Beginner astrophotography question :D

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hey all, been doing some reading and sorta wanna have a go at astrophotography...

so my question is, what would be the most basic things needed to begin astrophotography, and what would be the minimum that i would have to spend?

thanks

[Moon (James)]

Hello Amneesh
If you have a camera, a tripod and perhaps a remote control for the camera, you can do widefield star trails and timelapse movies. That would be the minimum.
If you are on a really tight budget, have a look at CHDK.
James

[A23649 (Nathan)]

Welcome to IIS,
Like yourself i just started and have been wanting to have a go. To do even basic Astrophotography you will need an equatorial mount, a telescope and of course a camera. Looking at mounts, the most basic ones with the motors and tracking are the basic level Skywatcher mounts. Even though they are basic they can still be quite expensive, around the $1000 mark. mounts are one of the most needed thing to do it. Then looking at telescopes have a look at some of the Newtonian reflectors, they're the best value for your money. They normally cost around the $500 mark. Then finally the camera. Now before you go out and by a new astronomical camera (CCD ones) find some adapters and a basic DSLR camera, around $800, that way if you end up not liking it you have a DSLR camera as a consolation prize.

The best bet is to join your local astronomical society and see what some of the other members have. If you still want to get the stuff check the classifieds as there are bargains a plenty and they generally have stuff that is a little old and worn but still fantastic. the total cost is maybe around $2300.


cheers nathan

[RobF (Rob)]

Do you have any gear at the moment Amneesh, or do any visual astronomy?

[CarlJoseph (Carl)]

G'day Amneesh. Welcome to the forums!

There are a heap of ways you can get into astrophotography before going to a huge expense. Here are some ideas I'll throw into the mix for you ...

DSLR, tripod, remote
$500 - $1000
Great for nice widefield shots and general night photography too. The remote is a must have as it will enable you to fire the camera trigger without introducing any shake/movement. You can get some amazing still shots or create some very interesting star trails behind wonderful landscapes.


DSLR, a tripod, remote, barndoor tracker
$1000 - $1200
A barndoor tracker is a very simple way to get into longer exposures without the expense of an equitorial mount. There are heaps of plans online or you might be able to buy a ready made one too.


DSLR, remote, dobsonian scope
$1000 - $1700
Yes. I said it right. You don't need an EQ mount to take astro photos. Lately I have seem some quite amazing photographs taken through a dob mounted scope. They're much cheaper than an EQ mount and a great way to get started. You're limited by the length of your exposure but there is plenty you can do with a heaps of 30-60 second sub-exposures.


DSLR, remote, equitorial mount, scope
$2400 - $4000+
This is the usual set-up for astrophotography. It's a lot of kit, but if you're comfortable spending the money, then definitely go for it. It takes a little time to get organised and learn how to use it all but once you figure it out, the results are pretty much limitless.


Hope this helps a little.

Cheers,
Carl