Astro gear for Beginners?

Exactly, the astrophotography learning curve is steep at times and takes no prisoners. Your photographic experience will be helpful in certain areas but this is a different ballgame. If I was in your position with 8K in my pocket I would spend at least half of that on the mount. Everything else you do and how hard it will be, really depends on how good your mount is. It’s not sexy or glamourous but matters a lot.

On that mount I would put smaller refractor, something around 70mm or so and guide scope. On the imaging side you’ll want a proper cooled astro-camera (not a DSLR). You’ll also need a filter wheel and filters. Top it all off with a laptop or fanless mini-PC, get all the proper software and you’ll be ready to rock.

Keep in mind that the scope I just recommended is NOT ideal for galaxies. There are a few exceptions but most galaxies are tiny and can be demanding to image well. Think of this rig as a gateway drug, once you become competent with a rig like this you can start thinking about a lot more focal length and aperture.

I would start with what you know. If you have a DSLR from your earlier photography you could use that to start, perhaps with a lens chosen for astrophotography like a Rokinon 135. That could be put on a camera tracking mount like iOptron Sky tracker pro sitting on a carbon fibre tripod. The advice from Lynn K to get “The Deep-Sky Imaging Primer” by Charles Bracken is very good.

If you are sure you will end up with a telescope I would get an ASI AM5N mount with their carbon fiber tripod. This is suitable for photography with rigs weighing up to around 20lb or so. You can use that with a DSLR as well.

For a first imaging telescope I would get something like a 60mm Petzval refractor such as the Askar FRA300. The Petzval configuration means that you have flat field without having to add extra optics beyond the focuser.

Good luck and go slow.

Brian McLaughlin · Aug 16, 2026, 02:53 PM

Hey everyone, Just joined this morning. I’m not all that new to photography (have done wedding and bar mitzvahs, portraits and such) but always wanted to get into astro. I don’t have any equipment anymore, but would like to one day take photos of deep space. I’m totally mesmerized by the photos you guys take of distant galaxies. At first I am cool with digital images only but once I get the hang of things I would want to create prints for myself.

I’d rather save up for really good equipment than outgrow something in 2 years.

What equipment should I focus on getting first over the next year if I have a budget of around $8K?

Personally, I’ve had a health issue that has significantly altered what my advice would have been year or two ago. I would get whatever you can to start with and just shoot away. Learn the science and art of the hobby by doing. Does that mean buy junk or the wrong equipment? No, but I wouldn’t wait around for finding the most perfect gear since there may come a day where things change and you’ll be kicking yourself for not starting sooner.

ScottF · Aug 17, 2026, 11:29 PM

Some people don’t like ZWO because it locks you into their ecosystem for everything but the mount, but it is a great way to start out imo

Not really. I have run ZWO and have never owned one of their mounts or an ASIAir, just the camera and filter wheel. Their biggest problem is weak and sometimes flaky USB and (like many others) no physical shutter making large reflectors at remote sites more difficult. Their quality is just so-so and I have had two fail but at least they have US based service that is pretty good.

US based cameras that are good and not horribly expensive went away with QSI. SBIG and FLI product lines are limited and very expensive and not any better performance-wise.

The other thing that makes it advisable to start smaller is that one may not like the hobby, especially coming from regular photography. No offense to regular photography, but having done both for decades (since film days) I can say that there is way more to AP than to standard Photography. Both acquisition and (even more so) processing are a new and steep learning curve and experience in standard PS buys you little. Some newbies might just decide it is not worth the effort.

As as aside, I know some like color cameras and that is tempting coming from regular photos where mostly all cameras are color but for AP I would get monochrome/filer wheel. It makes for more versatility and better images and more processing options.

ScottF · Aug 18, 2026, 01:24 PM

By locking in, I meant if you buy the ASIAIR for control software.

Never understood why folks use that. Portability is the only real advantage over a PC. NINA is so much more sophisticated and well supported and free. A micro PC does not cost much more than the air and is also more versatile and many people have laptops already.

