Best telescope for dslr astrophotography - Most people generally start thinking about what kind of camera they need before they set out to take pictures of the night sky for the first time. But choosing the best telescope for DSLR astrophotography is just as crucial, if not more so.
Regardless of your level of experience with astronomy, it pays to do some study to determine what kind of telescope you will need to take pictures of the night sky.
The best DSLR astrophotography telescope will also rely on the types of things you plan to capture, just like with visual observing.
In order for your telescope to follow your object as it moves through the sky—especially for deep-sky astrophotography, where longer exposures are necessary—you will also need to take this into account.
DSLR cameras are a terrific option for taking pictures of the Moon, and since they have detachable lenses, you can attach them directly to a telescope and use it as your camera's lens.
Explore Scientific ED 80 Telescope - Best telescope for dslr astrophotography
A compact APO refractor telescope with excellent performance, the Explore Scientific ED80 is ideal for both serious beginners and intermediate astrophotographers.
Its compact design and light weight let it to fit on almost any entry-level mount (such as the Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro, Celestron's sophisticated VX mount, etc.), making it a great grab-and-go scope.
You'll need to purchase the finderscope, mount, eyepiece(s), and field flattener unless you can find a kit. The Explore Scientific ED80 is the go-to camera for taking pictures of star clusters, galaxies, the milky way and nebulae. Unquestionably one of the top astrophotography telescopes you can purchase for under $1,000.
Pros
- Images have amazing color and sharpness
- Extremely portable
- Free lifetime collimation service
- Work with a good number of mounts
- Simple to set up and use
- Next to no chromatic aberration
- Excellent value for your money
Cons
- Other finder sight brands are difficult to use with Meade-style scope mounts.
- Does not include a finder scope, mount, or eyepieces.
Orion ED80T CF
The Orion ED80T CF is a top 8′′ APO refractor at a cost that is comparable to the Explore Scientific ED80. The Orion ED80T, made by Orion Telescopes, has excellent optics and an objective lens with triple element glass.
It offers true-color, detail-oriented views of both the larger deep-sky objects and the solar system thanks to its ED glass, HOYA filter, and 80mm aperture. It offers high-quality imaging at an affordable price, is a delight to use, and is incredibly portable.
The carbon-fiber construction, lightweight design, and supplied carrying case makes this a fantastic telescope for use at home and on the go.
The Orion ED80T CF, like the ES ED80, doesn't come with a lot of extras; you'll need to purchase your own eyepiece(s), mount, and other gear. (A field flattener is unquestionably required.)
This night sky scope is great for dedicated beginners who want to create their own astrophotography setup.
Pros
- Premium optics
- Compact and lightweight
- Built-in dew shield
- Great value for your money
- Comes with a carry case
Cons
- Does not include eyepieces, finder scope or mount
Sky-Watcher Quattro
The Sky-watcher’s Quattro is a well-liked budget option among amateur astronomers if you're looking for a reflecting telescope.
The 8′′ Quattro was created with astrophotography in mind and has a slightly shorter focal length of 800mm, offering it an extremely fast f/4 focal ratio. This enables you to capture high-quality images of the planets, moon and other bright celestial objects with much shorter exposure times. A 2" Crayford-style focuser, a 2" to 1.25" converter, and an 850 straight-view finderscope are all included in the set.
You will need to select a mount that can support at least 25 pounds in order to accommodate the weight of the camera and accessories because the 8" Quattro OTA is a little heavier than the other options here.
A coma corrector will also need to be purchased. One made especially for Sky Watcher's Quattro series that performs exceptionally well with this specific scope is available.
Pros
- Amazing image quality
- Designed particularly for astrophotography
- Not expensive
- Super fast (f/4)
- Comes with finder scope
- Borosilicate mirrors
Cons
- No fan assembly
- Poor tube construction
Final word on dslr astrophotography telescopes
To capture surface features on your chosen planet, you'll need to select a telescope with a significant amount of magnification.
You must boost the magnification or image scale to view more detail (the size of an object in the image frame). Your telescope's focal length will decide this. You would assume that because a telescope's focal length is fixed, it can only provide one magnification, however this is untrue.
It can be effectively increased by optical amplifiers like a Barlow lens, and it can be effectively decreased by focal reducers.
We hope that this review will help you out in deciding the best telescope for DSLR astrophotography.