jcj380

Wondering what a realistic load capy. is for a Vixen APZ. My biggest scope is an ST120 refractor that weighs about 5.5 kg with 8x50 finder and eyepiece. I'm thinking of upgrading to a Crayford focuser which I believe will add another half kilo or so. I currently have a Twilight 1 which seems maxed out with the 120 and a SkyWatcher AZ5 which handles it a bit better, but it's also close to max load, I think. I have a Manfrotto 475B and a stock TW1 tripod. I'd prefer not to use a counterweight, but if it's a necessity, so be it. Thanks!

There's an AZ5 mount which is identical to the Explore Scientific Twilight 1 (which I have) and also a Skywatcher AZ5 (which I also have). Both have slo-mo. The identical names were a bit confusing to me when I first started researching mounts. Just a note for any new folks. Question - How much load can a typical Giro-style mount handle before a counterweight is necessary? Thanks.

Many nice objects in Orion, Canis Major, Monoceros, Gemini, and Auriga. Perseus and Cassiopeia also.

As written, light pollution makes a huge difference when looking for "faint fuzzies", but atmospheric conditions and the altitude of the object can also make things more difficult. I live in a Bortle 7-8 light pollution zone and the faintest stars I can see by naked eye are about 3rd magnitude. At best, I can see the two stars at the end of the Little Dipper's bowl but no others aside from Polaris. I've learned that I really can't perceive any extended object like a galaxy here that's fainter than 8th magnitude and some of those are challenging with my current scopes and the altitude of the object above my horizon. I usually confine my home observing to open star clusters, variable stars, and double stars, with an occasional attempt at brighter planetary nebulas. Galaxy hunting is reserved for trips to sites with darker skies. I'm also coming to embrace lunar observing. It's big, bright, and almost always high in the sky when there is a clear night here.

Not as sophisticated as some online tools, but I find this one quite useful. Once I print out a list, I add it to a binder for field use. SAC

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but I don't see much mention of Bresser products in the US. I learned of the existence of Spezials here on SGL. I'm considering a pair of 15x70s myself.

For me, it seems more a question of balance and geometry than anything else (assuming reasonable weight). I have the hardest time with a pair of very lightweight 8x32 Opticrons - maybe I drink too much coffee?

For additional height, you could consider a length of PVC pipe. Slip the bottom of the monopod into it. Plus PVC is very inexpensive and is easily cut to length. Just a thought...

Not sure if this helps, but I made a rectangular frame from PVC pipe and fittings and hang black nylon shower curtains on it. Mine sits on the ground or my deck, but it might be possible to rig up a hoist of some kind if it needs to be higher.

Looks great! From what I've read, more people are using concrete block piers instead of pouring concrete. Certainly easier than mixing by hand or having concrete delivered IMO. Curious how the long-term stability turns out. OTOH, if it gets out of plumb or whatever, it should be relatively easy to reseat or replace. Good luck!

Sorry for my delay. I have f5 80mm and 120mm refractors and a 90mm f12 (?) Maksutov. I would likely use the 80mm, definitely not the Mak. Camera is TBD, but likely a ZWO, probably mono.

Curious what you used for the front surface mirror and where you obtained it. Tnx!

I could see how far off my Celestron 15x70s SkyMasters were off by alternating views of Orion's belt when it was pretty much vertical in the sky. It was centered in one side, but well off center in the other. I'm told the two sides needn't match perfectly, but this was well beyond an acceptable offset. Unfortunately, I was never able to collimate them very well, so I got rid of them rather than struggle.

I've read some things about people doing live stacking with manual unguided alt-az mounts. Anybody here have experience doing or at least trying that? I realize exposures / depth will be limited, but I'm curious about results. Thanks.

I'm in a similar position. Light pollution at home limits naked eye magnitude to around +3, maybe +3.5. I have darker sites available but the nearest is at least a 45 minute drive plus the time to pack, unpack, set up, etc., so I'm starting to research EAA. From what I've read, decent results on faint objects with stacked unguided short exposures using relatively inexpensive cameras are quite achievable. I've read good reviews of both ASILive (ZWO) and SharpCap live stacking. I'm considering a monochrome ZWO just to dip my toe in the water.

Wow. No noise with mine, although it's relatively new. The clutch adjustments seem finer than those on my Twilight 1. I can set the clutches to allow hand slewing and slo-mo at the same time on the AZ5. There are those little access hatches - I imagine you could clean out the gears and regrease easily. I'll have to take a closer look.

First pair arrrived broken, replacement pair was badly out of collimation out of the box. I would have returned the second pair, but I waited too long. I was able to adjust the collimation but only partway. I had to use them pretty much as side-by-side monoculars. So, I'm looking for good QC and something that holds collimation well. If they should go out of collimation, I'd like something that can be recollimated well, preferably without shipping them to a repair company. If I stay with 15x70s, the current frontrunners are Oberwerk Deluxe.

I want to replace my Celestron 15x70s with a better quality pair, and I'm considering moving up to 20x80s. I have tripods and fluid heads and all, so there would be no problem mounting them. But I already have an 80mm f5 grab-and-go refractor and I'm just wondering if 20x80s would be redundant and 15x70s would be a better choice. Thoughts? Thanks.

Nikon Aculon 10x50s. These are my main binos now since I tossed my never-able-to-be-well-collimated Celestron Skymaster 15x70s in the bin. I'm considering a pair of Oberwerk 15x70 Deluxe as a replacement. I also have a pair of US Navy issue 1943 or so 7x50s. Optical quality is very good, but they're quite heavy compared to my others. And my wife has a pair of Opticron 8x25s for nature watching that I snitch now and then. They're surprisingly good little binos - compact, light, and quite sharp.

The Celestron SkyMaster 15x70s have known quality control problems. The first pair I bought from Amazon arrived broken. The replacement pair arrived badly out of collimation and I’ve never been able to collimate them well. They do pull out deep sky objects well if I use them as a monocular. I bought my wife a small pair of Opticrons for nature watching and they’re quite good for the price.

I have a Manfrotto 475B that I use with my Twilight 1, Skywatcher AZ5, and Stellarvue M1V. It's light, portable, and can handle a decent load. I've not traveled by air with it, but I'm reasonably sure it folds down small enough. I should add that it has a standard 3/8-in mounting bolt. An adapter would be required for other sizes.

AZ5 from FLO arrived right as scheduled yesterday. 4-5 days transatlantic DHL shipping was faster than I get things from California via UPS or USPS. I really like the short slo-mo controls and the mount *feels* sturdier than my Twilight 1. The AZ5 has a nicer form factor too IMO. It's not as smooth as my M1V, but that's probably not a fair comparison since the M1V is friction only without slo-mo. Of course it's cloudy so a field test with different scopes will have to wait. I think I'll be quite happy with this mount, but I do want to get push-to encoders on it somehow. Thank you, FLO!

Has anyone mounted push-to encoders on their AZ5? If so, what did you use and how complex was it to mount them? I have a Twilight 1 with Astro Devices encoders and I'd like to put encodes on my soon-to-be-delivered AZ5. Not sure if I can move the ones on my TW 1 to the AZ5. Thanks!

Cloudy Nights has several threads about converting somewhat larger plastic sheds into flip-top or roll off roof observatories. Seems relatively easy, but I have no personal experience since my homeowners association forbids outbuildings of any kind.

Nikon 10x50s and Celestron 15x70s. I like the light-gathering ability of the Celestrons, but they were out of collimation when I got them and I stupidly didn't try them until the return period had expired. I was able to recollimate them somewhat, but the adjustment screws are as far as they'll go now. I would not buy another pair even though they were "a bargain".