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Astrophotography

Jon Pearce

By Jon Pearce
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Jon Pearce

Jon Pearce

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Hi Boys and girls,

I am a total newbiee.  Parents have bought me a Sky Watcher BK1309 EQ2 for Christmas, im really keen to get my Sony DSLR camera hooked up to it.  A few questions if I may, firstly is this possible to do with this telescope? and secondly what are the parts I will need to make this happen?

Thanking you all in advance.

Speak soon

Jon

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bingevader

bingevader

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Hello and welcome to SGL.

There's a big section on Astrophotography on the SGL website that will be a great source of info for your new hobby.

Astrophotography is a complicated and expensive business and although some form of photography is possible with any 'scope your expectations and the size of your wallet will determine how happy you are with the end results.

Cheers

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swag72

swag72

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Welcome to SGL Jon from a fellow imager.

AP is an 'interesting' hobby with many facets. Have a look on the imaging forum and be realistic about the sorts of images you ultimately want to achieve and then look at the kit the imager used to get this. It will give you a good idea of where you may want to go in the future. If you want to work towards top class images then you will have to be prepared to work at it, certainly financially.

If you decide that you really do want to move with the imaging, get a copy of the book Making Every Photon Count, it will really make things clear without frightening you off ............. hopefully!!

Look forward to seeing around :smiley:

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JamesM

JamesM

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HI and welcome to the forum. I agree with Sara (swag72) above regarding the book which in my view is an essential read before buying any equipment. There are different types of imaging such as widefield, solar system and deep sky, each with its own technical demands and appropriate budget. Consistency is the key to worthwhile images and although there is naturally a focus on the 'kit' side of things, don't forget the costs of the processing side which transforms the collected data into a worthwhile image. The above book is very comprehensive and also modestly priced which will ultimately save you some money by helping you avoid buying the wrong kit.

Clear skies and enjoy the forum

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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Welcome to SGL

I'll "third" Sara's recommendation for the book.

You'll also find you need there are other issues you need to deal with if you want to connect your camera up to the scope.  Firstly that without a mount that can reliably track across the sky you'll be limited to fairly brief exposure times and therefore limited in your range of viable targets (it's not uncommon for people to attempt ten minute or more exposures for astrophotography).  The EQ2 doesn't come with motors for tracking, but you can buy them.  Unfortunately they're still not exactly fantastic.

If you do add motors however, you may find that by adding a ball head mount you can just put your camera and a lens on the mount without the telescope and do some imaging that way.

In either case, you'll have to find some way to reliably polar align the mount.  Normally that would be done (at least for a first pass) with a polar scope, but the EQ2 is not designed for a polar scope to be fitted.  That doesn't mean it isn't possible, just awkward.

Steve's book explains all of this and more so it's well worth having a read through it before you start spending money on anything else.

James

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HIP3802

HIP3802

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Hi, Jon, and welcome to SGL! As others have said 'Making Every Photon Count' is a great resource for someone starting out in astrophotography. it explains not only how to take good photos, but also offers suggestions on equipment to achieve good results.

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JamesF

JamesF

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JamesF, what tracking motors would you recommend for this telescope? Cheers for the heads up.

This is the usual motor for the EQ2 RA axis:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-ra-motor-drive-for-eq2.html

I'd read the book before committing to a purchase though.  You may well decide there are better ways to skin this particular cat.

James

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tommo b

tommo b

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Welcome to the forum Jon.

Great advice from everyone - particularly regarding the book. It's required reading!

I've the same scope as yourself and, as suggested, we have to be realistic about the type of images we can expect to take. I'm from a photography background but AP is a whole new ball game.

As far as I understand, there may also be issues with this scope regarding the focusing of a DSLR attached via T ring. Quite a few threads mention it so maybe check them out before you purchase anything. (The weight may also be a big ask of the EQ2 mount.)

And as James says, there are other options - don't be put off! The guys & gals on here will keep you right. (And if you think I can be of any help, feel free to pm.)

Enjoy! :icon_salut:

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