Stu1smartcookie

Not my first one of these , but a very timely purchase all the same . Thank you @TerryJ. All in excellent condition and well packed too .

Lowering , by definition will be easier as gravity gives you a hand . Those bolts are not the best and some people change them . You could loosen both bolts then unscrew one of them and manually raise the mount . Its not ideal but it works , then you can tighten them enough so you can make fine adjustment . ( sorry if i havent't explained this very well ... its easier to say it rather than write it  )

I generally have two scopes , although i do tend to change scopes quite a lot . My Sharpstar is for widefield , my 8SCT is for planets . But ive no "middle " scope so another purchase may be necessary , especially as i have 3, soon to become 4 mounts !! Damn this thread ... its encouraging me to buy 🤣 

2 hours ago, Ian McCallum said:

I'm at a point where I no longer want to go further into the rabbit hole that is astrophotography, due to costs of getting more equipment.  Whilst I can do AP on a budget, I find that the time required to set up the mount, polar align, connect all the gear and run the software (allowing for computer problems) is killing the hobby for me.  I'm tempted to go back to just purely visual observing.

I could have just stuck with my SW 200P Dob and still been happy, but with more money in my pocket.  I felt drawn to refractors, so got a 2nd hand SW Evostar 120.  That required a better mount and tripod than I had at the time, so I bought an SW EQ5 Deluxe mount.  I wanted to motorise the mount, so I got a SW Enhanced Dual-Axis motor drive kit.  This allowed my to do some rudimentary AP, using the ST4 port on the hand controller.  I then bought a ZWO ASI120MM mini guide camera, but I found that I didn't like ST4 guiding.  I then decided that the EQ5 Synscan Pro Goto upgrade kit was the way to go.  That certainly made improvements, as did getting a small RPi to do standalone stuff, very clever stuff!

I thought that a one shot colour camera would be even better, so I got the ZWO ASI224MC one.  It's gave me some good images, over the time I've had it.  I recently bought another refractor - a SW ST120 OTA, for wider views of DSO than can be obtained through my SW Evostar 120.  The idea was to do DSO imaging with the ST120, along with a Baader Contrast Booster filter attached to the from of the ASI224MC.

A mixture of poor weather, technical limitations of the budget equipment and my own limitations, have caused my to pause for the moment and reconsider... 

I'm thinking of selling the cameras and going to back to purely visual, but getting a AZ5 mount for the existing tripod (with adapter).

Ian ... what a refreshingly honest assessment , and one which i certainly understand .  

Buying the AZ5 is a great idea as it gives you the freedom to just set up in a few minutes .  I wish you well with your new direction . The key is , you are still into astronomy . Good luck mate .

4 minutes ago, WolfieGlos said:

I've had the SW 72ED since April, used purely for imaging. Despite collimation issues in the corners, it's been a good beginners scope to me.

I imaged the Moon 2 nights ago with a DSLR, single shot between the clouds. Cropped and enhanced with Siril wavelets.

Nice clean shot . Small fracs are more and more popular these days ( I'm a big fan , owning a sharpstar 61 ) . Really portable and fun to use visually and of course for widefield photography. Gives the op another reason to consider the 72ED . 

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

Not so much in the US.  Without sales tax, the SW 72ED ranges in price from $400 to $540 while the Astro-Tech AT72EDII FPL-53 is $489.

For comparison, the Astro-Tech AT70ED is $329.  It is the closest successor to my AT72ED.  The TS-Optics 70 mm F6 ED is identical and priced at €318.49 excluding VAT.  Both brandings have an R&P focuser.

Yeah it seems a high price in the States , which is a shame . 

I have owned a 72ED and its a loverly little scope , but , as has been pointed out there are some shortcomings , a slippy focuser and the said focuser not having much travel . A 127 Mak has a real sweetspot when it comes to Lunar .But the Evo  72ED is very well priced and gives very clear views ,  and sits very well on a photo tripod or star tracker . For a quick G&G its a great buy . 

So , come on , lets end the disagreement here , and now ... this is becoming akin to being on Cloudy Nights !!!! 

I'm sure the op didnt bargain for what has been written . 

BTW the OP asked for help in choosing a starter set up . I do understand that people , including me , have different opinions to give and we may all get a little irked when people disagree with our opinions , but , in the scheme of things we should be helping the OP . 

5 hours ago, scotty1 said:

My friend calls it Thunderbirds 1 , it's Bury St Edmunds. 

