Hello everyone. I'm a software developer by trade and generally muck around a lot with computers (assembling my own, etc).
I've been lurking for a little while on this forum, reading bits and pieces for here and elsewhere thinking it might reduce the confusion a bit! At times I think it does, but other times - maybe not.
My main aim is to dive into astrophotography more - trying to cover as many fields as possible although I'll probably skip Solar for a long time. I've dabbled over time with my old Canon EOS 30D camera on a basic fixed tripod, but I'd like to go beyond its limitations and do a lot more.
I'm in the process of putting together a shopping list of gear that I'd like to get. While I believe I have the funds for my budget, I'm not planning to buy everything at once. I'm hoping it will be possible to incrementally add the items and get familiar with each as I go. Whether this is feasible or not, I'm sure someone will let me know.
As I'm a computer geek, I'll be leaning towards a heavily computer based/automated system for this setup (I'm aiming to use Linux and Android only if possible - I've (mostly) got suitable hardware for this already). I'm quite used to fiddling around with hardware and software to get things done, so this side of things will not be daunting to me at all.
My current plan is to get a new camera first. It will be a Canon EOS as I've already got a number of lens to use. I'm leaning towards a 60Da at this time as it seems to be tailored for Astrophotography. I notice the 6D is a similar price though with a newer system in it - but isn't tailored specifically for Astrophotography (would it need to be modified?).
From there, I was thinking of getting an equatorial mount (maybe a Skywatcher NEQ6 Pro?) so I can take longer exposures with the tracking - however do I need a telescope on it to do polar alignment? Can I set it up with the camera only?
Assuming the above is possible I'll be able to get used to it and mess around with the computer side of things for control, navigation, etc, before progressing to a scope.
For the scope, I've read enough to convince myself that a refractor is the way to go. Still deciding on what, but my "on paper" favourite at this time is the Skywatcher Black Diamond ED120. Good size, reasonable F ratio, etc.
While I've mentioned some specific items above, I'm open to suggestions to other options. I also know there's some extra "kit" required - adaptor from camera to telescope, power supply, anti-dew, etc.
I've read about auto-guiding as well - I suspect that would be the next step after getting familiar with the scope, yes?
Finally, while I live in Brisbane, the wife and I do a bit of traveling around especially to Girraween National Park. I was there just recently and while there was a limited viewing window because of the clouds, what I saw was fantastic and the place was quite dark. I plan to go back there with whatever setup I get to hopefully get some decent shots.