bomberbaz

Hi Annie and welcome to SGL. First off your 6" dobsonian is a cracking scope for visual, that is exactly what it is designed for. £4£ arguably the best in it's class. If, as I suspect it is this Sky-Watcher Classic 150P Dobsonian | First Light Optics then it sits nicely in-between planetary and deep sky territory. So it is if you like, a jack of all trades type scope but perfectly acceptable for all your visual needs. Sharp views of planets, double stars, clusters and decent views of brighter galaxies and nebula. Now regarding the 5" SW on the EQ2 mount with clock drive ^^. I am guessing this Sky-Watcher Explorer 130 (EQ-2) | First Light Optics. Sounds as though you are drawn into imaging! The question is how good is the clock drive? I am not familiar with this. Can you set the scope onto a object and is it good enough to hold the target in eyepiece view for several minutes without you having to alter anything? If the answer is yes, then you may be able to manage some very basic planetary and moon imaging with maybe some star clusters pictures but that is likely to be it's limitations. The reason being the shaky mount will not allow long exposures. (please forget mounting the 6" dobsonian on it) As per @Elp, it can become a money pit. So if you are thinking about getting into serious imaging then be aware your talking bigger money (probably £2,000+) for even the most basic setup stretching into the 10's of £1,000's for the more high end outfits. I hope this helps but please ask if you need anything further. Steve

Well it's more substantial than I expected. Glad it's arrived after quite a wait just in time for a prolonged period of cloud. I wanted one of these APM super zoom since they were launched. I have to say it is reassuringly weighty and has the ooze of class when picked up, the same as when I hold a Tv or Nikon eyepiece.

They are clones imho but they are superb

I paid the £850 only, can't comment on anything else. You would have to contact them for further info about that.

So I obtained them from this outlet: https://www.photospecialist.co.uk/bresser-16x42-stabiliser-ois- and I have to say they were very good with the service, had them in about a week. Just tried them now in daylight on tree branches at a variety of positions and distance, remember these are F2.6 ish and they gave no blue fringing except on the ones closest to me which appeared to have a slight blue/purple fringing along the lower edges. It won't bother me that much as I will be using them terrestrial too, we go to a local wetland wildlife centre regular away.

have you considered the guidestar plus FF at less cost which is also less weight. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/william-optics/william-optics-guidestar-61.html I use the SW evoguide and that was for weight and cost purposes.

Well they sell one for it so personally I would assume you actually do require one. Sorry! https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reducersflatteners/william-optics-adjustable-flattener-73a-for-zs73.html

^^^ what he said

what camera is the D7000 specifically?

good point. I did see that there was no mention but assumed he would be using a laptop

This is what I use and It is well within weight limits too. Sent you a PM regarding a wedge.

I decided to upgrade from my current 10x30 image stabilised binocular to a larger size. I had been looking at various brands then stumbled upon the bressers more by accident than anything else. So I will keep this to the point. The Bresser's give as stated a 16 times magnification (I had been looking at 14 or 15 times) and a 42mm objective. Good point is this configuration gives me a 2.6mm exit pupil which makes viewing without glasses very acceptable despite my astigmatism. There is a tiny bit of astigmatism showing through in the view but it isn't enough to bother me. The extra 12mm of aperture just about doubles the light gathering over the old canon 10x30's. They are light too, roughly the same weight as the Canon 10x30 at 644gm. Another plus point for them in the image stabilising button locks in place so no need to keep it constantly pressed in, on the downside it times out after a few minutes, They are super steady in use and give a useful 3.8 degree FOV. Had a very quick play outside tonight, they have arrived very well collimated and got some good (but washed out by moonlight) views of Pleiades, Hyades also managed to find andromeda, orions belt looked tidy in one FOV and could make out some nebulosity in M42. Managed to glimpse M103, the owl cluster and the double cluster too and then dropped onto the moon in all her fullness. A satisfying little session to break them in. All in I am very pleased with them and the £850 price tag is far less than competitors offering similar spec.

I never knew the FC100DC was so versatile. The use of reducers/extenders make it a very attractive option. I would be very tempted to get the 1.6 extender with it, especially for solar use. I know it is a superbly corrected bit of kit anyway but be interested to hear from anyone who uses the extender and how or if it helps.

Just had a look at the pictures and from the looks it won't take a 2" fitting which is a shame given it's focal length. However I think a Baader zoom or similar 8-24 zoom eyepiece is tailor made for this scope (magnification range of 238-79) with the 26 retained as a finder as it has a slightly bigger fov. Just FYI the 26 plossl provided gives you 68 degree tfov, an astro essentials 32mm plossl would provide 88 tfov. Just something to consider.

At F15 the colour correction should be near perfect and also provide a more contrasty view. (The sw is f11.8) It would be interesting to here of a side by side comparison between the two.

Interesting review there, although I would have thought the f4.7 dob would have yielded a washed out view as the exit pupil will be over 9mm. Given your remark on the view in the F6 dob, I think similar would also probably apply. I bet the views in the 127 frac were sublime though, M45 would be a treat in that. A 45mm in an F15 cassegrain would be a nice marry up, the views should be spectacular.

Do you have a astronomy club nearby you at all. It would help you immensely to go and chat with other astronomers, look at equipment and discuss what you want to achieve. It could save you 1,000's of dollars/pounds/euros or whatever your chosen currency is 👍

Couldn't comment tbh as I don't have experience with the SA Gti. However I do use the az gti in eq mode for imaging, see attached. It meets my imaging needs and the whole rig is very lightweight.

I don't think it does very well. Anecdotal evidence from the above thread suggest F7 and above.

I am not a makspert tbh but the sw cersion is F11.8 and the bresser F15. I would expect a sharper and better contrasted image in the bresser. Other than that they seem pretty much alike.

Assuming you mean the mak https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/bresser-messier-mc-127-1900-maksutov-cassegrain-ota.html Then it is within the mount stated load capacity so should be ok.

I have had the ovl versions of them both. They are very functional and I agree with the 7-21 being best for you. If you have a 2" focuser though, get a 28-30mm 2" eyepiece.

I believe they are closer to plossl than ortho according to the thread link above

in just his longjohns, surely he will still be cold 🤣

A dream to use lee and these are very lightweight. As an example of their capability, you can see the same through 10x30 stabalised as you can in normal 10x50. I am guessing that the 16x42 I just bought will be close to 15x70's in capabilities. I hope to give them a whirl this weekend and will report my first light.