Would it be worth it?

[Manok101]

I was wondering if it would be worth it to get another type of telescope to suppliment my 10" dob eventually for imaging purposes, do you who have more than one type of scope tend to use just one or both? What other kind of telescope would you recommend getting? What brand?

[Helen]

I think of telescopes as being like golf clubs - different ones suit different purposes.

If you want to start imaging I'd suggest one of the Skywatcher ED80 scopes. They are relatively cheap secondhand, won't strain a mount, and have a good focal length which will be tolerant. It'll also make a decent grab and go for visual. Given your signature, it looks like you'll need a decent EQ mount too (that decision is more important than the scope decision).

Helen

[The Viper]

i personally would save my pennies for the heq5, the mount is the most important piece of kit for astrophotography

[RikM]

A modded DSLR + ED80 on an HEQ5 is a smashing combo.

[JamesM]

Can I recommend you get hold of a copy of Steve Richards "Making Every Photon Count" (FLO £19.95) A great book with lots of detail that anyone even thinking of imaging should read first from cover to cover to obtain that essential overview in order to know what they need and more importantly why they need it. The book will pay for itself in helping you save money in buying the correct kit and as Viper has said above, deep sky imaging always starts with the mount first.

Data collection is one thing, processing it into a picture is another and although there are lots of free software to be had, there are also others that must be bought.

James