Starting imaging.... Flame/Horsehead and M42

[City9Town0]

Hi

Apologies for 'easy' targets... but as a newcomer...

I've got a star adventurer and a modded canon 450D. No scope or guiding so I tried 1600 ISO, and my sigma 150-600 at 600mm and fully open. Best I could manage was 30/40 seconds without severe errors. About thirty 'lights'. Took flats, bias, and darks. Computer will not run all of trial Pixinsight features so a 'stab in the dark' at editing. Am aiming for a better machine. Constructive guidance welcomed.

My question is..... to improve my imaging kit should I either a) get a mount for the camera/lens such as a HEQ5? or b) get a scope such as a small Zenithstar for the star adventurer? I cannot afford both a mount and a telescope at this point in time. (I'm interested in imaging rather than observing)

Stephen

[Buzzard75]

I do all my imaging with an iOptron Skyguider Pro, a Canon 750D and camera lenses. I think most people would probably tell you the most important thing when it comes to imaging is the mount. With small mounts like this it would seem you're finding out that you are pretty limited on your exposures before you start to see star trailing. The best I seem to be able to do at 300mm is about 2-2.5 minutes. With a better mount your error will be lessened, but still not perfect. You may still only get a couple of minutes at the same focal length until you start guiding.

If it were me, which it probably will be in a few months when I can save up enough, I would go for the mount first then the scope.

[simondodd]

I'd definitely say mount first but it won't be long before you will want to add guiding to the setup to get more data in your images with longer exposures.
Then it's probably time for a scope and then upgrade the imaging camera but that's probably a way off yet
 

Great images already though! Much better than my attempts so far as I keep forgetting something in my process! haha

[dannybgoode]

Really nice images. I have only just started also and attempted M42 3 times now but none are as good as yours. The HH is really nice too - next on my list I think before it goes galloping off until next winter.