Hi all from Switzerland!

Welcome!

I wouldn't put down the gear you have yet. You will be surprised how well you can do with just a modified DSLR. A lot can be squeezed out from that data too. Sure, if you want to get new gear absolutely do so! I think if you gain some more knowledge and continue to image and improve you will be able to go back to the DSLR and apply those techniques to create stunning images as well. Amazing flickr gallery as well!

Well I believe that if you want to go ahead and get dedicated gear then absolutely do so. It certainly makes it simpler. But do not be put off by the fact that your DSLR is a DSLR. Something you can put away and as you grow and learn more tricks you can then come back to it later on to apply those new processes. 

Didier Kobi:
Thanks guys!

There are two people in my head, the one telling me "improve your skills with the gear you have" and the other one telling me "you will get far better photos with better gears". Both are quite convincing I must say 

Didier Kobi:
Thanks guys!

There are two people in my head, the one telling me "improve your skills with the gear you have" and the other one telling me "you will get far better photos with better gears". Both are quite convincing I must say 

Beginner from Switzerland too...

I know very well these voices too. But the more you add to your setup, the more complex it becomes, the more time/skills/experience you will need. With the risk of quitting because it is too complex too soon.
Additionally, you will need different gears depending on your targets (landscape with Milky way, moon, sun, planets, nebulae, very deep sky objects, etc., etc.) so each piece of equipment will put you more in a corner. Take time to choose the one you prefer!

As a beginner, you can not compete with some jaw dropping  images you find here. My advice is to make searches on Astobin filtering with your equipment, so that you have a reachable benchmark.

And don't forget that the most precious think is a (very) dark sky. You could maybe better spend your money on an isolated chalet week-end renting than on one more piece of equipment.

From my own experience I can only support this remark! I made the mistake to buy way too much equipment and got completely lost in the complexity - and since I have to carry my equipment in the weight, too. In the process you waste money to try to fix problems which wouldn't occur if you knew what you are doing ...

I had to "reset" myself and decide to take it step by step, with some nice equipment remaining unused at the moment. This was quite painful but necessary.

Of course younger people may have a steeper learning curve than me but I believe it's a better strategy to slowly grow into the hobby.

CS
Wolfgang

Didier Kobi:
Thanks both for your comment: I completely agree!

As said previously, astrophotography is for me just one more kind of photography to practice, but it is for sure the most demanding and technical kind I have done so far. 

I know already I will never become a specialist with a 300mm telescope and all the gears required to make the best of it, but I still don’t know if and how much I want to improve my current setup. But I need to do it step-by-step indeed and try to get the best of what I have.

On the positive note it's exactly this challenge that makes it interesting to me. So I don't regret anything I did. I got into photography 40 years ago and one of the things I liked about it was the challenge to create a well composed and properly exposed image. Developing the film and looking at the results was almost like xmas every time. Over the years  and in particular with digital photography things got so easy, that I more or less lost interest in photography. These days it's almost impossible to expose an image in a way you can't rescue later.

With astrophotography to me photography became interesting and challenging again and I feel the same joy and challenge as 40 years ago. Seeing the integrated result of your imaging session after processsing the data is almost as magic as the experience of seeing an image pop out on photographic paper in the dark room. Carrying the equipment reminds me though that some time passed by ...

Chris Woodhouse in his astronomy manual starts the book with the sentences: "I was once asked by a 7-year-old, 'Why do you take pictures of space'? After a moment's reflection I replied, 'Because it is difficult'"

CS
Wolfgang

Hi Didier, and welcome to this exciting hobby!

I'd say that the gear you had is a good start. Clearly, with your DSLR and Canon lenses you can go a long way and make beautiful images. If I was in your shoes, my next step would be to get a goto mount and the additional gear for guiding (i.e. guidescope, guide camera and fixtures) to allow for longer exposures at longer focal lengths.  After that, if you are still interested in progressing, I would invest in a very good scope, i.e. one does has sharp optics. 
One element I found most valuable, if you can do so (depending on your location), is to install a fixed pier, install your mount and align it properly. This cuts down on setup time, even if you take off your optics, an can be easily protected against weather conditions.

All the best
Manuel

Bonjour Didier !

J'habite tout près de Genève et pratique l'astrophotographie depuis plusieurs années avec un "bon niveau" maintenant, et la route a été longue tant il y a de choses à savoir !

Si tu as besoin n'hésites pas en tout cas!

L'idée de louer un chalet est excellente je n'y avais pas pensé !

En tout cas ta galerie Flickr est superbe !