Newbie :)

[Jimbo Lpool]

Firstly hello all, new to the forum and starting out as such, i have experience with PS and other graphic software, but not the case with astro so please bare with me.

I`ve always wanted to get into astrophotography, so 2yrs ago i bought my very first (2nd Hand but like new) telescope which is a Bresser Pulsar Reflektor 80-800mm, which came with various lenses and steel case ect.

Then just last month i managed to get an as new skywatchWatcher 130 motorised 6" setup and bought some extra bits to add my old Canon DSLR a390 onto it, some of the images i`ve managed to see through it is amazing, but still yet to get any photo images with the telescope & camera, but have for a few months watched so many youtube videos in regards to ISO timer ect ect.

My question is with the two i have now are they a good starting point and will i get good quality images with the camera via telescope or should i upgrade the camera or both, sorry for my long first post, and thank`s in advance.

[CraigT82]

The skywatcher 130mm should be the best of those two scopes you have, but which one is it? I.e what is the focal length? 
If it is the 130mm/650mm  f/5 version then it should have some potential, especially if it has a 2” Focuser fitted (if not then no biggie as a proper Focuser can be bought and fitted). See this thread for what the Skywatcher 130mm /650mm PDS can do:

Skywatcher also do a 130mm/ 900mm f/7 which although a decent scope to start out with for visual observing isn’t so great for astrophotographers due to it’s longer focal length. 
 

What mount do you have? 
 

 

[Stickey]

Like Craig T82 says, it kind of depends. 

For visual,  they're both decent starter scopes. For imaging with your a390 DSLR, you want the shortest focal length you have. Reviews report that the camera isn't great at ISO levels above 800, it gets a bit noisy, which means your exposures would need to be longer for fainter deep sky objects and that means you'll need a good solid tracking mount. 

If your Skywatcher 130 is the f/5 variety, it should be OK, but any astrophotography relies on good tracking, hence the question about the mount.

How that helps. 

 

[Stickey]

2 minutes ago, Stickey said:

How that helps. 

 

* Hope

[Jimbo Lpool]

9 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

The skywatcher 130mm should be the best of those two scopes you have, but which one is it? I.e what is the focal length? 
If it is the 130mm/650mm  f/5 version then it should have some potential, especially if it has a 2” Focuser fitted (if not then no biggie as a proper Focuser can be bought and fitted). See this thread for what the Skywatcher 130mm /650mm PDS can do:

Skywatcher also do a 130mm/ 900mm f/7 which although a decent scope to start out with for visual observing isn’t so great for astrophotographers due to it’s longer focal length. 
 

What mount do you have? 
 

 

Hi Craig i`m not sure but i think it might be the latter you mentioned 130mm/ 900mm (f/6.92 because of the lenght of it, it came with the EQ2 mount and single axis drive corrector motor.

[Jimbo Lpool]

6 minutes ago, Stickey said:

Like Craig T82 says, it kind of depends. 

For visual,  they're both decent starter scopes. For imaging with your a390 DSLR, you want the shortest focal length you have. Reviews report that the camera isn't great at ISO levels above 800, it gets a bit noisy, which means your exposures would need to be longer for fainter deep sky objects and that means you'll need a good solid tracking mount. 

If your Skywatcher 130 is the f/5 variety, it should be OK, but any astrophotography relies on good tracking, hence the question about the mount.

How that helps. 

 

Hi Stickey thanks for your reply, yes i also agree with what you have said as many of the videos i`ve watched and read about, everyone says the tracking is top of the list, as a good telescope is no good without it, which is why i`m thinking of getting rid of everything and getting a better camera and a good goto tracking mount, plus as a lot of people seem to be using Refractors i`ll be looking at getting one, but will be 2nd hand to start off with or if deals are on could strech to new, just need some help and advice from you guys that are more experienced  

 

[CraigT82]

Yeah to be brutally honest the combination of that scope and mount is going to make any kind of astrophotography very frustrating. You may be able to get some results out of it that you’re happy with it’ll be hard work and you won’t be happy for long. 

