SJP

Wow Olly that's deep

It's a fabulous image, and I really must add a nice wide-field image like this to my bucket-list.

I took this picture of M42 during the winter using a DSLR/Sigma zoom lens.  The things to be wary of are the odd eighteen-pointed stars which are a result of the (9-bladed) iris diaphragm, these can be avoided by running maximum-aperture or placing a circular aperture over the front element rather than using the inbuilt iris.  The second factor to bear in mind is the different colour-cast DSLR/lenses impart, giving a greener (or less red) tinge to everything.

Despite the differences, I find the images of reasonable quality, however the camera lens will cost a lot more than a better telescope!

M42 Sigma Zoom by S.J.P, on Flickr