Neil27

Wow, stunning. Looks like it’s in 3D 👍

Thanks Dave,

My thoughts exactly. Thanks for the advice, appreciated.

5 hours ago, Laurin Dave said:

You'll need either the 1x flattener or the 0.77x reducer/flattener  with that, depends on what camera you have /fov / sample rate you want  ...  £196 or £299..  

Hi thank you for the reply @Laurin Dave

I was going to get an Atik horizon but after reviewing my choice and learning of the QHY 268c I think that will be my preferred option.

So just to recap I don’t need a flattener just a reducer for my esprit 120 with the QHY 268c?

Thsnks, 

Curious to know, is a flattener and reducer required when using with an esprit 120mm.

Just working out costs for my imaging train.

Thanks,

Can’t beat a 4 inch refractor, great review @ScouseSpaceCadet 👍

Out of curiosity who did you purchase from?

2 hours ago, Xsubmariner said:

Hi Neil,

I don’t believe you can go wrong with the Mesu MK2, it is definitely a mount that does what it says, unlike some other mounts I have tried.  Your camera choice is interesting, while I have a mix of Cmos and CCD camera’s (QHY, ZWO & SX) my last three additions are all IMX455/571 sensor based units. These sensors offer considerable improvement over the older Cmos sensors and are worthy of some investigation.

2 hours ago, Laurin Dave said:

I'd agree ... look at the newer CMOS cameras which do not suffer from the microlensing (which I believe the Horizon does) and which also have higher QE..  alternatively you might pick up a bargain CCD as folk switch over to the 455/571 chips, there was an Atik KAF8300 on here last week at a very good price and there have been KAF16200 cameras about too .. the 10 or 20 or 30 minute subs required with these are not an issue with the Mesu  ... although cloud always can be...  Also the Esprit120 can do full frame ... 

Dave

Thanks for the advice Martin and Dave, camera is being mulled over and reconsidered.

At least I got the mount and scope choice right 👍😉

And to everyone that has messaged me with advice, David, Adam, Martin and Jon I thank you all.

More questions to follow no doubt.

Have you considered one of these - 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sharpstar-telescopes/sharpstar-94edph-f5-5-triplet-ed-apo-telescope.html

Similar to the Esprit, around £450 cheaper, may leave some pennies over for a nice secondhand C8?

Good luck hunting, always love spending someone else’s money 😉

17 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

And lastly the Ogem (now the Trident), it’s difficult birth and delays on production and delivery have made me a little wary to be fair. 

Don't even think about this option...

I did dally with the possibility, but it’s a no from me!

On 25/01/2021 at 21:42, Skipper Billy said:

If my Mesu was stolen I would buy another without a second thought.

Big tick for the scope choice - cant comment on the camera.

If Bernard has one in stock I am sure he would keep it for you against a substantial deposit - the next batch are almost certain to increase in price.

Dont be put off the SiTech software - the GUI is very '70's but it works superbly. Take care in setting up the initial parameters and you will probably never need to touch it again.

I often describe it as my most boring astro purchase - nothing to twiddle or play with - turn it on - use it - turn it off - repeat.

I would be on the phone to Bernard first thing tomorrow!!!!

Thank you Skipper, I did 👍😉

Good evening everyone.

I am seriously considering purchasing a Mesu mount for my ROR observatory. This will be a set up and forget mount as many of you have alluded too. I have spent quite a substantial amount of time pondering over in my mind the many telescope combinations and what I enjoy looking at and would like to photograph on the astronomy tools website.

So with the mount, I would pair an esprit 120 with a suitable wide field scope of around the 60 to 70 range and around 350 to 450mm focal length. The sharpstar 61 seems to fit the bill and with the option to fit a reducer, the scope can go even wider. The esprit is a well loved instrument but the Sharpstar scopes are fairly new so I would welcome any feedback from new owners.

The Mesu, what can I say? From pouring over various owners posts and threads these past 12 months and seeing the impact on ‘relatively’ trouble free use, it is undeniably worthy of consideration. My only concern is the sitech control system and the numerous ‘niggles’ users have encountered over the years on this forum. Another consideration is the Gemini EFric but for the price and a little bit more money, the Mesu makes a very good case for itself. Do I need 50kg carrying capacity, probably not. Possibly like the majority of current owners. And lastly the Ogem (now the Trident), it’s difficult birth and delays on production and delivery have made me a little wary to be fair. 

