Astrophotography is not a cheap hobby, but it is a very rewarding one. If you’re looking to take some beautiful photos of deep sky objects, but don’t know where to begin, then this post will help you get started. You will learn exactly what equipment you need for your astrophotography setup and roughly how much it will cost you, so you can feel confident in your decision to invest in this gear. In reality, you don’t need an expensive telescope or a massive, guided mount to take some incredible pictures. You can start simple!
As part of your astrophotography setup, you will need:
· A sturdy tripod
· A tracking mount (for long exposure shots)
· A camera and camera lens (or telescope)
· A dew heater strap
· An intervalometer
· A light pollution filter (optional)
The Mount (£100-£150)
You will often hear that the mount is the most important piece of your astrophotography setup, and this is certainly true! No matter how good your camera, lens, or any other part of your equipment is, it will be for nothing if the slightest bit of wind causes your whole rig to shake and move during your exposures. Make sure to find a tripod whose weight capacity exceeds the total weight of your equipment, so it will remain comfortable during your imaging sessions. I use the Manfrotto 055, a great option for both portability and stability.
A Tracking Mount (~ £350)
In order to take long exposures of the night sky, you will need a mount that counteracts the rotation of the sky. While there are some very expensive options, the best option for beginners is a portable mount such as the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer. You’ll want to make sure you get the Pro pack, which comes with all the accessories that you will need to get up and running. Once you have this, the skies will truly be opened up to you, with longer exposures able to pick up and express those faint details which would simply be impossible to achieve without the mount.
DSLR Camera (£100-£150)
I found that buying second hand off eBay was the best option for a cheap and well-performing camera. When buying a camera for your astrophotography setup, you want to consider how compatible it will be with different lenses and clip-in filters. For this reason, I went with Canon, which made finding compatible parts a breeze. It will also be useful to ensure that your camera has a flip out screen, so that when it is pointed high in the sky you don’t need to be crouched down under it to see your target! It’s possible to have cameras ‘modified’ so they take in more red light, opening up a variety of the ‘redder’ targets in the sky. However, this is something you can think about later, as it’s not important to start with! You’ll have plenty of options with a normal, unmodified DSLR.
Camera Lens (~ £300)
Instead of buying a telescope, I would recommend starting with a zoom lens. The benefits of this are that you can easily line up your targets with a wide field of view, and then zoom in to take the image! This is much easier than having a 300mm telescope and attempting to find a target through trial and error on the Star Adventurer. I have an EF 70-200mm f4 Canon lens which has worked very well for me over the last year, and I would recommend something similar.
Dew Heater Strap (~ £15)
Something that is easy to forget on an astrophotography setup is a dew heater strap to go around the lens hood. This will prevent fog from completely obscuring your target during the night, leaving you with crisp images. To go with this, you will also need a small portable battery pack to power it, which you can attach to the side of your tripod with elastic or Velcro strips.
Intervalometer (~ £15)
Having an intervalometer means that you can set your exposures and leave your astrophotography setup running outside. A very handy tool for making the imaging portion of the night a simple process.
Light Pollution Filter (Optional) (£45-£100)
A light pollution filter might be useful if you live in a highly light polluted area. You can get different kinds of filters, including City Light Suppression (CLS) or Ultra High Contrast (UHC), with UHC cutting out light more aggressively than CLS filters. While this will never give you the same result as a truly dark sky, it can be very useful for those wanting the convenience to image wherever they are.
Conclusion
I hope this post has clarified the different pieces of equipment you will need for your first astrophotography setup. At the least, this will cost around £925. While this may not seem particularly cheap, it is a very good price considering you can easily spend this much on an equatorial mount alone! I believe that this is the perfect way to enter into the hobby and give yourself the best opportunity for growth in the future. Good luck, and clear skies!
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