Do you Really Want to Take an Astro Image Tonight?

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Under discussion today was .........
"What is the optimum amount of equipment needed to start taking good basic images eg m42, m45, m8 etc?"

This was the list we came up with.

HEQ5Pro
Imaging scope ed80
Guide scope
Guide camera
Imaging camera DSLR
Laptop
Processing software eg cs3 or pixinsight
Reticle
Dew Control
SBS plate
Power supply (mount and dew control)
USB port
USB ext lead
Filters (light pollution)
Field Flattener
Batteries for camera or 240 power supply

This lots ends up costing around about $7000 new.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

'Holy DSO imaging' Batman!

Certainly adds up fast!

Thanks jj.
And that's a very basic outfit.
Stepping up to a better mount and a CCD can double that!

Makes basic planetary imaging seem cheap in comparison.
A Dob and a Toucam for a few hundred bucks. Plus a lappy with Registax.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

'Holy DSO imaging' Batman!

Certainly adds up fast!

Thanks jj.
And that's a very basic outfit.
Stepping up to a better mount and a CCD can double that!

Makes basic planetary imaging seem cheap in comparison.
A Dob and a Toucam for a few hundred bucks. Plus a lappy with Registax.

Can you list and add them up for us Ken?

[RobF (Rob)]

Warning Will Robinson!!
Newt Fanboy has entered the room!

I reckon you can get that down with a decent reflector to around a bit over $5000 though JJJ. FL a bit longer so a bit more effort guiding and smaller FOV (advantage and disadvantage you could argue). You can see a lot more when you go visual too.....

Say:

HEQ/sw600 $1,600
Finder guider $100
QHY5 $350
DSLR $1200
Camera power $200
Laptop $650
Software $350 (PI only)
Power supply $80
MPCC $300
Adaptors $100
Filters $400

TOTAL $5,330


I may have gone under the PC, software, power supply, batteries etc you had in mind of course......
Still think you can do very respectable work with this sort of rig.

You've certainly got enough imaging grunt with either set up to be able to take some great photos and find out if its all for you.....

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Extremely basic lunar/planetry imaging

Dob - $399
Toucam, Neximage etc. (or suitable webcam) - $199
Cheap Netbook or PC - $399
Registax - FREE

Total - Under $1000

Or simple Afocal:
Dob - $399
Point & Shoot Happysnap camera - $120

Total - Approx $520

But DSO's are the way to go

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

A lot of us started off with a dobbie and happy snap camera.

[that_guy (Tony)]

The rig i had when i took my first DSO pic was just HEQ5, Canon 30D and EQ80 which adds up to just over 1500... all used equipment i got a good bargain

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

A lot of us started off with a dobbie and happy snap camera.

Yep, and it was fun

I encourage beginners to try it

[Astroman (Andrew Wall)]

Funny, I thought it was reasonably cheap getting into DSO imaging the first time, this time though, seems like I a climbing a steep hill with no relief in sight...

[mill (Martin)]

Well if i would have to start from scratch again i would buy the good stuff and be done wasting money.

[h0ughy (David)]

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

Under discussion today was .........
"What is the optimum amount of equipment needed to start taking good basic images eg m42, m45, m8 etc?"

This was the list we came up with.

HEQ5Pro
Imaging scope ed80
Guide scope
Guide camera
Imaging camera DSLR
Laptop
Processing software eg cs3 or pixinsight
Reticle
Dew Control
SBS plate
Power supply (mount and dew control)
USB port
USB ext lead
Filters (light pollution)
Field Flattener
Batteries for camera or 240 power supply

This lots ends up costing around about $7000 new.

mmm and if you run a couple of rigs and a home dome it soon adds up

[danielsun]

Originally Posted by mill

Well if i would have to start from scratch again i would buy the good stuff and be done wasting money.

Not wrong! I think we have all spent a fortune starting out with small dobs or refractors then experimenting by putting a camera up to the EP then stage by stage buying accessories to take that pic until you finally end up with a full imaging set up worth $$$$$.
I think it's all part of the natural stages you go through with this hobby.

Originally Posted by h0ughy

mmm and if you run a couple of rigs and a home dome it soon adds up

Not to mention the labour that goes into it too !

[robz (Robert)]

Let's remember those amateur atronomers from all over the world on many different forums that have ditched astrophotography..............for a reason

Commonly, they had a guts full of spending large sums of money,many cold lonely nights and many unsucessful attempts to image a galaxy or nebula despite doing the right thing by the book and good advice from their forum members.

