Before the video starts let me say: Thank you. This is exactly what I wanted to know and finally can make a decision about what to buy to have my kids enjoy our clear skies. Now, let me go back to the video. 👍👍👍

I live in the north of England and get perhaps 10 days of adequate seeing in a year. (Yes really.) I've got no cash; the best thing I ever did was not buy a telescope! I spent years making mirrors up to 18" and objectives up to 6", but gradually realised that astronomy, for me, was going to be something best carried out vicariously. I really do get more pleasure from watching videos of other people pursuing my beloved hobby than from trying to do it myself. When the light-pollution's bad, the rain's pouring, the north wind's howling straight down from the Arctic, and the sky is grey, grey, grey, it's wonderful to be able to snuggle up with a mug of cocoa and a Channel like this and tell Mother Nature to go away - I'm busy! 😁

I completely agree that there is a quality gain to be had with a large aperture reflector, but at what cost? Not only in terms of financial cost, but also size, weight, complexity, time and effort. After many years of experimenting and $$ spent, I finally settled in at the convenience of a modest 4" refractor OTA. That hit the right spot for me to lower the mount and tripod requirements and wind issues compared to larger aperture sizes. Ultimately the BEST telescope for me is the one I want to use most often. A simpler, lightweight setup that does not require work to start using means I use it more. Find what works for you. Enjoy the journey. Cheers.

Great video! I have both and I like each (Newt vs Refractor) for their own versatility. I'd like to add some info, just coming from my own experience. Astrophotography is not easy, there is a learning curve. Even with the best equipment out there, it can be tough. I recommend any newbies to this hobby to get at least 1 year of warranty or longer to their equipment when they purchase, don't be like me, stuck with an expensive gear with a defect and no way to return it. Please read on.. Here comes my complaint. Astrophotography is tough on its own, It's even a lot tougher and even become a hobby killer, if the equipment has faults, like manufacturing defects and just equipment that should have not made it through quality control. I have started with with a telescope of a brand name, that I was recommended by many (not mentioned in your video) , and I just couldn't produce good images, no matter what. Being a newbie, of course I'm looking myself and what I do and try to find the what I'm doing wrong, but with plenty of info on the web and asking others with the same hobby, it turned out that the telescope had pinched optics and even the flattener produces tilt in the images, when many people would be mad enough to throw the scope in the attic and say what a waste of money! Of course, you won't discover this 4-5 months after owning the scope and there is no way to return it! And it's even worse, when you reach out to the manufacturer and get no answer or just tells to "buy another telescope". (And I did, but not from the same brand). So I also urge people if they can't figure out why their images not turning out good as they should be, ASK. Go on Cloudy Nights forums, sign up to Facebook groups and so on. So just my 2 cents and just my intention to warn anyone entering this hobby, please make sure you get yourself a longer period to return the product or even up to 1 year or more warranty, you do not want to stuck with a telescope that costs $600, and unable to figure out if it's lack of experience or actually the equipment is bad! It can be just a very very expensive paper weight and hobby killing experience!

Nico is the best! 100% approval, all information you need, step by step and a lot of passion for astrophotography 🌟

I always love the star spikes newtonians make from the secondary mirror bracket Even in visual astronomy it looks really cool when looking at super bright stars or even the planets

Just have to say, I like the optics of reflector telescopes over refactors, however, dealing with the balance problems is a bear if one is using a Nikon or Canon camera. Mounts are important but being able to put the camera on the back end is a big help in setting up and viewing. This was an A+ video. Thank you.

Outstanding vid again, Nico. Thank you! You changed my mind on my first telescope just before I was about to buy it! Great timing! (Going for the Newtonian…)

Dont forget. if you are on a budget to look out second hand gear. I got a SkyWatcher AZ-EQ6 for £1000, Celestron C8 for £250 and a Canon 550D with 892 (like new) shutter count for £144. This is well below new prices, but great for a beginner like me to potter around with.

Hey, I just bought a used version of that reflector. I am so happy to hear the correct pronunciation of "SVBONY".