A couple of popular options for astrophotographers starting out are the Heq5 mount with either and ED80 refractor or the 130pds reflector. Most folk start there with their existing DSLRs and then upgrade the camera when funds allow or they find the limits of the DSLR. 
 

An EQ5 mount with tracking would be just about passable with small scopes but is more suited to camera lenses actually. 
 

Saying that another option for starting out is a DSLR and lenses and a star tracker, there is a ton of targets to image with that kind of setup and is probably the cheapest way into the hobby whilst you learn all th e fundamentals of it. 

[Stickey]

30 minutes ago, Jimbo Lpool said:

getting rid of everything and getting a better camera and a good goto tracking mount, plus as a lot of people seem to be using Refractors i`ll be looking at getting one, but will be 2nd hand to start off with or if deals are on could strech to new, just need some help and advice from you guys that are more experienced  

 

I wouldn't be in a hurry to dump everything you've got.  Learn with what you've got and when you've determined what really interests you, then you upgrade appropriately. 

The Bresser is a small 80mm f/10 catadioptric. It won't be of much use for deep sky, but might be good for the moon and bright planets. The standard mount is manual AFAICS, so no good for astrophotography, but easier to set up and get observing. 

The Skywatcher is a 130mm reflector, a much greater light gathering capability than the Bresser and will let you see DSOs, up to a point. Depending on the focal ratio, it will also let you view wide-ish fields. If it came with an equatorial motorised mount,  then you're in with a chance for imaging, again up to a point. 

Not only is an equatorial motorised mount necessary, it also needs to be "polar aligned" and that's when imaging can start to get expensive quickly.

Hence the advice to learn as much as you can about the night sky and what interests you, with what you've got before deciding where you want to invest your money. 

🙂

[Jimbo Lpool]

35 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

Yeah to be brutally honest the combination of that scope and mount is going to make any kind of astrophotography very frustrating. You may be able to get some results out of it that you’re happy with it’ll be hard work and you won’t be happy for long. 

A couple of popular options for astrophotographers starting out are the Heq5 mount with either and ED80 refractor or the 130pds reflector. Most folk start there with their existing DSLRs and then upgrade the camera when funds allow or they find the limits of the DSLR. 
 

An EQ5 mount with tracking would be just about passable with small scopes but is more suited to camera lenses actually. 
 

Saying that another option for starting out is a DSLR and lenses and a star tracker, there is a ton of targets to image with that kind of setup and is probably the cheapest way into the hobby whilst you learn all th e fundamentals of it. 

Thanks Craig, and yes my first mistake was thinking after reading a bit was that the Sky-Watcher 130 which i have was the one most people were talking about (first mistake) as it seems they ment the 130pds reflector not the one i got, and i have seen some of the images on here of the images members have got with their`s and they are amazing, funny you mention the ED80 as i have looked at one and i think the ED72 but the cost makes me cring   i`ve watched many great videos about DSLR and lenses and a star tracker, which was going to be my first choice as for cost as i never realized an old DSLR moded could catch such images, and i have wrote down a few lenses & cameras, the one i have now was one i had in a draw for yesrs

[CraigT82]

You can get some pretty decent old M42 scew mount lenses (need an adaptor) online that work well for Astro. This is one of my first deep sky Astro photos, made using a 700d, star adventurer and an old 135mm Takumar SMC I got on eBay for £20. 12x120secs if I remember correctly. 
 

[Jimbo Lpool]

19 minutes ago, Stickey said:

I wouldn't be in a hurry to dump everything you've got.  Learn with what you've got and when you've determined what really interests you, then you upgrade appropriately. 

The Bresser is a small 80mm f/10 catadioptric. It won't be of much use for deep sky, but might be good for the moon and bright planets. The standard mount is manual AFAICS, so no good for astrophotography, but easier to set up and get observing. 

