Dougie82

Thanks badhex. I will give this a try.

Thanks Len1257. I have taken your advice. Awaiting a reply.

Thanks for the speedy responses guys. I will look into your suggestions GoldTop57. Thanks for the practical advice. I bought it from RVO nearly 2 years ago with a 102 mak. Just now considering imaging and have recently purchased a 127 mak. The difference in observed detail is quite noticeable. There is a hole to accept the shaft, just no threads.

I have had this mount for a while now and it has served me well for visual astronomy. I thought I might have a go using it in equatorial mode and I noticed I don’t have the M12 threads to accept the counterweight shaft. Is it possible to tap these threads or do I need to replace the mount?

Thank you both for your replies. I will certainly look to obtain a Barlow. My dslr is a rather old Nikon d3200. Not really familiar with using live view and didn't realise you could zoom. I am dipping my toes into this astrophotography thing and the image I obtained from my attempt was a very fuzzy oval which is recognisable as Saturn but very blurred, hence no pic posted. The viewing conditions are also less than ideal as Saturn appears right above a streetlight so I am amazed I can see anything. Post processing is limited as I don't have a pc or a laptop. Using a Mac 27" and running lynkeos and gimp. Even if I don't manage to obtain a decent image, just looking through the eyepiece blows me away.

Got superb views of Saturn and several moons through the eyepiece of my Skywatcher 102mm mak on an AZ GTi mount using the 25mm eyepiece. However, when I connected my dslr I could barely discern Saturn on the live view screen. It was just a pinprick and very hard to obtain focus. I thought about maybe attempting eyepiece projection but unfortunately I dropped my extension tube and dented the rim so the nose piece no longer screws into it. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get a better image?

I have just purchased a SW 102 with the AZ GTi mount from RotherValley Optics and I concur with the OP. Not had the opportunity to view much yet but the views of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn I have had have blown me away. Now thinking of attempting the EQ mode in order to capture images with my Nikon dslr.