Skinnypuppy71

Hi..I'm pretty much in the same boat as yourself....also have a Sony a7....the original one and not the R model....although I've just went and ordered my kit (after the sale of my motorcycle, I no longer used).I went for a eqm-35 pro goto mount instead of the heq 5, as I really wanted a nice apo refractor and couldn't quite stretch to the h-eq5 as well as the refractor, a William optics z73 is what I went with along with the field flattener and a few other bits n bobs...still haven't received my load of goodies yet...I will probably get the heq 5 at some point....when I've learned more and feel ready to work with larger scopes /guiding etc...but this hobby ain't a sprint....it's a marathon and the eqm-35 will quite happily track with this size of refractor /camera or camera /lens...it's also modular and the declanation part of the mount can be removed to make it more portable and works more like the star adventurer in this configuration....I'll keep you posted whenever it finally arrives...I'm sure the lockdown has something to do with despatch and logistics for this type of equipment.

Then try a William optics apo with one of there adjustable field flatteners....no need for spacers....oh but the price of it ££££.lol.

Oh and body only, along with a t mount for attaching the camera body /field flattener to the telescope...the telescope becomes the lens.

You're going to need the field flattener also....most people are using canon dslr's for astrophotography by the looks of it...even better if you can find one that's been modified for astro work.

I believe you really need a eq go to mount for tracking....or.... a skywatcher star adventurer and a small refractor...that'd be a good start . I'm still waiting for a eqm-35 and William optics zenithstar z73 with it's flattener for my first astro set-up....it wasn't a cheap start but still probably very much entry level in astrophotography terms....if you really want to make a good start to it....I'd maybe suggest saving a little extra money until you can manage to get something that will satisfy your needs....if you buy don't buy correctly in the beginning....disappointment and dissatisfaction with the results of your efforts will soon leed to a lose of interest in the hobby and in the end your hard earned cash.

+ a field flattener.....the budget is well and truly blown.

Hi Mycro...I think you've done a fantastic job with the kit you have...I myself am awaiting delivery of the eqm-35 mount along with William optics z73.....the canon eos 2000d..I'm not familiar with, but have used entry level dslr's in the past and I'm really not happy pushing the iso past that 1600 speed....if you have good noise reduction software....maybe 3200...but I'd be very reluctant to go beyond that for astro work.....but ateotd the proof is in the end product...so give it a try....it's not as if your waisting good film...just precious time.

Erm no....A wee bit further south ..lol..Ayr.

Just doon the road fae ye then.

I know the WO z73 won't be great for observing...but it'll do until I can put away the cash for a newt of some sort for that purpose...I thought I'd get the best apo I could afford at the moment for imaging as opposed to try buying something of lesser quality and getting a newt at the same time.

Well we do have some badgers and a ospreys nest in the Galloway forest area..I'm not too far from.

Weather is lovely today..about 24 Celsius on the west coast.

Ok thanks John..I didn't think the difference between f5.9 and f6 would matter..in the camera world it would be next to no difference in the brightness of the image . cheers for the help guy's it's much appreciated....meanwhile this is my wee list of goodies on order can't wait..I'm afraid as soon as it gets here the sky's in currently sunny Scotland will have changed into the usual rain and cloud.....that's the way it goes eh...2 weeks of free clouds with a new scope.lol.

Hi Philip...I've actually been a member for a couple of years now...but have been away from astro since selling my 150pds...but purchasing some bins last month and getting some new gear in the next week or so is getting me back into it again.

That's what I needed to know..thanks Ricochet...and yes the seller flo did describe it as a focal ratio up to f6 and above...so I've now bought a eyepiece that might not be suitable for my William optics z73..although it's not much out @f5.9.

Just a wee question..when a vendor describes a eyepiece as suitable for scopes with a aperture of f6 and above....would that be faster or slower...in my mind as a amateur photographer above f6 would be faster...f5, f4 etc...or is the vendor using the actual numbers in ascending order (f8,f9,etc)for the average Joe whom might not know a "f" stop from a bus stop.lol.

I've just pulled the trigger on the skywatcher eqm-35 goto mount along with the Williams optics z73 and it's field flattener...(along with it's bits n bobs for some visual)I believe this will be a fine entry level setup for imaging. The eqm-35 is a modular mount that has a decent 10kg payload for visual and 7kg for imaging...the declanation part of the mount can be removed to make it more light weight for easier portability...in this configuration it performs akin to the skywatcher star-adventurer but with extra payload capacity...it is a money pit like a previous poster mentioned....I already own a full frame mirrorless camera...if I had to start from zero kit and hadn't just sold my motorcycle...I couldn't have afforded that gear.I might have just bought a newt and mount for observing.

Thanks Marks...I might have to invest in a different model of camera for this astrophotography lark...I've discovered lately that the Sony a7 I'm planning on using is susceptible to a star eater problem....I'll just have to wait and see how it works out....I've kind of ran out of cash at the moment....lol.

Oh well..so much for dipping my toe in..I've just ordered this little lot for the beginning of an extension to my love for photography and enter into the world of astrophotography....I know I'm going to need some more bits n bobs....but is there anything major I've missed here you most helpful people for getting started....just planning to do some unguided tracking for now until I get some useful time with this setup.thanks in advance for any help.

So A eq5 would be better still....although I do like the idea of the eqm-35 being able to convert to what is essentially a skywatcher star adventurer...I think my plan is to mount a reflector for visual observing, then when I'm competent with the eq mount and a bit more experienced in navigation of the sky...Maybe get a small apo refractor...along the lines of the Williams zenithstar 73 ii apo...expensive I know...but I know if I buy budget..I'll only sell later to get the better model, which means losing money in the long run..I've done it so many times with hi-fi gear, camera gear in the past.....oh damn what was that I was saying about a rabbit hole..lol...as I said I'm a contradiction to myself.

According to flo the skywatcher eqm-35 pro goto mount is a eq mount.https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-eqm-35-pro-synscan-goto-modular-mount.html

OK a little bit more digging and thinking a skywatcher eqm-35 pro moduler mount with either the 130/150 pds or something totally different a Celestron nextar 5se in the same kind of area budget wise....but I'm sure probably two very different setups...never used a schmidt cassegrain before.

Thanks for all the response guy's....I think I'm a contradiction to myself.....I was just going to use my camera and the 85mm f1.8 to see how it got on before trying to use a scope and camera for prime focus....it's actually all the dark frames,light frames,bias frames etc that's kind of putting me off...I hate spending shed loads of times post processing and that's what a lot of imaging is I guess...just really wanted to open the shutter..let the mount track and let it run for a minute or whatever I can get away with...lol...imho lazy.

I was thinking possibly eq3 pro goto or eq5 goto....so they would both do tracking for my camera without issue...I just wasn't sure that the eq goto mounts tracked the same as the skywatcher star adventurer...in that case I might just get the eq3 goto along with the 150pds . that's about within budget.Thanks folks.