My Current Astrophotography Gear
This is a comprehensive list of all of the components that I use to capture DSO’s currently. I have been using these parts since February 2024. Most of these items I purchased at a discounted price, and attempted to budget as much as possible when it comes to purchasing gear. Pricing for these items varies depending on the site, I do not sell gear, and am not sponsored so all opinions are purely from a consumer standpoint.
Mount
Star Adventurer GTI
The single most important gear when imaging DSO’s is the mount. You can have the worlds best telescope, but without a proper mount it is little more than a paperweight. The SA GTI is a go-to star tracker, that can be used with gear as simple as a DSLR and lens with manual polar alignment, or it can be controlled with a mini PC for seamless use, and tracking the night sky with pinpoint stars for 10 minutes or more consistently. The longest exposures I have taken with this mount were half an hour each, and the stars were perfectly round.
Telescope
SVBony SV503 70ED
The SVBony 70 ED is a doublet APO refractor telescope. It weighs 2.22 kg (4.9 lbs). This scope has a focal length of 420mm, an aperture of 70mm, and a focal ratio of f/6. I use the SVBony .8x reducer, which adjusts the focal length to 336mm, and boosts the focal ratio to a faster f/4.8. This scope uses S-FPL51 extra-low dispersion glass, which eliminates some chromatic aberration. This scope is more of a budget refractor scope, I purchased this for just over $3oo USD. Some upgrades I have added to the scope is a handle, larger dovetail plate, and a dovetail slot.
Camera
ZWO 533MC Pro
The 533MC Pro is a cooled one shot color camera, using a Sony IMX533 CMOS sensor, and shoots a in a square format, with a resolution of 3008x3008. The 533MC Pro can be cooled to -20c, which allows for longer exposure times, since a sensor heats up when exposing for long periods of time. One of the pros for me with this camera is that it has zero amp glow. At 100 unity gain the 533MC Pro has low read noise. The back focus for this camera is 55mm, which means you can add accessories to the imaging train such as a filter drawer or OAG, as long as the back focus comes to 55mm. Currently, I use only the spacers provided with the camera.
Auto-Guiding
ZWO 120MM Mini
ZWO 30mm Guide Scope
For Autoguiding I use the 120mm Mini, and the ZWO 30mm Guide Scope. The purpose of an auto guiding camera, is to take repeated exposures of the sky along with your telescope, and then detect if there is movement in the stars. It then sends a pulse to the mount, correcting for any tiny movements, allowing for long exposures with round stars. This guiding set up works well for me since I use a small refractor, which means that there can be more room for error in tracking/guiding with minimal impact to the quality of my exposures.
Mini PC
ZWO ASI Air Mini
For easy control of the whole astrophotography rig I use the ZWO ASI Air Mini. This mini computer sends out a Wi-Fi signal to connect to from your phone, and controls all of the electronics when doing a night of imaging. It has been an absolute game changer for ease of use in the hobby, and I would highly recommend this to someone whos primary issue with astrophotography is the long process of setting up for a night of imaging.
Filters
Optolong L-Pro
SVBony SV220 Duo Narrowband Filter
The two main filters I use are the Optolong L Pro and the SVBony SV220 7nm Duo Narrowband filters. The L Pro is a broadband light pollution filter, which I use for broadband imaging in light polluted skies, such as my own in bortle 5. I use the duo narrowband filter for emission nebulae, it captures wavelengths of light in the hydrogen alpha and oxygen iii regions. I don’t use a filter for targets like faint reflection nebulae or star clusters.
Battery Box
Jackery 1000 Explorer Portable Power Station
For power I use the Jackery 1000. I have not exceeded 20% usage during a night of imaging, it is very efficient and relatively light, weighing in at only 22lbs. This piece of equipment has been vital since I often image while camping, and in other areas that I cannot plug into AC power.
Tripod
Innorel RT90C Tripod
I use the Innorel RT90C carbon fiber tripod. It is admittedly overkill for my setup, but I bought it keeping future upgrades in mind. I bought this tripod because of its stability, and weight limit. It has a weight limit of a whopping 40kg or 88lbs. It has been extremely stable, and is light. It has withstood upwards of 30 mph winds without breaking a sweat.
All of the product images were produced by the manufacturer, and are not created by me. The purpose of this is to be a comprehensive breakdown of all equipment used to create an image.