bokchoy ninja

Yea I expect you're right. At the moment I just want to make sure I don't have a "lemon" mount and that I can get ~ 2 minute subs unguided. Then I'll relax a bit and focus on technique rather than equipment.

That's fair. My main qualm is that I don't want to have to set up a laptop in the "field" with me, at least for as long as I can hold out. A polemaster would allow me to set up the polar alignment quickly and then pack up the laptop without worrying about powering it or keeping dust out of it.

Well, I realized I had the "diagonal" viewing option enabled on my polarfinder app, instead of "telescopic". So the view I was getting had the cross-hair flipped vertically and I had polaris placed wrong by 4 "hours". Can't wait until the weather cooperates so I can get out there and see if I can match the multi-minute subs I keep hearing about.

Thanks for the reply. I'm trying to go as far as I can without buying a polemaster or a guiding setup just yet, so just by improving my manual polar alignment technique. I did align the reticle when I first got it, but perhaps I should check it in case it's been bumped out of alignment. I'm sure I'm going to thank myself once I get a polemaster.

Given that I'm still in my return period for the mount, the biggest thing for me is just making sure I don't have a dud.

Hello, I'm just starting out with an EQ6-R and an ES 80mm Triplet. After polar-aligning my mount, I'm only getting 30 second exposures before I see significant streaking. Granted, my polar alignment is a bit rough since I'm rotating my RA axis until I think the polarscope reticle is in a plus-sign orientation (with the counterweight straight down the reticle has a rotation offset). This introduces a small error that might affect the tracking. I know that an option is to use the syscan polar alignment procedure, but this requires multistar alignment which needs stars near the horizon (and I'm on the patio where my FOV is limited). How long of unguided exposures can I expect with this mount/scope when I have perfect polar alignment? 30 seconds seems really short.

Hi all, tonight was my 3rd night with my EQ-6R mount. At one point I wasn't thinking carefully and turned the RA and DEC axis of the mount by hand, while the clutches were tightened. I felt some resistance but didn't notice the clutch was engaged. Did I damage anything by doing this?

Cool. Which scope do you use?

Nice. Any issue with flexing?

How much spacer length do you guys have to leave between the focuser and field flattener, for an 80mm f/6? I'm worried about the total length becoming ridiculous

What scope and camera do you use with it? Would you recommend this flattener?

Hello, I currently use the following equipment: 1. Explore Scientific 80 mm Essential ED Triplet Refractor OTA. 2. High Point 2" Camera Adapter. 3. Celestron Nikon T-Ring for 35mm SLR Cameras. 4. Nikon D7100. I notice that my stars are very elongated at the edges of the frame. Will this field flattener work with my setup, between the OTA focuser and my dslr's t-ring? https://www.highpointscientific.com/hotech-sca-field-flattener-sca-fft58 Will I be able to thread filters into it, between the flattener and the OTA? Would I need any spacers or anything, or would it be straightforward?

Hello, I'm a beginner astrophographer trying to purchase a mount that will last a good while and that has a good build quality. I've grown quite frustrated recently as I've purchased and returned an Orion Sirius and an iOptron CEM25 mount due to poor manufacturing related defects. It seems like products in this class are quite "rough" and I'd like something a bit more polished, but without paying an insane amount more. At this point I'm willing to increase my mount budget from ~ $1,000 USD to ~ $1,500 USD. Is there anything at around this price point that has better manufacturing quality?

You use the redcat 51 with the star adventurer? Any issue with weight? Do you use a guider? Thanks!

Holy moly, great looking shots. If I already have a nikkor 180mm f2.8, is there a reason to jump on this purchase? Or should I go longer to image smaller objects? I use a star adventurer and nikon d7100 btw.

Can this lens be mounted to a dslr and then supported by that connection alone? In other words can the lens "hang off" a dslr without applying too much stress?

Very cool shot, and nice lens! You have the AF version which is a little lighter than the AIS version I bought. Mine's not AF so probably not usable outside of AP, but mine was probably quite a bit less expensive at $200 used. Good to hear that your camera has no trouble holding it, though.

Thanks for the replies and for the advice! The Nikkor 180mm f2.8 ED AIS weights 800 grams. The salesman at KEH says if the lens doesn't have an included mounting point, then the camera can handle its weight. I ordered it and will report back as to how angry my camera feels at the offense. Also interesting that you say the 5kg capacity of the SA doesn't include the counterweight. But either way, my longest lens will likely be the 180mm so there will be margin for an autoguider. Going out this upcoming weekend to get some widefield shots with a 14mm and break in the SA. Wish me luck!

Hey that's fair enough, I wasn't trying to criticize your design In my case, lacking access to a 3D printer, my solution would certainly involve some jerry-rigging. Interesting that you've been able to use your 200mm lens without support. How heavy/long is it, out of curiosity?

Hmm... I really don't want to have to jerry-rig a 2lb lens onto a makeshift lens mount. Can anyone recommend a lightweight, large-ish aperture lens that would be suitable for DSO imaging and would be light enough to hang unsupported on the camera? I suppose I could go with a 70-200mm with a tripod mount already attached, but those run at around 4 lb, and I imagine I'd be getting very close to the weight limit of the Star Adventurer at that point. (2lb camera + 4lb lens + 3lb counterweight) --> doesn't seem to leave room for an autoguider.

Thanks for the reply! I'm considering a 180mm lens which is 5 inches long and weights 1.8 pounds. What I'm concerned about is: there's no tripod collar on it, and no obvious place to mount one. Do you think, with this weight and size, that a Nikon F-mount would be able to safely support it? It's so difficult to find capacity ratings for this.

I suppose you're right, but I just don't want to waste money on a lens that I can't manage (despite being inexpensive). Any issue with a bargain lens that doesn't have ED glass? I'm thinking of, for example: https://www.keh.com/shop/nikon-200mm-f-4-ai-manual-focus-lens-52.html Thanks!

Howdy, is this thread still active? I'm curious if anyone can recommend a longer focal length for my nikon aps-c sensor dslr to image DSOs. At the moment my longest lens is 85mm. I'm considerting picking up a "bargain" manual focus 300mm f4.5 for a couple hundred bucks. Would this be a good choice, or a bit too long?