Best scope for close-up photos of the Moon.

[moonman66]

Hi,  what's the best scope for close-up photos/video of the Moon ?

I read that the highest practical power worth going for is 300x due to atmospheric conditions etc, i also read that refractors are better resolution.

I'd like to photograph/video close-ups of crater edges, mountains etc ..

I'm pretty sure i should get a skywatcher due to all the good reviews and their price vs performance.

Thanks for  any help

 

[spaceboy]

I'd say the 120ED. I have yet had chance to give it a try with my camera but I have seen some rather outstanding images took with the 120ED on SGL and the net in general. There is no beating a refractor for contrast and the closed tube design and relatively small aperture deals with seeing far better than some larger scopes.

 

Welcome to SGL BTW

[Moonshane]

If you want real close ups and detail within the real close-ups then you need resolution. Resolution increases with aperture but it depends what you want really. Most people taking his res shots of the moon use multiple images, stacked to capture the moments of good seeing at extremely high magnifications (well, actually, extremely long focal lengths). I'd wait for the lunar/planetary imagers to chip in but maybe this would get you started https://starizona.com/acb/ccd/advimagingplanet.aspx 

I'd recommend a lot of reading before you jump in but most seem to use 10" of aperture or more and work on focal ratios of f30 or more 

[-Dougal-]

Depends how deep your pockets are but I would have thought https://www.firstlightoptics.com/clearance/hubble-cassegrain-reflector-telescope.html would do a reasonable job and once you finish looking at the moon it should be good for deep space objects too  

[Owmuchonomy]

Check the link in my signature for a couple of Lunar mountain/ crater shots. They were taken using my Celestron 9.25" SCT at f/25. That's a focal length of close to 6 metres, so that is one option. There are others and I'm sure you will get a few answers.