New to Lounge & help is appreciated

[hijazist]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this place and I honestly believe this is a great place to learn and make good friends.

I have almost zero experience in astronomy except some casual observations with my Nikon 10x50 binos. However, I'm planning to jump into this great world with a focus on DSO astrophotography. I have a Nikon D3000 with a number of lenses so my first question is related to this camera. Is it really bad for astrophotography as some people suggested, or is it decent enough for a budget-limited photography (especially that I'm not going to break the bank for the scope).

Which brings me to my second question. What telescope would you recommend for DSO photography on a bugdet? Should I go for the Celestron XLT 102ED or the Orion ED80 (I know with this price I could get a Nextstar 6 but I inferred that refracters are optically superior). Do these scopes make a good combination with the D3000?

Finally, I live in Houston (high light pollution) so please advise me with this in mind. Following are the links for the scopes so you could also take a look at the mounts that come with each scope and decide if they suit astrophotography or not, thanks!!

Celestron Omni XLT 102ED Refractor Telescope - Telescopes at Telescopes

Orion Telescopes: Orion SkyView Pro ED80 EQ Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

[david o]

Hi there hijazist, first up ....

... welcome to SGL

I'm afraid that I'm not into imaging, so I can't offer any pertinent advice other than to really recommend that you read Making Every Photon Count (by SGL's very own steppenwolf) before making a start with astro-photography.

Easy to read, it's full of good advice aimed at the imaging novice, including choosing the right equipment - explaining what kit you'll need and, more importantly, why. Helping you avoid poor choices and costly mistakes. There's also loads of tips 'n' tricks as well as lots of other vital stuff.

Have a trawl through the imaging sections too. They're full of info and some very experienced and talented folk who, I'm sure, will be more than happy to share advice and guidance with you.

HTH

[JohnnyD333]

Welcome to SGL! I use a Nikon D3100 and it gets the job done with astro. Its no dedicated CCD or anything, but you can get some great shots. People prefer Canon for its Liveview capability, low noise, and having many options for filters and mods. I dont have much experience with refractors so I cant help you there. But I have a few Orion products and they are top notch. Good luck in this crazy hobby:)