HowardHopkinson

+1 for Stellarium mobile. I find it extremely useful indeed!

Though I haven't used the exact lens you're thinking of buying, I have used a Sigma 120-400 mm F4.5-5.6 zoom lens with a Canon 60D APS-C camera and gotten some pretty useful results. See below for an example image.

I have the EQ3 Pro Synscan mount on the lightweight tripod. With my ES ED80 and my Canon 60D, I haven't noticed any issues thus far. Obviously, the HEQ5 will be more stable and able to take a significantly greater weight. However, portability was of primary concern to me and that's why I went with the EQ3 pro.

My EQ3 submission is the Elephant's Trunk nebula. Shot using my ES ED80 triplet APO and my Canon 60D 69x90sec light frames 29x dark frames 25x flat frames 50x bias frames Stacked in DSS and processed in PS.

The Elephant's Trunk nebula(IC1396). 69x90sec light frames unguided 29x dark frames 25x flat frames 50x bias frames Stacked in DSS and processed in PS. I honestly think that up to now, this is probably the best deep sky image I've ever shot. Needless to say, I'm rather pleased with it. Any constructive tips or criticism will be more than welcome.

That's one heck of a stunning image!

What camera and lenses have you got? Do you have a CLS light pollution filter? Roughly, how many stars can you see with the naked eye in your location? I have horrible light pollution where I live, I can't see much below magnitude 3 and still I manage to get lots of shots of galaxies, nebulae and star clusters etc. Yes, it can be a pain in trying to find objects without a goto mount, but it can be done with patience and practice. Fortunately for me, I recently purchased an EQ3 pro with Synscan and that has definitely made my life easier.

Thanks for that emyliano2000 it looks very nice and lightweight. Unfortunately, I've already purchased a Skywatcher 17MAH 12v powertank from the fine folks over at Rother Valley Optics. https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-17-amp-power-tank.html

I have loved my Star Adventurer, but due to the horrible light pollution in my location, finding some objects is next to impossible. So, I've bitten the bullet and purchased an EQ3 pro with Synscan. Hopefully I'll be able to now photograph many more objects than I could. Yes, the added weight is a concern and the fact I now have to cart a large battery with me, but hopefully the results will outweigh the drawbacks! The SA will now be consigned to Milky Way shots and timelapse with my old Canon 550D and assorted lenses!

Nice shot of the pinwheel. Well done!

Yup, one step forward, one step back I guess lol. Hopefully I'll get it sorted sooner rather than later.

Update: Had a coversation with the Accent group who own the property and emailed them photos. I'm pleased to say they have fixed the issue and it's no longer a problem. All I need now is for the chap who lives across the road in a bungalow to sort his ultra bright and badly aimed search light out that suddenly appeared last week. What I don't understand is why he felt the need to install a high power security light on a tiny bungalow, given the fact there's a street light directly outside his home. The mind boggles!

It's just a cheap one off of Amazon, I think it cost £15 or there abouts. I'm not bothered if it gets damaged as it's cheap enough to replace mate.