Choose the view before the telescope

Focal length helps determine how much sky you capture. Shorter focal lengths give wider views. Longer focal lengths make small targets appear larger, but also make tiny tracking errors more obvious. Your camera’s sensor size matters too.

Use an imaging field-of-view calculator, such as astronomy.tools, with your camera and telescope. Try a few targets you want to image. Note that the tool shows framing, not the detail you’ll obtain in a single exposure.

Need a few ideas to try in the calculator? My beginner targets for every season include wider subjects such as the Pleiades, Andromeda, and the Rosette Nebula.

Here’s the Crescent Nebula with both telescopes. With the SV535, it’s a small part of a much bigger scene. The FRA400 brings it closer, while still leaving plenty of surrounding nebulosity in the frame.

These show the difference in framing. They were separate projects with different exposure times, filters, and processing, so they aren’t a controlled test of image quality. Start with getting your own equipment working reliably, then add more good data over subsequent nights.

See the equipment and buying links for the setup described in this guide.

Choose a telescope that gives you an easy ride

I personally recommend Petzval-type refractors. They’re generally robust, and their built-in field correction means you don’t have to get a separate flattener-to-sensor spacing exactly right at the native focal length. You still need adapters that let the camera reach focus, and adding a reducer may introduce its own spacing requirement.

I prefer telescopes that don’t need routine collimation, which means aligning the optics. I take no joy in the process. For me, it’s another thing that can go wrong, so my advice is to choose a telescope that gives you an easy ride!

Budget for the whole setup

The telescope is only one part of a conventional imaging rig. Before buying anything, make a list of the complete system and check that the parts will work together.

• Tracking mount and support. An equatorial mount follows the sky as Earth turns. It needs a suitable tripod or pier and polar alignment. That means pointing the mount’s tracking axis towards the celestial pole, so it can follow the sky smoothly. Your controller can guide you through the adjustments.
• Camera and adapters. If you can afford it then I recommend a dedicated cooled astronomy camera, rather than a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Cooling reduces thermal noise and helps you make consistent calibration frames.
• Control system. This might be a compatible controller such as an ASIAIR, or a laptop running the necessary software. Automated imaging sequences make it much easier to collect the hours of data that faint targets need under light-polluted skies. Check support for your exact camera, mount, and focuser before buying.
• Power and cables. Allow for everything that needs power, including cooling, heaters, and the controller. Keep outdoor electrical connections protected and follow the equipment’s instructions.
• Focus and dew control. You can focus manually to get started. I like an electronic focuser because it can refocus during a long session, but it can be a later upgrade. Plan for dew control too, so damp glass doesn’t end the night early.
• Guiding, filters, and calibration equipment. Guiding uses a second camera to watch a star and send small tracking corrections to the mount. Whether you need it straight away depends on your focal length, mount, and exposure time. Filters depend on your targets, and a simple way to take evenly lit flats belongs in the plan too.

Give the mount plenty of thought. Consider the weight of the entire loaded rig and its imaging demands, rather than the telescope alone. My sturdy mount is shared with a much larger telescope, so don’t assume a tiny widefield setup needs to copy it.

Two worked examples

My Svbony SV535 setup

I pair the SV535 with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro colour camera, an ASIAIR Mini, a ZWO EAF, and a small Svbony guidescope with an ASI120MM Mini guide camera. It uses the same EQ6-R Pro mount, rebuilt by DarkFrame Optics, as my larger rig.

The short focal length is forgiving, but the physical details still matter. The SV535 accepts 2-inch filters at the front. Its short available backfocus leaves little room for accessories behind it, and my EAF needed a separate bracket. Check the actual connection layout rather than assuming every accessory will fit.

My SV535 review shows how I put it together, including the practical snags.

My earlier Askar FRA400 setup

The FRA400 was my main imaging telescope before the 130PHQ. It gives a tighter view than the SV535 while remaining a useful widefield instrument. I used it with the ASI2600MC Pro and an ASIAIR-controlled setup, and it produced many of the photographs in the gallery.

Its built-in optical correction is convenient at its native focal length. If you add a reducer, check the specified sensor spacing for that combination. The FRA400 review covers the fittings and my experience.

Colour cameras and city filters

One shot colour (OSC) versus monochrome (mono) is a big topic in the astrophotography world. I personally prefer OSC. You capture colour in each exposure, which keeps acquisition relatively straightforward. My OSC versus mono from a city article explains why this approach suits me.

