For those who are just starting, please take the advice which was offered to me.
Do you want to do visual or image?
Visual astronomy is far less demanding and therefore much cheaper. One just needs a reasonable quality telescope, mount and tripod.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t buy a telescope from a cheap Internet based outlet which makes outrageous claims for magnification, honestly it will be total rubbish!
Go to a specialist astro supplier who will offer advice and some level of after-sales support. Bear in mind that suppliers do not offer all the possible range of equipment, so talk to many.
This is a small-based hobby, so people talk and you will soon see who has a good reputation from forum’s and Facebook groups. Also bear in mind that as this is a small-based hobby, suppliers do (and have gone) bust, so with possibly long delivery times I suggest getting the protection by using a credit card where possible.
If you want to image, what are your preferred targets – planets or deep space objects & nebulae?
This governs the type of telescope which is most suited for what you wish to image.
Forget about all the things one takes for granted with a DSLR such as auto-focus, image stabilisation and zoom, they don’t exist in astrophotography.
My interest is in deep space objects and nebulae which are generally large, so I was recommended a small refractor telescope as a good first choice. It’s also one of the more simple telescopes to operate for a beginner, but planets seen through my refractor just look like stars.
However if planet imaging interests you, then possibly a Cassegrain telescope is more suited. However these are more problematic, especially for a beginner, so may end up lying in a cupboard unused.
How much do you want to spend?
Unfortunately telescopes don't come cheap and generally you get what you pay for. If your budget is less than £150 you may be better off buying a good pair of binoculars. Look at the moon for example through a cheap telescope at 400x magnification and you will see a fuzzy grey blob.
The same goes for the mount or telescope mounting. Entry level ones with motors to drive them generally have gears. All gears have backlash which will make tracking targets with long exposures more difficult. The next level up may have belt driven stepper motors (no gears) so eliminate the backlash problem. However they are susceptible to wind. Top of the range (and the most expensive) generally have direct drive stepper motors, are built like a battleship and just as heavy.
Many experts say one should spend 60% at least on the mount and 40% on the telescope, not the other way around.
So is it more expensive than a photography hobby just imaging landscapes etc.?
I believe there is no simple answer and one should think in terms of say a 10 year life-span.
For landscape photography when one has purchased your camera you are good to go.
But if you are interested in more than just snaps, obtaining those WOW images with the right light etc. then one needs to factor in the cost & time for repeated visits to a particular location perhaps over many years.
(My friend Don spent 10 years with repeated visits from Somerset to Dorset before he obtained an image of Corfe Castle in the morning mist, or Ribblehead Viaduct in Yorkshire in beautiful golden evening light with a steam train crossing it).
Astrophotography costs more to set up, and is not an instant hobby. Be prepared to work at it for many years learning the kit and techniques. But there are no travel costs assuming one does it from your back garden. However with the UK weather in particular I will need to work on the same target for many years.