What setup for beginner astrophotography

[Hitesh]

I've only just got into astronomy and since getting my first scope, kinda want to get into AP. my question is is there setups which would be recommended? I really don't want a reflector as I really don't want to have to collimate. I would like to image dso's and planets, preferably with a dslr! Suggestions very welcome: so far thinking of eq5 synscan goto mount but obviously could change depending on scope

[swag72]

You could do a lot worse than making a purchase of the book http://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html. This explains in detail what is required for AP and points out some pitfalls to avoid. It deals quite abit with DSLR's.

The general consensus for AP is that the HEQ5 mount is the minimum. There are people doing it with less, but as far as I'm concerned AP is hard enough already - The right tools will make it a little easier.

A refractor is a good place to start - many use a SW ED80 or such like. They are good value for money and are pretty light for the mount. You may then want to consider guiding so that you can get longer exposures as well as modding a DSLR so that it is more sensitive. Really the sky is the linit, but the HEQ5, an SW ED80 and a 1100D Canon DSLR is a good starting point.

[E621Keith]

A typical entry level DSO AP kit consists of a HEQ5, ED80 and some mean of guiding. GOTO is not essential, tracking accuracy is far more important. DSLR is good for this type of imaging.

Planet AP is more flexible. You will need a webcam and a driven scope. Long focal length scope such as Mak and SCT is perfered, but you can do it with Newtonian and refractor too. EQ5 mount is good enough for this. DSLR imagine sensor is far too big and frame rate far too slow for this type of imaging.

[Hitesh]

Well gents that was definitely food for thought, thinking its a good idea getting that book first. Looks like new hobby is gonna burn a hole in my wallet very quickly. Mrs will probably kill me, looks like I need to find something shiny and expensive to keep her happy; if only a new eyepiece counted!!!

[ollypenrice]

I think Go To is pretty well essential in imaging, actually. I'm also a CCD fan but I can see the case for DSLRs - just! The HEQ5 and Steve's book are the two preliminary essentials.

Olly

http://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Best-of-Les-Granges/22435624_WLMPTM#!i=1793644788&k=r8HTK72

[Quatermass]

Have a read of my blog from the start that will give you some ideas on what lays ahead for you and hopefully be of some use to you

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[sgazer]

fast scope (<f5), GOTO mount (unless you want to spend most of you time finding stuff you can't even see instead of imaging), portable setup (if you have to carry it outdoors), good mount (HEQ5 is good and light), DSLR.

I always say, the focal ratio of a scope is more important than size, this will determine how bright the image is. f7.5 will need twice the exposure of an f5. The aperture (and hence focal length) for a certain f ratio will just determine the size of the size of the image on the sensor (Don't forget you can crop a 12mp image quite a bit, to effectively 'zoom in', which is infinitely easier than having a bigger scope.)

Also, bigger scopes need bigger mounts. Longer focal ratio need better guiding and bigger mounts. Slow f ratio needs longer exposures, better guiding, bigger mounts. So small and fast is best! My previous f5 scope needed 12x the exposure time of my f1.4 lens albeit the scope was 9x more 'zoomed in'.

[Keiran]

Just a quick question, do you have a budget?

AP is not cheap, you can do observing on a budget, but to get a good result with AP it can be quite costly, even if you buy second hand.

As has been stated, you will probably want to go for a HEQ5 Pro Synscan as a minimum for the mount. you could go for a smaller EQ3 synscan but most people will suggest the HEQ5. Whether you buy this new around £760 or second hand probably over the £400 mark.

Then there is the scope, alot of people like the Skywatcher 80 ED which is £460 new, which you will need a Flattener and a Reducer for as it is an F7.5, making it as standard an impractical imaging scope. Or there is the SW Equinox 80 F6.5 £520 which could still do with a reducer and flattener. Both of these scopes arent great for planatary.

I have a William optics megrez 72, which i well recommend, but you will have to do a fair bit of research to find the perfect scope for you.

As a minimum on the scope side you will need the scope, be it a reflector, refractor, or something else, an adapter from scope to DSLR ( T ring adapter for DSLR and a T Therad nose piesce or a Flattener with a T Thread) and then a timer remote for the camera... to allow you to use the bulb on the DSLR for long exposure images. Oh and the power supply to power the mount, ie a leisure battery.

I think that is about it, and that is without looking at the guiding side of things.

I hope that helps in some way

Keiran

[Hitesh]

My total budget is around £1500-£2000 I hoping that would be enough

[Hitesh]

Hmmmm think I really need 'every photon counts'

[swag72]

Hmmmm think I really need 'every photon counts'

It really is a good read and very informative - Will help you make sense of it all. In my case, it made no sense whatsoever until I got all the kit out and started to get how it all worked and why.

