Advice on 1st telescope for Fujifilm XT4

[Rustyspurs]

Hi, my names Paul. im a standard newbie here looking for help.

I am trying to find the best telescope for a total beginner that I can eventually also use with fujifilm XT4 for astrophotography. I already have the camera and its not getting the use that it should. 

Any advice would be much appreciated .

[Mandy D]

@Rustyspurs, I'm not going to attempt to answer your question as there are so many possible answers to this, that will depend on your budget and what it is you want to see. If you want better answers than this, it is worth thinking about what you actually want to image with your existing camera and state that. Also, if you indicate your budget, that will help.

My personal view is that you can image something with almost any camera you have coupled to almost any telescope you can get your hands on. What you can image and what quality image you obtain will depend on the telescope, it's mount and your camera, but it will also depend on your level of skill and dedication as an imager.

I do a lot of my lunar imaging with just a DSLR and a telephoto lens. I also do some planetary with an 8 inch Newt on a Dobsonian mount and have even attempted M42, the nebula in Orion with the Newt. I also have a 6 inch iOptron Ritchey Chretien telescope which I am assured is not the best instrument for planetary or the Moon due to it's large central obstruction. I have used it quite successfully for both, but will admit that there are better options, but it does not stop me using it for such projects.

DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are often stated as not ideal for successful deep-sky imaging, yet there are people out there who get stunning results with theirs. It should be possible to couple the XT4 to most telsescopes at prime focus with a suitable adapter, which is going to make life easier than trying to use it through the eyepiece in a similar manner to mobile phones.

This is not to say that there are no wrong answers to your question: there are many, but there are also plenty of options open to you.

[Carbon Brush]

Hello Paul.

Welcome to SGL.

A +1 to the comments from @Mandy D.
A lens on a tripod for a few seconds will give you something to look at.
A telephoto lens and a driven mount will give more possiblities.
Note no telescope involved - yet.
Astro photography always starts with mount.

Tell us little about the sort of pictures you want, your budget and your 'viewing circumstances'.
By this I mean urban light pollution, carrying kit down 3 flights of stairs, drive to a dark site, etc.
Then we can offer more constructive advice.

Keep asking the questions, David.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Carbon Brush

[Rustyspurs]

Thanks for the replies and your patience.

My budget is £500. I'm from small town 15 miles south of Belfast so light pollution is minimal. It isn't a dark sky site( my nearest is an hours drive) but it's not far off. I'm lucky to have a hill behind my house allowing 360 views if I climb to top(5 min walk). Or a field at my back gate with maybe 180 degrees of night sky. My work is physical so I'm not concerned with carrying weight etc. 

I'd like to view planets and galaxies and just explore a bit really. The photography can come a little later when I know a bit more. I had read that it's possible to view quite a bit with just camera and lens and as the camera isn't getting the use it should considering how expensive it was, I thought I'd try rectify that. 

But I've also always wanted a decent telescope. As with anything new there is a ton to learn but this seems especially complicated. There is so much choice that it leaves me not really knowing where to start. 

Any advice is very welcome.

[Carbon Brush]

Hi Paul.
As you are generally carrying your scope further than house to back garden, I would say that rules out anything that is a decent size on a Dobson mount.
You are into a tripod, but what mount?

An alt/az mount is easy up/down, left/right. Very intuitive. Great for purely visual.
Unless the mount has 'goto' you have to move two controls to keep and object in view.
Any photos are limited to a few seconds exposure.

However, the stars don't travel up/down. They move in a curved path. Apparently rotating around the pole star.
This is where an equatorial mount come in. Point one axis to the pole star. North and about 53 deg above the horizon.
Once have located an object, you only need move one control to keep it in view.
Learning how to use an EQ mount is not so straightforward. But no rocket science involved.
If you have a motor on one axis, it keeps the object in view for you.
Now you can attach a camera. alternatively fiddle around with eyepeice swapping, grab a cuppa, and the object is still there.

With an alt/az mount you just balance the scope forwards/backwards on the mount and view.
With an EQ mount it is a bit omre involved and there are counterweights.
It is though a two minute job once learned. The weights mean there are a few more kilos to carry to the field.

Then what scope? There are 3 basic choices, a refractor, a reflector, or a compound scope.

A refractor looks like a traditional tube with eyepiece at the back.
With your budget is going to be an achromatic scope. That means colour fringing at high magnification.
Look at Skywatcher Startravel range for examples.

A newton reflector looks like a drainpipe with the eyepiece at the top.
Colour is great. Generally you get more mirror size (= light gather) for your ££ than with a refractor.
Good for looking at dim galaxies.
A bigger mirror (or lens) also allows higher magnification. At low magnification you get the bigger objects in the field of view.
A good example is a skywatcher 200.

A compound scope is an SCT or MAK (yes abbreviations). They tend to be long focal length, so narrow views.
Great for the planets and other small objects. An example is the Skywatcher 127.

A lot of options there. I have also mentioned only Skywatcher products. There are other makes!
I would say your next move is to visit a local (or not so local) astronomy club. Have a chat and a look at what others are using.
I don't know if there is an astronomy shop in your area.
All scopes appear similar size/weight on a web page! Having a hold and look is an eye opener.

If you buy a package of scope + mount + tripod, remember the tripod and mount are the flimsiest the manufacturer can get away with.
Any package you buy has compromises. If you go for electronics and motors on a budget, something has to suffer.
No amount of clever electronics and software will make up for a scope lens made from a milk bottle placed on a wobby tripod.

Whatever you end up buying, if new, use a dedicated astronomy retailer.
He can (and will) provide after sales support. He wants to see you again for eyepieces, another scope, etc.
DO NOT buy from Currys, Amazon, ebay, etc. They cannot help with problems, only offer refunds.

If you are tempted to buy used, avoid gumtree, ebay, etc. There is some stuff there fit only for landfill.
Unless you know what you are looking for, you can get bitten.

When you have accrued 25 relevant posts and a month of membership on SGL, that gives you access to the classified section.
Most of my kit comes from this source. It is (in my opinion) the best place to buy used astro kit.

HTH, David