Bill McLaughlin · Aug 18, 2026 at 07:18 PM

ScottF · Aug 18, 2026, 01:24 PM

By locking in, I meant if you buy the ASIAIR for control software.

Never understood why folks use that. Portability is the only real advantage over a PC. NINA is so much more sophisticated and well supported and free. A micro PC does not cost much more than the air and is also more versatile and many people have laptops already.

The asiair is way friendlier than a mini pc setup. With a mini pc , you’ll likely need a usb hub/ power distribution box too. Significant learning curve to get the most out of Nina. Deal with drivers, windows updates, Remote Desktop , lots of windows customizations like boot up on power on, automatically creating a hotspot , flakiness of Remote Desktop ( I guess Google is an alternative), setting up Nina with all the correct databases for plate solving and so on. But starting out, there’s no way easier, especially with less demanding focal lengths. I use both when I’m running more than one rig and my asiairs are up and going in no time.

Tony Gondola · Aug 19, 2026 at 12:35 AM

ScottF · Aug 18, 2026, 11:46 PM

Bill McLaughlin · Aug 18, 2026 at 07:18 PM

ScottF · Aug 18, 2026, 01:24 PM

By locking in, I meant if you buy the ASIAIR for control software.

Never understood why folks use that. Portability is the only real advantage over a PC. NINA is so much more sophisticated and well supported and free. A micro PC does not cost much more than the air and is also more versatile and many people have laptops already.

The asiair is way friendlier than a mini pc setup. With a mini pc , you’ll likely need a usb hub/ power distribution box too. Significant learning curve to get the most out of Nina. Deal with drivers, windows updates, Remote Desktop , lots of windows customizations like boot up on power on, automatically creating a hotspot , flakiness of Remote Desktop ( I guess Google is an alternative), setting up Nina with all the correct databases for plate solving and so on. But starting out, there’s no way easier, especially with less demanding focal lengths. I use both when I’m running more than one rig and my asiairs are up and going in no time.

I know we all have the tendency to support and recommend what we use but in the interest of the OP I do have a few comments:

With a mini pc , you’ll likely need a usb hub/ power distribution box

Well that depends on how you image and your setup but I don’t use any of those things. I shoot from my backyard and just use mains for power and the only hub I need is the one on the camera.

Significant learning curve to get the most out of Nina

A learning curve yes but it’s well documented with lots of how-to’s on the web. It’s not at all difficult once you learn the basics and the rewards are many.

windows customizations like boot up on power on, automatically creating a hotspot , flakiness of Remote Desktop

Once again, it depends on your setup and how you shoot. Remote desktop is a basic part of Windows now and has for me at least, has been simple and trouble free. I have never needed remote boot on power-on and do not need to create a hotspot as the Mini-PC is logged into my home network.

I’m not saying that the ASI air boxes are bad, they certainly get the job done. I just hate to see the NINA alternative getting such a bad rap.

I’m not giving it a bad rap, just pointing out that versatility and power come at a cost. For someone starting out, an ASIAIR is much easier to get up and running with. Then, if they decide to stick with the hobby, moving to NINA as their skills and needs grow makes a lot of sense.

bigCatAstro · Aug 17, 2026 at 11:24 PM

Brian McLaughlin · Aug 16, 2026, 02:53 PM

Hey everyone, Just joined this morning. I’m not all that new to photography (have done wedding and bar mitzvahs, portraits and such) but always wanted to get into astro. I don’t have any equipment anymore, but would like to one day take photos of deep space. I’m totally mesmerized by the photos you guys take of distant galaxies. At first I am cool with digital images only but once I get the hang of things I would want to create prints for myself.

I’d rather save up for really good equipment than outgrow something in 2 years.

What equipment should I focus on getting first over the next year if I have a budget of around $8K?

