Telescopes or telephoto lenses for beginners, As a professional photographer and proven astro geek, I have been questioned whether a telescope is better than a long telephoto lens. To begin with, there is no apparent “better” between telescopes and telephoto lenses; it all depends on your needs.
Telephoto lenses, in general, have quicker f-stops, while telescopes have greater focal lengths. Get a telescope for seeing the moon and planets. Even with a low-cost refractor, you may capture stunning close-ups of the moon by using a Barlow lens or eyepiece projection. Here’s an essay I published about it:
telescopes or telephoto lenses for beginners: Astrophotography on a Budget
More costly telescopes are required for detailed planet pictures (forget about telephoto lenses, since you will need an effective focal length of several meters). Larger Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes, such as the 11-inch Celestron or Meade, are ideal for this. You will need a tiny video camera, hundreds or possibly thousands of frames, plus stacking software (such as Registax). Great planetary photographers, such as Damian Peach, use this technique, and the results are stunning.
telescopes or telephoto lenses for beginners Short exposure Deep Sky photography is when telephoto lenses truly shine. Most refractor telescopes have apertures ranging from F/6 to F/11, although a sharp 300mm lens may function well at F/4 or even F/2.8. This implies shorter exposure times and, as a result, less need for a high-end equatorial mount. For over two years, I’ve been using a pretty basic Celestron Advanced VX mount, and exposure for just 20 or 30 seconds with a telephoto lens at F/4 can expose a multitude of stars and nebulae at ISO levels ranging from 800 to 1600. The very small focal length will also be more tolerant of tracking mistakes, making it much simpler to get excellent pinpoint stars.
A good ED lens between 180 and 300mm is great for getting started with Deep Sky photography. Stars will be crisp into the corners of a DX and even a full-frame DSLR. A completely flat field may be difficult to get with a telescope, and supplementary optical equipment (field flatteners/focal reducers) is sometimes required to attain that aim.
telescopes or telephoto lenses for beginners , I recommend getting a solid equatorial mount like the AVX with either a compact and well-corrected ED refractor (I prefer the Astro-Tech AT65EDQ) or a fast telephoto lens. Telephoto lenses are unrivaled for Milky Way mosaics (sky composites created in Photoshop using Photomerge).
In a nutshell, get both! A telescope for the moon and planets, which need long focal lengths to capture finer details, and a telephoto lens for wide-field Deep Sky photography. Fast telephoto lenses are typically expensive, but if you have a limited budget, there are many older ED lenses that are optically fantastic, such as the Canon EF 300mm f/4 L and the Nikkor 300mm F/4 ED AF, which I picked up on eBay for well under $400. You may not have all of the bells and whistles of contemporary lenses, but for astrophotography, great optics are all that counts – the focus is done manually anyhow (preferably using Live View if your camera has that option).
Telescopes or Telephoto lenses for Beginners
Telescopes or telephoto lenses for beginners, As a professional photographer and proven astro geek, I have been questioned whether a telescope is better than a long telephoto lens. To begin with, there is no apparent “better” between telescopes and telephoto lenses; it all depends on your needs.
Telephoto lenses, in general, have quicker f-stops, while telescopes have greater focal lengths. Get a telescope for seeing the moon and planets. Even with a low-cost refractor, you may capture stunning close-ups of the moon by using a Barlow lens or eyepiece projection. Here’s an essay I published about it:
telescopes or telephoto lenses for beginners: Astrophotography on a Budget
More costly telescopes are required for detailed planet pictures (forget about telephoto lenses, since you will need an effective focal length of several meters). Larger Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes, such as the 11-inch Celestron or Meade, are ideal for this. You will need a tiny video camera, hundreds or possibly thousands of frames, plus stacking software (such as Registax). Great planetary photographers, such as Damian Peach, use this technique, and the results are stunning.
telescopes or telephoto lenses for beginners Short exposure Deep Sky photography is when telephoto lenses truly shine. Most refractor telescopes have apertures ranging from F/6 to F/11, although a sharp 300mm lens may function well at F/4 or even F/2.8. This implies shorter exposure times and, as a result, less need for a high-end equatorial mount. For over two years, I’ve been using a pretty basic Celestron Advanced VX mount, and exposure for just 20 or 30 seconds with a telephoto lens at F/4 can expose a multitude of stars and nebulae at ISO levels ranging from 800 to 1600. The very small focal length will also be more tolerant of tracking mistakes, making it much simpler to get excellent pinpoint stars.
A good ED lens between 180 and 300mm is great for getting started with Deep Sky photography. Stars will be crisp into the corners of a DX and even a full-frame DSLR. A completely flat field may be difficult to get with a telescope, and supplementary optical equipment (field flatteners/focal reducers) is sometimes required to attain that aim.
telescopes or telephoto lenses for beginners , I recommend getting a solid equatorial mount like the AVX with either a compact and well-corrected ED refractor (I prefer the Astro-Tech AT65EDQ) or a fast telephoto lens. Telephoto lenses are unrivaled for Milky Way mosaics (sky composites created in Photoshop using Photomerge).
In a nutshell, get both! A telescope for the moon and planets, which need long focal lengths to capture finer details, and a telephoto lens for wide-field Deep Sky photography. Fast telephoto lenses are typically expensive, but if you have a limited budget, there are many older ED lenses that are optically fantastic, such as the Canon EF 300mm f/4 L and the Nikkor 300mm F/4 ED AF, which I picked up on eBay for well under $400. You may not have all of the bells and whistles of contemporary lenses, but for astrophotography, great optics are all that counts – the focus is done manually anyhow (preferably using Live View if your camera has that option).
