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I see such a wide range of equipment on here, so was just wondering what the average spend on this hobby is for people on here. So far (excluding bits and pieces like laser collimators etc.) I have spent about $4,800 in total on my primary rig (OTA, Mount, Camera, filter wheel, filters, coma corrector, guide camera, control PC, autofocusser). I'm guessing that I'm on the lower end of things. I've used US dollars as a standard for comparison. I'm just trying to get a feel for what I might need to budget for going forwards ;) |
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| I have two numbers, one under general accounting principles and the other is the one I tell my wife! 🤑 |
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| A generous downpayment for a new car. |
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13.14
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| Seriously, unlike golf where you’re still hack even if you spend lots of money on new equipment, Astro photography does get better the more you spend. Really is unfortunate. |
3.31
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| Yep, definitely taboo, at least with my lady. I have been snatching $20/ week from her purse for the last 2 years and have about $2000 saved up. I just haven't been able to figure out how to purchase in cash as she sees all the credit card/ Pay Pal statements. A few times I have used Cashier checks. Thoughts appreciated. |
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Hi Andy, Your question is somewhat vague in the sense that a lot of us have acquired our setups over the lifetime we have been into the hobby. In my case, and over the 30+ years I’ve been in the hobby I’ve spent over 60k for what I have right now not to mention a marriage. 60k might sound like a lot of money (it certainly is to me) but there are a lot of people that could easily double or triple what I have spent. Dale |
7.75
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Andy Wray: I would answer: As much as you a) can reasonably afford b) are willing to spend Literally the sky is the limit because there is always a better mount, scope, reducer, focuser, flter wheel, rotator, guide scope, ... To me the main purpose of a hobby is to have fun with socializing (which adds to the fun) on close 2nd. AP admittedly doesn't rank highly on the second aspect. Becoming the richest person on the graveyard is not something to aim for in my opinion. So converting money on the bank into fun makes perfect sense, as long as you keep control over your expenses. I would estimate that 20 - 40k will get you to your dream equipment. 10-15k for the dream mount, 5 - 10k for the dream scope and another 5-15k for dream camera + filters + filter wheel + computer + other stuff. On the other side of the spectrum you can have a lot of fun with just a tracker + camera + lenses for (less than) 1k if you buy used stuff. It's amazing what Nico Carver achieved even without a tracker (e.g. 4 Best WITHOUT a Star Tracker, N. Hemisphere Edition - YouTube). Actually I currently started to enjoy such easy setups. To me they were only intended as a step towards more compex setups but I might very well get stuck to this approach because I find it very inspiring. Having said so, if I set up my camera + lens + tripod I'm above the price of your rig. Even daytime photography can be a money pit. Have fun and never look back! Clear skies Wolfgang |
6.06
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| Coulda bought a planewave with the money I've spent in the last 2 years, but who has that kind of cash to spend at once ? |
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| Over 18K and about 8K ago I said, "I have everything I need." Sound familiar? |
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Andy Wray: If that's your goal, you are asking the wrong question. I don't care whether it's aviation, imaging, or sports cars, really serious hobbyists always amp up the cost until it hurts. And, the pain threshold depends entirely on how much money you have to begin with. I have a lot of aviation buddies who have spent way more than $8M on just one of their airplanes and one guy I know has 19 of them! That guy has a LOT of money. I know an imaging guy who has spent north of probably $4M on his many telescope scopes that range in size from 0.5m to 1m and he'd probably order a 2 m scope if it was within his pain threshold. Lying to your wife about what your scopes cost is just for starters. You know it's getting serious when she doesn't even know about half the scopes you own or what it costs to run them. You are getting there if you've saved for a new car so that you can pay cash but instead you come up with an excuse to put it off for a few more years so that you can blow it all on that sweet new wide field 16" system from Astro-Physics or Planewave. Then you have it delivered to a remote site straight from the factory so that you don't have to answer any questions that start with, "So just how expensive was that thing anyway?" It's