johninderby

Good choice, 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 On the Report tripod and Manfrotto geared head. Just about stable enough to be used. 🤔

Prefer the images with the CC over the newt. 🙂

The Skymax 127 will be perfect on the AZ5. 👍🏻 A 125mm Doublet perhaps? 😁 https://astrograph.net/epages/www_astrograph_net.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/www_astrograph_net/Products/AGTEC125F78

That’s what you call a maxed out AZ5. 🙂

Always a pleasure to use and have to remind myself it’s only 80mm as it gives such pleasing views. Everyone should have a classic long frac. 🙂

The Mak and SCT are great planetary and lunar scopes but the Newt has a much wider field of view so perhaps a better all rounder. The Mak won’t need collimating but the SCT and Newt will need collimating occasionally. The AZ-GTi mount can also be used in EQ mode with the addition of a wedge so opens up the possibility of some AP . Then of course the AZ-GTi is a proper GOTO mount whereas the Starsense is a push to.

They are an interesting brand but allmost totally unknown in the UK which is a pity.

Pics of original Steeltrack and Diamond Steeltrack.

As there are two versions of the Steeltrack focuser a lot of the advice refers to the original Steeltrack which can be misleading. 🤔

The Diamond Steeltrack has the five screws on the top which can be removed to fit a finder base. The original Steeltrack doesn’t have these.

Have you seen this?

What a complete shower these muppets claiming their products are taking the UK by storm are. 😁😁😁

Same for my new Tecnosky. Fit and finish are flawless, optics are great, focuser is super smooth. Only things I did to it was fit a Losmandy dovetail and a handle. Like the fact that have fitted a focuser extender on mine which can be removed if you need more in focus travel for a solar wedge etc.

The TAL 200K is a heavy lump. Think the EQ6 moght be more suitable than the HEQ5. You can often find them second hand so shouldn’t be hard to find one at a good price. Had a TAL 200K so realise it needs a solid mount.

Same factory that builds many of the TS refractors, Technosky and many of FLOs. All built to the same quality but the various resellers add different accessories. The quality of this new crop of scopes is really very, very impressive.

Had a Skymax 180 before getting the CC8”. The CC is sharper on axis than the 180 with better contrast and resolution.

Dealt with Gary ages ago and sorted out a custom StellarCat system for my OO UK dob. Worked very well although no longer have it. Really great guy to deal with. 👍🏻

The StellaMira fits a genuine Losmandy saddle just fine so that’s good enough for me.

FLOs StellaMira 15” losmandy is an excellent bit pf kit. Very solid. Have a couple of them. Think they are better finished than the ADM. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/stellamira-universal-losmandy-style-dovetail-bar.html

You mean a Tic-Tac? 😁

Also depends on how the screen you are looking at displays colours. Little tweaking of the colours makes a big difference.

I find the Telrad easier to use than the Rigel.

Or a Telrad perhaps. 😁

Although I have the AZ100 could still find a use for a Skytee for a lighter more portable grab’n’go set up. 🙂

Yes the Skytee is in a totally different class to the AZ5 and will easily handle a scope that would turn the AZ5 to jelly. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