Sky & Telescope - January 2024 - 18

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR
BUYER'S GUIDE by Alan Dyer
Alan Dyer gives his recommendations for a
first-class imaging rig for anyone aspiring to
begin deep-sky photography.
I
f you want to capture great images of star clusters,
nebulae, and galaxies, there's a bewildering amount of
gear to choose from these days. So let me provide some
guidance. People often ask, " What would you buy? " Well,
this is the kit I did buy and which I can personally recommend
to beginners. The combination could also be ideal for
an experienced astrophotographer wishing to downsize to a
smaller, lighter system.
Choice Criteria
The goal of this buying guide is to help you assemble a portable
imaging system capable of publication-quality images
of deep-sky objects, at a less-than-astronomical price. The
approximate cost of my suggested system adds up to $3,500,
not including a camera and some accessories. I realize that
might be a bit pricey for many just starting out, so I also
include some lower-cost alternatives.
I haven't recommended any of the robotic " smart " scopes
now on the market. They fall within my proposed price range
and can deliver initially gratifying images with turnkey
operation - no assembly required. However, I consider the
images they produce to be less than publication quality. In
addition, while they might be the latest in high-tech, today's
smart scopes aren't upgradable, should you aspire to take
better images later. Instead, I suggest a more conventional
system with components that can be upgraded in stages,
yet without any parts at risk of being rendered obsolete or
redundant. What you buy now to get started will still be
useful years later, even if you graduate to a larger, more
advanced setup. The one exception is the camera, for reasons
I'll describe later.
In assembling my recommended rig I've followed three
personal philosophies:
* Buy nice or buy twice. Low-cost gear might save
money in the short-term, but scrimping in the wrong
places often results in poor photos and the need to
toss the ill-chosen gear and buy again.
* Favor an integrated system. Those with technical
skills revel in the challenge of getting hardware and
software from disparate suppliers to work together. Not
me. I like my stuff to work straight " out of the box. "
* Keep it simple. The more gadgets, cables, and software
you accumulate, the more that can go wrong.
Plus, you'll need to invest additional time to master
each piece of equipment.
I've also adhered to two axioms I think are universally
accepted by astrophotographers:
* Invest most in the mount. The mount is literally the
foundation of any astrophoto system. As your ambi18
JANUARY 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE
Assembl
Astroph
PROOF IN THE PUDDING This portrait of NGC
7000, the North America Nebula, was captured
with the author's recommended equipment.
It's a stack of five 5-minute exposures made
with a stock Canon EOS 6D DSLR under lessthan-astronomically-dark
skies near the time
of summer solstice at 51° north latitude.
tions grow, you'll acquire new telescopes and cameras,
but a well-chosen mount can remain the core of any
astrophoto system.
* Start with a small apochromatic refractor. A good
apochromat can produce first-class images that are
sharp across a large camera sensor. An apo lens is also
free of false color halos, unlike lower-cost achromats.
And unlike fast, entry-level Newtonian reflectors,
quality refractors are essentially maintenance-free.
The recommendation of a small refractor often surprises
newcomers, who naturally assume the bigger the telescope,
Sky & Telescope - January 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - January 2024
