Best budget scope for astrophotography?

[sophh6699]

Hi all, I’m looking to begin into AP and would love some suggestions on the best telescopes I could consider with a budget of around £450 where I can take photos mostly of galaxies and nebulas. I know it’s not much but I’m looking at getting a used telescope, as I will definitely not have enough for a new one, and saving for any extras i will need afterwards, and also selling the one I have now - the Skywatcher 200p with the EQ-5 mount. 

I am looking for an easy setup and one that won’t be too heavy - there won’t always be someone to help with that 🥲, and definitely will need to have a goto mount as I would very quickly lose interest if I was struggling too much. 

Also if you have any photos taken from ones you have or have had previously that you are recommending that would be amazing

Thank you so much!

Edited August 28, 2023 by sophh6699

[M40]

I think the first thing I would do is buy the goto kit for your eq5.

According to the info on flo website, the eq5 goto can handle 6.5kgs, so knowing what I can see using an 85mm refractor, how about an evostar 80ed pro outfit which will sit nicely on your mount. Strangely they have an open box ed80 that will fit right in your budget.

All the best

[malc-c]

Read through all the other threads that ask the same question.  You'll soon see that your budget is around 2.25x short for what is normally considered the entry level mount alone,  and then you need to buy the optics. 

Having said that, I agree with the above post, and purchase the synscan upgrade for your EQ5, and use the 200P.  I would however suggest increasing your budget by around another £200 - £250 for a small guide scope so that you can track a target star as the EQ5 lacks the precision motors found on the more expensive mounts.

Imaging is a rabbit hole.... it never ends up being cheap....

[adyj1]

I started with a 150PDS on a diy-motorised EQ-5. I found it a useful learning platform for a few years while waiting for my finances to catch up with my ambition. I would worry that a 200P would just be pushing the limits - not that it wouldn't work at all, but that you'd hit more issues because of the extra size and weight. Once you can afford to add PC control, guiding, etc, the weight starts to mount up. 

You should try to factor in a coma corrector either with your purchase, or soon after. What camera will you be using?  

[adyj1]

As you asked, here's an early shot of the Orion Nebula with a Canon 1000d (astromodified), 150PDS with Skywatcher Coma Corrector, and the motorised EQ-5. 

48 x 60-second exposures using APT capture software and a mini-PC. Processing is a bit rudimentary... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy with 34 x 90s exposures - same setup (I don't think my calibration was up to much back then).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've learned a lot (and spent a lot!) since then, but when I started I couldn't afford more than the EQ5 and it worked well for me. I still use the 150PDS 👍

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by adyj1

[happy-kat]

Picking up on what the OP mentioned which was goto and not heavy what about the skywatcher star adventurer GTI with a small refractor though there's no mention if the budget is for mount, telescope and camera.

Or an all in one like the ZWO seestar s50, which is mount, telescope,goto, processing and camera in one all in one unit and slightly past budget. I've not seen it or used one.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/zwo-seestar-s50-all-in-one-smart-apo-telescope-tripod.html

Edited August 29, 2023 by happy-kat

[Ratlet]

Depends what you want to image.

You can get pretty far with a 135mm to 300mm telephoto for nebula etc.  Shorter focal lengths will make everything easier in terms of tracking/guiding too.  These were all taken with either a 200mm takumar or 300mm Tair 3 telephoto lens.

 

[adyj1]

18 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

These were all taken with either a 200mm takumar or 300mm Tair 3 telephoto lens

Out of interest, what mount did you use? 

[Clarkey]

12 hours ago, sophh6699 said:

EQ-5 mount.

You do not say whether this is motorised or goto - if it is not, then that would be the first step. You can modify the EQ5 quite easily.

In terms of scope, either a small newtonian or a small refractor - you can pick up both quite cheaply on Astro Buy and Sell or on the SGL pages.

If you have a camera already (DSLR or mirrorless), you can use this. If not, you can pick them up fairly cheaply second hand.

Whether you can do all of this for £450 is debatable - it depends on what you want to achieve. As @Ratlet says, you could use standard camera lenses. You can pick up older prime focus lenses very cheaply on Fleabay. I got a couple for about £20 each. If you go widefield you won't need to worry about guiding.

[Ratlet]

14 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

Out of interest, what mount did you use? 

Gem28 which is completely over the top for the weight that's on it.

[AstroFin]

With your budget it’s hard to go wrong with an 80mm ED refractor such as the Sky-Watcher 80ED. There are a lot of these available in the used market.

A refractor is easy to use and should provide consistent results without needing to fiddle with collimation. 

There are also some great camera lenses that fit your budget, such as the excellent Samyang 135mm f/2.

A smart telescope like the Seestar S50 may be a good idea if you’d like to do some casual imaging and are not so picky about image quality. The great thing about a smart telescope is that they are very portable and easy to use.

[ollypenrice]

You'd like to image 'galaxies and nebulae' but, most of the time, these require different telescopes or lenses. Most galaxies and small and most of the well-known and brighter nebulae are large. There are exceptions but I don't regard a nebula telescope as being the same as a galaxy telescope.

