Help in starting out

[StarRaver]

Hello, I am just starting out in star gazing and astrophotography, and I was wondering if you would please help me with your collective knowlage in what telescope to buy for taking pictures of dso's with a limited budget. Im currently looking at an 8" dob as they are an excellent price for the apature size.

I'm sorry if this has already been asked on here but im new to this site any help would be very much appreciated

[Kai]

What is the limited budget ?

Also do you already have and cameras to take the pictures ?

[Stephen]

Budget?

[Capricorn]

Dob's don't do DSO imaging.

Manual and an alt/az mount.

[StarRaver]

Around £500, yes I already have a camera, a Panasonic G2 Not the best I know but I can't afford anything better at this time, maybe later down the line, but at this moment I'm still researching every last little thing before taking the plunge on a telescope

[Stephen]

Around £500, yes I already have a camera, a Panasonic G2 Not the best I know but I can't afford anything better at this time, maybe later down the line, but at this moment I'm still researching every last little thing before taking the plunge on a telescope

To be honest with your budget I'd buy a Dobsonian, some EPs, a webcam and enjoy taking pictures of the planets.

DSO work is unfortunately more expensive, a copy of Making Every Photon Count will give you some reading to do whilst saving up.

The biggest cost is the mount. You need to start with a HEQ5 minimum (£747) but ideally an NEQ6 (£950) to support a 200P and all the rest you will need for imaging.

[StarRaver]

see the mount alone bows my budget well out of the water, a refractor was my first choice ( Celestron Omni 150 XLT Reflector Telescope with the CG-4 German Equatorial mount ) Would that be a better way to go rather than the 8" Dob ? lol there are so many choices that's why I decided to ask for any help on here as you all have years experience in this field, I have even considered the GoTO scopes but then then the price jumps again

[StarRaver]

reflector even

[peonic]

If I could have my time over again, I'd have bought a dob and gotten my head around the actual "looking at stuff" before diving right in at the deep end of trying to take pictures. The learning curve for astrophotography can be insanely steep - moreso if you have little knowlege of either the "astro" or "photography" components to begin with!

While you're looking at stuff and learning, you can be saving for the EQ6 that you're inevitably going to end up buying if you do get the imaging bug.

You can still take some nice shots of the planets with a £50 webcam (and granted, a fair bit of tracking skill) with a dob, and the scope could be rehoused into that EQ6 with the purchase of some tube rings later down the line.

A Skyliner 200p, some decent eyepieces, some books and a nice warm hat should see you with plenty of change from £400.

[StarRaver]

I have looked at the planets with an old skyliner scope and taken pics through the scope with t-ring and adapter, also I have taken plenty of pics just using a tripod and the camera pointing up that's why I wanted to try dso's and was wondering if it could be done on my budget

[StarRaver]

right I have now found a HEQ5 mount for just under £500 witch I'm pleased about now would anyone be able to recommend a half decent scope for the time being, as the dob is now out of the Question for dso's

[brantuk]

Have a look at the Skywatcher ED80, William Optics Megrez72, Altair Starwave ED80, and other similar short tube wide field appos. They make very nice little dso imagers with a dslr and a flatener

[StarRaver]

Thank you very much for all your help now time to do a bit more research