The Skywatcher is a 130mm reflector, a much greater light gathering capability than the Bresser and will let you see DSOs, up to a point. Depending on the focal ratio, it will also let you view wide-ish fields. If it came with an equatorial motorised mount,  then you're in with a chance for imaging, again up to a point. 

Not only is an equatorial motorised mount necessary, it also needs to be "polar aligned" and that's when imaging can start to get expensive quickly.

Hence the advice to learn as much as you can about the night sky and what interests you, with what you've got before deciding where you want to invest your money. 

🙂

Thanks Stickey, the little Bresser has been great at looking at the moon with the super 10mm eye piece, and i have an old canon 350d that came with it and connection ring for the Bresser but have never connected it yet, must try it one night.

[Jimbo Lpool]

21 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

You can get some pretty decent old M42 scew mount lenses (need an adaptor) online that work well for Astro. This is one of my first deep sky Astro photos, made using a 700d, star adventurer and an old 135mm Takumar SMC I got on eBay for £20. 12x120secs if I remember correctly. 
 

Looks amazing that mate  and that was just from the 700d and the 135mm lens, looks amazing, i wrote down one of the lenses i seen in a video were they mentions good canon lenses to us was a Samyang/Rokinon 135mm F2.0 ED UMC is that the same lens you took this image with ? as i know the same lens can have different names. cheers for all the helps, also would i be better going for a higher megapixel camera like say a 24MP and higher and would that give me better images with a good F1.8 - 2.8 - F4 lens, sorry for all the questions.

 

[CraigT82]

Thanks mate, no it was an old lens from the 60s I think, something like this…

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194953092236?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=eqi-iQs2SYu&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=snTR321rTmm&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

You’d need an M42 - canon adaptor for it to be able to use it, there’s no auto focus or aperture adjustment got to do it the old fashion way and twist the barrel, which doesn’t really matter for Astro, but not much use for daytime photography unless you like doing it the old way.  It’s just a cheap way of getting a optically decent lens really. 
 

In terms of the camera the megapixel count is pretty much irrelevant. The camera a sensitivity and how the camera behaves at high ISOs is more important really, those with larger pixels (I.e less total pixels) can do really well as they gather more light.  Canons are well used and there are a few vendors who mod them if you didn’t want to do that yourself. I’ve only used a 700D and I really liked it, the flip out and twist screen is a god send! 

Edited July 15, 2022 by CraigT82

[Ratlet]

Vintage glass can be a really cost effective entry to astrophotography.  It's the route I'm taking.  £40 for 200mm prime lens (SMC Takumar f4), £8 for a converter and then DSLR to taste (I've got a canon t3i for £140).

Have a search on here and you can find recommendations.  Asides from the ones mentioned there is also the tair 3 which is a Soviet lens which is very highly regarded.

There is a phenomenal amount of stuff that looks better at a short focal length when imaged.

[Jimbo Lpool]

1 hour ago, CraigT82 said:

Thanks mate, no it was an old lens from the 60s I think, something like this…

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194953092236?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=eqi-iQs2SYu&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=snTR321rTmm&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

You’d need an M42 - canon adaptor for it to be able to use it, there’s no auto focus or aperture adjustment got to do it the old fashion way and twist the barrel, which doesn’t really matter for Astro, but not much use for daytime photography unless you like doing it the old way.  It’s just a cheap way of getting a optically decent lens really. 
 

In terms of the camera the megapixel count is pretty much irrelevant. The camera a sensitivity and how the camera behaves at high ISOs is more important really, those with larger pixels (I.e less total pixels) can do really well as they gather more light.  Canons are well used and there are a few vendors who mod them if you didn’t want to do that yourself. I’ve only used a 700D and I really liked it, the flip out and twist screen is a god send! 

