TareqPhoto

Get a Mak like i did, i bought Skymax 180mm, it has 2700mm regardless its F15, give it a try or a think.

Finally it is solved.Very kindly Mr. Robin from Cyclops Optics, helped me to figure out the problem of the filter wheel with camera direct connection, it was how i position the filter wheel, sounds maybe in different position the inside disk's screws getting loose or whatever so it prevent the filter wheel disk to rotate until i correct the position, he told me to check out the tight of those screws.It is working with SGPro and EZCAP, but it doesn't work with Sharpcap, yesterday i think or before yesterday it was working, so i don't know what's wrong, but i really don't care much about Sharpcap until i start doing planetary imaging with filters, i use Sharpcap for focus or polar alignment or something else but not much for DSO AP, maybe one day i buy ZWO filter wheel to go with ZWO camera for planetary i bought.Now all what i need is the adapter for connecting the flattener and spacers to the filter wheel then i am done, i ordered those already and now i have to wait them to arrive, under shipping already.Thank you very much for all the help, and sorry for causing any problems here.

Cool, thank you very much!

Hi, No, I have the ultraslim version. My flattener is Hotech SCA 2", and it says it has T thread, is that M45? so others told me to have an adapter of M54 to M42.

Thanks! I solved one problem, i managed to control the camera and filter wheel in SGP with match, but the other problem is still exist which is i can't connect the filter wheel to the camera, the connection was from filter wheel to PC via USB directly, this means one more long cable, uggggh. Also the main problem is i can't connect the flattener[Hutech SCA 2"] to the filter wheel, i don't know what is the filter wheel front thread, but maybe i will just try to shoot without flattener if i can get the focus and see if i can start practice with LRGB filters. I ask in many forums, i try to learn from everywhere, and i can't depend on one forum if there are members don't have a clue with my issues or if they don't have same my setup, so the more i ask in different forums, the more i can get answers from some.

Hi, Yesterday finally i inserted the LRGB filters inside the filter wheel, i was like doing a surgery operation, very carefully, this gave me an idea of buying same filter wheel for 8x1.25" filters, i really don't want to keep opening the filter wheel time to time, i ordered that 8x1.25" disk already but it wasn't in production and the person told me it will be done in about 2 weeks, so should i just order the filter wheel again and ask them to reduce the price of this additional disk as they don't send the filter wheel empty? or if they can then i hope they can reduce the price so i can use the disk they will send it later. My main problem yesterday was when i was trying to operate the filter wheel, it only turn on the filter wheel when i connect it with USB to computer or to camera powered, but the filter wheel never move or rotate, after some time around and with appreciate help of a member from another forum even he didn't figure it out i managed to make the filter wheel rotate...... BUT...... it rotates only when i choose the filter wheel control, but never rotate with the camera, and it only rotates from that control with USB connection, not with camera, no point i can't match the camera with the filter wheel, ofcourse i tried drivers, reboot/restart the computer, uninstalled the drivers, reinstalled again, disconnected all items then reconnect, same, nothing happen, the wheel never rotate with the camera and only rotate when i choose FW control and choose filter and press set, what i can do here? Last problem, i found out that i can't connect my flattener to the filter wheel, not directly and not with any adapter i have, so it is like i will connect the filter wheel with adapter to the scope directly, i will try with Canon lens because the package is including a new Canon adapter, but i wanted to use the scope, so how can i connect it with flattaner then? I hope members with same combo [QHY163 + QHYCFW2-M] telling me about the solution of filter wheel operating, i don't know if another camera doesn't have same problem so that i can't judge if it is from the camera or from the filter wheel.

I don'k know if i wish to have a dark site or not just because i am starting to do AP, but i really don't like to be in a very dark sites, i was like that twice, once in Scotland in specific in Sterling, and second in New Zealand more than one spot, back then i was just into terrestrial photography and astro wasn't much into my head, now i feel i wish if i was there with my gear. I do live in a bad or severe or heavy light pollution area or urban, and driving miles away isn't in my plan at all anytime, so all my hope is that one day my government can find a solution for street lights, my house is in red zone but the area itself isn't really that shiny lit as a center of a big city, so this is giving me like an opportunity to detect something in the sky, now i can see very bright stars easily in the best nights or moon-less nights, even in some full-moon nights if the air is transparent or no haze/dew/humidity then i can see bright stars even next to the full moon, so it is all about how bad the lights around my area and how good the sky transparency i think, and i am trying to adapt my eyes to the darkness, but i still think i can't go far much with my eyesight to watch some interesting targets, for now i am happy that i can see stars of nebulae or targets that many like to shoot, if not then at least i know where they are and i just point my scope on mount there and start getting exposures, i will try to make astrophotography overcoming visual plan for me. My question is, this thread or topic asking about what is a dark site, and my question is, for what is the dark site needed? and my concerning is either visual or astrophotography, and dark site is always winning ofcourse for anything astronomy except the sun[or something else in day light time], but how dark is dark enough for the astrophotography anyway if someone can use camera without filters then?

I wasn't interested in that eclipse, but i did shoot it quick, but not this scope, nice images above you did.

So it is about 1.25" and 31mm, i was in same dilemma, but i decided or thought i just cut it off and go with 36mm, so before i do that in the future, is it worthy really? I have Canon lenses ranging from f/1.4 wide angle/standard lenses up to f/2.8 zoom or primes, as scopes it is most likely i will be in f4-F7 range, maybe if i use a reducer on a fast scope it may go down to f/3.5 or closer, so with those, are there many advantages to use 36mm over 31mm? [i will neglect 1.25"].

