In order for me to take pictures of galaxies and nebula that require the camera shutter to be open for several minutes to an hour I was going to need a telescope that could track the target. I narrowed my decision down to a Meade 10" LX50. This would give me plenty aperture for deep space objects in a compact package with the ability to track. I found one used that came complete with tripod and superwedge for $1,800. I was pleased with its performance but found it rather difficult to find objects due to the long focal length. This translates too a very small patch of sky in the eyepiece. After two months of frustration I finally acquired the Magellan II which allowed me to easily find any object in the sky in seconds. Now that I could find the objects and track them I could now photograph them. I had read from many experts on the intricacies of taking astrophotos and was now ready to realize the truth in their statements.