I own the SV48 and have used it for astrophotography with good success. The SVBONY SV193 Focal Reducer works great with this scope and I get pin point stars at the corners. Couple this scope with a 495 long pass filter and for the money it is hard to beat for the price. Good review.

I binge on your content more than any Netflix series Nico 👍👍👍😂

I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Svbony SV50370ed + the reducer, and it's fantastic. Crisp and sharp and promised. Works perfect on the Eqm35 Pro with my T6 Canon. Best bang for the buck.

@nebula photos Thanks for being a inspiration to me and my son(12yo), My son just bought a Celestron 130EQ Skymaster used for $200. We gonna pick it up tomorrow. The last 3 hours he´s been looking trough a lot of your videos 🙂, as he just told me " Dad, I need to be prepared". 😀❤

My current "scope" is the Canon 400mm 5.6l lens. Not expensive when bought used and a very good controlled aberrations.

Having recently made the switch to a newtonian from refractors, I say it's totally worth it if you have a bit of experience. The images are so much better even than expensive refractors. Yes it's hard to get everything working well but that's part of the fun. Plus the challenge pays off greatly

This answers all of my questions, and a whole bunch that I hadn’t realised I should be asking. Thanks Nico !

I want to thank you for this video! I have been toying around with getting into this hobby for a few months now and the information you’ve shared here has helped me more than any video I’ve watched so far! It assures me that I can get decent results on a budget. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna catch a bug and start to spend more and more and more but this video has been super helpful and helping me step into this hobby on a budget!

Excellent summary Nico! Plus great comparison image. I would add one additional tip for Newtonians if you are imaging with a lot of city lights around you: most Newts have big light leaks from the primary mirror - so a DIY butt cover can make a huge difference! Also for collimation, some lasers can lead to miscollimation, if the laser itself has issues. To avoid that problem, a Barlowed laser technique works excellently (cheap laser plus cheap Barlow). My favorite though is the humble Cheshire :-)

reflector is quite easy to use after a while and some knowledge, I also like refractor because I live on the hill so there is a nice view during day and I can watch birds, squirles etc. in a distance and is good for traveling my opinion: heavy reflector for night sky events around house light refractor for everything wherver whenever

One thing not mentioned is that the Apertura (GSO) coma corrector has a 1.1 magnification (F/5->F/5.5). The important thing about this 10% increase in FL is that it gives you the extra back focal length to reach the camera film plane without needing a dedicated astrograph Newtonian with larger diagonal and shorter focuser.

I would echo your comment about a budget Newtonian being a great way to start and still have all the upgrade capability. My wife bought me a Skywatcher 200 PDS and HEQ5 Pro as a "big birthday" present. I learned how to attach my old mirrorless camera to it initially (Sony NEX5N) and started my astrophotography journey. Added a Coma corrector, then an orion autoguider and most recently a mono camera(ASI1600MM), filter wheel for narrowband and ZWO autofocuser. Software control was a big upgrade and in my case this was ASCOM, PHD2, Sharpcap (for polar alignment) and APT. Bottom line: the OTA (or scope as you call it) has kept up with my journey and the photos I can take now are ten times better than when I first started. The mount may be struggling a bit now with all the extra weight, so that is what I will probably upgrade next. Bottom line: a good budget "Newt" is more than enough for anyone's first few years in astrophotography.

This was very well explained. I could listen to you talk about these subjects for days. I was looking to get a newt for visual purposes and dabble in dlsr astrophotography on a solid mount. Those pics got me hyped! Thx for all the content you provide.

Great video Nico. There are so many small details and hints that are so helpful to those of us beginning in AP. Bravo!

Simply EXCELLENT video. I wasn't *this* interested in the topic, but you not only caught me. Your presentation made med watch the whole video, and I am seriously contemplating getting into astrophotography now.

The refractor wins usually aperture to aperture wise but for widefield imaging it wins hands down. A fast Newtonian is great also for imaging but you will have to do some diy like a well made spider, oversized secondary and a very low profile focuser. You can buy a newt optimised for imaging but will cost much more. Both will need coma/flatteners.but If I was starting out as a beginner I would go with a nice little refractor 70-80mm. Keep it simple then work your way up.

