My astrophotography gear

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Of course, my journey through the stars wouldn’t be possible without the gear that helps me chase them. From telescopes to cameras, each tool is a companion on this adventure:

Optics

  • Stellarvue SV102ED refractor telescope - easy to use and versatile tool for both widefield and closeup imaging of deep-sky objects
  • Tamron SP 300mm f/2.8 telephoto lens - mostly used for widefield imaging of the largest deepsky objects and faint nebulae. I also enjoy experimenting with capturing deep-sky objects without tracking with this lens.

Cameras

  • ZWO ASI178MM is my monochrome camera for deep-space imaging. Its low noise at high gain lets me shoot with shorter exposures, which is a huge advantage.
  • Nikon D5100 DSLR camera although it is a standard daytime DSLR, but it can still capture deep-space objects. While the infrared-blocking filter limits its ability to record emission nebulae, it performs well with galaxies and star clusters. I use it mainly to gather color data to combine with the monochrome ASI178MM images, and it’s also my go-to for wide-angle astrophotography. 
  • Canon EOS 300Da is one of my oldest cameras, which I’ve been using for more than 12 years. While it’s now an outdated and slow DSLR, it remains capable of capturing emission nebulae, thanks to the internal filter being replaced with a Baader Planetarium UV/IR cut filter that passes the hydrogen-alpha (Hα) spectral line.


Mounts

  • Celestron CG5 is my main mount and the one I use most often. While its mechanics aren’t as advanced as modern mounts (for instance, there are no bearings on the DEC axis), it has a sturdy tripod and handles a decent payload. Installing the EQStar upgrade kit, with belt-driven motors and Wi-Fi control, has greatly expanded its capabilities.
  • Sky-Watcher EQ3-2 was my first equatorial mount and the one I started my astrophotography journey with. It only has a single-axis motor drive and fairly basic mechanics, but I managed to get quite a few decent shots with it. Nowadays, I rarely use it, mostly for visual observations and simple astrophotography near my suburban cottage.

Naturally, this list isn’t complete — over the years I’ve used a wide variety of telescopes, lenses, cameras, and other gear. Some I sold after exhausting their potential, while others were even better than what I currently own, but I had to let them go for financial reasons. I hope to describe all of them eventually and share some of the photos I captured with each.

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