New to astronomy - suggestions on gear within certain price range?

[Kronos]

Currently my sig other and I do a lot of photography. Mostly nature, mountains, wildlife, etc. My sig other has asked for a while now about getting a telescope. So as an anniversary gift I would like to get her something that allows clear photography capturing and possible tracking? Looking for a unit that will last years and not something you buy today and within a couple of years its falling apart etc.

The budget would be in the 2-3k range. Since I am new to this, can someone point me in the right direction? Since we live in the city it would have to be transported out to the country for viewing. So a portable type of setup is what we are looking for and not a firm fixture. Thanks!

[KathyNS]

Hi, Kronos. Welcome to TSS!

I am glad to see that your budget is reasonable. Astrophotography is not a cheap hobby! The most important piece of equipment is the mount. Basically, get the best mount you can afford and, if there is any money left over, buy a telescope to go on it. Do not buy an all-in-one kit: the mounts that come with packaged telescopes cannot support enough weight for astrophotography. You will need to buy them separately.

For a mount, you will need a tracking equatorial (EQ) mount. You can't do photography without one. The minimum I would recommend would be something in the 30 lb weight category. Specific models might be an HEQ5 or an AVX. Whatever weight the mount is rated for, aim to put no more than 50%-60% of that weight on it. The ratings are for visual astronomy; you generally have to de-rate the weight limit for astrophotography.

For a telescope, I would suggest a small (lightweight), fast refractor. Something like a 100mm f/5 scope. That will give you a forgiving focal length, and the speed necessary to collect a lot of photons. It also keeps it light, to stay within the 50%-60% guideline and for portability.

For a camera, your best bet for starting out is to use a DSLR. You will need a couple of adapters to mount the DSLR onto the scope.

[I took the liberty of moving your post the the Beginner Astrophotography Forum, where you will likely get more appropriate responses.]

[SkyHiker]

Welcome to the forum first of all!

I suppose you mean transportable not portable. You should be aware that "possible tracking" is not a possibility for "clear photography" but an absolute requirement. Be aware that astrophotography is not a matter of plunking the gear down and pressing a button. Learning astrophotography is hard work and generally takes a couple of years to learn.

The most critical part of the gear is the mount. Usually, beginners go with a Celestron AVX or an Orion Sirius. The astrophotography (AP) load is half of the advertised load. This limits the type of scope you can use. Refractors are the easiest to use. Apochromatic refractors are highly preferred. An AVX is nowadays $1K, an Explore Scientific 102 mm ED102 Apo goes for $1.2K, an ASI1600 color camera is $0.9K, an auto-guider plus guide scope or off-axis guider (OAG) will be about $0.4K, that is about the minimum for a standard package, $3.5K total. It is a significant investment and can lead to either painful frustration and failure, or a lot of outdoors enjoyment with star parties making friends. So, know what you are getting into.

If that is too much, there are also telescopes that are completely computerized. Just plunk them down, turn it on and monitor it on your cell phone.
Look for Vaonis for those kinds of telescopes. They used to be $4K or so but I see a new one for $2K.

[Kronos]

Thanks. Now does the camera have to be separate and specific for a telescope or can you use a nikon or canon dslr body? In addition, as mentioned, I am very new to this. The goal is to enjoy the hobby and be able to capture images. If anyone could expand on the info presented and perhaps offer a list of components, including mount, scope, etc. I would greatly appreciate it. Can some items be purchased used to allow more money to be spent on components that should be new (to stay within budget), does it matter, etc.? That way I can can get an idea of what is required and move forward with questions or alternatives. Thank you.

[Kronos]

Welcome to the forum first of all!

I suppose you mean transportable not portable. You should be aware that "possible tracking" is not a possibility for "clear photography" but an absolute requirement. Be aware that astrophotography is not a matter of plunking the gear down and pressing a button. Learning astrophotography is hard work and generally takes a couple of years to learn.

The most critical part of the gear is the mount. Usually, beginners go with a Celestron AVX or an Orion Sirius. The astrophotography (AP) load is half of the advertised load. This limits the type of scope you can use. Refractors are the easiest to use. Apochromatic refractors are highly preferred. An AVX is nowadays $1K, an Explore Scientific 102 mm ED102 Apo goes for $1.2K, an ASI1600 color camera is $0.9K, an auto-guider plus guide scope or off-axis guider (OAG) will be about $0.4K, that is about the minimum for a standard package, $3.5K total. It is a significant investment and can lead to either painful frustration and failure, or a lot of outdoors enjoyment with star parties making friends. So, know what you are getting into.

