Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

Want to buy a new telescope

mshaid

Recommended Posts

mshaid

mshaid

Posted
Posted

Currently I have a star watcher Mercury 705.

Want to upgrade to something better which I can continue to upgrade.

One that's also got a camera mount.

Also which camera do you recommend?

What can I expect to see with new telescope?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
happy-kat

happy-kat

Posted
Posted

From memory you have the nice AltAz3 tripod.

It is the tripod that hold you back from doing long exposure not your telescope.

The Mercury could possibility have a camera fitted to it you might just need a 2 extension tube for the camera to reach focus.

You could try to take images now, lots of them short exposures, then stack then using Deepspace Stacker.

Is the camera to also to be used daytime photos.

Are you currently using just the supplied eyepieces or have you bought any new ones.

I would think a bit more about what it is you want to be able to do and what budget available to acheive it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mshaid

mshaid

Posted
  • Author
Posted

post-38869-142524462902_thumb.jpgthis is from

Today taken via iPhone. I can see jupiter but can just about see 4 dots for the moons.

I just want to take it up a notch and get something which I can see more from and more clearly.

I am a beginner. Am I being over ambitious and expect to see too much too soon??

Was recommended this..

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00000K3RI/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/178-8433350-5771406#productDescription_secondary_view_pageState_1425243677979

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JemC

JemC

Posted
Posted

Hi mshaid

it's not a silly question at all,

Stellarium is a free planetarium program you can download for free from the internet, once installed on your pc/mobile/tablet you can set it up with your location details and it will show you what is in the night sky where you are 

it will do other things as well and is pretty easy to use,

Google it and give it a try

Regards

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rwilkey

rwilkey

Posted
Posted

A 3" reflector will not be much improvement on what you already have, I would say go for the 130mm reflector on a decent tripod and mount.  Also, always buy astronomy products from a dedicated astronomy supplier, you get much better service and advice.  FLO, the lounge sponsers, is one of the best suplliers in the UK.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Qualia

Qualia

Posted
Posted

Currently I have a star watcher Mercury 705.

Want to upgrade to something better which I can continue to upgrade.

One that's also got a camera mount. Also which camera do you recommend?

What can I expect to see with new telescope?

130mm reflector is what I need then. Thank you.

Shall have a look?

What are the other things to look for?

Reading these lines, Mshaid, I feel there's a slight tension :grin:

On the one hand, it looks as if you may want to do a bit of imaging. On the other hand, it looks as if you also want to do a bit of visual work. 

Now, although they're not mutually exclusive, for the very little I know about imaging I wonder whether the newt would be the right way to start out and for visual purposes which I know a bit more about, I'd question the use of an EQ mount.

For visual purposes, newts on Dob mounts are a lot quicker and easier to use, easier to transport to dark skies, more user friendly, there's less hassel in setting up, no awkward eyepiece position or fussing with newt rotation to place the eyepiece, and so on. The other benefit of the Dob mount is that you're effectively ploughing your money into the optics - rather than the mount - so, with a similar budget, you can go for bigger aperture or save yourself money.

For imaging purposes, the telescope is the least important of the three main necessities. Your priority in this case is first the mount, then the camera, and only then, the telescope. Aperture isn't too important either. Well it is, but only in terms of how it affects the scope's focal ratio and imagers generally prefer to use fast ratios. Astrophotographers perform wonders with tiny 3" bits of ED or APO glass running at f5.

If you were wanting to do visual observing, I'd stress the importance of looking at sketches and taking note of the aperture used. By like manner, if you were inspired by imaging, you ought to have a look at the imaging section and see what kit is being used. I'm not an astrophotographer but I've read enough on SGL to acknowledge that before anyone begins this pursuit, they ought to start with Richards' book Making Every Photon Count.

Needless to say, whether wishing to try out visual astronomy or imaging the general percept remains. The universe is going nowhere in a hurry, so there's no need to rush into this. In a perfect world, one should take their time in building an informed decision before purchasing astro gear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dave In Vermont

Dave In Vermont

Posted
Posted

Rob's advice is solid. It is the mount that's most important in any imaging work. However video-astrophotography can be done quite well with non-tracking mounts with a bit of study. Video is the most recent 'wave' in astrophoto-work.

I would suggest that you do some reading on telescopes in general before you purchase any new scope so you will understand how they work and what is required to get the most out of them. So I am leaving off a decent piece of literature:

AboutScopes.pdf

Enjoy!

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites
laser_jock99

laser_jock99

Posted
Posted

The Skywatcher 130PDS is nice scope but not really an 'all rounder'.

For both astrophotography and visual/planetry use I would be thinking about something a bit bigger like the Skywatcher 150PDS

To see any detail on the moon or planets you'll need a bit more focal length than the 130PDS.

Most important though is the telescope mount- this will determine the quality and capability of any images you take more than anything in the early stages. The recommended minimum mount is a Skywatcher HEQ5 Syntrek - not cheap but it pays not to skimp on the mount longer term.

For a basic astrophotography camera you could do a lot worse than buy a cheap second hand Canon DSLR. Which you could modify for photographing nebulae later on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.