Thanks againg Craig you and Stickey have been a huge help, and now Ratlet thanks, so would using my Canon a390 Alpha work ok for now with the M42 - canon adaptor, as i will get one, but i notice there is a lot of them for the likes of  M42 EF/EOS ot does the M42 adaptor fit all canons for such lenses you mentioned, my camera came with two lenses the Sony DT 3.5 - 5.6 / 18-70mm macro lens and a Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 tele-macro lens. I just don`t want to buy the wrong M43 canon adaptor  but it seems i can use my camera for time been which will save money, and so with the help i`ve had from you and others, i think i`ll focus on a lens, adaptor and mainly the star tracker. I`m thinking the Sky-Watcher star adventure 2i or is it worth paying the extra for both for the newer version GTI ? thanks again guys realy am greatful  

[Jimbo Lpool]

2 hours ago, Ratlet said:

Vintage glass can be a really cost effective entry to astrophotography.  It's the route I'm taking.  £40 for 200mm prime lens (SMC Takumar f4), £8 for a converter and then DSLR to taste (I've got a canon t3i for £140).

Have a search on here and you can find recommendations.  Asides from the ones mentioned there is also the tair 3 which is a Soviet lens which is very highly regarded.

There is a phenomenal amount of stuff that looks better at a short focal length when imaged.

It seems the both of us are looking at going down the same root, and there was me thinking the biggest and largest telescope is the way to go how very wrong was i especially after reading and seeing the images members have put up just using camera systems, when in fact for what i like and want to do, the camera & a good star tracker is much more simpler and cheaper way to go, most expensive thing will be the tracker which i knew would be, but i have all the rest of the items.  

[AstroMuni]

On 15/07/2022 at 21:35, Jimbo Lpool said:

as it seems they ment the 130pds reflector not the one i got, and i have seen some of the images on here of the images members have got with their`s and they are amazing,

Dont worry, you should get pretty decent images with what you have. SW & other vendors have enough models to confuse us folk 🙂 I have a Celestron Astromaster 130 and if you read its reviews for AP they say its useless. But my experience showed me that its not too bad after all and I continue to use it. See my signature link for details.

[Jimbo Lpool]

On 18/07/2022 at 10:11, AstroMuni said:

Dont worry, you should get pretty decent images with what you have. SW & other vendors have enough models to confuse us folk 🙂 I have a Celestron Astromaster 130 and if you read its reviews for AP they say its useless. But my experience showed me that its not too bad after all and I continue to use it. See my signature link for details.

Nice images Muni i have managed to get one decent image using the scope and am in the process looking out for a 2nd hand goto mount, as you`ll know the 130 is a very light scope but clumsy, i`v been offered a Celestron 90SLT Maksutov-Cassegrain and thinking of buying it and swapping it as my main, but not sure if it`s better than what i already have and use ?? 

 

[AstroMuni]

1 hour ago, Jimbo Lpool said:

Nice images Muni i have managed to get one decent image using the scope and am in the process looking out for a 2nd hand goto mount, as you`ll know the 130 is a very light scope but clumsy, i`v been offered a Celestron 90SLT Maksutov-Cassegrain and thinking of buying it and swapping it as my main, but not sure if it`s better than what i already have and use ??

If I were you I would stick to the 130 and put money into getting a good stable mount, something like the SW EQ5. I personally would NOT opt for the 90SLT unless you are after imaging planets where it maybe better than your 130. Read this review on the 90SLT https://telescopicwatch.com/celestron-nexstar-90slt-review/

Edited July 20, 2022 by AstroMuni

[Peart]

As above your first investment should be a solid mount. A HEQ5 Pro is a good starting point and where I started. Its a great mount that you can get second hand for around £500 to £600. 

[Jimbo Lpool]

4 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

If I were you I would stick to the 130 and put money into getting a good stable mount, something like the SW EQ5. I personally would NOT opt for the 90SLT unless you are after imaging planets where it maybe better than your 130. Read this review on the 90SLT https://telescopicwatch.com/celestron-nexstar-90slt-review/

Just read up on the one i was offered for no money and seems the one i`ve got already is a lot better, part of the learning curve and i`m starting to learn that already, think my mount and motor is priority