new scope for imaging

[oldpink]

leading on from my last thread about upgrading my mount & scope for Imaging I'm currently looking at the SW Equinox 80 APO (thanks to Olly for explaining a few things to me)

its on the edge of my budget of a total of £1500 for scope and mount
I've decided the mount will be the NEQ6 leaving just over £500 for the scope which is the main part of the upgrade
and give me room to expand with bigger (heavier) scopes in future

I like the fact the 80 has a larger FOV then my current SW200 which is great for larger DSO's like Andromeda

which allows me the choice of scope depending on the target

and the ability to swap the scopes over onto the EQ5 or NEQ6 again depending on whether I'm doing DSO or planetary imaging
to get the best results

my question is apart from the 80 APO should I be looking at any other scopes maybe in the ED range within the budget I should consider

as Olly explained a good ED can be just as good as a reasonable APO

[Leveye]

Look at a Stellarvue. I have an SV80ED doublet that is sharper than my quad APO that i have since sold. Amazing scope for 600 dollars and they come with a carry bag now i believe.

[choochoo_baloo]

Old pink, you sound like you're at the same point of progression as me.

I too was looking at/considering very similar models for my first serious step into astrophotography.

I stuck to the way that I've been brought up: spending a bit more money to get a very good quality instrument is nearly always worth it. Helps build enthusiasm during the initial stages too. Ordered last week:

William Optics GT F 81 five element apochromatic refractor.

Having a SW Newtonian I find the build quality amtad lacklustre). Also this William includes the ED lenses for field flattening, avoiding extra potential defects introduced by the extended optical train in simpler models.

Celestron advanced VX mount. Same concerns about Skywatcher quality as well. In addition the proven connectivity using NexStar with Stellarium etc makes all imaging sessions a LOT more efficient and productive by using click and slew.

I've had irritating experiences in the past trying to use manual equatorial mounts.

I do hear a lot of good things about the Equinox so imagine it's up there with the William scopes.

Would be very interested to see how you get on and share your experiences!

[oldpink]

Look at a Stellarvue. I have an SV80ED doublet that is sharper than my quad APO that i have since sold. Amazing scope for 600 dollars and they come with a carry bag now i believe.

I can't find a retailer in the UK stocking the SV80 so it may be a badge issue (sold under another name here)

Old pink, you sound like you're at the same point of progression as me.

I too was looking at/considering very similar models for my first serious step into astrophotography.

I stuck to the way that I've been brought up: spending a bit more money to get a very good quality instrument is nearly always worth it. Helps build enthusiasm during the initial stages too. Ordered last week:

William Optics GT F 81 five element apochromatic refractor.

Having a SW Newtonian I find the build quality amtad lacklustre). Also this William includes the ED lenses for field flattening, avoiding extra potential defects introduced by the extended optical train in simpler models.

Celestron advanced VX mount. Same concerns about Skywatcher quality as well. In addition the proven connectivity using NexStar with Stellarium etc makes all imaging sessions a LOT more efficient and productive by using click and slew.

I've had irritating experiences in the past trying to use manual equatorial mounts.

I do hear a lot of good things about the Equinox so imagine it's up there with the William scopes.

Would be very interested to see how you get on and share your experiences!

unfortunately my budget is strict for this project

and I can't expand it as I work on a set period and my Bonus pays for my hobby

my next big purchase will be a move to CCD with a similar budget so that will take me up to Xmas before I can even think of going over £500 on another scope upgrade

also a small APO with my EQ5 makes a good combination for a grab & go dark site setup

the other consideration is my software setup and my wish to keep everything under the control of EQMod and its off shoot packages that I use

hence the choice of the NEQ6 rather than another Mount manufacturer

[lensman57]

I can't find a retailer in the UK stocking the SV80 so it may be a badge issue (sold under another name here)

unfortunately my budget is strict for this project

and I can't expand it as I work on a set period and my Bonus pays for my hobby

my next big purchase will be a move to CCD with a similar budget so that will take me up to Xmas before I can even think of going over £500 on another scope upgrade

also a small APO with my EQ5 makes a good combination for a grab & go dark site setup

the other consideration is my software setup and my wish to keep everything under the control of EQMod and its off shoot packages that I use

hence the choice of the NEQ6 rather than another Mount manufacturer

The widescreen center used to sell them but no longer.  They are decent scopes but really not economical from a price to performance point of view and only available in their native USA now.

The Equinox ED 80 is a good doublet for the price and works very well with a Televue TRF 2008 FF/FR which unfortunately costs about 50% of the price of the scope. The NEQ6 is a hell of a lot of mount for £950.00.

A.G

[wuthton]

Outside of the APO price bracket the Equinox 80 is widely regarded as the best bang for buck choice.

They are very sought after second hand and hold their price well should you choose to upgrade in the future.

[wuthton]

I meant triplet price bracket.

[lensman57]

I meant triplet price bracket.

Just off topic but how is your Lomo performing? I think that you got it at a decent price.

Regards,

A.G

[wuthton]

Just off topic but how is your Lomo performing? I think that you got it at a decent price.

Regards,

A.G

I couldn't be happier, thanks for asking. I'm very glad I sought the opinions of the contributers of the SGL as I would've probably gone with one of the new scopes otherwise.