If that is too much, there are also telescopes that are completely computerized. Just plunk them down, turn it on and monitor it on your cell phone.
Look for Vaonis for those kinds of telescopes. They used to be $4K or so but I see a new one for $2K.

Thanks. Im trying to make this is as simple as possible land photography has taken us a while and lots of equipment. At this stage not trying to accumulate a lot of additional equipment for astrophotography. Just looking for something that she/both of us can setup on a clear night, enjoy some great views, planets etc. not just the moon, and take some good pics. Thanks.

[Kronos]

I should mention, I would like to weigh this investment/gift to simplicity. Thanks again.

[Kronos]

I see some reviews where the Vaonis may not be good for moon or planet shots?

[SkyHiker]

Thanks. Now does the camera have to be separate and specific for a telescope or can you use a nikon or canon dslr body? In addition, as mentioned, I am very new to this. The goal is to enjoy the hobby and be able to capture images. If anyone could expand on the info presented and perhaps offer a list of components, including mount, scope, etc. I would greatly appreciate it. Can some items be purchased used to allow more money to be spent on components that should be new (to stay within budget), does it matter, etc.? That way I can can get an idea of what is required and move forward with questions or alternatives. Thank you.

There is a flourishing 2nd hand market. I would sign up for Cloudy Nights and check their classifieds section, also AstroMart. I believe you have to pay for that (I never have) but it may very well be worth the relatively tiny investment. You can also try Craigslist and EBay if you can see through the scams. It's a place where sometimes you can see a nice dump of inherited gear that people don't know what to do with. Another possibility is a local astro club. Aside from the fact that they can offer advice and will let you look through their gear on star parties, they often have a bunch of donated telescopes that can be had for a bargain. Almost any component can be had in such places.

[SkyHiker]

Welcome to the forum first of all!

I suppose you mean transportable not portable. You should be aware that "possible tracking" is not a possibility for "clear photography" but an absolute requirement. Be aware that astrophotography is not a matter of plunking the gear down and pressing a button. Learning astrophotography is hard work and generally takes a couple of years to learn.

The most critical part of the gear is the mount. Usually, beginners go with a Celestron AVX or an Orion Sirius. The astrophotography (AP) load is half of the advertised load. This limits the type of scope you can use. Refractors are the easiest to use. Apochromatic refractors are highly preferred. An AVX is nowadays $1K, an Explore Scientific 102 mm ED102 Apo goes for $1.2K, an ASI1600 color camera is $0.9K, an auto-guider plus guide scope or off-axis guider (OAG) will be about $0.4K, that is about the minimum for a standard package, $3.5K total. It is a significant investment and can lead to either painful frustration and failure, or a lot of outdoors enjoyment with star parties making friends. So, know what you are getting into.

If that is too much, there are also telescopes that are completely computerized. Just plunk them down, turn it on and monitor it on your cell phone.
Look for Vaonis for those kinds of telescopes. They used to be $4K or so but I see a new one for $2K.

Thanks. Im trying to make this is as simple as possible land photography has taken us a while and lots of equipment. At this stage not trying to accumulate a lot of additional equipment for astrophotography. Just looking for something that she/both of us can setup on a clear night, enjoy some great views, planets etc. not just the moon, and take some good pics. Thanks.

If my suggestion sounds like too much, then maybe you should look for some other present.

If you want to have great views of planets, a 14" Celestron EdgeHD is good. Or at least an 11". Physics rules that resolution is proportional to aperture, and for planets you need resolution. You will also image using video instead of normal AP and run it through AutoStakkert that selects the best frames and stacks them. A completely different area than wide field AP, which is what I thought you wanted. For those types of telescopes, you need a much heavier mount and will be spending about $8K. I have a 12" Dobsonian with a focal length of 1600 mm but even with that the views of planets are fairly minimal. A 25" Dob would be much better. Dobs are meant for visual only but they are easy to use.

Basically, you are asking for gear that can do everything, is easy to use and easy to transport, and costs less than 3K. Unfortunately, that doesn't exist.

You are correct that the Vaonis makes strong compromises - it is very wide field. Most of us would never buy such systems. But it accommodates the ease of use that you want.