Hey thank you. Gravity does not push down, the earth is pushing up on us that creates the effect, but there is no up and down in space......Love you :)

Thanks for the clarification I feel like a proper vernacular is important for luring about a complex hobby so thank you .

bro thank you so much this is helping me so much i am now loving you channel thank you so much for helping me out as a beginner astrophotographer

One day I will own a longer hair than you!

Super helpful intro to OTA’s, Nico! Thank you.

Thank you for your time and counsels.Very good video as always.I just received my Svbony 503 80ED F7,happy to hear it being cited in the video.

Thank you so much for providing all the detail information and purchasing factors and considerations. This is exactly the type of video I need to learn and figure out what I really want without a bunch of trial and error. You answered so many of my questions and I now have a much better idea of what I want.

Amazing video. My self I want the system portable. So I can bring it on trips. You mentioned light weight a lot as an advantage and I agree and add that mostly people in the world lives on huge cities. This light systems allow those people to bring it on trips

To save on the flattener , and add funds to the mount, you can use software to correct the image. GIMP can do this and when you get it right, save for a one click fix. It will barrel the image and crop, so you do lose a little bit. With the achromat, the fringing can be reduced by reducing the aperture with a mask. Even a small step from F5 down to f5.6 can make a huge difference. Did this on an F5 refractor.

Nice upgrade for a Newtonian and SCT is a set of Bobs knobs for collimation. No screwdrivers next to your lens, no scratches. When you go out observing your never alone, Murphy is right there every time. Makes the procedure far far easier and a set is not expensive and easy to install, these things should have been a factory installed item. Good video. Newtonian on a goto is nice, I also have a 12" Orion on a rotator base. I can't see that big thing swinging around on a motorized mount. It's fun for planets, not fun for long term imaging.

Superb! .....Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video.

I bought a 22" Obsession. Made in Wisconsin. Wow, the views are incredible! Still do enjoy using the small refractor though.😊

Congrats on 100k!

How exactly are you able to explain technical aspects so clearly and concisely?? 😎

How can I like this a million times?

This is a great video! Shows a lot of great potential at a true entry level and your results were pretty impressive! I'm going to play a bit with a Vixen R130sf reflector I snagged at an estate sale soon.

Thanks. I always find your videos to be highly informative. Happy holidays. Clear skies! Nar

Very long but very informative intro. Thanks!

You did it again!; Like Cuvi, you are delivering Quality Content. Thank you!

About DIY and budget options, you should really try making your own AstroEQ ArduinoMEGA controller and demonstrating how to hook everything up, both hardware and software wise. I recently was looking at a way to do some upgrades to my pretty simple EXOS-2 mount that had just stepper motors for RA and DEC. For ~40$ I've managed to create controller that allows my rudimentary mount to do pulse guiding, platesolving and GoTo (granted with low speeds, but that's easy to improve within small budget). Additionaly I can now remote control my entire setup from remote screen as this Arduino Mega controller is plugged directly into my laptop. A great project for another longer video I think.

Wow, lots of info. for a newbe, Thanks again. I was about to buy a barska 25lb rock with no options I could use. This is so awesome. thank you for this. I'm totally off on the barska and I feel better about spending more knowing what I'm buying

I use a Orion XT 8 goto and a high end cell phone which produces decent images which is not bad for starting out. A refractor with a wide field would be the best in opinion for ease of use and mobility.

Focal length is my main dividing line between Newtonian astrographs and refractors. Take for example my Orion 10" Newt/Astrograph. 1000mm focal length and 250mm aperture for $900. The closest refractor to that is Orion's EON 910mm focal length and 130mm aperture and the cost is $2,700. Sure there's more maintenance to do with a Newtonian, but I find all that stuff fun too. Not every night is clear anyways, having something to do for the hobby when it's cloudy is a plus for me. At the other end of the spectrum, there's no Newt/astrograph out there with focal lengths under 400mm. So I love my little doublet APO's and am looking forward to getting more tiny refractors. Right now I have the Sky-Watcher 50mm Evoguide w/field flattener (ok), WO Zenithstar 61 w/field flattener and reducer (Nice), and Sky-Watcher 72ed Evostar w/Field flattener and reducer(Very tasty). If someone came out with like a 400mm focal length 100mm aperture Newtonian Astrograph I would be really interested in how that'd work.

