danorman

Okay so this makes a lot more sense to me now. I've read multiple articles and get it now. Thank you @tooth_dr and @Merlin66 for explaining things to me.

In essence - a stock camera will produce great pictures but a modded one will produce more accurate ones. I think I'll get a regular camera (Canon 80/90D for example) and then think about getting a modded body at a later stage.

I'm excited. I'm going to wait for the book to come before placing any orders but it's good to have a starting point of a shopping list.

Cheers!

I've just read this article which seems very interesting. The conclusion seems good aswell.

https://clarkvision.com/articles/do_you_need_a_modified_camera_for_astrophotography/

I'm scared by all these terms of "modded". Surely there's plug and play filters available to eleminate this issue? Unless of course I'm getting it all wrong?

12 minutes ago, Mr niall said:

Sorry perhaps a tad flippant but the point is that with visual there is “little to go wrong” but with imaging there are many many many things that can go wrong. And it’s segmented too - most of the work in imaging actually involves sitting at a laptop long after (days / weeks) you’ve packed up and gone home. The time you spend outside with imaging isn’t time spent enjoying the peaceful night sky unless a) you are happy just looking up (for which you don’t need a telescope anyway) or b) you also take some sort of visual apparatus as well.

So you see - imaging isn’t what I’d call peaceful per se. Doesn’t degrade the fun of it, it’s just one word I wouldn’t really use to describe it.

The imaging side of things would be purely to get some nice pictures at the end of it all. If I'm out with a telescope or reading a book under the night sky then I may aswell take some pictures which I'm heavily interested in. I understand that these pictures are formed in editing but that's another thing which I enjoy doing.

Those sorts of tasks, which may would find a ball ache, are actually rather nice for me given my lifestyle!

3 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

Camera bodies don't necessarily need modded, but it can improve their astro performance.  For example shooting the Andromeda galaxy wouldn't benefit hugely from modifying it, but for other emission nebula it helps a lot.

So it's not a nessesity but it's beneficial. Maybe something to consider in the long run then.

All I need now is for someone to say "buy this camera" and then I'm all set with my shopping list. Obviously once I've read the book

So is it the camera body that needs to be modded or could I not get a bespoke lens designed for astro work? Something about "modding" a brand new camera doesn't sound good to me!

15 minutes ago, Mr niall said:

Visual astronomy is perfect. Imaging is just about the last thing I would ever ever recommend to someone looking for a peaceful hobby. Rewarding? Sometimes. When it goes perfectly correctly. But normally just about one of the most stressful hobbies you can imagine!

You're meant to be filling me with confidence 🤣

2 minutes ago, Swoop1 said:

For portability, the Star Adventurer kit is hard to beat. I have a Skywatchers EQ5 Pro and even that takes some lugging.

For your remaining £1980 you could get a Star adventurer, two Canon bodies and a reasonable lens to go with them to fulfil your needs- one moded to remove the filter that loses Astro image detail and one that keeps it.

I currently image with a mirrorless Sony a6300 and this works well on my scopes but I have found that even on a reasonably small scope (6") I am losing a lot of the scope of things like the Andromeda Galaxy. I am learning that size isn,t everything in Astro imaging.

I think the Star Adventurer is a given at this point. It seems like the best option for my needs.

What Canon bodies would you recommend?

I live in a town where there's quite a lot of light pollution. While I have used my telescope in my garden my goal is to go somewhere remote where I won't get lighting issues. I have a portable power source which I would take with me so no need to worry about that aspect.

I've ordered the book and will have a read. It seems like an absolute minimum.

I need to stick to my guns about what I want to achieve. This build has to be portable in regards to putting it into a car. Weight doesn't bother me so much as I'm fairly strong but something small and light would be grand. Astrophotography is only one part of this construction - I need a camera that would be suitable for general photography aswell meaning that I don't really want to "modify" anything. I have an incredibly stressful job and I feel something like this could be very peaceful.

I was thinking about the Canon 90D along with the Samyang lens suggested before and the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Pro. I have a mount but I may get another one as a spare.

My main goal is to take a picture of another galaxy (Andromeda) and then go from there. Would that sort of thing be achievable using a 90D camera or would I need to look into something else? Or could I not spend so much on the camera and still get the same (or similar) results? I don't want to spend more money than I absolutely have to.

I've just watched this review video (sorry if I can't share the link!) and that setup (tracker, redcat51 and camera) is exactly what I was thinking! Pictures at the end of the video are exactly the same as to what I want to eventually achieve.

Thanks for all the help! I'll read the book and go from there

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

This is my suggestion a skywatcher staradenturer pro, DSLR canon keeps it easier or astro cam, samyung 135mm f2 and a tripod.

Portable, excellent lens (threads on here dedicated to the lens and one for the mount). Check the mount thread as members also use small telescopes and you can grow into guiding.

But before spending any money read more so as to understand why making the choices being made. An heq5 up those stairs will soon gather dust I think.

I was doing some investigations the other day and thought the Skywatcher StarAdventurer Pro was a good option so it's nice to have some clarification on that. I don't know anything about lenses. I'll look into the Samyang.

As for camera - you say DSLR. What about mirrorless? Excuse me if that's a silly question but I would like to get something as modern as possible simply so it's good for years to come!

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

Welcome

Have you seen images you would like to produce your self?

Do you want to continue observing or are you feeling pulled to just imaging.

Do you have lots of time available or would you be fitting it in around other commitments.

Would all the gear be stored near where it would be setup or further away up stairs.

Does the budget need to include say a laptop.

Hey!

I've seen images produced by the YouTube channel "AstroBackyard" which is what I'd like to produce. Adromada Galaxy, etc. He achievd that with a Canon Rebal and a regular camera lens; all be it just the "outline" rather than heavy detail. At this stage producing something is more fun than producing nothing but if the budget fits then I'd obviously like to create better images of deep space.

I'll do both. I feel observing is a seperate catgory to what I'm talking about here.

Plenty of time and able to travel. I'd like something portable as I'll be travelling the country to different spots.

I'll store everything in the spare room which is the top floor of a 3 story house. Portable is key here. I'm not looking for a massive unit to lug around!

Nope. No need for a laptop as I already have that.

Thanks!

16 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

I would suggest that the first £20 should be on this.

It will be the best £20 you spend and will save you a LOT of money and heartache in the long run!

Welcome aboard at the top of a slippery slope ......... 😉 

 

Hey! Thanks for responding. I'll order this one and get reading 😃

Hopefully someone responds with some ideas in regards to cameras. I think that's the first herdle I need to jump!

Hi everyone! I'm Dan and I'm new to the forum 😃

I bought my first telescope just after Christmas and I'm in love with it. Every evening when it's clear I've taken it out to different locations and have been admiring the wonderful universe that we're in. Naturally, when you enjoy something - you want more.

My next money spending spree is going to be on a camera, tracker mount and the appropriate accessories but I literally have no idea!

Does anyone have any recommendations on what to go with? I've got a budget of £2000 GBP but I'd like that to include everything. My current telescope is a Celestron Inspire 100AZ (nothing special). I'd like to use this with a camera if possible.

Feels weird saying this but please help me spend money 🤣

Cheers,
Dan