The final piece of the jigsaw is the camera. Not too sure but the one shot colours are preferred  due to time and the different objects I want to view / image. Thinking along the lines of the Atik Horizon II. 

The star of the show though is clearly the mount in the equipment list. Just been speaking to Bernard at MA and he has one left in stock (pre Brexit stock) and I am sorely tempted. I don’t have the funds at the moment I’m about 2 months away from having the money, do I - get a low rate loan and pay it off when the money arrives or pass it up and wait until the money is here and the mount is likely sold and wait for the next one (post Brexit). Not sure 🤔 

Update - deposit now paid!

As always your thoughts are welcome.

14 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

Would you mind sharing the teething issues and problems you have read relating to the mark ii Mesu?

 

Apologies I refer to the Mark 1 Mesu mount., of which there are several documented posts on this forum relating to teething problems. My point was even £5k + mounts (including the Mesu) ‘can’ sometimes suffer from minor glitches.

I hope you can work something out, it would be a shame if you left this hobby.

I can only wish you find a suitable solution.

All the best and clear skies,

8 hours ago, lrt75914 said:

Apparently, longer telescopes can potentially hit the RA drive housing, preventing you from imaging parts of the sky. The guy had to install longer risers under the saddle himself to alleviate this problem. The saddle clamps also don't have enough travel to accommodate dovetail bars that may not perfectly follow the losmandy design specification. Apart from all of that, there were a lot of problems with the tracking behaviour in the RA axis that were dismissed by GTD as user/software errors. However, it turned out that the RA motorization was faulty and the whole mount had to be sent back to Italy for quite a lot of money.

 

Hi, yes I have followed the same thread on cloudy night. I believe the user bought a new saddle from another supplier. Regarding the RA motors, they have since been repaired by Andras, with the user now fully endorsing the mount as one he would recommend. One of the selling points for me is the 5 year warranty on the Gemini mount, which in this hobby is quite generous, bearing in mind the frequency we sometimes use our equipment.

Just to put the issues with the Gemini mount into context, in a previous life I owned a Paramount ME mount and the solidity, engineering quality and ease of use was sublime. Possibly 2 years into the ownership, I had 2 failed motherboards that I had to pay for and get shipped at my own cost from US to UK. I admit after the second failure I had a serious chat with the Bisque brothers and managed to negotiate a reduction in costs. However the conversations were always responded to very quickly and offers of video calls and phone calls was very welcome. I had my mount working within 2 weeks, so bravo SB.
My point is there are ‘teething issues’ with many products, I find it’s how the manufacturer or supplier deal with those issues and then respond.

I would certainly have no issue buying or recommending a Paramount, and hopefully the same can be validated for a Gemini mount as the feedback and quality of both products and customer service from either appears to be very good. IMHO of course 😊

Have you considered the MyT mount or perhaps the Mach 2, both very capable portable mounts. The MyT was on my list before the EFric popped into view.

Clear skies.

9 hours ago, lrt75914 said:

I did talk to someone at CN who just took delivery of an E.Fric mount and had his share
of troubles with the thing and I heard plenty of worrying stories about losmandy mounts.
 

 

I’m curious to know what the issues are with the EFric mount, as this is a mount I am very interested in and would appreciate you sharing them. After speaking to several owners myself they comment on amazing guiding / tracking and often used as a portable set up? The mount is ‘quirky’ to look at and uses non proprietary controllers so may not be to everyone’s tastes. 

The Mesu mount often venerated on this forum as the ‘one to buy’ in the 50kg capacity range, has had its fair share of problems and teething issues.

I hope you find something suitable for your needs.

Clear skies.

Possibly something to do with a worldwide pandemic and Brexit several weeks away, just a hunch!

