|
|
I've been at it for well over 40 years. (amateur astronomy that is)
Call me financially challenged if you will. "Careful" is another way of
putting it. I'm widely but thinly spread across a whole range of
hobbies. ;^)
Buying highly recommended quality equipment secondhand (used)
(pre-loved or whatever) will usually get you more aperture and better
quality images for your money. Let somebody else pay the taxes. A local
astro club or society almost always has members giving up, ugrading or
disposing of nice kit. Just another reason to get socially connected in
your new hobby. Most amateurs will put up with you for at least an hour
beside their telescopes to answer questions and give you a feel for
instrument size and quality. There's no better way to learn what to
expect when you finally start collecting your own equipment. You might
even change your mind about becoming one of us!
If you have a simple, but-solid, motor driven equatorial mounting you
can take nice pictures of the Moon and rather worse ones of the planets
with a perfectly ordinary digital point-and-shoot camera. It adds a lot
of extra fun seing exactly what you saw on the night but now visible at
leisure on your computer screen. Software will help make your better
pictures dramatically better with a little patience. (Or much worse)
If you must make haste, do it slowly.
Chris.B
|
|