Deep Sky Astrophotography

In this section I will help you understand and recommend some equipment you will need to start out in this Hobby.   

There are many options when it comes to Astrophotography equipment and the cost can also range dramatically. 

The First Thing to decide on is how portable you would like / need the set up to be as some mounts and scopes get very big and very heavy. 

A portable / widefield set up has the major benefit of being able to travel to dark sky sites.   

Camera

To Start with I would recommend a DSLR like the Canon 600D as this is a user friendly option and can achieve some fantastic results. All my images have been taken with entry level DSLR's

A good option is to get a modified DSLR for Astrophotography as this will allow you to image the red wave length that is found in certain nebula. (Please note the camera will not be able to be used after being modified for standard daytime photography). 

I would also recommend purchasing an Intervalometer as this will help in reducing camera shake and enable you to take longer exposures.

Scope

A good option would be to go for a widefield scope these are smaller and lighter. There is a lot of very large targets in the Sky like The North America Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy that you will be able to fit into the field of view.

I would recommend the Williams Optics v1.5 RedCat 51 APO.

Mount and Tripod

Mounts can get very big and heavy so for a portable mount I would recommend the Skywatcher Star Adventurer. You will also need a good quality tripod that is capable of taking the total weight of the Mount, Camera and Scope.    

This set up is the type of set up I would recommend if you are using most of the time in your garden. It is still portable to a degree but the equipment is starting to get much heavier.

Camera

 To Start with I would still recommend a DSLR like the Canon 600D as stated above in the portable set section, but if you wanted to step up to a dedicated Astronomy camera I would recommend the Altair Hypercam 183C Pro Tec.

The Hypercam 183C PRO TEC Cooled camera is the next step when it comes to astro-imaging, with the 20mp Sony IMX183 sensor, amp glow reduction and high sensitivity, for extremely smooth, detailed images. (As these cameras do not have a screen they will need to be controlled via software like Astro Photography Tool on a laptop)  

Scope

For the Scope I would still recommend a fairly widefield refractor scope. This will enable you to target a wide range of Deep Sky objects. These scopes are still quite Portable.

I would recommend around a 70mm to 80mm something like the Altair 70ED Triplet APO or the Altair Starwave 80 ED Triplet APO.

Mount and Tripod   

The Mount is the most important part of any Deep Sky Astro photography set up. 

Due to the set up starting to get heavier you are going to need a mount capable of the extra load.

There is a lot of different mounts on the market but I recommend The SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro Synscan Goto Equatorial Mount which will cope with the weight of this setup and is a very good mount. If your budget allows the SkyWatcher EQ6R Pro Synscan Goto Equatorial Mount would give you more of a future proofed mount as it as a higher weight capacity. 

Please note these mount require power so you will need an additional mains power supply or a power tank to run them. 

Other Equipment 

There is a lot of other equipment that you will possibly need / want to help improve your photos but these items can be added as you go along. The items would possibly include the following: - 

Guide Scope

Guide Camera

Bahtinov Masks (To Help Focus)

Filters and Filter Wheels

Dew band heaters and controllers

Reducers / Flatteners

Polar Alignment Aids