For emission nebulae, an OSC camera and a suitable dualband filter can be a powerful city combination. The filter passes selected wavelengths from the glowing gas while rejecting much of the unwanted sky light.

Galaxies, star clusters, and reflection nebulae need a different approach. Their useful light covers a broad range of wavelengths, so a narrowband filter discards much of it. My filter guide explains the choices.

You don’t need several narrowband filters to get started. Learn one camera and one appropriate imaging approach first. Check any filter’s compatibility with the telescope and where it will sit in the optical path.

A manageable first night

1. Practise assembly in daylight. Check the connections, cable movement, balance, and access to the controls.
2. Choose a suitable target. Find something that fits the view and stays above your obstructions. A bright cluster can be useful for learning focus and tracking.
3. Set up the mount. Polar-align it, then use your controller to find the target and check the framing.
4. Focus carefully. Take a test exposure and inspect stars across the frame. Start guiding if your setup uses it.
5. Adjust the exposure. Check for trailing and excessive brightness. My usual five-minute exposures aren’t a universal setting, particularly with a fast widefield telescope.
6. Collect a sequence. Keep the first session modest. A shorter run of sharp frames is more useful than hours of blurred ones.
7. Take suitable calibration frames. Flats are especially useful for dust shadows and uneven illumination. Plan these before changing the camera orientation or dismantling the optical setup.

Save the original files and note the target, filter, exposure, and what worked. Those notes make the second session much easier.

Build confidence, then collect more light

This short first-light session with the SV535 was enough to check the equipment and enjoy a result. Your first goal can be just as modest. Getting everything working is a win in itself!

Once the rig is behaving, patience becomes one of your best bits of kit. Light pollution adds unwanted sky brightness and noise, so faint targets need much more total integration time than they would under dark skies. That means adding up lots of usable exposures, often across several nights, rather than making each exposure as long as possible. My How to Get Long Integration Times article explains how I make those hours add up from Bristol.

Once you know what limits your images, upgrades become easier to choose. Guiding can help with tracking errors, while autofocus can save a session when the temperature changes. Each should solve a problem you’ve spotted in your own results.

When you have a set of images, move to the processing guide. The full kit list and upgrades article provide more detail as you need it.

Equipment and buying links

Here are the two telescope examples from this guide, plus the camera and controller I use with the SV535. The telescopes are alternatives: choose the field of view that suits your targets.

These are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Check the retailer for current prices and availability.

Svbony SV535

My compact 105 mm setup for large areas of sky. Read the setup notes before adding accessories, particularly an electronic focuser or anything behind the telescope.

Read my review

Check price at Svbony

Askar FRA400

My earlier 400 mm telescope, used for many of the photographs on this site. It offers a closer view than the SV535. The photograph shows my assembled rig; the retailer links are for the telescope.

Read my review

Check price at Astroshop.eu Check price at High Point Scientific

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

The camera I use with my rigs. For me, it’s the gold standard!

Read my review

Check price at Astroshop.eu Check price at High Point Scientific

ZWO ASIAIR Mini

This lets me run my SV535 setup from my phone and automate imaging sequences. Handy when collecting enough data to bring out faint detail through the city glow!

It works with ZWO astronomy cameras and focusers, selected DSLR and mirrorless cameras, and supported mounts. Check ZWO’s compatibility information for your exact kit before buying.

Read my review

Check price at Astroshop.eu Check price at High Point Scientific

Supporting kit in my SV535 setup

Svbony SV165 guidescope

The small guidescope I pair with the ASI120MM Mini in my SV535 setup.

Check price at Svbony

ZWO ASI120MM Mini

My guide camera for this rig. It works with the SV165 guidescope to help keep the mount tracking accurately while the main camera collects the image.

Read my review

Check price at Astroshop.eu Check price at High Point Scientific

Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro

I share this mount with my larger telescope, so it’s much more substantial than the little SV535 needs. The retailer links are for the standard EQ6-R Pro. Mine has been rebuilt by DarkFrame Optics.

Read about my mount rebuild

Check price at Astroshop.eu Check price at High Point Scientific

For the focuser, filters, and the rest of my setup, see my full equipment page. Start with a complete, compatible basic rig and add accessories when they solve a problem you actually have.