[Gina]

I don't agree that the ED80 is an impractical scope as standard. I have found it very good for DSO. Mind you a good mount makes a very big difference particularly if carefully polar aligned. Guiding helps a lot with the longer exposures but the Evostar 80 ED DS Pro is a superb scope. I have taken the upgrade step now and bought the flattener/reducer second hand and expect even better results but I've been very pleased with the scope as supplied

[johnrt]

Hmmmm think I really need 'every photon counts'

Yes you do.

In my opinion you need to decide if you want to dedicate your set up to either DSO or solar system imaging. Either one will require very different kit from the other to start taking good images.

Good advice so far from those above. I can't help you with solar system imaging but if it is DSO work you are after then I agree a HEQ5 is the minimum mount you should be looking at, a DSLR and ED80 with a simple QHY5 & ST80 guiding system will set you on your way to some good images. These would also fall within your budget.

[Keiran]

I don't agree that the ED80 is an impractical scope as standard. I have found it very good for DSO. Mind you a good mount makes a very big difference particularly if carefully polar aligned. Guiding helps a lot with the longer exposures but the Evostar 80 ED DS Pro is a superb scope. I have taken the upgrade step now and bought the flattener/reducer second hand and expect even better results but I've been very pleased with the scope as supplied

About the ED80, i mean, without a reducer your sub lengths are going to be longer, or if they are shorter you will not pick up as much detail as an F5/F6 scope. And if you decide not to guide to start with then you will be really limiting yourself to what data you can get.

[Gina]

About the ED80, i mean, without a reducer your sub lengths are going to be longer, or if they are shorter you will not pick up as much detail as an F5/F6 scope. And if you decide not to guide to start with then you will be really limiting yourself to what data you can get.

Some limitation, of course, but you always have to pay more in one way or another to capture more objects and I still think the ED80 is a good start for the money.

[Hitesh]

I've got a 90mm Mak could I use that as a guide scope?

[veesix]

My total budget is around £1500-£2000 I hoping that would be enough

Holy hell. I reckon you could get some excellent total setup for £1500. £2000 only if you were blowing a huge chunk on a Mid-level DLSR and lens.

[sgazer]

your budget will get some good kit. Bare in mind the exposure time goes up with the square of the focal ratio, F7.5 will need double the exposure of f5. When you're doing 5mins at f5, you'll need 10mins at f7.5. A lot more can go wrong during those extra 5 mins (tracking, clouds, plains), plus sensor noise increase. Personally I'd try to get to f5 or below.

[Hitesh]

So wouldn't that mean if I use a mak that's f/13 I'd have a stupidly long exposure time?

[pete_l]

So wouldn't that mean if I use a mak that's f/13 I'd have a stupidly long exposure time?

Presuming you use the same camera, then a longer focal length needs a longer exposure time to get the same brightness and noise-level. However, you also get a bigger image (i.e. the target is spread across more pixels) for the extra time you spend.

You can "bin" the images you take, which will reduce the noise level and the size of the image and thereby allow you to take shorter exposures while retaining picture quality.

[Hitesh]

What sort of exposure time am I looking at?

[Quatermass]

I don't agree that the ED80 is an impractical scope as standard. I have found it very good for DSO. Mind you a good mount makes a very big difference particularly if carefully polar aligned. Guiding helps a lot with the longer exposures but the Evostar 80 ED DS Pro is a superb scope. I have taken the upgrade step now and bought the flattener/reducer second hand and expect even better results but I've been very pleased with the scope as supplied

You got the reducer now Gina nice one its a very good addition I love my ed80

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[tjr]

Seems you could do a lot worse than this:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/pro-series/skywatcher-evostar-80ed-pro-heq5-pro.html

And it's well within your budget too.

[pete_l]

What sort of exposure time am I looking at?

The trite response is "as long as you can manage". While this is completely useless as advice, it does point to the realisation that the longer you expose, the better the image.

For reasonably bright targets such as M31 or M42 and a wide-field scope, 30 minutes total; say 30 subs of 1 minute, stacked - will give you something you can show off to family & friends. Have a look through the images published here and elsewhere to get better information, as so much depends on the sensitivity of your camera, the F-ratio of the scope, the ability of the software (and it's user ) and the amount of light pollution - though this can be processed out to greater or lesser extent.

[Quatermass]

What sort of exposure time am I looking at?

It varys depending on your target and conditions but 80% of my images are under 3 minutes.

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