Reflector or Refractor?

[rabbs]

Looking to buy my first telescope and looking for advice (pros and cons) of reflector vs refractor scopes. I guess I am just looking for some place to start as from what I have seen it is a very big field. btw: will be using it with my 400d. Thanks in advance, Jason. --Sorry posted in wrong place, could a helpful mod please move to discuss forum. Thanks.

[ebann]

Start reading here:

http://www.cloudynights.com/

Refractor of the same diameter costs much more than a reflector. A Schmidt-Cassegrain is an intermediate in design and cost. Housing space and complexity of use are two questions you should ponder before buying any astro equipment. You don't want to end up having an expensive furniture around the house.

This said, you really don't need one to enjoy some basic astro imaging. You can start with wide-field images using your handy 50mm f/1.8. Learn the basic technique of image stacking to increase image definition. The wider your field-of-view, the less likely you'll need to track the Earth's rotation.

My first investment would be a good GEM mount (German Equatorial Mount). Something like a CG-4 or CG-5. Take your time to learn how to align your mount. Get a camera/lens adapter for that mount. An alternative to buying a telescope is to buy a long focal length lens such as the 200L and 400L. Make sure your alignment is very good if using such long FL.