These are the people that have sold off their gear and gone back to OBSERVING which we have all had the pleasure of doing since we were kids.

Taking pictures of objects that have been photographed a million times by others seems pointless to them..............and rightfully so?...............maybe??

[Bassnut (Fred)]

Originally Posted by robz

Let's remember those amateur atronomers from all over the world on many different forums that have ditched astrophotography..............for a reason

Commonly, they had a guts full of spending large sums of money,many cold lonely nights and many unsucessful attempts to image a galaxy or nebula despite doing the right thing by the book and good advice from their forum members.

These are the people that have sold off their gear and gone back to OBSERVING which we have all had the pleasure of doing since we were kids.

Taking pictures of objects that have been photographed a million times by others seems pointless to them..............and rightfully so?...............maybe??

Bit harsh .

Other than 20" odd app in dark skies, urban viewing is pretty ordinary, same 5 objects you can actually see every night? (although I agree the experience can be exceptional.....once).

Astrophotography is not just another pic of a done-that object, its the way it was done and the way it looks that time, albiet often only a technical/processing variation. Its often the sheer difficulty of the excerise that tickle those that appreciate the effort, there are many aspects that are of interest, many purely artistic or technical.

I dont really know why, but optical viewing, even in dark skies gets a bit ho hum after a while. Nice to do in spurts, to remind one of right now reality .

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I've got a love/hate relationship going with the learning curve.
The fiddly little technical bits, the art of processing, learning the ins and outs of your equipment.
I love it when it all comes together, I hate wasting an entire night of clear dark skies trying to get everything working together (especially when it was all ok the night before and you haven't changed or touched a thing)
Most of all I LOVE that I can look at image hanging on my wall and say to myself "I took that". What a feeling!!

[Terry B]

Originally Posted by Bassnut

Bit harsh .

Other than 20" odd app in dark skies, urban viewing is pretty ordinary, same 5 objects you can actually see every night? (although I agree the experience can be exceptional.....once).

Astrophotography is not just another pic of a done-that object, its the way it was done and the way it looks that time, albiet often only a technical/processing variation. Its often the sheer difficulty of the excerise that tickle those that appreciate the effort, there are many aspects that are of interest, many purely artistic or technical.

I dont really know why, but optical viewing, even in dark skies gets a bit ho hum after a while. Nice to do in spurts, to remind one of right now reality .

Might be a bit harsh but probably reality.
I live under pristine dark skies and can see a lifetime of deep sky objects with an 8" scope but still I take pics.
I have certainly become very bored with spending many hours to take a pretty pic of a common deep sky object to process, post and essentially forget.
That is why I started doing photometry. Still extending the boundaries of imaging but creating a more useful outcome.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Personally, I like the challenge. A large part of his hobby to me is solving the technical and logistical problems in achieving the results I want to see. Whether or not someone has done it better or faster does not matter. Solving the problem is the target and the more it involves the basic ATM pilosophy the better. With limited resources (in more ways than one) it becomes an exercise to find another solution and still win.

[RobF (Rob)]

I guess I'm a Fred sort of guy most of the time. I'm still happily surprised how much of a kick I get out of all the tweaking and adjusting when it all comes together and WORKS. My fav nights have been a mixture of both though. Beautiful dark sky site, gear WORKING (temporarily ), then heading off to hang out with the visual guys hoping to steal a look down a mega dob somewhere. Helps if you can smell donuts too - now I know why people like the SPSP.....

When I win the lotto and move to my country estates, perhaps a couple of imaging rigs in my observatory, along with a big dob (and one for friends) to go visual while my scopes suck down photons following their programs set during the day (to be processed next day if I feel like it).....

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

When I win the lotto and move to my country estates, perhaps a couple of imaging rigs in my observatory, along with a big dob (and one for friends) to go visual while my scopes suck down photons following their programs set during the day (to be processed next day if I feel like it).....

You need to come up here one weekend Rob and see what I'm up to. Sounds right up your alley

[RobF (Rob)]

Yes, I'm still looking forward to getting up there sometime Paul. I'd love to be able to just listen to what an Astrophysics mount sounds like slewing.....

You (and Ron) have it made living in that beautiful part of the world. I was up that way on hols before XMAS and we ended up wandering in to the S of the Kenilworth road (Gold Ck rd?) and through Yandina, past Cooloolabin dam, then up the dirt rd to Mapleton, over the back down into the Obi Obi country. Just stunning countryside. Great to see it so green, but I'm sure you're looking forward to getting the rd sorted out this year sometime.

This Sat looking pretty dodgey again