Thank you Nico, that was very informative! I already have a GSO 8" F4 newt with CC and an EQ6 mount and a dedicated astro cam. I've had mixed experience with imaging (mostly because I'm very bad at processing images) but one thing is certain...when everything is setup correctly the newt does give excellent results! Thanks for the tip about primary mirror masking I'll try that

Dealing with a Newtonian requires a lot more patience and skills than a refractor. For me Newtonian is a good choice to cover both planetary and deep sky imaging, and it gives a lot of possibility for DIY. Yes, a mount for a Newtonian is more expensive. However, if you want to achieve an equally good image with a refractor, you would need a apochromatic one which could cost almost the same as a big mount...

As a new hobby for me you always do a great job explaining everything. Thank you!

Another great tutorial and source of advice .. thanks Nico

I live in dusty Morocco. That mirror on the reflector would be uselessly caked with the stuff in the time it would take my dogs to run around me while setting up.

This is an excellent presentation. But you could've enhanced it, by adding some simple illustrations. As an example, for 'chromatic aberration'.

Crystal clear info, I’m an expert having watched this, thank you!

Nice video, i started with 8inchF6 newt on HEQ5,. If mount is belt modded then it guides fine even 10inch F5 carbon newton. Problem with metal newtons is that metal expands and contracts due to temperature changes, so you go out of focus at longer exposueres.

Thank you for this video. I downloaded photos and compared. Part of the comparison, I separated stars and nebula using StarNet and found the Newtonian actually captured far more details of nebulosity. I'd definitely go with Newtonian.

Good video Comparison Niko! Newtonians are a good option if you are looking to buy a telescope on a smaller Budget

Superb presentation. Easy to watch, follow, and learn very practical information that I find interesting and very helpful. You are a great teacher.

Thank you for this video. I been doing some KZfaq research to get started and this one answered to so many questions.

Great video. Small correction at 7:00. There are apochromatic scopes that have just two elements.

finally found the video i was searching for! after a month!

Thank you for the video! Extremely informative and well put together. Answered a lot of questions I didn't know I had. Once I take the time to become more familiar with the night sky, I'll be much better prepared to make the most out of the equipment I've collected.

What a great video! You very briefly mentioned Dobsonian mounts. In a few lines, can I ask for your brief opinion on motorized Dobsonians (like the GoTo Dobsonian line for Orion) for astrophotography? I really do not know about mounts, and it’s hard for me to understand if there are disadvantages of motorized Dobsonian mounts in comparison to other motorized mounts. I would be so grateful for your thoughts on this.

One problem with Newtonian type scope is central obstruction. The straight or perpendicular rays coming from deep sky objects get blocked by central obstruction in Newtonian type scope. Only the rays that are at an angle are captured. Also, some expensive doublets made by Astophysics or Takahashi show much less coma than some cheaper triplets. I am using a Takahashi doublet that I found on used market at a very reasonable price. I have used some cheaper triplets. I won’t name names. But Tak doublet almost always performs better. My 2 cents. I really appreciate your effort. You are doing a great job. Keep making such videos.

Great video like always Nico, IMHO if i may ,about the Newtonian wind problem ,can be eliminate by buying a Truss Newt,also with the doublet refractor if you'll buy a slower f ratio let say f9 f 10 so longer focal length will resolve quite a lot of the aberration. :)

Another awesome video, Nico!

Super usefully video’s. I learn a lot every single time.