And this is my very next plan, a mono camera, i have many DSLRs but none are modified, and nothing i can get out of them in my urban, and someone just told me i shouldn't waste time with it as it won't help me with anything, either i modify one which is not in my plan or go directly to a mono camera, or even a color or OCS astro camera because it is designed for astro, otherwise i will waste my time for maybe 1 year with unmodded camera and i won't get good results, only many bad and few good results that aren't a winner after 1 year, so i now definitely saving to buy that mono camera i hope very soon [this month if budget is coming on time]

bout the scope i can play with it anytime but without the mount, i am now only focusing on the mount because it is the main and most important item to be used in AP, the scope isn't that good anyway, once i buy another scope this will become what it is designed for, a guiding scope, so yes i am taking my time, and i hope to get there eventually.

Thank you very much! I downloaded that 2 videos and more while ago but didn't watch any yet, was busy in many other things, so i will have a time to watch those to learn more, so far i managed to connect the camera and the mount each individually to the computer, and ports are fine, so all i need to do is to watch the videos and know the basics and more settings. I am planning to get things slow, some already started regardless they bought items after me, i bought my mount on April 2 months ago, and my camera i bought it almost 2 weeks ago, so now i am learning and reading and asking more and more to get ready on time, it is very very hot in my country these months so am not in rush to go out yet, i have to learn about how to balance my mount and then how to autoguide then i am ready to go out, and while i am still reading and learning i am planning to buy a Polemaster because i really not planning to do polar alignment by one of those old fashioned methods even, some told me to do those to learn and i will get quicker on it by the time, but even if i will be quicker later i won't be as quick as using the tools for PA, and i won't be as much accurate too, so i don't want to waste time aligning my mount always before i use it when i move the mount, i can't leave my mount outside at all, never, so it will be moved in and out all the time which means i will be doing PA always.

Cool, thank you very much!

Thank you very much! This is clear for me now, so the guiding is like the tracking eyes or the tracking brain, the mount can track, but it can track blindly, so the guiding here is to correct the direction of the star or object to keep it on the view all the time and no trails result. I used my camera for the moon, and i did shoot a video of the moon for 30 seconds, the moon was moving, so how can i stack if the moon is moving during that 30sec frames? that is why i ask or wonder if guiding is essential here or not.

Thank you very much! I hope i can understand there more better. So, if i go with guiding then i must or need to have another camera not the one i use for guiding? What is the benefit of guiding? when do you use or need to go with guiding? Is guiding also used for polar alignment? I really don't know in which method i should go, i have all the cables needed, the camera i have not sure if good for guiding or not, but i bought it for mostly lunar and planet imaging, so if i use it as an imaging camera then i don't have another camera for guiding.

By the title, what is ST-4 and what is ASCOM and ow to use each for guiding? I downloaded ASCOM driver on my computer [version 6.3], i do have cables, i have a camera but not sure if it can be used for guiding, or if in fact camera is not needed but as an optional method with camera? Also have PHD2 installed, but watching video it is like i still don't know how to setup the mount or camera or computer first so to use PHD2 Once i get that sorted out then i have only 1 more thing with the mount then i will be ready to take it out for first time to use, i waited long to ask about guiding.

Awww, nice hidden thread, i hope one day in the future i can post something too, long way to go.

If i were you then i will go with one of those options: 1. Mount: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-az-eq5-gt-geq-alt-az-mount.html https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-neq6-pro-synscan.html 2. Telescope: http://www.highpointscientific.com/telescopes/refracting-telescopes/stellarvue-sv80-access-refractor-telescope-with-2-5inch-sv-focuser-sv080a-25sv http://www.highpointscientific.com/telescopes/refracting-telescopes/william-optics-gt71-f-5-9-gold-triplet-apo-refractor-a-f71gt Combination of each will put you at around 2K, not sure if that is dollar or Pound, but the prices i was looking at with dollars and it is between $1800-2200, so if it is $1800 then it is definitely less than 2K pound, it will be only VAT that you need to pay if from FLO in UK. Evostar 80ED is a nice scope, but i will choose one of above i posted over Evo, but you are free to choose whatever, try to get better mount which will give you more doors or options in the future than one you just want to use for now, i even didn't posted AZ-EQ6 like mine, AZ-EQ5 is like a little brother[or sister] of that AZ-EQ6, but if you can manage to get AZ-EQ6 then go for it, it has AZ which will help for visual later, and EQ is always for imaging, and i bought that AZ-EQ6 from FLO for about $1500 without VAT, i just ended up paying the customs anyway which is fine, nearly $150, same this mount i found it another sites for over $1800 without shipping, so i can imagine will pay over $2000 for the mount alone.

hmmm Ok, once i buy all the stuff and ready to use them then i will remember your tips, thank you very much!!!

Thanks! I am getting only 200PDS and not 130PDS, because i have a plaxe in the future to get 80ED APO [triplet or doublet] scope, so 130PDS isn't necessary. I think i will be that tool used for collimation, I think Cheshire or something like that collimator. I think reading too much is making me confused too much, but it also helps me to understand many things in short time, the i take my time to understand each point slowly, and once i figure out what or how to do then i go for it, the problem is that each member has own experience or a way to solve and operate things and newbies are confused about which one to follow, and the most important thing for me is that English isn't my main first language, so i may understand 70-90% of what is written there.

I am new in this site and i didn't get into all pages of this thread, but looking at few pages like first 2 and one in the middle and the last page it is showing how capable is that 130PDS, it is making me so thrilled and can't wait to get the budget sooner or later and order 200PDS as someone from another site recommended me to get [for visual purpose first and imaging second, without suffering with budget]. I hope i can figure out about collimation, i still don't know about it at all, but sure with search i can find out what is it and maybe how to control it somehow. Keep posting your results, nice images and it will encourage me to get 200PDS regardless i didn't use my mount yet and just last month i got my equipment, funny!!!