I'm thinking of simplifying my equipment...

[maflu]

Hi,

I've been doing astroimaging for a few years with a Canon 300D, a Newtonian telescope (150mm) a guiding scope (Orion 80ED), a SkySensor 2000 system. I must say I'm now a bit tired of all the problems I've had (poor tracking due to many issues, etc.) and what is a hobby is becoming a chore now. I would like to simplify my equipment, spend much less time in setting up everything, make much more pictures.

I need to be able to shoot 3 to 5 minute exposures for deep sky images and I wondered if there would be new equipment on the market that would simplify the whole process. I'm thinking of selling everything I have and buy a Canon 6D and a good 200-300mm lens...

What do you think? Is astroimaging more simple now? Thank you for your comments.

[ollypenrice]

It's really all down to the mount and its accuracy. The need for accuracy diminishes with focal length. There's a big difference between 200 and 300mm, therefore, in the accuracy required. But even 200mm needs accuracy. It ought to be possible on something like an Astrotrac, unguided, but I always suspect that guiding an HEQ5 or the slightly cheaper Celestron is likely, in the end, to be the most consistent solution. A fast F ratio also simplies matters assuming you can focus and get clean stars. A Canon 200L takes a bit of beating.

Truth is, though, that imaging is complicated...

Olly