Humb1e

1 hour ago, vlaiv said:

Best course of action would be to get decent 6" dob for your budget.

I'm tempted to say: "forget photography" - but no, let's not do that.

If you have DSLR or even compact camera and a bit of DIY skill - you can get your self started in AP with very low budget.

There is something called Barn Door tracker - that is easy to make (couple pieces of plywood, hinge, screws and a DC motor). That will track the sky good enough to start you in long exposure imaging with camera and lens.

Start there - learn stacking and processing part - and if you find that you've been bitten by AP bug - then look into further spending.

https://nightskypix.com/how-to-build-a-barn-door-tracker/

https://www.instructables.com/Build-a-Motorized-Barn-Door-Tracker/

https://www.diyphotography.net/how-to-make-a-30-diy-star-tracker-for-astrophotography/

 

That looks good, and like it may be a bit of fun too. I shall look further in to these, thank you!

1 hour ago, Alan64 said:

A 130mm to 150mm Newtonian or Newtonian-Dobson will be the best bang per pound, aperture-wise.  The more aperture, the brighter an object, and the greater the resolution(or detail).  But as with all things in life, there's a caveat: a Newtonian must be collimated regularly, on occasion, in order to maintain sharp images at the eyepiece, particularly at the higher powers where the accuracy of the collimation becomes critical.

Refractors require virtually no collimation, no maintenance, but the aperture decreases per pound spent.  For example, with the price paid for a 150mm Newtonian, you might get a 102mm or 80mm refractor, an achromat.

Your budget will not accommodate a Schmidt-Cassegrain of any size, yet the only Maksutov with a mount may be limited up to 90mm only.

I had originally considered a refractor off the back of little maintenance. But the results achieved weren't really what could be had elsewhere for the money. I think Newtonian is the way, even with collimation. Cheers!

Thank you both for your replies. I think my expectations are too high and budget too low. 

Ill focus on a dob as mentioned and try and learn to take photos of the moon using that. Then I can move on from there once I'm a bit more clued up and know where I want to focus going forward. Thank you for your candour, it's much appreciated!

Hiya,

I'm looking a bit of advice / opinions on a telescopes for a beginner, but useful, telescope. 

I've gone through tonnes websites and now seem to find my self going round in circles.......

I've read that an 8inch dobsonian type will do pretty much everything I want without breaking the bank too much / me outgrowing it very quickly. 

Main issue is that I'd like to be able to take imagery, whether thats with phone or camera to start I don't know. I understand tracking can be easier with something motorised rather than by hand..... 

Budget wise, I don't want to spend a small fortune, or, get something I'll need to replace too soon. I'm based South in Manchester, UK, not sure if that has any bearing on choices. 

It probably needs to be something with low maintenance requirements too. 

My budget is low at around £300...... Not my decision on this one 😂

Cheers in advance