My first imaging setup

[Engy Benjie]

I've decided i want to build an imaging setup and from what I have read through countless hours of reading these forums and other sites is to invest in a good mount. So i've decided that i'm going to get a SW HEQ5 mount. Which leaves me about £1500 left in my budget to buy a scope and any accessories that I might need. I have read similar posts if anyone is wondering why there is another post like this. But if i thought i'd put a price tag on it then I might reveal a slightly more tailored response

If this was your budget what would you get? I have a few in mind but I really don't know if i'm anywhere near the mark.

I'm more interested in DSO then planets. I'm not sure if that means a certain scope would be better at DSO then planetary when it comes to photography.

Any input would be of great help, i've never really had the funds until now to start a project like this.

[Theninjagecko]

ED80 for wide field and another quality refractors with a higher focal length to get a bit closer in. You can

use one as a guider when using the other.

[swag72]

A big thumbs up for the HEQ5, generally considered to be the minimum mount for astrophotography. Onto that I would stick an ED80 refractor and then an Atik 314L+ CCD, Baader filters and a manual filter wheel. I think that will go over budget new. Also, you will probably want to get a guiding setup for that, so a few more ££'s on top of that.

Do you have the book 'Making Every Photon Count'? Available from FLO, it is a DSO imagers bible. I sometimes think I should be working on commission for the number of times I recommend this!

You can absolutely do AP for less ££'s and there are various budget threads around of people getting good images with less. But ...... It's a difficult hobby when things work well. When they don't, or they're not up to the job from the start you can rapidly become deflated.

Sorry, I think I've just spent too much of your money!! But DO get the book first. It will be really useful ...... No, make that indispensible

What I also ommitted to add is the time factor. Make sure you have lots of it. AP doesn't stop at image capture. People that produce those wonderful images in the DSO section probably spend as much time processing as was spent capturing the data in the first place. In my opinion, the post processing is by far the harder and most frustrating part and yet something that often doesn't even get a mention in threads about AP as a new venture. I only mention that as I am one day hoping for perfection - Some are satisfied with less. I am not knocking that at all, there is room for us all, but in order to achieve great images, you need to be prepared to put in many, many hours of leg work - In my opinion

[Viv]

Yes HEQ5 is a great one for imaging.

I'd recommend listing the things you need & costs, then see what you have left.

It's the little things that will add up (very quickly) :

Guide scope

Guide camera

Webcam

Camera - I assume you'll start with a dslr

connectors

Software - processing

power (for your mount)

Filter (light pollution)

If you go for an ED80 Pro, you may want to include costs for a focuser, it had troubles with the heavy camera

[ollypenrice]

I back Sara's post and I'd say don't start with a DSLR. The priority is mount, camera, optics. Optics haven't greatly changed in thirty years (though they have got cheaper) but cameras have jumped over the moon, notably CCD. HEQ5, a mono Sony 285 chipped camera (you'll find one easily for £800 or less), basic decent small apo. I had a guest recently who said that he wished he'd ditched the DSLR route at the outset because it was a blind alley. Ian King talked me into starting with a 285CCD and I'm mighty glad he did so. But read Steve's book first before spending a penny.

Olly

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

[ncjunk]

i'd go with the ED80 and mono 314 combo as well. You can stick to mono pics with no filter and also buy a Ha filter for a bit of narrow band imaging.

Then after you have had a bit of practise look at getting a filter wheel and filters...then automated focuser...cloud sensor...bigger mount...bigger scope...duel adm bar...another camera..motorised roof....AAAARRRGGHHHH!