Newbie from Ollerton

[Guest quickbiker]

Hello everyone, new to this and looking to find out and explore more, am very interested in astrophotography. Would appreciate any help on telescopes and attachments for my Canon DSLR and what would be a good telescope to start with, I have done some research and so many to choose from. I did see a Zennox 76x700 reflector on groupon, does anyone have any opinions on this?

[Doc]

Hi Tony welcome to EMS.

 

I would stay away from any supermarket type scopes that the big retailers sell, stick with Skywatcher, Meade, or Celestron. Take a look at the following supplier, they are called First Light Optics and are one of the better retailers to do business with.

 

http://www.firstlightoptics.com

 

It all depends on budget but the Skywatcher 130P would be a great starter scope.

 

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130p.html

Edited December 16, 2014 by Doc

[Guest Tweedledum]

Hi Tony,

 

Warm welcome to EMS.Now then, astrophotography = deep pockets. So best to take a deep breath and start slowly,  If you are an astronomy newbie then the best idea is put your wallet away and come along to a meet and see what people have and have a look through their kit. You can see what others have and what might suit you best. 

 

Stay a gozillian miles away from any telescope that says 525x, professional 50mm, argos, lidl, aldi (bar their bresser binos!)  and  Jessops  .

 

If you want to start out try a pair of bino's first, a couple of books 'turn left at orion' and 'sky&telescope pocket star atlas' will help guide you round  the sky. If you have not already done so download a planetarium program, lots out there but try Stellarium its great and free, to be found here :-- http://www.stellarium.org/

 

There is also another great book for astro photogaphy called 'making every photon count' this is a great guide to imaging and astrophotog in general. Well worth buying before any investment in kit.

 

There are a few of us in Mansfield not so far away too!

[Tweedledee]

Welcome to EMS Tony.

 

Great advice above.

 

I can only add the following - don't rush into anything and ask lots of questions. You've come to the right place to get good advice.

[BAZ]

Hi Tony, a warm welcome to EMS.

 

I am only a visual observer, but I think the most important bit of kit you need is the mount. This is so it tracks the object you are after accurately. Most imagers spend more on the mount than the scope, although there are some exceptions.

 

I wouldn't go any where near that scope you have seen, it won't get anywhere what you will need to get going. It might make a tall plant pot!

 

Ask loads of questions, read loads of reviews and have a look at what kit people have who put images up. This will give you an idea of what you might be looking to aim for in the future.

 

Meanwhile, get a pair of Binoculars, and get to know the sky. You won't be disappointed.

 

Enjoy the forum.

[tuckstar]

Hi welcome aboard. Looks like you already have all the advise you could want, but I would again say get along to a meet and have a look at some kit and ask some questions.

I hope you know lots of swear words. All astro photographers have to know lots of swear words to make their kit work.

[Stephen]

  Hi Tony a warm welcome to the EMS

 

   Stephen

[Daz Type-R]

Hi Tony, welcome to EMS.

If you are struggling to find a starter scope, all the advice above is very good advice. Keep an eye on the announcements section, meets get arranged at short notice and you would be very welcome to join us, have a look at some kit, ask loads of questions and go from there.

That Groupon scope would just be a massive waste of money and would put you off this wonderful hobby.

[Guest puckdrop]

Welcome from another recent newbie ! I got myself a telescope a few weeks back... you can tell by the amount of cloud we're getting ( see.. I get the jokes already ! )