happy-kat

I've just noticed that the ST80 I'm looking at has tube rings a photo tripod adapter but 45 degree diagonal erect image. 

A collation cap would be useful, so far I've managed without a cheshire.

Unless you are going to strip the lens I wouldn't get a fungus one. I've no idea about Nikon lenses. Scratches perhaps depends how deep they are as to whether they might cause a defraction spike on really bright objects. M42 fit lenses are no good on a nikon wrong distance for focus/infinity unlike they do work with canon.

I have the ST80 and heritage 130p. The two telescopes are both f5 (400/80 is 5 but I see now the ST80 is listed as f4.9), the heritage 100p is f4. They both have strong points and both are good from a storage point. The ST80 comes in two flavours A for astronomical with rings and a 80 degree diagonal, the T for terrestrial with a short fitted dovebar with tripod threads and a 45 degree erect image diagonal. Both ST80 flavours and the heritage 130p telescope can be fitted on other tripods. I saw a moon shadow transit on Jupiter as a tiny black dot with the heritage 130p but there's something lovely about how stars look with the ST80. For me from a dark sight it would be a tough call as there's some observing reports using the ST80 from dark sights but deep space objects are generally grey smudges but with the thrill of how far away and how old it is that you're seeing.

Edit. My Jupiter observing was not with the supplied eyepiece

now amber for me, clear but fog here!

For my Setup I use one of these placed within the asi463mc, though my set up is different telescope etc.

EDIT this was what I use (link corrected)

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-t2-to-125-filter-holder.html

The virtuoso table top design suits me well, I use a v1 version with added wifi dongle and different scopes. 

Have you had a look around this forum

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/279-imaging-smartphone-tablets/

Hi

The virtuoso is a great mount with gotto, freedom find and manual. The mount moves in tiny left right up down movements though imaging is possible within this capability before rates field rotation becomes too visible. The Moon and planets tend to be captured by short videos high frame rate from which an image is extracted. Deep space objects are a different prospect as often quite dim and generally require longer exposures where field rotation can become apparent quite quickly. There's a thread on this mount I'll add a link later

Really has the 3d perspective, lovely

Was clear but have just come in and sat24 shows it's about to cloud. The visibility was awful though so tried platesolving for a first and managed to solve once and sync the mount yey! Solving was probably not helped by using a planetary camera with x1.6 barlow, slow going on a 7 inch tablet but doable. 

Having just looked outside Jupiter (the only thing visible) is now too far over to the street light in that direction, and from the heat of today it looks like pea soup is brewing up. I'll check again in a bit 

Using the WiFi dongle which I picked up SH and use the pro version on my virtuoso v1 and get point and go (track looks renamed) but the mount's firmware does not support eq mode

In altaz mode and the synscan wifi dongle they've nearly the same capability for altaz limited imaging

The dongle can come up SH makes for a better price, otherwise it would probably make the idea pants

 edit

The synscan mount from memory doesn't have freedom find which the azgti does have and the synscan mount  might not have the same ports and maybe different weight capacity

Depends on future desires, I'll just comment that the skywatcher synscan dongle can be used on the synscan mount which I think you have if it was the connection to a mobile you were after

re  you using any driver for it like ascom?

Looking at the sensor size, pixel size and image dimension size it's not bad

From what I've found on searching the IR filter can be removed increasing IR response for using a IR planet filter but you would need a UV/IR filter for colour use. (check/look into this at your own risk)

Can you use the breaser in sharpcap and can you do a ROI and can you record video in raw or ser mode with your bresser?

Edit: typo wrote the wrong abbreviation

hat is the model of your bresser?

That's a great first image. Before jumping in with the 120mc it would be worth comparing specifications as that 120 might not be much of a jump from what you have already.

What sort of budget for the camera are you thinking of?

Could work the way through the lunar 100 to see what can look at on the Moon features

If they iked the man on the moon advert is there an expectation on what the telescope should look like?

A DSLR does show field curvature when used without a field flattener, there is one FF that has enough back focus for using a DSLR (not full frame) with the evoguide

I don't know what DSLR you have but this might be an interesting read

For planets it's capturing videos with many frames and then using software to cherry pick the best frames with the atmosphere was still and stacking then.

https://www.astropix.com/html/equipment/canon_one_to_one_pixel_resolution.html

Registax

Astrostakkert

Fire DSO you can work with the limitations of altaz keeping exposures within the limits of field rotation showing and startrails but you'll still get usable data stick with trying first bright targets. There's a imaging with a none EQ mount

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/228101-the-no-eq-dso-challenge

DSS deep sky stacker

SIRIL

and there's an EVVA section for imaging with short exposures.

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/287-discussions-eeva-equipment/

I think though thay might be using astro cameras and say sharpcap

Have a go with what you have

Hi

Are you thinking out imaging with your 8SE? You could image the planets and Moon with your 8SE in altaz mode and even DSO are possible if working within the capabilities of the mount.