starting to hurt when you find yourself scheming about how to put off other, more rational expenses just because you need a high-end mount for a scope that you couldn't resist buying and already couldn't afford. You'll know when it's spiraling out of control when you're juggling 19 credit card payments and your wife is starting to ask about where all the money is going. Even your co-workers can see that your health is starting to suffer from all the sleep you are losing as you try to dial in that newest scope each night long after you wife went to sleep. But wait! Astro-Physics just introduced a new refractor and you know that you have to have it. Yeah, that's when it's starting to hurt. $4,800 for your system? Man, if you're going to get serious, you've got a long way to go before you can join the rest of us in the gutter. :-))))))))) John PS. I hear that the AIC will have a presentation on 12-step programs for imagers in a few weeks so stay tuned. |
8.31
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John Hayes: Nothing else to say... |
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6.06
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John Hayes:Andy Wray: 12 step payment plan?  |
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Andy Wray: Skipping the crap, the gear I've been acquiring over the years has sometimes been second hand, sometimes new. Some of the stuffs I've selled myself, some are still with e so far. But overall, counting only what my expenses have been the things in a10 year period look like this (in Euro) 1st EQ6 mount ~1500 (later sold) 1st RC 8 inch, guiding camera, offaxis ~1500 Mono camera, filterwheel, Baader filters~ 3500 SW Equinox refractor 1000 (later sold) Astrodon LRGB filters ~500 (if I'm not mistaken) Astrodon Ha OIII filters 1000 Avalon mount ~4000 Lodestar v2 guiding camera 500 Pegassus box ~600 Esprit 120 refractor 3000 Pegassus focuser ~300 A bunch of other unknown, forgotten little stuffs, as well as repairs ~4000 Of course, my wife is unaware of all this. Otherwise, I'd be sleeping in a tent, begging on the streets now  |
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Andy Wray: A lot more than I wished for but a lot less of some other fella who just can't resist the urge to buy another gadget. On a 20 years time span I might have spent £500 per year (net, buying minus selling). So there you go, £10,000. Plus remote shooting, that's costed me around £600. If I had the kind of sky that I've see so very few times in my life then I wouldn't have needed to spend that kind of money. |
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Not sure I want to be thinking about this. But.. I'll make the list of the 3 rigs I currently run. First things first, this list isn't very accurate in pricing, I've taken the current prices of the websites that I normally look at. But over the last year or 2, the prices on those websites in the EU have gone up there to correct for inflation and higher production/shipping cost. So, not sure how accurate they are with what I paid over the last 2-3 years. Also, I've taken Euro's for my pricing. In general prices are about 19% higher in Euro vs the dollar pricing due to a 19% import tax. Also, I did manage to buy quite a few items second hand or for good deals. Or even some of the items brand new for better deals. All those items will be listed with a "*" For example: I purchased quite a few items directly from ZWO. Delivery takes longer, but prices are FAR better than the prices in the EU, as they charge in dollars instead of Euro's - you will get "hit" with an import tax. But ZWO always seem to list their "cost price" of their equipment on the import form instead of the retail value of the item.- So my 2600MM was only listed as a 260 dollar value on the form, and the import bill for me was only about 60 euro.. So, my 2600MM was, in total maybe about 2400 euro, vs 3290 euro it's listed for in the EU.. that's quite a saving.. No idea about the legality of that.. but.. I'm just going to play dumb. Anyway, the list. Scopes: Esprit 80ED+corrector - 1575 euro *Redcat 51 - 999 euro Samyang 135 - 520 euro *Coronado PST - 900 euro Skywatcher 150/750 PDS + Coma corrector - 650 euro Camera's: *2600MM - 3290 euro 183MM - 1390 euro 183MC - 1090 euro *290 MM mini - 429 euro *290 MM - 449 euro 120 MM - 259 euro Mounts: *EQ6-R pro - 1920 euro *Celestron VX - 1375 euro EQ3 - 699 euro Primalucelab mounting rings/plates ~ 350 euro Filters: Antlia 3nm SHO set: 1242 euro Optolong SHO set: 419 euro Optolong RGB: 229 euro Optolong L-Extreme: 279 euro Optolong L-Pro: 179 euro Filterwheels/drawers: *Filterwheel 7x36mm: 599 euro Filterwheel mini: 239 euro *Filter drawer + extra drawer: 168 euro Guiding: OAG - 170 euro *ZWO OAG L - 249 euro William optics mini guide scope - 149 euro Controlling: *ASIAIR Pro x 2 - 798 euro *ASIAIR PLUS - 429 euro ZWO EAF x2 - 518 euro Others: Adapters, cables, spacers, dew heaters, batinov masks, mounting rings, covers, collimators, etc, etc ~ 400-500 euro. all in all, about 23.000 euro..