For a budget set up in a city, I would go with something really short, like an Askar 135 or similar paired with one of small pixel mono cameras like say QHY5III 678M and a CLS/UHC filter. Plus a low weight but has a good tracking EQ mount. Something up would be a RedCat or a good small corrected refractor (quadruplet or what have it) with a bigger sensor and bigger pixels + a guide setup. If you want to catch small galaxies and nebulae then it will require guiding and good tracking - probably GSO 6" RC on the cheap while a Newtonian would require more troubleshooting and tuning, especially larger ones.

Muchas gracias por tanta información! saludos desde Argentina

Excelente video, muchas gracias y saludos desde Chile 🇨🇱

budget reflectors ftw!! I use a newtonian astrograph and a mak for solar system. Each under $300CAD and they are almost as good as my $1600 refractor.

I once attempted my hand in astronomy and although I wasn't in it for very long, I think the biggest thing I took from it was the size of your aperture. Better put; the diameter of your telescope. If I was ever to get back into the hobby again, the first thing I'd have to consider when buying a new telescope would be the diameter of the optics. I wouldn't go anything smaller than a 10 inch glass. Remember, the bigger the diameter, the more the light can be absorbed onto the mirror or into your eye - depending on which type of scope you're interested in.

Fascinating ..... insight . On another note .. The lense/refractor scope on the left

I'm not sure there's much of a question. There's a reason that all the largest telescopes are reflectors. If you're thrifty, you can find an 8" reflector used for $300. You cannot buy an 8" or even 6" refractor. So unless portability is your main goal, a good 6 or 8 inch reflector will let you see more objects, and they'll be brighter. But Nico brings up a good point re the Barlow lens: it's tough to achieve focus sometimes with a reflector. For myself, I'm looking at an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain, which is kind of a hybrid.

Hey Man! Just came to you with a new interest in AP. I'm a photo/film guy and these breakdowns are just so informative. Suggestion, my 3D Printing hero, Thomas Salanderer, has playlists for beginners, new to 3D Printing playlists. You should have a Playlist with all your videos that touch on the basics, like this video here. Took me a bit to find it, but worth it. Have a Basics/Beginners playlists and you'll be cultivating even more noobs like me even quicker. You have 156K subscribers so you're doing something right. Thanks and Cheers!

Excellent. TY. I have observing experience with a chinese made 6" reflector, in the dark, and often clear skys in northern Vermont, USA. I think when the time comes another reflector for photography makes sense as my next step.

Thanks! This really helped me to choose which one I want! Especially the picture quality.

Few days ago I bought TAL-1 Mizar telescope, newtonian (main mirror is 110 mm, fl is 800 mm, ø 1:7.3) made in USSR. 50$, lol. But! Mirrors are perfect, adjusted and ready to go. Very robust, can endure nuclear explosion. Now I'm going to equip it with a mount (maybe diy Dobson or original MT-1 manual mount), a finder (maybe laser pointer, haven't decided yet). Going to be much less than 300$. Actually TAL-1 is a kind of astronomical legend in Russia, very good built and made by a factory which supplies army and scientific organizations with optical gear. Hope by spring I'll get it completely functional.

I don't have the time to watch a 40 minute video right now but with a couple minutes to spare. This is probably addressed in the video. For me and it's a tough one but for a beginner I think the $300 refractor is probably the best choice of the two. You should be able to use a refractor out the box. A Newt would require you to spend either more than 300 or you get less scope for your money as you'd need the equipment for alignment. A decent laser is going to cost you almost as much as the scope unless you find one used. I couldn't. I know people are going to make an argument for why you don't need a more expensive laser or one at all. For me, it's worth the money. It makes aligning quick and easy, don't need to complicate something you can make simple with money. Look forward to watching the video later.

The refraction spikes improve the photo, love them.

Rookie here with a 6 inch newt , focus, collumination and tracking make a big difference, some nights good, some terrible

Awesome! Thank you for all you do. You have amazing videos with a lot of information that helps me.

