There are more details in this piece, the astronomer was taking just 20 second exposures so he really did witness the breakout phase: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/amateur-astron...

I once accidently captured a supernova in the Fireworks Galaxy (I was aiming for a nearby nebula and missed), but this was one that had been visible for several weeks previously. This was with pretty modest equipment, a 135mm lens and DSLR.