Below are my preferred options for focal reducers, filters, books, etc . The ones marked with an asterisk are the ones I have used and highly recommend. The others are what I believe to be excellent alternatives to consider. If you click on the link in the highlighted name it will take you directly to the supplier. Links are affiliate links which means that I can earn a small commission which helps defray the cost of this web site. If you have questions on these or other products email me at [email protected].
Focal Reducers * Celestron f/6.3: Focal reducer and field flattener for an SCT for 0.63X reduction. Get it from: Agena Astro bit.ly/3IEeMc5 HighPoint Scientific bit.ly/3Uet5Iq * Celestron Edge 7X: Focal reducer and field flattener for an Edge SCT for 0.7X reduction. Get it from: Agena Astro bit.ly/3IEeMc5 Highpoint Scientific bit.ly/3tSPQJJ Generic 0.5X focal reducer from : * Apertura 2" bit.ly/3U31JHz SVBONY f/5: 1.25" x 0.5 focal reducer. Inexpensive but should work fine for the beginner.
Filters * Astronomik UHC: Excellent general light pollution filter from HighPoint Scientific bit.ly/3Sa0mEi Optolong UHC: Excellent general light pollution filter from Agena Astro bit.ly/3SYuyUa Baader 2" UV-IR: Reduce star bloat & violet halos. Sharp Cutoff below 420nm & above 685nm (lets 656nm H- alpha through). Get it from: Agena Astro bit.ly/3XfLmbC * HighPoint Scientific bit.ly/3HqKLv7 Video Capture & Camera Control Software *SharpCap: Free. Does not control analog cameras, but will provide image display, capture, stacking, histogram, etc. Will control USB cameras along with everything else.
C-Mount Adapters SVBONY: Inexpensive but works! Threaded for filters, internal threading for baffling. 1.25. Books * The New CCD Astronomy by Ron Wodaski: this book remains the bible for astrophotography despite being last published in 2002. It explains all the key concepts necessary to understand how to get great images. * The Deep Sky Imaging Primer by Charles Bracken: Packed with all the information you need to understand how digital cameras work, noise sources, choosing the right equipment and post processing techniques * Getting Started: Long Exposure Astrophotography by Allan Hall: This book covers everything you need to get started taking astro images * Astrophotography by Thierry Legault: Well know as an astrophotographer, Thierry shares his insights into what it takes to be a successful astrophotographer