what camera should i buy?

[ascough]

basically i'm after a decent camera to take milky way or deep space pictures, i have have a budget of around £350 is this enough? i also own a 200p dob which i know isnt the best but wouldnt mind giving it a try

 

[LightBucket]

A good Astro Modified Canon DSLR would be a good start, there are a couple on the bay ATM well under your budget....

[ascough]

thanks alot ill definitely have a look

 

[LightBucket]

It's the best way to start, and to get an Astro modified one straight away would be better....

 

[RichM63]

See, I would not go for an Astro modded one but would put my budget into the best unmodded camera that I could find. Something like a low miles 700D S/H. You will certainly be able to use it for widefield imaging Milky way etc and also be able to use it during the day for Moon shots and general photography, without a chunk of your money being absorbed by the previous cost of modification.

If I was serious about requiring a modded body then I would save and save for a new one from Juan at CheapAstro.....

You will of course require a decent tripod but that should not break the bank and will always be useful to have.

Best of luck.

[LightBucket]

3 minutes ago, RichM63 said:

See, I would not go for an Astro modded one but would put my budget into the best unmodded camera that I could find. Something like a low miles 700D S/H. You will certainly be able to use it for widefield imaging Milky way etc and also be able to use it during the day for Moon shots and general photography, without a chunk of your money being absorbed by the previous cost of modification.

If I was serious about requiring a modded body then I would save and save for a new one from Juan at CheapAstro.....

You will of course require a decent tripod but that should not break the bank and will always be useful to have.

Best of luck.

Well, the OP mentioned deep sky, which is why I suggested modded,  and why spend hundreds only to find you then need to pay another £80 for the Astro mod....

just my opinion of course..

[Alien 13]

There is a bit of a myth regarding astro modded cameras, yes they do give more red lots of it but this can lead to star bloat issues. Most modern Canons do have reasonable Ha response out of the box.

Alan

[Uplooker]

You can buy modded cameras for less than £150, does not reflect the cost of the modding

[ollypenrice]

Sorry, but I'd say, 'Stop.'

Think it through. You mention 'Milky Way' shots but the Milky Way is enormous and best shot through very short focal length optics like cameara lenses. You can shoot targets within the Milky Way with a telescope, yes, but they won't be shots of the Milky Way, just as a photo of the Yale lock on a front door won't be a photo of a house.

A Dob is neither a deep sky imaging instrument nor a widefield Milky Way intrument. It never will be.

I know this seems unreasonable because your Dob gives you great deep sky views, just as my Dob does. But the reason deep sky photos are so remarkably 'deep' is that they have been taken over very long exposures. How were they taken over very long exposures?  Simple. They were taken using mounts which track the sky very accurately and equatorially, which Dobs don't do.

Internet enthusiasts will track down wonderful Dob deep sky images but will they mention the computerized management of driven Dobs? The devil is in the detail.

Don't spend a penny on entering the wild world of DS imaging without thinking it through from the start. It is likely to be be money down the drain. Been there!

Olly

[LightBucket]

1 hour ago, Alien 13 said:

There is a bit of a myth regarding astro modded cameras, yes they do give more red lots of it but this can lead to star bloat issues. Most modern Canons do have reasonable Ha response out of the box.

Alan

Well I have never had that issue, (SCT user) i think that is only with refractor scopes, but I may be wrong...

[Datalord]

On 7/6/2017 at 19:36, Alien 13 said:

There is a bit of a myth regarding astro modded cameras, yes they do give more red lots of it but this can lead to star bloat issues. Most modern Canons do have reasonable Ha response out of the box.

Alan

Agree. Red from from my unmodded 6D, although with 10 and 20 min guided shots:

On 7/6/2017 at 20:46, ollypenrice said:

Sorry, but I'd say, 'Stop.'

Think it through. You mention 'Milky Way' shots but the Milky Way is enormous and best shot through very short focal length optics like cameara lenses. You can shoot targets within the Milky Way with a telescope, yes, but they won't be shots of the Milky Way, just as a photo of the Yale lock on a front door won't be a photo of a house.

A Dob is neither a deep sky imaging instrument nor a widefield Milky Way intrument. It never will be.

I know this seems unreasonable because your Dob gives you great deep sky views, just as my Dob does. But the reason deep sky photos are so remarkably 'deep' is that they have been taken over very long exposures. How were they taken over very long exposures?  Simple. They were taken using mounts which track the sky very accurately and equatorially, which Dobs don't do.

Internet enthusiasts will track down wonderful Dob deep sky images but will they mention the computerized management of driven Dobs? The devil is in the detail.

Don't spend a penny on entering the wild world of DS imaging without thinking it through from the start. It is likely to be be money down the drain. Been there!

Olly

And everything Olly said. Been there, done that, poured in money and I will shelf out £10k more for upgrades very soon. On the other hand, who of us have not had to start in one direction just to pour in more money? But OP, just know that you will not like the results and will want to upgrade everything.

[valefor]

A modded 1000d with a 18-55 stock lense is a nice start. An eq mount would soon follow. But thats just milky way shots. As already said it is a well that you will be pouring money into. First the telescope for deep sky objects. Then thats it. You will want a better mount. Better telescope. Then better camera. And you will be upgrading forever. But you gotta start on the ladder somewhere. If you do go for a modded dslr you mite want to factor in a cls filter too if you live in light pollution. But a cheap dslr and eq mount is a nice start. 

My friend started on a budget like yours. Started with a modded 1000d and an eq1 motorised mount. He now has a eq6 and a refractor. As i said. Money well.

Either way. I hope you enjoy your journey. The universe is yours for the viewing.

Clear skies

Dave