When I created this blog back in October of 2021, I did so with such good intentions of keeping it updated regularly but then life got in the way and here we are 9 months later...
Since then a huge amount has changed and my interest in astrophotography has developed a lot. In this post I'll try to give a whirlwind recap of everything and get back to the present day.
Mount
First thing that changed around January 2021 was the purchase of a new mount which was more modern, sturdy and capable of tracking the night sky precisely; an essential for long exposure imaging of objects in deep space.
I spent a vast amount of time researching which mount to go for, including watching many hours of YouTube videos, reading other peoples blogs and any reviews I came across. Pretty quickly I decided I wasn't going to purchase a star tracker, I wanted to invest a bit more and get something that would hold me in good stead for many years to come.
Once I'd ruled out the star tracker as an option I started thinking more about my requirements for a mount. This basically came down to three key attributes:
- German Equatorial Mount
- Goto functionality
- Payload capacity
Putting these together with the research I'd already done, I was drawn towards Sky-Watcher. They have a fantastic reputation within the community and offer a wide range of mounts suiting all manner of bugets and requirements. For me, the Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro fit the bill pretty perfectly, being a German Equatorial mount with built in goto functionality. Beyond that, it's payload capacity of 13.7kg was more that good enough for what I needed (I was following a rough rule of looking for 2x the capacity of what I'd actually put on the mount).
In terms of price, the HEQ5 Pro certainly isn't what I'd consider to be a "budget" mount, however it also doesn't break the bank compared with some more advanced mounts on the market. I also think for the features it packs, it's pretty decent value for money and should last a very long time if looked after properly.
A couple of final thoughts on it. Having owned the mount for approximately 18 months now and having used it many times, I'm very happy with the purchase and would highly recommend it to anyone. One small nitpick I have relates to the alt/az screws which are very flimsy and annoying to use. I ended up swapping them out with some custom made ones I purchased via eBay which I'd also recommend.
Telescope
Shortly after upgrading the mount, the next step I took was to get a new telescope which was better designed for astrophotography.
I already had a pretty good idea on what I wanted in terms of a scope from the previous months watching a lot of astrophotography YouTube channels. In particular I wanted a scope with enough focal length to be able to image galaxies and other smaller targets but also not too much focal length that I can still photograph larger targets like nebulae too.
One other consideration was the style of telescope to go for. I'd decided that I wanted a lower maintainence scope that was easy to use since I was just getting started, for this reason I'd opted for a refractor. Initially I wanted to get a triplet since I'd heard nothing but positives, however I quickly realised that the price increase would be pretty significant so instead I opted to get a doublet.
The final question was which brand and model to go for - this one was easy for me since I'd already decided long ago that I wanted a William Optics telescope. I opted for the Zenithstar 81 APO which provided a middle ground in terms of focal length.
The scope is beautifully designed and clearly a very high-quality product. All the fixtures on it are very sturdy and precision engineered, the choice of colours is a nice added touch and most importantly the quality of the glass inside the scope is fantastic. I was also impressed with other elements of the scope such as the Bahtinov mask built into the cover which makes focusing very easy, especially when paired with the rack and pinion focuser which has two different speeds for added precision.
Overall, it's a top-notch scope and touch wood I have no complaints.
Camera
After I'd been using the new mount and scope together for a couple of months with my very old Canon EOS 500D I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade my camera too. I knew I had two avenues that I could go down:
- DSLR modified for astrophotography
- Dedicated astrophotography camera
Since I'd make the decision to spend a bit more now, with the view that whatever I buy would last me longer when picking a mount, I decided I'd do the same with my choice of camera. For this reason, I opted for a dedicated astrophotography camera.
In terms of brand and model, I already knew from watching many YouTube videos that I'd get a ZWO camera. They struck me as having the best line-up of models and a good array of choices for various budgets.
Being new into astrophotography I was very aware of how much complexity there is that I was already juggling and familiarising myself with. Adding yet more complexity just didn't seem very appealing at the time and as such I decided I'd buy a one-shot colour camera instead of a mono. This helped narrow down the options within the ZWO line-up and I quickly picked the ZWO ASI294MC Pro.
So what's the verdict now I've used it for over a year? I love it. It's a top-quality camera that has helped me capture images of our universe that I never thought I'd be able to.
I should add that I do have one nagging doubt that plays on my mind though... should I have also bitten the bullet and gone for a mono camera from the outset? Quite possibly yes. I can see a point in the near future when I want more control over the light I'm capturing and the filters I use to do so. At that point I may sell the 294MC Pro and switch to a mono camera instead.
Other Accessories
Beyond the big purchases I've mentioned already, I also acquired a range of other accessories and attachments including:
- Optolong L-eXtreme
- William Optics 50mm Guiding Scope
- William Optics Flat6AIII
- ZWO ASI120MM Mini
- ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Turns out this hobby is not only addictive but also an endless money pit!