objects, though I live in an area of light pollution (Logan/Brisbane) (Do I want a Light Pollution clip-on Filter?).
I prefer to specialise in astrophotography and observe occasionally.
Portability is a big deal. I need to be able to carry it around, and I don't want to be lugging massive equipment around or have me hating the setup so much I do nothing down the track, which would be a shame.
It seems a refractor telescope between 60-100mm is about right.
I am thinking a gadget (goto) might be 'cool', but I am wondering how expensive some satisfactory tracking options might cost for long exposures.
I guess I will need a 'Sirius mount' as opposed to an equatorial one?. I have heard a HEQ5 Pro (at $1395?!!!! hahahaha!!!) or EQ6 (at $2000?!!) is good, but I swear I will not spend that much on a mount. Ever. It needs to be lightweight enough to move around easily, and I need a budget sensible option.
