please help us

[RATFACE]

as i am new to this hobby and after buying the skywatcher 114p  i decided to go for it and spend some money out around £700 may be a bit more but not much more out on an upgrade,i am going to look into doing some  imaging at some stage so the new telescope would have to cover it. also i would like to have an goto system may be an EQ5 pro i know there some learning to do but  i am willing  but which scope will do the job ? 

[ronin]

Put a better location then UK down in your signature.

There are many clubs around that people can suggest but UK makes it impossible to suggest.

Requirements of imaging:

Reasonable solid mount, small short fast scope, DSLR, T-ring, possibly some sort of corrector - coma or flattener.

The EQ5 Pro is a fair option. So we will stay with that.

Scope - 2 options - an ED refractor like the WO 70 or similar, or one like the 130PDS reflector.

Scope if reflector needs PDS on it as this is for imaging.

T-ring for whatever DSLR (I assume you have one).

Possibly a coma corrector if you get the 130PDS, possibly a flattener if you get a refractor, could get either later.

What is called an Intervalometer or remote timer for the DSLR. These allow you to take sort of 10 exposure of 60 seconds at intervals of 2 minutes.

Power for the mount if going to a dark site.

That should just about do it.

Problem is no guiding, that is extra, so limited to exposures of 60 possible 120 seconds, depends on how good your polar alignment is.

If at a later time you add guiding then the mount will I suspect be a bit too light, so you could need another bigger mount.

Equally if you later go get say an 80mm apo triplet that is more weight so again a bigger mount.

So expansion from the initial setup above is costly.

I suspect that you are looking at over £700, but there is the used market, ABSUK, where something like EQ5 Pros appear.

Alternatives are the iOptron SmartEQ but the load capacity is not so much, also the tripod looks somewhat thin.

The WO ZS71 scope seems to have gone up to about £445, which I suspect is too much for the scope and it's actual performance.

Look at Altair Astro for what they have, also check out TS for their own brand ED's if you go down the refractor line.

Be aware that in imaging a scope for £1000-1200 is inexpensive, and that is just a scope.

In know an imager that says his kit has cost £10,000, sure he is not telling the whole truth and I honestly suspect £15,000 to £18,000 is closer to the truth.

[Matt Scunthorpe]

I cant really add much to Ronin post as he has hit the nail on the head, but to give you an idea of costs, the HEQ5 is pretty much considered the minimum mount for imaging, with say an ED80 or possibly an 200p.

The HEQ5 is £746.00 new from FLO.

Obvioulsly you can use smaller and less expensive mounts, but i have not used these so cannot really comment.

Matt.

[-Aldebaran-]

Oh boy! I'm so glad I haven't got into AP.... Yet.