Telescope & Camera

Hello all,

I'm looking to getting into astrophotography, and I've been eyeing the Celestron Nexstar 8 Se to start with. Amazon are selling it with the Celestron Eye Piece & Filter Kit and a Celestron Moon Filter for €1,761.24. To this I'll also be adding the Celestron "Omni" Series X2 Barlow Lens for €48.91.

I'm primarily interested in photographing the moon and the planets, and my flat-mate, who is looking to go half-way with me on price, is interested in looking at deeper objects in the sky, such as nebulae, stars and galaxies. I think the above equipment is a good compromise on function and price, but what do you guys think? I'd also like your opinions on what DSLR I should pick up, along with any extra equipment I may need to attach it to the telescope. I have a budget of around €2,000, but can stretch that a little further.

Any and all suggestions and criticisms of my choices are welcome!

Hi

The Celestron Nexstar's are excellent telescopes and will give many years of enjoyment. For general observing, ease of transport, simplicity of set-up and accuracy of go-to, they are hard to beat. If you intend to image only the moon and planets, then you will be fine, but if you plan to move on to deep-sky, then the Nexstar may not be as suitable. However, not being an astrophotographer, I'm not an expert.

I would be wary of buying anything from Amazon, and would not recommend the Celestron eyepiece and filter set. The set already contains a barlow and a moon filter, so you won't need to buy these seperately anyway. Try to buy from an established specialist astronomy dealer, like Astronomy Ireland or First Light Optics. It may cost a bit more, but you will be dealing with people who can provide back-up and advice.

For about the price of the set, you could pick up a Baader Hyperion zoom lens, which is of of a much higher quality than the eyepieces in the Celestron set. Or, for considerably less money,a Celestron zoom eyepiece. A mate of mine uses the Celestron with his Nexstar 8se and is very happy with it.
Most observers I know rarely use colour filters, and the range of the zoom lens means the barlow is not really necessary. Due to the prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions in Ireland, It would be a rare occasion when you could use anything less than an 8mm eyepiece. You could pick up a 30-32mm eyepiece, and any other equipment you may need, at a later time.

Sorry I can't offer any opinions on cameras, as I know nothing about them.

To find out all you need to know, and more, about these telescopes, including using them for astrophotography, go to this site;

www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/postlist.../Cat/0/Board/nexstar

Baader zoom lens

www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetar...n-zoom-eyepiece.html

Celestron zoom eyepiece

www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/Ce..._Eyepiece_1.25_.html

Best of luck.

Thank you for your great post! It will be a few months before I look seriously into buying something, so I have time to decide what is best for what I am looking for. But I think I will get the telescope, one or two eyepieces and a Barlow lens to start with, and worry about photography later. Again, thank you