 

FAB SCOTT

12 minutes ago, Astro_Dad said:

You won’t be spending your time researching future ‘scope purchases at all will you  ?!😊

lol , Andy ... i'm doing just that , sitting here at work 🤣

1 minute ago, paulastro said:

I hope your recovery is as quick as it can be Stu, and you're back at the eyepiece before too long.  Take care of yourself.

 

Many thanks Paul ... it really is surprising how much one misses the simple joy of looking through an EP ... hence the set up in the bedroom plan for tonight ... need to enlist Elena to set everything up though lol 

41 minutes ago, Ian McCallum said:

I tried out my new Sky-Watcher Startravel 120 OTA, yesterday evening. 

i am getting the itch to get another ST120 , and posts like yours are only encouraging me , Ian .. which is both bad for the wallet and for marital relations ... still its only a short scope ... may be able to hide it away  . Of course i would like the evostar too... omg . where does it all end ?

20 minutes ago, Epick Crom said:

Wishing you a speedy recovery Stu👍

many many thanks ... cant believe im back at work only 24 hrs after but its better to moan here than to myself back at home , anyway the way things go with me , i should have ensured clear skies for everyone for the next week 🤣

Under the surgeons knife yesterday , and of course missed a fairly clear night last night , pleased that a lot of people were able to take advantage though . 

Tonight is looking crystal clear but , alas , im not able to lift anything remmotely weighty for a couple of weeks , maybe my little sharpstar on an AZ4 peeping out the east facing upstairs window will work ?... got to be better than watching tv .

The aerial is too close to achieve focus , try an object that is further away . I assume it’s to line up the finder with the scope why you are trying this . 

46 minutes ago, Ian McCallum said:

A new Sky-Watcher Startravel 120 OTA from Auntie @FLO. She confused me by having it sent straight from OVL! 😂

No clear skies until well into next year now! 😱🙄

I like those scopes ... along with the big brother evostar 120 

54 minutes ago, grjsk said:

Haven't seen alot of pictures of the newest ADM replacement saddle, so I tought I'd post one of mine. It is smaller than the original dual saddle, and now it also includes a protective "cup" that prevents dust and dirt getting into the internal mechanisms. A very nice upgrade!

That looks really neat 

19 hours ago, bingevader said:

 

deleted due to me being confused ... it happens a lot these days 🤣

3 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Conversely, eye-wateringly expensive small, fast apochromats are among the best. 

Absolutely , Olly ... hence my Sharpstar purchase ( you have given me justification for buying it ... i will show it to the wife 🤣 )

5 minutes ago, Mandy D said:

Thanks. That is great to know. Any idea how much it moves the focal plane? I'm currently able to image with 75 or 100 mm of spacers on my RC6 with the D800. Do you know if I need to remove more and roughly how much?

I am not an imager Mandy so cant comment , but visually ES FE loses nothing in brightness giving clear concise views 

15 minutes ago, Mandy D said:

My new, secondhand, Explore Scientific x2 focal extender purchased from @HollyHound arrived today, well packed and in it's beautiful original box. I just need some clear skies and the energy to get out there and use it, now. Thanks, Gary.

I've had chance to test mine over the last couple of nights  , you won't be disapointed , Mandy

1 hour ago, AstroMuni said:

. After that it was a joy to use and as a family we have enjoyed great views of the stars and planets. I even managed to get pictures with my phone attached to eyepiece

That one sentence is enough to know what ameteur astronomy is all about ... enjoyment . 

2 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

To my mind an aperture of less than 70mm for visual use is best left to binoculars because it ceases to deliver a truly 'telescopic' view.

Whilst i certainly accept your opion here Olly , my opinion why small fracs have their place for visual is the varied magnification they can achieve by using EPs of differing focal lengths ... although primarily using mine for widefield viewing , sometimes , just looking at the moon with up to 100x magnification gives breathtaking views . Also of course , they cry out for a bit of widefield photography , but , thats another topic altogether

1 hour ago, bomberbaz said:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/evolux/sky-watcher-evolux-62ed-ota.html

Could do worse than one of these at a reasonable cost and with ed glass and high quality build should serve you well. 

I second this as it's built like a tank despite its diminutive size , however the st102 is a great option and 100mm of aperture is a really nice size . I have owned one of those and it's bigger brother the 120 and in all honesty despite the size difference I preferred the 102 

14 minutes ago, andrew63 said:

Some really good choices, the more compact the more versatile.

The age old saying " the best telescope is the one you use the most " comes to mind .