one of the things to remember when using a commercial camera is that most of them have IR filters installed

what this means is that a lot of the long exposure deep sky stuff won't photograph because its being blocked.

You can get the IR filter removed and then get a screw-on one for doing daylight photography but if you leave it is, you will be missing a lot

check this out - I think this might be something you could use

https://www.optcorp.com/ioptro...head-polarscope.html

I am sort of trying to dissuade you from spending a lot of money on a marginal telescope where you will be disappointed with the results

remember, looking through a telescope at night, all you will see is black and white - your eyes do not have enough low-light color receptors to make out colors such as reds and blues unless you are looking at Mars, or a bright red or blue star

also if you're trying to use the telescope as a lens for your camera, you won't be able to look through the scope while taking a picture and a good tracker will cost a bundle

I am getting into astrophotography myself - have been reading up on it for two years, belong to three astronomy groups including one at the University of Arizona and I am also constructing a fixed observatory in my back yard - so I've dine the research and am making the investment to do it right

but like sjtill indicated - its a steep learning curve

theoretically its pretty simple but the devil is in the details

LOL That's okay, I do appreciate the input.

Pics like striper's is generally what I'm after, and I know I can do that with just a camera, an appropriate lens, and some patience. I was thinking a telescope might add some variety/possibility.

That link is pretty interesting though.

I have purchased by last three scopes and lenses from OPT - much better I think than Woodland Hills

my next scope is going to be this one...

https://www.optcorp.com/tpo-16...-truss-tube-ota.html

Wow! The observatory in your back yard must be pretty impressive!!!

A 16 inch R-C is like the Barrett .50 BMG of amateur astronomy.
Let us know when it's installed!
I'm planning to join the San Diego amateur astronomers group; one of the members is quite the expert on astrophotography (on the Cloudy Night forum on AP), and I hope to learn from him when we're settled.

BTW Optcorp is good people; they're just up the road in Oceanside.

Here is An 8 inch f/4 imaging Newtonian for $500. That and say an iOptron ZEQ 25 equatorial mount would be a solid and decent quality setup for deep-sky AP. Total would be about $1400 for that setup.

I'm with NHtagmember on the need to get the IR filter removed from your Canon; that will cost about $300. Or you can buy a Canon used that has already had it done for about the same price. E-mail me if interested.

Here's my Meade I picked up used in 1994.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
Wow! The observatory in your back yard must be pretty impressive!!!

It will be when its completed

construction started last week for the deck which will be elevated about 20 inches above the ground

there are 8 rebar reinforced concrete columns in the ground - each about a cubic yard of concrete with slump block

the telescope base is 1.5 cubic yards of reinforced concrete and will be isolated from the deck. The bolt-ring for the pier is tied into the concrete to a depth of 3 feet

Construction on the deck starts hopefully next week - it will be PT 4X4's topped with 3/4" plywood for the floor.

Plan on running two conduits - a 20A electrical conduit and two data conduits from the house to the pad.

the building and dome are a paired pre-fab structure from Explora-Dome. The building is 10' X 10' in area, 5' high walls and an 8' diameter motorized dome

Will post photos when the deck is done

building my own observatory is one of the reasons I moved to AZ from New Hampshire where we used to enjoy about 5 cloud-free nights a year and four of them were full moons

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
Here's my Meade I picked up used in 1994.

... cheesh, looks like something that could pick out a flock of squawking cockies at 10,000.

Or a planetary defense base optical for that first warp exit light flash 100,000AU out ...

quote:

Originally posted by cjevans:

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
Here's my Meade I picked up used in 1994.

... cheesh, looks like something that could pick out a flock of squawking cockies at 10,000.

Or a planetary defense base optical for that first warp exit light flash 100,000AU out ...

No kidding, that thing is a beast! LOL

I have been doing astronomy for 50+ years. I stay away from astrophotography because it is too much work and too expensive, although it is rewarding.

Here is MUST reading on choosing a first telescope:
http://www.scopereviews.com
Scroll down to "Beginner's Advice..."

Here is THE marketplace for used scopes:
http://www.astromart.com

Cloudy Nights Forums is a wealth of info on every astro topic, including photography:
https://www.cloudynights.com/index/

Seeing different types of scopes at gatherings of local astronomers or regional or national "Star Parties" can help you get an idea of what is best for you. Local astronomy clubs are usually very helpful.

Amateur astronomy is a wonderful pursuit. It can become obsessive, but nights under the stars, with or without a telescope or camera, will enrich your life.

GG

nhtagmember- that is one amazing beast. I've spent a little time on a 16" in my University observatory and at an observatory near Ft Benning that spent almost all of its time studying and observing the sun. I'm envious. The best scope I've had was a Meade 6" SCT and wish I'd just gone with AT LEAST an 8" SCT.

AlleninWV- you may try looking for college observatories around your area. Mine had an observatory and a planetarium. Both were free to use. They also had a lot of 6" and 8" SCT scopes for field viewing. I also have a cheap 120 mm refractor with an Equatorial mount. Spend some time viewing through other scopes if you can. I have never tried the astrophotography but have enjoyed observation. My daughter can spot Venus and Mars easily now at 8 years old. I've still have the bug for more scope and mirror than I can afford. Also, I learned early on there is no real need for tons of eyepieces. I use about 3 quality eyepieces and a Barlow. The goto mount makes it much more enjoyable for me.

I own about 10 telescopes, 4 are for daytime sun observation. I would try to focus on visual use first. Astrophotography is a very expense a very time consuming hobby.

Look on Craigslist you can get great deals on telescopes that are in almost new condition. Get a tracking telescope with 6" or better aperture.

Allen--
Come on down to Huntington and look through my 6" Dobsonian, if you'd like. It's no good for astrophotography. All manual.
Still, very enjoyable.
Hit me on FB, if you need to.

LOL What hobbies do you NOT do Greg??

One thing I have learned over the past few days is I need to learn my terms. I think what I want to do is called "nightscapes". Astrophotography is taking pics of stuff in deep space, which I can see is a very tedious, expensive, hobby. LOL Maybe on down the line I will look into that, but for right now, not really what I want to accomplish.

That said, that motorized mount nhtamember linked may still be a neat tool. We'll see.

Allen, you can capture an image like that with any entry level DSLR camera with a good lens and a sturdy tripod.

That was a 20 second exposure so my friends are a lil' blurry because they moved slightly.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
LOL What hobbies do you NOT do Greg??

One thing I have learned over the past few days is I need to learn my terms. I think what I want to do is called "nightscapes". Astrophotography is taking pics of stuff in deep space, which I can see is a very tedious, expensive, hobby. LOL Maybe on down the line I will look into that, but for right now, not really what I want to accomplish.

That said, that motorized mount nhtamember linked may still be a neat tool. We'll see.

the motorized mount will prevent you from taking circular star trails during the exposure - the stars will continue to appear as points of light, the Milky Way won't get smeared by rotation

I saw a photo once of a nightscape where the perople in the foreground were photographed for about a minute, then they all got up and left, the shutter stayed open to bring out the detail in the star field and no one was the wiser

http://www.go-astronomy.com/as...s-state.php?State=WV

these people will know what , where, how much, when etc etc.

more often than not you can get much better used stuff ,for much less, than retail.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:


the motorized mount will prevent you from taking circular star trails during the exposure - the stars will continue to appear as points of light, the Milky Way won't get smeared by rotation

But that's only for 'sky only' pics, correct? If there is landscape in the frame, it WILL be blurred (which might make for interesting effects).

yes

unless you take two photos and stack them