How Expensive is Astrophotography? (What You Need to Spend)

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Many ask “How expensive is astrophotography?”, and many believe it is. How true is this? I’ll answer this question in this post. It’s not as straightforward as you might think, let’s find out why.

Astrophotography is expensive, but this depends on your definition of expensive. You can get started in astrophotography for around $500 or less, but as you progress, you will want to acquire more expensive equipment. A good equatorial mount costs at least $1000. Telescopes and cameras can cost more than this.

astrophotography camera

How expensive is astrophotography? This depends on how seriously you want to get into this hobby, as the choice of equipment ranges from basic to advanced and from amateur to professional. NASA has just spent 10 billion dollars on the James Webb Telescope!1

Home-based astrophotographers like myself usually get started with basic equipment such as a tripod, a DSLR camera and lens, or even a mobile phone. These items are not expensive, and some of this equipment you may already have at home. Once you have been bitten by the bug and decide to move to the next level, the expenses can mount up, and we can say that it is not cheap to acquire what you need. Here is an article I wrote to help you do astrophotography without a tracker.

Astrophotography can begin as a hobby and end as a profession!

The Cost of Equipment for Beginner Astrophotography

A beginner rig can cost as little as this:

  • Camera: A DSLR for about $150 second-hand.
  • An adapter T-ring to connect the camera to a telescope is approximately $20
  • A tripod is approximately $30–50.
  • A widefield lens for $130–150

A beginner setup with a DSLR, tripod, and lens suitable for widefield Night Sky photography such as Milky Way shots would cost about $350.

If you want to use a telescope and capture more distant deep sky objects or planets, then you’d need to use the following:

  • DSLR: minimum $150 second-hand
  • Telescope $400
  • Mount (star tracker) – The Skywatcher Star Adventurer is about $350
  • T adapter is about $20

The total cost for this setup would be about $920.

If you use a lens instead of a telescope, you could spend between $100-200 on a lens, which would cost you approximately $600-700. Here is a helpful guide I’ve written that will help you decide which lens is best for astrophotography.

Star Tracker

How Expensive is Astrophotography? Setup for More Advanced Astrophotographers

Once you become a bit more advanced, you’ll be looking at getting the best quality images you can and will probably have outgrown your beginner’s equipment, but that is not to say that you can’t continue to use some of what you already have.

There is no limit to what you can spend on your astrophotography setup. You may want to buy a bigger and better telescope, a higher-performance camera, and even expensive software. If you’re not careful you can spend thousands of dollars quite easily. 

To give you an idea of the price of upgrading equipment, read how much is a telescope?

But you can decide to limit your spending and stay within an affordable budget. Here’s what I spent on my upgrade from the low-cost beginner equipment I started with.

The next level of setup for me required the following:

  • An equatorial mount. I chose the CEM26 from Ioptron, which cost about $1200
  • A new dedicated astronomy camera, the ZWO ASI533 MC PRO, a one-shot colour camera with cooling, costs approximately $800
  • A ZWO duo narrowband filter for $150
  • An Optolong L Pro filter for $150
  • I used my existing telescope tube, the Celestron 130SLT, which is probably worth $250
  • A guide scope for $90
  • A guide camera (SV Bony SV305) is about $150
  • A few other accessories, such as a dovetail, scope rings, etc. for $50

From what I have, the cost would be about $2900. I think this is quite typical of a medium-level, good quality astrophotography setup. Is this expensive? Probably, yes. But don’t forget, I will be able to use this for some considerable time. Also, the quality of my latest images is incredible, and I am quite satisfied with my results now.

Monkey Head Nebula
The Monkey Head Nebula, NGC 2174

The above image was taken with my new camera, the ZWO ASI533 MC Pro, and is 60 x 6-minute exposures stacked together and processed in Photoshop. Integration time was therefore approximately 6 hours using the ZWO duo band filter.

Can you afford astrophotography?

This is an important question to consider before you get started or before you get into it more seriously. Not everyone has a large budget to spend on a hobby, and you may not have extra money lying around that you can spend on an upgrade to your astrophotography setup. Here is what you need to get started in astrophotography on a tight budget:

Before spending money on astrophotography gear, think about this:

  • How much money do you have to spend on astrophotography each month? Can you put some aside?
  • How seriously do you want to get into astrophotography?
  • What equipment will be necessary in the future? How much will that cost?
  • How long can you use your existing equipment?

