I have started doing some basic astrophotography with my Canon 90D and a 70-300mm lens. The results have been better than expected, but I already want to move to a longer lens (obviously!). While I already plan to get a 150-600mm lens (and maybe an extender) for general use that will double+ my reach, I'd really like to go beyond that.
While researching Meade versus Celestron SCTs to upgrade/replace the Meade I already own, I came across several people suggesting that an SCT is a bad place to start with imaging since the long focal length makes guiding critical. And since accurate guiding is such a learned skill, it's just a recipe for disappointment.
Now to a certain degree, that is at least not much of a cost issue for me since I already own an SCT and would just need to spend <$100 for the T ring and adapter for my camera. That said, it does have me thinking that instead of spending $2000-$3000 to replace my old SCT at some point, maybe I should put the money towards something more suited to learning the basics of astrophotography. That seems to be some form of refractor or reflector scope.
To that end, I'm wondering what more experienced members would recommend? I'm primarily interested in lunar, planetary and brighter messier targets. Mostly because I figure deeper sky stuff is a much tougher ask in my suburban Philadelphia location and I don't have much opportunity to head to a dark sky site. Which my visual astronomy knowledge suggests points towards a refractor. On the other hand, the reflectors tend to be faster which means less guiding.
