Do I have enough gear to begin AP?

[LeeS]

Hi

I was just wondering if anyone can tell me if I have enough gear to begin basic AP.

I currently have

Nikon D300s

1.4x TC

Max DSLR Adapter

80mm Extension tube

Skywatcher ED80

Celestron CG5 GOTO

Xbox webcam that I can hack apart

Will the 1.4x TC be OK or do I need a 2" Barlow to get closer? If so do I need a 2x or a 3x?

Also any advice on what kind of things I should be aiming at photographing as a beginner?

I don't want to start off trying to photograph something that my kit isn't able to get.

Many thanks

[Tinker1947]

The normal mode for AP is Prime Focus, your DSLR connects straight to the Focusor by way of a T-Ring and a Adapter, that's the starting point.....my image isn't your scope but its that same type of thing,,,,tube, focusor then camera....

[Jannis]

Let's see. Do you have a camera with a lens? Yepp! You're ready to begin basic AP!

Anything that comes in addition to that, its just a pluss.

A telescope isn't really even needed to be honest, but it obviously gets you closer to smaller targets.

Your teleconverter might help to get closer (asuming it fits to your equippment), but it will also make you gather less light, so to begin with, i wouldn't use it for anything but maybe the moon.

Shorter focal lenghts are also easier to use as tracking isn't as critical, so you can get away with less accurate tracking and polar alignment, as well as it's easier to find targets

With your current kit, you should be able to captura a lot of stuff for sure. You have allready way moire then what's needed for basic AP.

But i'd start on the larger and brighter objects first to get used to it. Like M31, M42, M45, star clusters, and of course the moon (wait till it's not full though, and you'll see a Lot more details on the surface).

[nytecam]

You seem to have all that's necessary to start astrophotography so just experiment with plenty of shots - a few more cost nothing via digital

[LeeS]

Thanks for that, I just see massive lists of equipment that people have under their names and wondered if there was anything essential that I was missing.

M31, M42 and M45. That's the kind of info about what I should be looking to take pictures of as a beginner. Cheers

Now lets hope this cloud cover will shift.

[Shibby]

It might be worth mentioning that you'll need a timer remote for you Nikon if you want to expose for longer than 30s.

[RobAro]

Am just getting into AP myself and have found Digital SLR Astrophotography by Michael A. Covington a real must read if you intend to use your DSLR well.