Some of us have partners who may not like to see us spend our hard-earned cash on this hobby we love. This means you’ll probably have to justify your spending if you’re in this position. It may be a top priority for you, but maybe not so much for your family.

You may decide that yes, I can afford astrophotography if I am careful and buy wisely. Yes, this is an option, but you will need patience and time to save for your next upgrade.

How Expensive is astrophotography compared to other activities or hobbies?

It does appear that astrophotography is quite an expensive thing to do but I you might wonder how it compares with other popular hobbies or activities that many people take up. So I decided to do some research.

Below I compare the average cost per year (in dollars) that people spend on astrophotography to that spent on scuba diving, cycling, gardening and travelling. I chose these activities because they are quite common, except for scuba diving, which requires specialised equipment and, like astrophotography, is an activity for enthusiasts.

How did I get the figures? I looked at discussions in online forums and averaged out the amounts quoted.

Here are the results:

AstrophotographyScubaCyclingGardeningTravelling
32502000105041021000
Average spent per year in dollars on different activities (US)

Discussion of these results:

The figure for travel was given for between two to four people, so we could average it out to three persons and divide the figure by three to estimate the cost per person. This would make travel $7,000 per person.

These figures are approximate and an indirect indication of spending. For Scuba diving some of the figures were also based on a survey. These figures include initial costs in getting started, equipment upgrades and repairs and is divided into a yearly figure. I do think there is some value in these estimated figures at least in terms of comparing the different activities. It does put the costs of astrophotography into perspective. Maybe it’s not so expensive after all!

The conclusion is that astrophotography costs more per person than scuba diving, cycling and gardening but is actually cheaper than many people spend on travelling. In fact, I estimate it at half the cost. This might make it easier to convince a partner that spending money on astrophotography is good value and not as expensive as we think!

Whatever the affordability of astrophotography one thing is certain. As you get more serious about your astrophotography, you’ll be tempted to spend more money. Let’s now take a quick look at some ways to spend less.

My astrophotography set up
how expensive is astrophotography?
My astrophotography rig after I upgraded my mount

How to Reduce the Cost of Astrophotography

There are ways to reduce the cost of astrophotography, so let’s consider them. You can spend less by doing some or all of the following:

  • Consider buying second-hand equipment. Discuss this on forums like Cloudy Nights. There are even classifieds there, so if you have another person selling who is local, that might be an option.
  • Spread out your purchases and pay in installments, but take care to manage this well. It’s much harder to pay upfront in one go than it is to pay it off slowly.
  • Consider smaller and cheaper brands, for example, SVBony, who manufacture in China in the same factories and put their name on the item. In many cases, the finished product is almost identical to that of a more expensive brand.
  • Only buy when absolutely necessary. If equipment is holding you back, your frustration will grow. In this case, better equipment can help you improve and make things easier.
  • Research before you buy anything new. This is likely to prevent you from regretting your purchase and from making the wrong choice. This will save money in the long run.
  • Watch reviews and videos on YouTube. This will give you a good idea of how new equipment will benefit you and if it is worth the money. Potential problems can be avoided by doing this.
  • DIY astrophotography. It is possible to make your own more affordable equipment and accessories and save money. I got a friend to 3d print a Bahtinov mask from a design I found online and this was much cheaper. I use the mask every time I image.
SVBONY SV48P Telescope
  • 90 mm aperture
  • 500mm focal length
  • Double-speed focuser
  • Achromatic glass for good edge-to-edge viewing
  • Excellent value – Less than $300
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Conclusion: Balancing Cost and Enjoyment

Don’t be afraid to try astrophotography but be aware of the potential costs of getting serious with this hobby. I’ve explained exactly what expenses there are, and now that you know this, I wish you enjoyment and adventure on your astrophotography journey.

Take your time learning how to get the best out of your equipment. As you improve your skills, you’ll be amazed at the quality of images you can produce with relatively inexpensive equipment. 

Although astrophotography may cost more to get started than other hobbies, the rewards are huge. Being able to capture the beauty of the universe is highly rewarding. Astrophotography offers a challenge and inspires awe in all of us as we contemplate what is out there in space. I’d say it’s well worth the investment in time and money!

Spend wisely!

References

[1] Webb Image Release- Webb Space Telescope GSFC/NASA. Retrieved from https://webb.nasa.gov/