*if you were to buy it all new in the EU right now* so.. anyone has that address of the 12 step program? I might need it. I will say though that I don't think I spent close to this amount. *Like I said; the 2600MM, 290MM, 290MM mini, EFW 36mm, ZWO Drawer, 2 asiairs, OAG-L were all purchased from ZWO directly totalling 3900 dollars - which is about 3650 euro ~ and about 3850 euro after import tax vs close to 5800 euro if purchased in the EU itself. So, a big 2000 euro saving already. * the EQ6-R pro I got a deal on, for about 1550 euro *the Redcat I got second hand for about 600 euro. *The Coronado second hand 140 euro + 430 euro repair *1 asiair was purchased second hand for 220 euro. *the Celestron VX was purchased second hand for 850 euro. Most other items I got a 5% discount on, the website I use has a members discount for 5%. So, I'd say the number is closer to 19.000-20.000 euro ~ 21.000 dollars (And if you take away the EU import taxes and higher pricing, it's probably equivalent to about 18.000 US) This does allow for 3 rigs to run at the same time.- Individually the rigs when running are probably 11.500 / 4000 / 3000. I didn't plan on having 3 rigs in the end. It's more that I've been upgrading the main rig so much, that you end up with enough bits to build a second rig... then you upgrade bits on the 1st and 2nd rig.. and you have enough "old" parts to build a third.. |
3.10
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As others have said, about the price of a small car. I honestly don't have a precise number in my head since I have been doing this for a couple of years. But just looking at my current "main" setup, everything included, around 10k€. And I somehow ended up with a second rig after various rounds of upgrades. That's it tho, no more!!! Unless of course I do end up buying that observatory I have been thinking about. Help pls?  |
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From my own experience, I think it's good to have a roadmap based on what kind of astrophotography you are interested in, your manual skills, i.e. how much DIY/maintenance you are willing/able to do and your budget. Take it step by step, trying to avoid ending up paying for your best equipment twice or three times... My first mount was a terrible deception and a frustrating experience. It was beyond repair shortly after I purchased it. So I made a roadmap and am still on this journey, enjoying astrophotography whenever time and weather permits. Also, I share infos on my astroequipment investment plans with my husband. It's easier for both of us  .PS: currently at around 35K EUR including the rotten first mount. |
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| About the price of a small single home in the Midwest. |
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Just added it all up. £24k That's quite a lot per finished image  |
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| 80 times more than my initial budget upper limit |
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| Way to much and not enough. |
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While some may view it as taboo, or just being straight up uncomfortable saying a price publicly. I personally think with this hobby that is notorious for being expensive, it is important for new comers or people looking to upgrade to understand what to expect. I personally keep a spreadsheet of everything purchased with cost, plus items I have my eye on that would be sufficient on my current Gem28 mount. I will eventually make a section of a complete upgrade overhaul, new mount, scope, observatory(?), etc. But at the moment I am specifically avoiding that haha. I personally, have spent (so far) $8,300.55 ($9,150 including my DSLR) on gear since December of 2020 when I placed my order for my first telescope. This breaks down into two rigs plus extra for me: 1) My main imaging rig: Orion ED80T CF and ASI294MC Pro on a Gem28, EAF, flattener, Air Pro, other bits and bobs needed, which is a little over $5.7k of the investment. 2) My Portable Rig: TPO 180 Ultrawide and Canon T8i (or 294 with external battery) on Skyguider Pro and Radian CF tripod, plus WO latitude base and any other accessories, which comes at about $2.1k total. Extra) My extras being lens adapter for my 294, additional spacers, storage, different filters, etc. All these extras still cost money, some decently substantial. just in extra gear I have over $400 invested. Some of which doesn't get used quite as much as I wish. Luckily I am single and have no need to hide any information on what I have spent 🤣 Clear Skies and happy purchasing!! -- Chase |
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Did you read about the astrophotographer who died? His wife sold off all his gear for what he told her he paid for it. CS, Mike |
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20 - 40k will get you to your dream equipment The problem is your dream changes  I'm building my third dream set up right now...Kevin |
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Kevin Morefield:20 - 40k will get you to your dream equipment Time to take the red pill |
