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Seeking feedback on my SkyWatcher GTI and SVBONY SV503 astrophotography setup

DSLR Equipment Mirrorless Refractors Star Tracker Backyard Astrophotography Portable Setup Beginner Request for feedback Buying Advice
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Zez avatar
Zez avatar

Any comments, recommendations, or changes for the setup I plan to build?


I plan to buy the SkyWatcher GTI as my mount and the SVBONY SV503 70ED as my telescope, then pair it with either a mirrorless camera or a DSLR to take photos.


My budget is 1.3-1.4k, and I plan to buy a used camera and maybe a telescope as well.


Edit: I have seen replies talking about guiding, which I am fully aware of. But as of now, this is what I’m working on/focusing on. I do plan to eventually get a guidescope and camera, along with either a mini PC or a laptop. And thank you, everyone, for taking the time to leave a reply.

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adrian-HG avatar
adrian-HG avatar

I would try to find a telescope that had less chromatic aberration, even if it had a smaller diameter (it will also be lighter for the mount), although as a first telescope it's not bad, just some blue halos in the brighter stars

Second-hand dedicated astronomy cameras are cheap, almost like DSLR cameras, but if you don’t have a laptop or something to control them, the investment would go up. With a DSLR, you can take good photos without any problems like controlling it or powering it at 12 volts since it comes with its own batteries.

Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

Zez · Aug 16, 2026, 03:55 AM

Any comments, recommendations, or changes for the setup I plan to build?


I plan to buy the SkyWatcher GTI as my mount and the SVBONY SV503 70ED as my telescope, then pair it with either a mirrorless camera or a DSLR to take photos.


My budget is 1.3-1.4k, and I plan to buy the camera used and maybe the telescope as well.

The weak point will be not having any guiding. This setup will work but you’ll need to keep the sub exposures fairly short to get round stars. Walking noise will also be a problem but software is a lot better at dealing with that these days.

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Lynn K avatar
Lynn K avatar

Hi Tony, I think you are cofusing the SkyWatcher GTi with the SkyWatcher Star Adventure 2i. the GTi has motors on both axis and guiding in both Ra & Dec. I have considered one for a 135mm lens set up, but concerned about the large periodical error.

Lynn K.

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Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

Ok, it didn’t seem from the OP’s original description that he had taken guiding into account.

TiffsAndAstro avatar
TiffsAndAstro avatar

On my GTi at 200mm, DSLR, unguided with very good polar alignment I was throwing away 50% of my 60sec subs.

While the OP’s set up might work, it's difficult to recommend without guiding.

To the OP, consider budgeting for a cheap pc, guide scope and guide camera, or consider a smaller focal length.

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