Personally, I’ve had a health issue that has significantly altered what my advice would have been year or two ago. I would get whatever you can to start with and just shoot away. Learn the science and art of the hobby by doing. Does that mean buy junk or the wrong equipment? No, but I wouldn’t wait around for finding the most perfect gear since there may come a day where things change and you’ll be kicking yourself for not starting sooner.

Sorry to hear that. Thank you for that push, I am wishing you well <3

Tony Gondola · Aug 16, 2026 at 04:41 PM

Exactly, the astrophotography learning curve is steep at times and takes no prisoners. Your photographic experience will be helpful in certain areas but this is a different ballgame. If I was in your position with 8K in my pocket I would spend at least half of that on the mount. Everything else you do and how hard it will be, really depends on how good your mount is. It’s not sexy or glamourous but matters a lot.

On that mount I would put smaller refractor, something around 70mm or so and guide scope. On the imaging side you’ll want a proper cooled astro-camera (not a DSLR). You’ll also need a filter wheel and filters. Top it all off with a laptop or fanless mini-PC, get all the proper software and you’ll be ready to rock.

Keep in mind that the scope I just recommended is NOT ideal for galaxies. There are a few exceptions but most galaxies are tiny and can be demanding to image well. Think of this rig as a gateway drug, once you become competent with a rig like this you can start thinking about a lot more focal length and aperture.

Very helpful, thank you Tony

Tony Gondola · Aug 16, 2026 at 04:41 PM

Exactly, the astrophotography learning curve is steep at times and takes no prisoners. Your photographic experience will be helpful in certain areas but this is a different ballgame. If I was in your position with 8K in my pocket I would spend at least half of that on the mount. Everything else you do and how hard it will be, really depends on how good your mount is. It’s not sexy or glamourous but matters a lot.

On that mount I would put smaller refractor, something around 70mm or so and guide scope. On the imaging side you’ll want a proper cooled astro-camera (not a DSLR). You’ll also need a filter wheel and filters. Top it all off with a laptop or fanless mini-PC, get all the proper software and you’ll be ready to rock.

Keep in mind that the scope I just recommended is NOT ideal for galaxies. There are a few exceptions but most galaxies are tiny and can be demanding to image well. Think of this rig as a gateway drug, once you become competent with a rig like this you can start thinking about a lot more focal length and aperture.

Lynn K · Aug 16, 2026 at 04:55 PM

I would suggest that before you buy any equipment, you read “The Deep-Sky Imaging Primer” by Charles Bracken OR “The Astrophotography Manual” by Chris Woodhouse.

OR read both. Woodhouse’s book is more broadly oriented, IMO. Bracken's book diticates a lot of the book to Pixinsight processing. They are a bit out dated and may not cover the new popular strain wave mounts.

I think traditional bright light photography is very different form photographing astronomical dim light objects. You can use your DSLR cameras. They will be good learning tools, but eventually you will want a decaticated cooled imaging camera. But I would wait on that till you are more imformed about imaging requirments.

The mount will be your most important purchase. If it doesn’t work correctly, nothing else matters. I'm not sure what experience you have with visual astronomy. Having none to little is a big disavantage in my opinion. Don't be seduced by cheaper larger telescopes. Stay small with better quality. Often, longer focal length are more difficult to perfect tracking and guiding. They can also demand larger mounts. The difficulty you will fine is that Galaxies are typicaly smaller and deed longer focal lengths. They also need LRGB imaging with requires better skies.

More likely you have experence with Photoshop. It can be used for post processing. But an acqusition software will still be needed and software to do image calibration and stacking.

Watch vedio turtorials, but beware that a lot of the vedio blogers are more informed in making vedios than the subject they are discusing.

If any of the above is confusing are totally unfimilar to you, then reading the above text will be of even more value.

Lynn K.

Thank you Lynn. I have definitely seen a lot of YouTubers are too focused on creating video content about the hobby, rather than explaining the hobby in depth. Found a few people I like, but agree too many are very surface level.