I can’t answer your question but would like to congratulate you on the purchase of a wonderful mount 👍

Clear skies my friend 🔭

I currently use a celestron spotting scope and decent tripod at the moment. It’s the one with a zoom eyepiece and although it is quick and easy to set up, aside from views of the moon and bright planets don’t expect too much. It’s ok on brighter DSO’s but it’s not as good as a small refractor.

14 hours ago, Sp@ce_d said:

Thanks.. it's consistency of quality I'm fussy about.. (had a few WO scopes some were great, some fell to bits!) I want a frac that I can just put on the mount that works and stays that way. The dual ED intrigued me but I don't want to mess about with something that turns up needing adjustment. Otherwise I wouldn't be thinking of taking the RC of the mount after it's 5 year tour of duty!  Cooling, ie. air spaced or oil spaced I don't think bothers me as it will live in the obsy. There doesn't seem to be many images about & as far as I can tell this was announced in 2018. The Esprit 150 is proven.. my 2 80's I love..  guess it's why there's none in the shops 🤣 But this sounds quite tempting with the lure of f4.8 with reducer & a decent image circle if I sell a kidney for a full frame 😆

Hi Spaced,

I am in the process of putting together my AP set up, after building my roll off a few years ago.

Your equipment line in your signature looks remarkably like my shopping list and the mention of the esprit 150 piqued my interest as well as that is one scope I covet and desire above the rest (In a Gollum type voice 😂)

Its your money but I would sit out the wait for the esprit, as stated it’s a known quantity and many on this forum have bought / used one and can vouch for its quality. Also it’s a lot of glass for around 4K and should provide a lifetime of use and pleasure, both visually and AP.

Good dilemma to have though, we truly are in a golden era for the amateur astronomer 👍

Clear skies, 

Hi Paul,

Welcome to the forum from a fellow Lincolnite 👍

A smallish refractor of around 80mm, and a basic mount like the star adventure or eq35 / eq5 is the standard way most people go when starting out.

You already have a DSLR, plenty of folks on here willing to help out with advice.

Good luck on your journey, and clear skies.

Yes it is this post - looks a great mount with the flexibility of being able to use whatever controller you wish, Sitech, Onstep, or their own pulsar controller from Gemini.

Having spoken to Andras the owner he is courteous and very knowledgable and helpful.
Good luck in your search.

Have you considered this mount, someone on this forum is using it as a portable set up.

http://www.geminitelescope.com/efric-friction-drive-mount-german-equatorial/

Hi Yves,

I contacted Andras a few months ago and was ready to pull the trigger on an E-Fric mount at the introductory price, but alas personal circumstances got in the way and I had to pull away from the deal, my loss but hey ho!

It certainly tracks like a good un' and the innovative design, build quality and looks certainly mark it out (to me anyway) as a mount to consider in this price point / weight capacity. 

Looking forward to more updates, some mount pictures might be nice as well, are you using a permanent set up?

3 hours ago, Martthebass said:

Thanks Neil, the lemons always concern me but unless it's a Tak or an A-P then I guess the risk is higher.....however I'm just looking for a relatively cheap G&G without imaging so I'll not be too critical.  Hopefully I'll find one that has a decent figure unlike the 120mm Konus Achro I had 20 years ago with it's amazing triangular stars. 

Yep understood, and for the price they are extremely good value, also on my radar as a grab and go visual companion 👍 

And the thread it relates too -

Its certainly a lot of scope for the money and you can always get the odd lemon.

There was a recent (last year) thread on its merits and I know several people had concerns with the focuser and sent them back for replacement. If you do a search it may pop up.

It looks a cracking scope for the price though 👍 

2 hours ago, Zakalwe said:

Slightly higher?

A Mesu mount is almost exactly double the price. They rarely appear second hand, though there might be a few popping up in the next 6 months as the forthcoming recession takes effect.

The Gemini is 30% more expensive and that excludes the controllers and shipping

The JTW mount is €4100, VAT excluded, so add another 20% on top. And that's assuming that the thing is even shipping.

That's a long way from "slightly higher"!

I think anyone looking at these mounts have a pretty good idea of their respective prices, both new and on the used markets.

Slightly higher to some people maybe interpreted as significantly higher to others.

The OP appeared to understand my original comment which was ‘Significantly’ about the drive systems.

Cheers,