For beginners who are interested in astrophotography but limited by budget or intimidated by cost and complexity, choosing the right equipment can feel overwhelming. Traditional beginner setups often cost $1000-$2000, while this guide shows a solution around $1000, making it more accessible for beginners.
The wide range of telescopes, cameras, and specifications often leads beginners to overspend, buy incompatible gear, or give up before seeing meaningful results. Aside from purchasing a traditional entry-level telescope paired with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, many beginners wonder whether there are lower-cost or more flexible alternatives that reduce upfront investment, simplify setup, and allow them to learn deep-sky imaging fundamentals without committing to heavy or expensive equipment.
Recently, some astronomy enthusiasts have started using ToupTek Astro GS series guide scopes for deep-sky photography—not only for guiding, but as the main imaging telescope—resulting in a lighter system that is easier to balance, easier to transport, and more forgiving on entry-level mounts. This approach challenges the common assumption that deep-sky astrophotography requires a large financial investment, making it possible to start imaging, experimenting, and learning without committing to a full-scale telescope system upfront.
Credit: Nei Huan 13 Lang
Credit: Wu Yan De She Ying Shi
The following images show example results produced using a GS-series guide scope as the primary imaging telescope, demonstrating that recognizable lunar features and wide-field nebula targets can be captured with good signal and structure using this compact configuration.
- Telescope: GS-350 Guide scope
- Main Camera: ATR533C
- Guiding: GS-250 guide scope+G3CMOS08300KPA planetary camera
- Mount: HEQ5PRO
- Planetary Camera: G3M678C
Moon, Credit: Wu Yan De She Ying Shi
NGC2024, 5h of exposure, Credit: Wu Yan De She Ying Shi
If you're on a tight budget and still in the "should I dive into deep sky photography?" contemplation phase, then starting your deep sky journey with a compact, APO-level GS series guide scope is undoubtedly a cost-effective and lightweight choice that reduces mount load, shortens setup time, and improves tracking stability for beginners.
In this guide, we’ll use the ToupTek Astro GS series guide scope as the main imaging telescope to help you build a lightweight, low-budget deep-sky imaging system—so you can focus on learning polar alignment, focusing, guiding, and image acquisition instead of struggling with oversized or overly complex equipment.
This modification approach is flexible. Accessories can be selected based on your camera choice, budget, and existing equipment, allowing you to adapt the setup gradually rather than committing to a single fixed configuration from the start.
Equipment Preparation
- Main Scope: GS-300 Guide Scope / GS-350 Guide Scope (Requires disassembling the original 70mm tube section for modification)
- Imaging System: ATR2600C Deep Sky Cooled Camera + Dual Narrowband Filter + Filter Drawer / ATR Extension Tube
- Guiding System: GS-150 Guide Scope + GPM462C Guide Camera
- Controller: StellaVita
- Other Accessories:
- ToupTek Astro AAF (electric focuser) x1
- Small Coupling (D12L19-4×5, compatible with GS-300/350 focusers) x1
- M42 to M54 Adapter Ring x1 (included in ToupTek Astro AFW kit, connects guide scope to filter drawer)
- M54 to M48 Adapter Ring x1 + M48 to M42 Adapter Ring x1 (Used to connect the filter drawer and the ATR camera)
Note: If connecting the camera directly, the last two adapter rings are not needed.
Assembly Steps
Step 1: Modify the Telescope (GS-300/350 guide scope)
Loosen the screws on the side of the guide scope's tube rings and remove them. Replace the original 70mm tube with an M48-threaded 30mm or 50mm extension tube.
These spacing considerations ensure proper back focus while keeping the optical system compact and compatible with common cameras and filter accessories. The key is to ensure:
Saved light path after removing original tube + Distance from focuser base face to focal point: 20.1mm)- (Filter drawer/Extension tube + Camera flange distance: 17.5mm) < Guide scope focuser travel (30mm)
Example:
Using ATR2600C with filter drawer, back focus required = 17.5mm; after replacing tube with 50mm M48 extension, 20.1mm saved, leaving 2.6mm margin within focuser travel (30mm).
Step 2: Remove the Focus Knobs
Use a small hex key to remove the two manual focus knobs from the GS-300 guide scope's focuser. Align with the small holes on top where the knobs meet the focus shaft and loosen the two screws.
Caution: After removing the knobs, be careful to prevent the internal bearings from falling out.
Step 3: Install the Electric Focuser
- Use two M3 screws to connect the two mounting plates.
- Use two M4 screws to attach the motor.
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Align the coupling's fixing hole with the flat "D" side of the focuser shaft. Tighten the coupling bolt through the hole in the bottom of the focuser b
- Align the motor shaft's "D" flat side with the coupling's fixing hole and tighten the coupling bolt.
- Use two M5 screws and washers to mount the assembly onto the bottom of the guide scope's focuser.
Step 4: Add AAF to GS-300 Guide Scope
Step 5: Mount the Guide Scope
Take a GS-150 guide scope. Reverse its small dovetail plate while keeping one tube ring attached. First, mount this assembly onto the side of the GS-300 guide scope, then attach the GS-150 guide scope to it.
Step 6: Install the Controller
Add a dovetail plate to the side of the GS-300 guide scope. Modify the narrow dovetail slot on the bottom of the astronomy controller StellaVita to a Vixen-style dovetail slot, then attach it.
Step 7: Install the Camera and Filter Drawer
In this example, a Magenta ATR2600C camera is paired with a filter drawer. Don't forget the two essential adapters: the M42-to-M54 ring (from the AFW filter wheel kit) to connect the guide scope to the filter drawer, and the M54-to-M48 ring to connect the filter drawer to the ATR camera.
Step 8: Add a Dovetail Plate to GS-300 Guide Scope
Tp mount the entire rig onto an equatorial mount, attach a universal Vixen-style dovetail plate.
And that's it! A complete, lightweight, entry-level deep-sky imaging system centered around the GS-300 guide scope is now ready—easy to transport, quick to assemble, and well suited for early learning sessions. Just wait for a clear night, mount it on your EQ mount, and start shooting!
Check out the result from using this system with a dual narrowband filter and about 2 hours of integration time ↓
If you also hope to take your first step into deep sky photography with a lower barrier to entry, then cost-effective entry-level cameras like the ATR585M/C or ATR533C paired with the GS series guide scopes, make an excellent combination.
With a total investment of ~$1000 and ~15–20 minutes setup time, beginners can start imaging from balconies, suburban sites, or rooftops without heavy equipment or steep learning curves.
This setup demonstrates that large apertures and long focal-length telescopes are not strictly necessary for learning and practicing deep-sky astrophotography, lowering both the financial and psychological barriers to getting started. A compact, APO-level GS guide scope offers a lightweight and portable alternative that can be used from balconies, suburban locations, or rooftops.
We hope this approach helps more beginners take their first practical steps into deep-sky astrophotography using the GS series guide scopes.