SmokeyJoe

I have used the eq5 for a few years now, originally I bought the 200PDS and eq5 bundle, I found the mount just about coped with a scope that size. It was fine for visual but as soon as I added the extra weight of a Dslr it struggled a little. I have since bought a SW ED80, I think the mount is much happier with a scope this size and can cope with the added weight of a Dslr etc. I've found I can take subs of around 1 min unguided, I have just started guiding but not had a lot of clear nights so I'll leave it up to others to comment on that. There are two negatives that I would point out but both are relatively cheap to rectify. Firstly the Azimuth bolts are prone to bending. This is a well known problem and there are many replacements on the market. Such as these https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astrodymium-upgraded-azimuth-bolts-m6x1.html Secondly, I found polar alignment impossible until I bought an illuminator https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/polar-illuminator-for-eq3-2eq5-mounts.html Although now I'm using an asiair I polar align with that and no longer need the polar scope. I bought the 200PDS and EQ5 originally because it seemed to give the biggest bang for my bucks having never owned any form of telescope. If I made the same decision today I'd probably change the OTA to a 130 or 150 or refractor but keep the EQ5. My current setup is SW80PDS, EQ5pro, ASIair Pro, ZWO 120mm guide cam and a 450D that I bought second hand for 80 quid. I'm on a very limited budget and it takes a long time to get to the 'next step' if £1000 fell in my lap tomorrow I would buy a decent camera and keep the mount. What I'm trying to say is that for the money it is a good mount, you'll probably end up buying something bigger in the future but if you just starting out in Astronomy or are on a limited budget it's great. I know mine has given me hours of fun.

Thank you, exactly what I was looking for. 😁

Thanks all for you helpful posts. My guide/finder was supplied with my Sw200p Newtonian. I am currently trying to use it with a SW ED80 refractor I assume that the finder scope supplied with these scopes is the same but could be wrong. I am set on buying a new guide scope, as I say I am new to guiding (but not to AP) and would like to eliminate as many possible problems as possible. I read something in the past about an ideal ratio of something to something between the guidescope/guide camera assembly and the main scope/main camera. Can find the post now, I suppose I could have been dreaming.

Thanks all for the suggestions, I have tried all of these and cannot get focus. I will be getting a new guide scope. As I am new to the dark art of guiding I am not sure of how to match a guide scope to a camera, what difference focal length and size of the objective make when paired with a specific camera.

I'm using a SW ED80, eq5, 450D, all running through an Asiair Pro. I bought a Zwo 120mm as a guide cam but despite months of trying every trick I could find on this and other forums, I cannot get it to focus with my Skywatcher finderscope. So with Christmas coming up I have decided to get a new guide scope, the Zwo mini guide scope sprang immediately to mind but while looking at the details on the FLO site I remembered the SW50 Ed. The Zwo is f4 with a 30mm objective The SW is f4.8 with a 50mm objective but 100 quid more. I am new to guiding and don't know what I'm looking for in a guide scope. I have no Idea what these numbers mean regarding guiding. Not sure if the extra 100 quid is worth it. The long term plan is to upgrade the EQ5 to an EQ6R and the 450D to a dedicated astrocam. I don't know if this makes any difference.

Not been about on the forum for a few months, been quite content with my Ed80, Eq5 and 450D all winter long. Popped into the forum for a look see a couple of weeks ago and now have a wish list worth a few grand😭.

I live in the middle of a housing estate in a market town and according to clear outside I have Bortle 5 skies. My dad lives in the middle of the countryside surrounded by fields and, apparently also has Bortle 5 skies. Definitely much darker at my dad's. Makes no sense to me!

I used after effects extesivly about 10 years ago, can't remember a thing I'm afraid. It is (was) widely used in the vfx industry and taught at degree level so there should be loads of tutorials on line (if you wanted to spend some money there are loads of books out there). It is layer based and most of the layer techniques from Photoshop are transferable. Good luck!