[KathyNS]

Thanks. Now does the camera have to be separate and specific for a telescope or can you use a nikon or canon dslr body?

As I said, a DSLR is perfectly good for getting started. Canon seems to have the best software support, but Nikon is not far behind. I would recommend going the DSLR route to start, rather than getting into astro-specific cameras. That way, at least something will be familiar while you learn all the techniques that are new to you.

To use a DSLR, you need a T-ring specific to your camera, and a T-adapter suitable for the scope you buy. You will also need some way to trigger the camera, either a USB tether to a laptop, or a stand-alone intervalometer.

[JayTee]

I know you're asking for a "turn-key" solution, but one currently does not exist as Henk pointed out.

You would be best served by going through the AP forums and looking for the posts that are "stickies", a thumb tack icon just to the left of the replies column. Especially this one:
viewtopic.php?t=523

AP is not just gear, it is also the use and mastery of several software titles. That's why we say it takes at least 1 to 2 years to get an image that is print worthy

It's important to know, there are four distinct types of AP: 1) Deep Sky long exposure, 2) Planetary / Lunar, 3) Nightscape VWF (very wide field), and 4) Solar. Although there is some overlap regarding the gear, there are also unique pieces of gear that you will need to accomplish any of the types previously listed.

Lastly, after you have decided on the mount you want to purchase then go to (https://www.astrobin.com/). This is a picture repository for AP images with all the gear and software it took to get that image. Put your mount of choice into the search window. Then find the images you feel are most compelling. Click on that image and it will reveal all the gear that is attached to your choice of mount. This type of research can speed up the acquisition process.

We are not trying to scare you off, but too many folks say they want to pursue AP and don't fully understand the level of commitment it takes and the dollars it takes.

After you do a bit more research, get back to us and we'll help to the best of our ability.

Cheers,

[jrkirkham]

You have already invested a lot of time and money in your photography hobby. Astrophotography is much the same. You are just jumping into a new area of photography.

If you have a camera with exchangeable lenses you probably already have a workable camera body. Everything after that is just finding the best deals as you grow into the hobby. The sky is the limit on cameras, but you already deal with that.

You also probably have a collection of lenses. The good news is you can use them for astrophotography also. You may outgrow them, but you already understand that urge. A telescope is nothing more than a new lens. At least that is one way to view it. Landscapes use wide angle lenses. Wildlife demands a telephoto. It is the same way with astronomy. Deep Sky Objects (DSO) are the landscapes and Solar System objects are the wildlife. You capture them in different ways. Depending on which you are drawn to you might use a small refractor for DSO or a larger scope with more magnification for planets, or eventually you might do both. My wide angle is a 80mm refractor. My telephoto is an 11" Celestron SCT. You have time to figure it out as you go.

The difference is the mount. The mount is your slider or gimbal. You can't get by with a cheap mount. Photographers know to spend as much money on tripods, gimbals or sliders as they do on cameras. They also keep them longer. It has to be sturdy and smooth and able to carry all the weight you will one day want to put on it. There is an old saying that photographers go out and buy a cheap tripod, then toss it in the closet. Then they go out and buy a better tripod and toss it in the closet. Then, the third time, they gasp and spend a bunch of money on a good tripod and keep it. The other members on here are suggesting that you put your money where your mount is build the rest of your system off that. They are also offering suggestions on what lenses or camera bodies might fit you current needs, but the mount is central. I've been one of those with a small collection of cheaper tripods gathering dust and a small collection of telescope mounts that I've outgrown.

[sdbodin]

Another path, get your feet wet approach, is using your Canon and your lenses on a 'star tracker' device designed to mount on your existing tripod. Cost here would be in the 300-700 dollar range. Later, if the bug sticks, you can go the dedicated mount and range of scopes that we all have to cover the targets out there is space.

Just google star trackers and go from there, I have no recommendation.

I have attached a series of galaxies captured with a 135mm telephoto for comparison of their sizes, all but a handful are quit small, but definitely can be captured in a short telephoto. All approximately 30-45min exposure at f2.

Good luck,
Steve

[helicon]

Hi and Welcome to the Forums!

[messier 111]

welcome in .

[Butterfly Maiden]

Hello Kronos and welcome to the Forum.

[Frankskywatcher]

You definitely came to the right place,very knowable and informative group of people, welcome aboard !