Ask PS Astrophotography Gear

#AskPS: NexStar 6SE and Hyperstar, or stick with my Stellarvue refractor?

R asked:

I have been doing visual astronomy for about 4 years now. I use a Stellarvue SV60EDS on an AVX mount. I’ve never astrophotographed before, am looking for a camera, i.e. DSLR, mirrorless, Specialty CCD, CMOS, the choices are daunting.

But most of all, I am fascinated by the fast imaging f/2 HyperStar lens assembly. According to the Celestron video, it is up to 25 times faster than regular AP setups. So I might buy a Nexstar 6SE and a CCD/CMOS specialty camera instead of attaching a DSLR or mirrorless to my Stellarvue. It seems this speed would greatly reduce or eliminate field rotation issues.

What is your opinion of this approach for a novice?

Thanks


Hi R,

Honestly, for a novice, if I were you I would start with a DSLR or mirrorless camera on your Stellarvue, as it’s already pretty fast at f/5.5.

Also, with your AVX you won’t have field rotation issues anyway. The Canon Rebel series DSLRs are always good choices and not that expensive for AP, especially for a beginner. But, that being said, just about any prosumer-level camera brand is going to give you nice results. Just remember the red Hydrogen alpha is blocked on these, but that’s where almost everybody starts, and it’s not a waste of money.

Moving to a Hyperstar setup can be a bit daunting until you have more practice, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend something like that for a novice! I would not recommend the Nexstar 6SE over your current setup at this point.

All the best, and clear skies!

Cheers,
Cory

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About the author

Cory Schmitz

Co-founder of PhotographingSpace.com, co-owner of several telescopes and mounts, too many cameras, and not enough hard drives.

An avid astrophotographer for timelapse, deep-space imaging, lunar, planetary, and star trail imagery, he is an all-around jack-of-most-trades for night-sky photography.

He is also an internationally published and commissioned astrophotographer, where his photos have been used in multiple online and print publications.

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