I have found The Deep Sky Imaging Primer by Charles Bracken to be my goto refence book, very in depth explains why things are done rather than just what to do. Uses DSS and Photoshop for the examples. Book is roughly 50% image acquisition and 50% processing. Highly recommended.

Fog, I live in Norfolk UK, in a dip, even when it's supposed to be clear about 40% of the time we have fog!

Can't help much, but I have an EQ5 Pro, I have no problems with it except for the adjustment bolts (which is a well known problem, they can be swapped out for better ones). I run it through an asiair but have used the handset in the past, again had no problems. Had it for a good 4 or five years, not really done any maintenance, it spent most of last year outside under a cover, a few spots of rust on a couple of the screws but no other probs. I am just about to start guiding after having a few problems with my guide cam so I can't tell you how well it tracks when guiding but I usually get 60sec subs unguided, that's with an Ed80 and cannon 450. All in all I'd say its a good mount. Never had any problems.

Have the same dilemma myself, decided on mount first, (eq6-r) then I can hang pretty much what I want off of it. Going to take me a while to save my pennies so I'll probably change my mind a dozen or so times between now and then.

Fell out with Sky at Night magazine when Patrick Moore died and they immediately published a 'special' for a tenner. Talk about profiting from misfortune.

Nope my T5 has 4gb RAM

I use a Huawei media pad t5, cheapest tablet I could find with the minimum required RAM. Works well with the ASIair and works well as a tablet. I did come across a number of posts while looking for a tablet myself that suggested that you could get away with less RAM. But I decided to stick with the minimum specs myself. Looked into second hand tablets but in the end the price was right with the Huawei. It does everything I expected it to.

Don't know to be honest I am a noob as far as guiding is concerned. The Asiair app needs the FL of the guidescope. Thanks Prusling, so from your results it looks like 180mm is nearer. I will attempt to plate solve and see what happens.

Trying to work out the FL of the SW finder scope when used as a guidescope as I am using an Asiair Pro I need to input the FL of the guidescope. I have unscrewed the ep from the finder scope and attached a Zwo 120mm using the appropriate adaptor. I have read through a number of threads about the focal lenth of the finder scope and there seems to be some discussion as to whether the FL is 160mm or 180mm. It makes sense to me that the FL would be 180mm with the ep and 160mm with the camera. Can anyone confirm this please.

You need to be careful about wifi range, not great on the asiair Pro and if it is attached to the scope tracking can cause the asiair to move out of range, or be blocked by scope. I have found much better performance after attaching the asiair to the mount on the side closest to the tablet. There are various little camera ball head clamps that enable this.

No problems plate solving, very fast, polar align in under 10 minutes on a bad night using the inbuilt routine (platesolving). Not tried guiding with it yet, got a asi 120mm ready to go but not had a clear night and opportunity since I got the camera. Don't envisage any probs though

Use my Asiair with a cannon 450d with no problems, not sure about powering the camera but controlling it is no problems as long as its on bulb setting as StevieDvd says, you are restricted to Zwo hardware for everything else but we'll worth it for ease of use IMHO. One quick tip, the focusing part of the ASIair ap doesn't work well with DSLRs so just stick a focusing mask on the scope and zoom in using the preview function to achieve focus. Got to say best bit of kit I have bought. Highly recommended.

Clouds aren't scheduled to clear till midnight and I've got to be up at 5.30 to take the other half to work. Can't moan she's an NHS worker. They need all the help they can get at the mo.

A few years ago I had some success with an Xbox webcam.

Wot he said.

Bought a second hand 450D for £80, couldn't be happier, good to learn with until I get a dedicated astro cam and when it comes to getting it astro modded I won't be stressing out about it like I would be if it was a new camera.

Thank you so much for your clear explanation johninderby. Been mulling over these for a couple of months and getting nowhere. Now just got to find one in stock.