Beardy30

Hi all posted this earlier in the wrong section apologies! as a visual hobbyist I’ve never ventured into AP however I’m tempted to jump in what’s the view of the following: red cat 51 sharpstar 61 version II or the sw 72 ed I have no idea what hat I’m doing I’ll admit that when it come to AP! so any help in layman’s terms most welcome - I understand that I’ll need a dslr or a cam on the guide cam and ota and some sort of computer software to process but have no idea wheee to even start cheers 👍🏼 Ps my mount is the azi gti ! And I’m intending to stick with it - I have the mak 127 I use for visual

Upgrade to the eq mount and you can add a very high quality refractor for Astro Photography at some point so it’s a very versatile mount - although you may want to upgrade to a steel tripod at some point

Hi all as a visual hobbyist I’ve never ventured into AP however I’m tempted to jump in what’s the view of the following: red cat 51 sharpstar 61 version II or the sw 72 ed I have no idea what hat I’m doing I’ll admit that when it come to AP! so any help in layman’s terms most welcome - I understand that I’ll need a dslr or a cam on the guide cam and ota and some sort of computer software to process but have no idea wheee to even start cheers 👍🏼 Ps my mount is the azi gti ! And I’m intending to stick with it - I have the mak 127 I use for visual

I have this set up and it’s great - I’ve had a 6” newt and an 8” sct and this is my favourite to date if it’s viewing the moon and plants - this is for you however it’s not renowned for dso more for planets and the moon and some brighter dso and doubles but it’s a good mount and you can convert very easily to an eq once you get board of visual and you will! and you will no doubt expand to ap with a small refractor

Why not keep the mount and change the OTA - the80Ed would be too heavy but you could look at the sharp star 61EDPH on the AZI GTI and it would do well on the eq wedge for AP and imaging

The mount takes 5kg so I would say it’s too heavy

I agree with your view if the sct - got rid of mine for that very reason

Yea nice beast but too heavy for me at the mo and I’m happy with my visual for now but if I was If I was going AP I’d get a Red Cat 51 - with out any doubt 👍🏼

This wee fella ? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/starfield-102mm-f7-ed-doublet-refractor.html

Thanks all much appreciated and interesting debate as always 👍🏼

The main thing I’m hearing hear is nothing beats a big Dob for visual but that fracs do a decent job for their size. thanks all

Yea I guess so but have no room for a Dob

How would the 80ED for example match up against the 127 Mak ?

Wow 😮 well that is certainly an endorsement for a refractor over a Mak, SCT or Dob for visual thanks 😊

Hi just some advice please, I hear how refractors are not only superb for AP but also for visual use due to their wide FOV and sharp contrast etc but just wondering in terms of their rather small aperture how good they really are against a Good size alternative OTA.

Thanks, all a tad expensive for a beginner like me though so perhaps a bit more saving to do ! 👍🏼

Thank you that’s very detailed and very helpful, just one last question, which OSC / Color dedicated astronomy camera for the main ota would you advise if I went that route instead of the dslr option

Hi - I’ve established the the 72 will ok for the mount I have which is the azi gti. Although I still may go for an 80 and upgrade my mount but let’s for now say it’s the 72 as it’s decent and I’d be more than happy with it My finder scope was f choice is the svbony 165 which was recommended to me so I’m happy with it its the cams I’m confused about - qu1 - would a Zwo 120 and be ok for the finder/guide scope and if so what would I need for the 72 or 80 OTA ? and qu 2 do they need to be mono or colour or does it not matter ? Thanks 😊

Still no idea why I should look at cam wise 😂 I have no idea

yea the 72ed would be very manageable on the azi gti weight wise and I believe a good starter scope for beginners Any suggestions which cam I should use in the find scope and also for the main ota I have no idea for my finder scope/ guide scope this has the svbony 165 is what’s been recommended to me

Any suggestions?

I have the eq parts - it converts to eq and should be ok for my level

Morning photography but as you can imagine it’s limited in capability..hi Hi I’m a total newbie to Ap having only used my 127 azi gti for visual and some smart phone shots im considering a 80ED pro for the Ap side on the same mount so happy with that choice but I Have no idea about guide cams and guide scopes or even what I do with them any advice would be much appreciated thanks. 😊 I’m and therefore considering a sw 80ED pro to start my AP journey on the same mount azi gti which should be fine with the eq mount feature. My question is really what else in need, I hear about guide scopes and guide cam but have absolutely no idea what to buy ir what to do with them any help would be appreciated