Stu1smartcookie

i am really fed up with this weather ... especially as the weather app shows partly clear but its so cloudy zzzz . Tonight i was going to use the skymax as i have bought a planetary cam ( and have had some issues setting it up) to use on the moon ! Alas i think i will need to wait until tomorrow now . I had a 130 pds and it was a fantastic scope but i really like smaller scopes. Anyway i wish you luck with your purchases . The FF really does make a difference so, yes , its kind of a must have. By the way i had an HEQ5 Pro but i actually downsized to an EQ5 Pro and added the synscan upgrade . Its a much lighter mount but still stable enough for both the 127 and of course the 72ed .

OMG i have this exact set up lol . To be honest both scopes are quite new to me so i can't give you too much advice .. but with the short time ive been able to use them (pesky clouds) they are an absolute delight . i changed the visual back on the skymax 127 to a 2" one .. and i bought an ovl FF for the 72ed as i intend to try imaging ( again!!) . The 72ed gives very good crisp ( although small) views of planets but its main purpose will be for imaging . I used the skymax last night for viewing Jupiter ... the seeing conditions were far from ideal but it still gave me a great view .

The one i had which was faulty was due to the motors or gears slipping rather than an alignment issue ( freaked me out to see my little z61 and dslr "falling" albeit fortunately still attached to the mount ). These are great little mounts but , like anything there can be problems . I hope you get this sorted .

I've had a couple of these mounts ... three actually ! one was faulty , the other two were fine . After looking at your photo , do you not have to have the scope level at the time of alignment , If you were using the mount in AZ mode ? I only used mine in EQ mode so if im talking rubbish please forgive me .

just seen your reply Uplooker ... i use an eq5 pro synscan .. good advice about the movement and adjustment .. many thanks

Thanks guys . I will let you know how i get on .

Michael thats sound advice , and something i will try tonight for sure ,thank you .

Hi Peter ... yes it was supplied with this ring ( sorry for being a bit of a novice with this ) .. the instructions are not that clear how to use it .

Hi Michael... firstly , thanks for the reply . i have a skymax 127 , using sharpcap (which i honestly havent begun to understand yet) i changed the visual back to 2" so i have put in a 2--1"1/4" adapter , and i inserted the cam into the adapter ( i also tried with a fairly cheap single lens barlow) I pointed the scope at jupiter , focussed visually , and then replaced the EP with the cam. Result = black screen ! i tried to up the exposure by changing the parameters on the software . i too am sure the cam is working .. as when i point the camera directly at my laptop it pics up the light from the screen ( albeit out of focus of course).

Hi All , So i have the QHY5-LL (colour) ... i have downloaded everything but i cant seem to get the camera to work. When i put the cam in the scope it doesnt pick up any light .. nothing ! so , if anyone thinks they know what is wrong , please tell me before i go completely mad . The pc says the camera is connected and when the camera is not connected to the scope i can point it at a lght source and the camera portrays a blurry light image on the pc screen. Any help would be most welcome

Also your elevation

interesting thread with two popular scopes "in the frame " .. if i can add , i once owned a 130pds which still remains the best scope i had for imaging and for a bit of visual , but i now own a skywatcher 127 mak which is fantastic at planetary ( ive not had chance to view the moon yet but ive heard that its superb through this scope), and a few DSO's . Both scopes will serve you well. But , i have had the same dilemma on more than one occasion regarding what scope to buy... Indecision can cost you a lot of money ! Take your time before choosing , the sky isn't going anywhere ! I now have two scopes , one for imaging and the Mak for viewing . I second , third and fourth the above sayings ... there isn't a scope that does everything .

lovely photo .

I have owned the z61 and now own a 72ed .. personally i think they are both superb . Williams optics gear has a build quality second to none , but , you do pay for it ! .. I think there is a z61 MK2 out now and its in excess of 400 pounds ...add the dedicated Field Flattener to it and you are looking at almost £600 , which is almost taking you into Redcat territory ( of course you dont need a Field flattener with the Redcat) . If you want to do a little visual as well as imaging the 72ed also has the advantage of a bit more aperture . I too bought the ovl flattener which is £ 100 cheaper than the dedicated one for the 72ed . I posted about the quality issues with the latest batch of skywatcher field flatteners ... it put me off buying another one as mine was faulty. In truth you cant go wrong with either scope .. but the saving you get with the 72ed and the great results which are on par with the z61 swung it for me in the end .

The weather has been awful lately .. there is a possibility of clearer skies later in the week .

Hope you were able to use the scope last night ... once again i was clouded out zzz .

Think its back in stock at FLO ... so i had better put my order in ! .. I saw a couple of You Tube videos where people were impressed with it ... and its £100 cheaper than the dedicated one !

thanks Louise ... dust is everywhere lol .

which i probably have done ... if there is a bit of dust on the sensor , how can i clean it ? Would i use a small soft brush ? or even a lens blower ?

Crazy how the view can change in just a few metres ... from my little garden the planets just clear the roofs ... 30 mtrs down the road they are literally riding high in the sky . All down to elevation of the viewing site of course .

Thank you for the reply ... when you say leave the glass window alone , do you mean , leave it on the camera ? So sorry for appearing dumb on this .. lol i cant even remember if it was attached to the camera in the first place , as i tried so many combinations . . ... DOH ! ive just watched a vid that i found on you tube .. quite clearly you are right Louise ...feel a bit less dumb now lol Thanks also , Bryan for your input . Its good to know that people can get help really quickly .

true enough but i get a real kick out of seeing great pics on here, from others .. its the best incentive for me . I posted a single shot of M3 last night (on instagram) . It certainly wont win any awards but as a single shot i am proud of it .

Hi ... i have just bought a QHY5-LL planetary camera ... i have downloaded the software and drivers ... and , as far as i know its working ( although all i am seeing is light and dark shades rather than images... ) i should point out that i have not connected the camera to the telescope yet . I am pretty sure i have done everything right so far ( i watched a qhy vid and although i got a little lost i came to the same end result. so far so good ... so now i want to connect this little camera onto my 127 mak . There is a little lens on the front of the camera .. do i need to remove that , exposing the sensor ? after all the telescope will be the lens surely . Do i need to put the small extension tube on ( that came with the camera ) ... after that , do i just put the camera into the place where the normal eyepieces usually go?... Then , how do i achieve focus ? is it a case of just using the telescope focuser ... do i still keep the diagonal in place that i use for viewing ? I know to most of you these will be basic questions but this is the first time ive used one of these cameras and the instructions might just as well been written only in chinese , and the vids ive watched were not much help . Any help will be much appreciated .. and will stop me going insane !! thank you in advance .

thanks ... im actually going down the route of the OVL flattener , its not a reducer but so many people have commented on how good it is . Its a shame about the dedicated one though ... im sure most wont have the problem i had .

As a follow up to the above , i have returned my FF ... There was , apparently , some assembly problems with the current batch !!