Good AstroPhotography Telescope

I am looking for a good entry, but not crappy, telescope that I can take
pictures with. It does not have to come with a computer to point and track,
but that sure would be nice. Thank you for advice.

"jm" wrote in message
news:3J5fb.672618$uu5.109858@sccrnsc04...
I am looking for a good entry, but not crappy, telescope that I can take
pictures with. It does not have to come with a computer to point and
track,
but that sure would be nice. Thank you for advice.


You could take pictures with almost any scope. Refractor, reflector or SCT,
they will all work...some easier than others. Which do you prefer? What
kind of pictures do you want to take? Moon, planets or nebulas...all need
some specialized equipment. What kind of camera do you intend using? 35mm,
CCD or other? What is your budget for a scope? Give us more information
and you are more likely to get a more helpful reply.

By the way, if you plan to take pictures of DSOs, or some dim planets, you
_must_ have a scope that tracks.

Al

"Al" wrote in message
et...

"jm" wrote in message
news:3J5fb.672618$uu5.109858@sccrnsc04...
I am looking for a good entry, but not crappy, telescope that I can take
pictures with. It does not have to come with a computer to point and
track,
but that sure would be nice. Thank you for advice.


You could take pictures with almost any scope. Refractor, reflector or
SCT,
they will all work...some easier than others. Which do you prefer? What
kind of pictures do you want to take? Moon, planets or nebulas...all need
some specialized equipment. What kind of camera do you intend using?
35mm,
CCD or other? What is your budget for a scope? Give us more information
and you are more likely to get a more helpful reply.

By the way, if you plan to take pictures of DSOs, or some dim planets, you
_must_ have a scope that tracks.

Al


Well, at the moment, I have a Minolta 8000i 35mm SLR and it is a good
camera, so I would want to use that primarily, but I can see using computer
or digital cameras in the future. I really don't know about the future. I
only know what I have now. I don't like waiting on the 35mm pics, though.
I know that. Budget, hmmm...say $500. Pictures I would want to
take...well, I guess that would kind of depend on the strength of the
telescope. I know I will never produce something like a science fiction
movie, but one day maybe a galaxy or nebulae. For now, just the solar
system and the moon. Thanks again.

On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 03:06:39 GMT, "jm" ...reflected:

I am looking for a good entry, but not crappy, telescope that I can take
pictures with. It does not have to come with a computer to point and track,
but that sure would be nice. Thank you for advice.

Orion has some telescopes that might be worthwhile.

Here's one with which to get your feet wet...

http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...iProductID=374

But understand that this would perhaps be the barest minimum, and
it may require some work on your part to get it just right.

Then there's a Parks 8" f/5 on a Vixen GP-DX equatorial mounting,
and at least at the fair-to-middling point of a desirable setup.

Always remember, you can NEVER research enough before making
that final purchase.

Alan

"Alan W. Craft" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 03:06:39 GMT, "jm"
....reflected:

I am looking for a good entry, but not crappy, telescope that I can take
pictures with. It does not have to come with a computer to point and
track,
but that sure would be nice. Thank you for advice.

Orion has some telescopes that might be worthwhile.

Here's one with which to get your feet wet...


http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...iProductID=374

But understand that this would perhaps be the barest minimum, and
it may require some work on your part to get it just right.

Then there's a Parks 8" f/5 on a Vixen GP-DX equatorial mounting,
and at least at the fair-to-middling point of a desirable setup.

Always remember, you can NEVER research enough before making
that final purchase.

Alan

Apparently so, it is so difficult to know when one has searched enough to
know "This is it."

"Alan W. Craft" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 03:06:39 GMT, "jm"
....reflected:

I am looking for a good entry, but not crappy, telescope that I can take
pictures with. It does not have to come with a computer to point and
track,
but that sure would be nice. Thank you for advice.

Orion has some telescopes that might be worthwhile.

Here's one with which to get your feet wet...


http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...iProductID=374

But understand that this would perhaps be the barest minimum, and
it may require some work on your part to get it just right.

Then there's a Parks 8" f/5 on a Vixen GP-DX equatorial mounting,
and at least at the fair-to-middling point of a desirable setup.

Always remember, you can NEVER research enough before making
that final purchase.

Alan

On the link you give, I couldn't find where I could use it to photograph
anything.

On the link you give, I couldn't find where I could use it to photograph
anything.

The scope in question has an Equatorial mount which when drives are added will
provide the tracking necessary for photography. However as Alan said, this is
a marginal setup.

For views of the planets and moon, various types of digital photography seem to
produce the best results, particularly the web cams because they allow capture
of a large number of images which can then be combined and processed to produce
some very nice images.

For Deep Sky objects, a 35 mm camera can do a good job but a signficant amount
of added equipment is necessary. The mount/scope must be polar aligned very
carefully and then guided in some way, either by an autoguider or manually.

Before taking the jump into astronomy and astrophotography, I suggest finding
you local club and going out a few times to see what it is all about...

jon

"jm" wrote in message
news:3J5fb.672618$uu5.109858@sccrnsc04...
I am looking for a good entry, but not crappy, telescope that I can take
pictures with. It does not have to come with a computer to point and
track,
but that sure would be nice. Thank you for advice.

Let me strongly suggest that you read up on astrophotography before buying
equipment. A $35 book can save you thousands in mistaken purchases.

I know I'm advertising my own product here, but hey, that's why I wrote
it...


--
Clear skies,

Michael Covington -- www.covingtoninnovations.com
Author, Astrophotography for the Amateur
and (new) How to Use a Computerized Telescope

"Al" wrote in message
et...

"jm" wrote in message
news:3J5fb.672618$uu5.109858@sccrnsc04...
I am looking for a good entry, but not crappy, telescope that I can take
pictures with. It does not have to come with a computer to point and
track,
but that sure would be nice. Thank you for advice.

By the way, if you plan to take pictures of DSOs, or some dim planets, you
_must_ have a scope that tracks.

Yes, but it doesn't have to be computerized. It can be a conventional clock
drive with slow motions available.

Let me strongly suggest that you read up on astrophotography before buying
equipment. A $35 book can save you thousands in mistaken purchases.


A good point...


I know I'm advertising my own product here, but hey, that's why I wrote
it...

That $35 would be a wise investment regardless of whether one decided to pursue
Astrophotography.

jon