Gregely

So it has been a few weeks I just wanted to put an update on in case anyone is interested. So the mount and scope has been listed 5 times on eBay I put in 140 for it got accepted. I picked it today overall so far happy with my purchase. No details had been really checked apart from visual observing and checking Ra/Dec movement. Seems fine. I can see no immediate issues with the mount. The scope seems in good nick mirror doesn't seem to have anything on it I can see down the tube. Hopefully tomorrow I can check it out more in dept try my first ever collimation and hoping that tomorrow night I can see a few stars peeking between the clouds and try it with the 4se and the 8" Newtonian that came with it. Greg

Thanks Geoff I may seem stubborn but I do take the advice onboard. I doubt the seller will accept my offer... I have no intention to keep the OTA I would probably just try to sell it and keep the mount. If nobody buying it maybe tinker with it take it apart learn from it so if/when I buy a good quality bigger scope. I am thinking at least a year before I move up or more. This is the plan when I said EAA I probably wasn't clear that I just want to use the sensor of my (or future webcam, imaging device etc.) Camera to add to the visual observing. And I am aware that this hobby probably will over the years will eat up tens of thousands of pounds (it's the my wife's fault she got me the scope...?) I am keeping the 4se OTA for sure. Thanks Rob That is the confirmation information I was looking for. I might be masochistic (probably am...?) I want to go Spartan fully manual for at least a bit to force myself to learn the equipment which I can later (year or so) add electronic aids to (motor drives, goto functionality etc) I feel I will learn more that way if I get frustrated I cannot simply switch to the GOTO. Well I will be making a silly offer I think the seller will be happy with it but you don't ask you don't get...? Lastly I just want to thank everyone on SGL for all the advice and putting up with my stubbornness. Greg

That is what I read too apart from a higher payload capacity of 13kg for visual just under heq5's 15kg. But if I could get it for about £125-£150 that could mean that in a year or so saving I could have an 8" Newtonian OTA or sct on it for visual. So would that be worth it mind it doesn't have any motors.

I understand that, it is the mount that I want really. Is the Bresser exos-2 mount really that rubbish?

Thank you John That is interesting. I haven't made up my mind I probably will leave it or I might make a ridiculously low offer on it. Anyone else has anything to add? How about exos2 is that a good mount? I know heq5 five is the best for me but I am just interested. There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews on it and bad about its GOTO. Thanks Greg

This is great input I hadn't considered the missed clear nights. Hmm something to think about. But I do enjoy a good tinker....Hmm... Is a Bresser exos-2 that much inferior to the heq5? How about the Newtonian OTA in question? Anyone wants to weigh in on that? Thanks

Thank you everyone for the quick response I heard that good advice is to be found on here. Astrophotography as in full blown autoguiding and hours worth of exposures is not really my interest I simply wish to locate an object (get the satisfaction of finding it) observing it through the scope than snapping a photo or two to enhance the details (within limits) DSLR only astrophotography doesn't really intrest me. So I was looking at the heq5 but used on astro buy and sell it starts for £400 but more like £500. So that would be quite long before I could have one. The way I am thinking is if I do this I can have an eq mount now, that is good enough to learn an eq mount. Also has prospects over time. Can an exos-2 with mods match up to a heq5? What I read an eq5 motor would fit (little bit of DIY) the exos-2 so I could start out with a single axis motor drive to give me basic tracking. Is this true? Anybody would like to estimate the resell value of the Newtonian? (Provided it is what I think it is and not ruined. I know it's a risk) Sorry for the multitude of questions but I feel that this is a good deal so I don't want to pass it up to regret it. I will learn to write short posts I promise... Thank you

Hi there SGL It is very long winded so sorry... I am a complete newbie/beginner of astronomy. So you probably can all point out why I am wrong that I cannot see. So: Backstory: My wife bought me a Celestron nexstar 4se for Christmas that kick stared me on my long dormant interest in astronomy and the night sky. I like the OTA and the simplicity of use but I found that I get more enjoyment of learning about the sky rather than just looking at something in the eyepiece that the magic fairy of GOTO bring up for me. Also I found I learned more from finding alignment stars than using the GOTO function. I am interested in taking photos of the objects with my M4/3 DSLR through the telescope, not to take the visually most pleasing images but to utilize the sensitivity of the sensor where my eyes fail me. (Hopefully training my eye will improve on that) So more like EAA without the live aspect. I really don't mind waiting for 30-60 seconds for a photograph to expose and then loon at the details my eyes cannot record. So that brings me to the question: My funds are so limited that I need to make the changes from the price my 4se mount (ideally I would like to keep using the OTA after all it is a present...) I found on eBay (I know now I am asking for it) an 8" Newtonian f4.5 (900mm) ON a manual Bresser exos-2 mount. For under £200 My primary interest is in the mount I know I will not be able to track for photography with it until a RA motor drive been fitted but I think I could learn the ropes with a manual then Mod the mount later (when funds allow it) maybe going for a full Onstep mod in the distant future. What I read about this mount is that payload is 13 for visual and 7 for photography that is more than an eq5 so I can future proof myself a little. Also tracking meant to be good on this. Neq5, eq6, advanced vx, atlas are all out of the question as they are too expensive. Is this mount suitable for my needs? Secondly: The 8" Newtonian is a noname "Astronomical Telescope" see below. What my detective work points to is that this scope most likely is this: https://www.barride-optics.com/html/Astronomical-Telescope_Reflector-Telescope_1547.html It is parabolic and I cannot see anything fundamentally wrong with it. I am hoping that this is a pre branded OK (not great) OTA that I can sell to cover some of the subsequent costs. So should I buy this is this a good option? sorry for the long winded post And thank you

Hi well I have just signed up to this forum with all intentions to ask about equipment and the like. I didn't think that my first post on the forum would be this but after reading this post (one of multiple) I just have to thank the poster. So thank you.