NEW KIT

[DAVE098]

I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE UP ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY, HOWEVER IM NOT SURE OF ANY GOOD ONLINE STORES THAT COULD GIVE ME SOME GOOD ADVICE ON STARTER KITS FOR MY SCOPE. CAN ANYONE RECOMEND SOME WHERE.

[Demonperformer]

Hi Dave

Your first purchase should be a copy of Maknig Every Photon count, which can be bought from FLO - http://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html - the info contained will save you money in the long run.

BTW, best not to use all capitals in your posts - some consider it to be shouting.

HTH

[JamesM]

I would second getting hold of Steve Richards book. In fact I would read it from cover to cover to obtain a complete overview of the whole subject, commonly referred to as the 'dark side' - and for good reason. From this, you will know what you need and why you need it in order satisfy your imaging expectations and to help you set aside the correct budget. Clearly collecting the 'data' is one thing, however processing it is another and although there is plenty of free software out there, equally there are one or two very useful programs that you will need to budget for, hence the need to have that overview first.

The forum plays host to some seriously good imagers including Steve himself (Steppenwolf), so please ask as many questions you need to help clarify any confusion you may have regarding kit and techniques because unlike the equipment you will need to buy, the advice here is free. As the old joke goes, "...you don't want your first image of a black hole being the one in your wallet".

Clear skies

James