I have been fighting with my Orion SpaceProbe 130 on the topic of astrophotography for quite a while now, originally with the midget Nikon N7900, which went ok, then with the Fujifilm S5200, which was worse and then with the Nikon D60, which was almost a nightmare, in all configurations. After visiting my local planetarium (James H. Lynn Planetarium, part of the Scheile Museum of Natural History), I began thinking about the topic again.
Tonight I have looked through Orion’s selection of inexpensive astrophotography rated telescopes. I am looking for something more light weight than my primary telescope, as well as something that is better enabled for the type of activity I want to do. I am having a hard time understanding the specifics of how these things are supposed to work. On the most simple approach, there is to be a naked SLR camera mounted directly as a T-mount to the telescope make it work. In my case, that seems to lead to things being out of focus. In other instances, I have tried mounting with the lens attached, which is a little better, but still not great. Because my telescope is a reflector, I see the mirror and its associated hardware through my viewfinder, which isn’t a very nice effect. I really want to make this thing work, which is why I am considering a scope that is designed specifically for the task.
Another annoyance of my present scope is that its weight causes it to move on the tripod without any intervention, but it isn’t particularly conducive to long exposure imagery, the primary objective of astrophotography (the only way to see nebulae and less dramatic features).
I have decisions to make on the topic and to determine if getting a different scope and/or the associated accessories would be worth my time and the cost.