Astrophotography Setup

[mrdougman]

Hello,

 

I did a little astrophotography back in the day, and  I want to get back into the hobby. I have  been researching and trying to figure out a decent setup for deep sky objects.   I came up with the following, and was hoping to get some feedback, before I make a purchase.  10k are under budget.  Any changes/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Skywatcher Esprit 100

EQ6-R Pro Mount

ZWO Electronic 8 Position Filter Wheel - 1.25"/31 mm

ASI2600MM Camera

Chromas 1.25" LRGB Filter Set

ASIAIR Plus

Starfield 50mm guide scope

Zwo asi120mm mini

[TerryMcK]

Hi Doug welcome to the forum. You will need bigger diameter filters than 1.25” for that scope/camera combination otherwise you will get vignetting. So look at 36mm diameter minimum along with a correspondingly sized filter wheel. Also if you can squeeze in some narrow band filters in that budget too that would be good.

You don’t mention any form of computer to acquire the images.

 

You will also need a field flattener for the scope. I think they do them in x1 and x0.8 for that scope.

 

Don't forget dew heater bands and controller. Also you need a power supply to power this lot. A bunch of USB cables too to connect everything up. It all adds up and that 10K can be soon eaten up.

 

But other than that it looks good.

 

Here are the results from astronomy tools CCD filter size calculator

 

 

[mrdougman]

Thanks for the information Terry. Very helpful.

[Andy 274]

Why zwo? There are other brands using the same chip that have less mechanical issues. 

Personally, I'd look at the Altair stable - I've had some really bad experiences with zwo support

[AstronomyUkraine]

I would also think about a Pegasus Astro Powerbox, they are ideal for running dew bands and connecting peripherals.

[Demon]

Portability? Does it need to be portable or is it to be setup each night at home or a permanent setup with some type of obsy? Do you have a good sight for setup?

You said you did some ap previously - so is that the field of view you like & objects?

Option for a postmaster maybe, although I just use sharpcap and guide camera...

Are you into processing going with the MM...

Lovely list of gear.

Edited July 20, 2022 by Demon