12 replies to this topic

[mloffland]

The Frugal Astrophotographer

[jrcrilly]

Great article! It's a good reminder that one doesn't have to dive into the deep end to get started in astro-imaging.

Thanks!

[Philipp]

Hi,

congratulations to the article and pictures. The joy you get out of the picturs is not directly related to the money put into the equipment! Doing "cheap" astrophotography is fun.

Where did you get the dovetail base for the SP mount? I am looking for something similar.

thx,

Philipp

[Paul Rix]

Excellent article and images! Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[jgraham]

I enjoyed your article very much. Way back when we used to have a lot of fun with very simple equipment and it's nice to see that spirit is still alive and well.

As a footnote; one thing I've found you can do with one of the small CCDs to enhance their capability is to take small mosaics. Taking images with a small color CCD is so easy that it doesn't take much effort to grab a set of four images and assemble a 2x2 mosaic and suddenly your little 640x480 camera can take some very nice 1024x768 fields.

Thanks again for a neat article.

[mathteacher]

Thanks Mike and Tom for posting the article

PhilipP Check out this webspage:

http://www.losmandy.com/v-series.html

The mounting plate and dovetail clamp are the last two parts on the page.

Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone! I think I learned from all of you at some point along the way.

[cpsTN]

You can't take really good pictures like that without spending a million billion! What's wrong with you?

[quantumac]

I think less-expensive equipment just requires more patience. You can get some phenomenal results using a wide-field telescope and a DSLR camera. Once you get hooked, you can weigh the cost/benefit ratio of purchasing the higher-end stuff.

As one who has opted for the medium of the road, I love my Meade 10" LX200R. Sure, I'd like something larger (so I can image faster), but it's not a requirement.

[Joneil]

I liked the article. I think we need more articles like this one considering the times we live in.

good job
joe

[phxbird]

I inherited an ST-7E from a friend that wasn't using it anymore. Coupled with a Skyview Pro mounting without GOTO, but with dual axis drives, a Celestron 6" refractor, I shot this image of M82 first time out of the gate. Most of my imaging is for photometry so it does not have to be pretty, just usable. But still to get this, unguided, non-GOTO and with a tripod that is at 90% of carrying capacity is not to shabby!

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[RandallK]

Nice article Mr. Wang. I am having fun with my Orion ST-80 Achromatic as well. I just did the Leo Trio and I'm very happy with it.

[Scott in NC]

Great article--thanks for sharing!

[zak12k4]

Thanks for sharing . Great article.