Ratlet makes the key point above. For a given camera, a shorter focal length lowers resolution, making tracking precision less critical. There is no point in putting a high resolution (long focal length) setup on a mount which is not tracking to a high standard. The resolution will be lost to the tracking error.

I agree that a camera lens is your best bet. Primes work better than zooms, as a rule, but check the astro performance of any lens you consider because stars are odd things where lenses are concerned. Some give good stars, some don't. It doesn't simply go with price.

The most important thing is getting your tracking as accurate as possible. A Box Brownie held still will easily beat a Hasslelbad that is wobbling around.

Edited August 29, 2023 by ollypenrice
False click.

[Elp]

FMI this is their previous thread:

 

 

[MartinFransson]

I agree with what is said above. I would (and I did) start with a camera lens. The shorter the focal length, the less demand for accurate tracking. When you get the hang of that, you take the next step up in focal length and/or tracking. 
One of the best lenses for astro photography is the Samyang 135mm f/2.0. Yes, it is wide and you will not catch small galaxies but it is great for larger areas with nebuale. Longer camera lenses (not zooms) will probably cost you as much (or more) as a budget telescope and will have a less suitable focusing mechanism. If you don´t already have a telephoto lens, I wouldn´t buy one just for astro photography.

[sophh6699]

17 hours ago, adyj1 said:

As you asked, here's an early shot of the Orion Nebula with a Canon 1000d (astromodified), 150PDS with Skywatcher Coma Corrector, and the motorised EQ-5. 

48 x 60-second exposures using APT capture software and a mini-PC. Processing is a bit rudimentary... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy with 34 x 90s exposures - same setup (I don't think my calibration was up to much back then).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've learned a lot (and spent a lot!) since then, but when I started I couldn't afford more than the EQ5 and it worked well for me. I still use the 150PDS 👍

 

 

those pictures are great i love them  i’ve got a nikon d300 that I imagine I will begin with for taking photos. 

[sophh6699]

8 hours ago, Clarkey said:

You do not say whether this is motorised or goto - if it is not, then that would be the first step. You can modify the EQ5 quite easily.

In terms of scope, either a small newtonian or a small refractor - you can pick up both quite cheaply on Astro Buy and Sell or on the SGL pages.

If you have a camera already (DSLR or mirrorless), you can use this. If not, you can pick them up fairly cheaply second hand.

Whether you can do all of this for £450 is debatable - it depends on what you want to achieve. As @Ratlet says, you could use standard camera lenses. You can pick up older prime focus lenses very cheaply on Fleabay. I got a couple for about £20 each. If you go widefield you won't need to worry about guiding.

Unfortunately it is not motorised, it’s the manual one - where would I find where I can upgrade the stand? And yes I do already have a Nikon D300 I am planning to use. Thank you!

[ollypenrice]

13 minutes ago, sophh6699 said:

Unfortunately it is not motorised, it’s the manual one - where would I find where I can upgrade the stand? And yes I do already have a Nikon D300 I am planning to use. Thank you!

Ah, that word, the 'stand...'  I know it's a trivial business of words but nobody in astrophotograhy ever uses the word 'stand' to describe a 'mount.' That's because it doesn't stand, it tracks, and it is by far the most important part of the rig. First Light Optics, the sponsors of this forum, will sort you out with the bits you need and will see you proud in future developments.

My kit priority order has never changed. It is mount-camera-optics. Yes, optics last. 

Olly

[malc-c]

Have to agree with Olly, the mount is the most critical item when taking up imaging.  Put a decent camera /lens or telescope on a poor mount and you will always be disappointing in the results.  Put an average scope or cheaper end lens/camera on a decent mount and the results will be encouraging...  Put a high end camera /lens or scope on a a really decent mount and any issue tends not to be equipment related 

[bomberbaz]

19 hours ago, sophh6699 said:

Unfortunately it is not motorised, it’s the manual one - where would I find where I can upgrade the stand? And yes I do already have a Nikon D300 I am planning to use. Thank you!

I think this is what your looking for!

Dual-Axis D.C. Motor Drives for EQ-5 | First Light Optics

[malc-c]

On 30/08/2023 at 13:47, bomberbaz said:

I think this is what your looking for!

Dual-Axis D.C. Motor Drives for EQ-5 | First Light Optics

Personally I would spend £40 more and get the enhanced drive as this has an ST4 autoguide port should the OP chose to get a finder/ guider or auto guider later.  Or if they are sticking with the EQ5 then the synscan upgrade would be the way forward, but that wouldn't leave much of his budget for anything else

[adyj1]

Further to what Malc says, be sure to understand the difference between the motor drive options - which are *not* GoTo, but do track once you manually find the target, and the synscan upgrade - which *is* GoTo and can therefore do things like platesolving as well.

(It is also worth mentioning that there are DIY GoTo upgrades you could build to save money, but these aren't for the technically faint of heart...)

HTH

 

Ady