Nikon D80 astrophotography setup

[Chris Crossman (Chris)]

Hi All,

Just curious as to what a decent setup would be with a budget of up to $3500. I'm after something that could be used for DSO and planet photography.

I've read that the mount is pretty important and I like the EQ6PRO, so I would most likely get that one.

I'm not sure which telescope to get though. I found some options listed below, but I'm not sure which would be best for imaging?
1. GSO 6" f/9 Ritchey-Chretien telescope $1499
2. BD-N300 300mm x 1500mm Newtonian reflector $1399
3. Megrez 110 ED APO f/5.9 Doublet OTA package $1699

[Octane (Humayun)]

Chris,

First off, welcome to IceInSpace, the best web site in the world.

You might want to throw in a second-hand modified Canon 350D (about $500 nowadays, I'd imagine), as the Nikon's aren't really any good for astrophotography. Their noise characteristics make them a little unsuitable.

Things may have changed in the last couple of years, but, you'll find the majority of DSLR astrophotographers stick to Canon equipment.

I probably wouldn't spend the money on the GSO RC; wait and see for others to post images who've got that particular scope. You might find that you've just wasted your money on unproven technology. I'd say, spend less, and purchase a widefield scope such as an ED80 to get to grips with imaging. You might find you like the wider vistas. If you feel that you need more aperture for demanding work, then upgrade to an 8"+ reflector. Starting off with long focal length imaging might just end up in tears.

Of the telescopes you've listed, I'd go with the Megrez. William Optics makes beautiful telescopes, and, you can't go wrong with an ED APO. There's a few people on this forum who own that telescope, they might be able to chime in and point you to images that they've taken with it.

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Humayun

[Chris Crossman (Chris)]

Humayun,

Thanks for the reply.

I do a lot of normal photography and have a few nikon lenses, so changing to canon is not likely to happen. There is a possibility of upgrading to a nikon D700 in the future which should be a lot better than the D80. Also upgrading to a dedicated astrophotography CCD is also a possibility.

The Megrez looks like it has good build quality and a good focuser, its also small so transporting it is not an issue. It does have a relatively short focal length, so how would it go on more distant objects like saturn?