Thanks for another great video, Nico! Wish I had all this explained 2 years ago. :-) I'll put in a plug here for the Apertura 60EDR from High Point Scientific that you mentioned in the video and that you recommended I get instead of a zoom lens for my DSLR. It's a great value in a little package! I was able to photograph Comet Leonard on Dec. 7th and it did a great job. Also, it's light enough (about 3.5 lbs.) that it worked very well with my SkyGuider Pro (SGP) star tracker (max 11 lbs), along with my DSLR, Tele Vue 2x Power Mate lens adapter and T-ring, laser pointer with bracket, and a long Arca clamp/plate for declination balance. All together it was about a 7 lb load on the SGP and the Apertura 60EDR fit the setup perfectly. I really love that little refractor. Thanks again for the recommendation!

Excellent video again Nico!

I got a reflector without realizing years ago and it took me a while to learn

Although maybe a bit more technical, but image scale, resolution and sampling also play role in determining the image quality, or looks. Sampling in relation to the average seeing quality at the imaging location can be hugely important. This is not only determined by the OTA, but in fact by the OTA in combination with the imaging sensor/camera - more particularly the pixel size of the sensor. At 500mm with a Canon APS-C DLSR, you were probably undersampling, whereas the Newton was likely right on the money at 750mm. This makes the image with the refractor look softer compared to the result coming from the Newton. Although admittedly, the chromatic abberation in a normal achromat makes focusing much more difficult.

Great video your clear and precise in your explanations of the scope 👌

Thank you. Very well explained. I learned a lot from you.

Hi just for future reference, you should have mentioned that the 6 inch reflector has roughly 2.5 times the light grasp of the 90 mm. And slightly better resolving power too.🧐

in 60/70 I spent alot more then 300, that included the stand, motor to turn the scope and 8" mirror. grinding took months and to test the mirror. I sure we spent over $1K. but we had ground to high tolerances. when moving you selected a what you want to follow it would keep up for 24 hours.

master class, thank you

Another great video, Nico. But I feel if you were going to correct the main known problem with the f/5 Newt (coma) you should have used a minus violet filter to correct the main known problem with the Achromat, for a more fair comparison. As this videos is targeted to beginners, the slightly larger stars wouldn't even be noticed by them, where the much larger blue fringing would be.

Nice Cepheus and Cygnus tattoos!

I love the idea of using acromat telescopes to do astrophotography, using narrowband filters, mono cameras, r g b filters etc. But after calculating the cost of all the equipment, it's hard to justify spending $300 for the acromat optical tube, and then $3000 for everything else that's necessary. It's sort of like buying a sportscar then having them put in a 1.6 liter four cylinder engine in it to save money. Yes you can do some impressive astrophotography with an inexpensive acromat . . . and you can impress a lot of folks driving around in a Corvette that's powered by a 1.6 liter four. But few folks go that route

I have been looking into this very recently since I’ve been using a Altair ed60 with a .8 reducer almost exclusively for the past year. Basically most of the time I’ve been in the deep sky part of the hobby. I’ve been strongly considering a reflector between 600-800mm. Just to be able to get a new perspective since I’ve shot most of what I can with the Altair60 already. A reflector Astrograph is about the only cheaper way to upgrade focal lengths and keep my f4-f5 range for narrowband. Thought about the RASA for a bit, but I only see that as a good option for darker skies. At least with an f4 there is less to worry about with filters. Looking for forward to this!

Newts are definitely more complex to use even for visual use. Collimation can be night and day difference in what you're going to see. The addictive part of a newtonian is the lack of chromatic aberration compared to even a nice refractor... (that and the aperture).

The Apertura 6f5n OTA has increased to $299 (May 2022). The 6f4n OTA has increased to $449. The 6f4n is a faster telescope, f4 vs f5, and has a two speed Crayford 10-1 focuser rather than the single speed of the 6f5n. I just recently bought the 6f4n, but I wish that I could have bought it when it was $299 last year😊. That would have been a crazy bargain. I would have, but it was out of stock forever thanks in no small part to Covid. Thanks for this great video! I learned some things that will definitely be helpful to me.

On a budget of $300, a reflector. Definitely. You can easily bring in the primary mirror to tackle the backfocus problem for imaging.