Looking to improve your setup? Explore our best eyepieces, top filters, and essential accessories.
Astrophotography lets you capture the Moon, planets and deep-sky objects in far more detail than visual observing alone. This page covers beginner-friendly equipment for smartphones, DSLR cameras, telescope cameras and star tracker setups.
Cameras • Star trackers • DSLR adapters • Guidescopes • Filters • Focusing tools
See our recommended astrophotography gear below
Best Beginner Astrophotography Accessories
These products are suitable for beginners who want to start imaging the Moon, planets or brighter objects without building a complicated deep-sky setup straight away.
Affordable way to start capturing images of the Moon and bright planets through a telescope eyepiece.
Useful for taking repeated long exposures with compatible DSLR cameras, especially when used on a star tracker.
Helps achieve sharper focus on stars, which is important for both telescope imaging and camera-lens astrophotography.
Star Tracker and Star Guider Equipment
Star trackers and star guiders are popular with beginners because they let a DSLR or mirrorless camera follow the sky during long exposures. They are ideal for wide-field Milky Way shots, constellations, nebulae and beginner deep-sky imaging with camera lenses.
A popular portable star tracker for DSLR and mirrorless astrophotography using camera lenses and lightweight imaging setups.
A more advanced portable tracking mount with GoTo features, suitable for DSLR imaging and lightweight telescope setups.
Allows a DSLR or mirrorless camera to be aimed more easily when mounted on a star tracker or star guider.
DSLR and Telescope Adapters
Camera adapters must match your camera brand and telescope fitting. Canon, Nikon and mirrorless cameras often require different T-rings, so always check compatibility before buying.
Used to connect compatible Canon DSLR cameras to a telescope when combined with the correct telescope adapter.
Allows compatible Nikon DSLR cameras to connect to telescope imaging adapters for prime-focus photography.
Useful for connecting suitable cameras or T-rings to telescopes that use standard 1.25-inch focusers.
Planetary and Lunar Cameras
Dedicated astronomy cameras are commonly used for the Moon and planets. They connect to a laptop and capture video, which can then be stacked into a sharper final image.
Excellent all-round astronomy camera for planetary and lunar imaging through a suitable telescope.
Popular beginner imaging camera for lunar, planetary and basic guiding work.
Guiding Equipment
Guiding helps improve tracking during longer exposures. This is more useful for deep-sky imaging than basic lunar or planetary photography, and it becomes more important as focal length increases.
Useful addition for improving tracking accuracy during long-exposure astrophotography with a compatible mount.
A compact guide camera often used with a guidescope to improve tracking during long-exposure imaging.
Deep-Sky Imaging Accessories
Deep-sky imaging often needs extra optical accessories. Field flatteners, filter wheels and dual-band filters can be useful, but they must match your telescope, camera and adapter setup.
Serious upgrade for deep-sky imaging, offering better noise control than many basic camera options.
Helps produce sharper stars across the image frame when used with compatible refractor telescopes.
Makes it easier to switch filters during imaging sessions, especially with monochrome cameras or multiple filter types.
A dual-band filter for compatible telescope imaging setups. It normally needs the correct filter thread, drawer, wheel or adapter.
Build your setup further with our recommended telescopes, mounts and tracking equipment, best astronomy filters, and essential accessories.