Gimboid

Thank you all for the welcome 🙂 Damn it... I got this thought in my head now.. can imagine a neighbour peaking out their upstairs window and wondering what they would thinking... big fat hairy guy next door walking around their garden with more layers on than you can shake a stick at but missing his pants lol Hi Helen.. North Cardiff.. currently in Llandaff North where I have been renting for 18 years but going through a good but complicated patch in life all of which is part of a master plan to get back on the property ladder so will soon be moving to Tongwynlais and bunking in with family and all being well in the not too distant future will be moving up along a bit further.. possibly a brief stop in Caerphilly (still with family) and then ultimately buying something in either Rhondda or Rhymney valley somewhere.

Hi Wes.. to give you a bit more detail of what I have been doing and what I am thinking... I had a smaller scope before this one which I had used even less and when I looked to upgrade I had considered going for a goto mount.. without taking any advice I decided not to go with a goto figuring that using a normal mount would put me in a position that I would have to learn the sky straight from the off and that has been my primary goal since plus, although the obvious goal is to look at something in the sky be it a planet, dso etc etc the idea of the challenge of finding what it is I want to look at also very much interests me and although I haven't got very far as of yet, that is where I am right now. Idea behind the items I suggested.. I want something that I can use with the telescope but also want to use stand alone, thought I could shove the camera on top of the scope or buy a second tripod.. have been watching videos on youtube.. different folk taking some long exposure shots of say the milkyway etc so that's an interest too. I have taken a few photos of the moon using my phone.. I didn't even have a mount to hold camera in place but was quite pleased with the results of a first attempt and it is that which initially sparked my interest in astrophotography. I don't mind spending 2-300 quid to have a crack... I don't spend money on much else in life nowadays lol I just don't want to spending silly money quite yet. Was planning on buying a tracking motor then thought if i bought a couple items like I mentioned or similar then that would keep me within budget but wasn't sure if my selections where ideal or not.

Thanks for the replies.. My telescope.. with the info I know and looking online.. I have a skywatcher 150PL and it's on a eq3.2 mount. It's not a tracking mount... my intention is to add a dual-axis motor drive.. would this be the way so go or would I for any reason be better off buying a different mount? Books.. have come across both these titles mentioned in other posts along with the same advice on this site so have already made a notes and will purchase shortly. Bahtinov mask.. no problem ordering one of them.. one question though, what size? I only ask because I was looking on Rother Valley Optics and ofc there are various sizes but the is 105-150mm, 125-180mm and 150-200mm.. I'm assuming that any of these will work on mine... can I take it that the 105-150mm would be fine for me and the only reason for the larger sizes would be considering the future as in purchasing a larger telescope.

allo allo.. if I may I would like some advice regarding transporting my telescope/mount... I have seen several different types of bags which are made for the job.. I had also considering making a lined/padded carry box with 2 sections in it one being for the scope itself and the other for the mount/tripod and although I think it would be great for transporting in the van I see the idea coming unstuck if I have to park up and walk and distance while trying to carry a big box. Unfortunately I am on a budget so was hoping someone could recommend something reasonably priced just to start me off whether it be a bag made for the job or some sort of alternative that will do the job. I believe I have a skywatcher 150pl.. The uncertainty comes from the fact I have barely used it since buying it and currently it's packed away so can't check but looking around online i'm pretty sure that's what I have. Cheers 🙂

Hello all... pvt newbie reporting in from Cardiff, South Wales. As the title suggests.. I know nothing but hopefully that will change in the future.. I do have a telescope that I bought approx 1 year ago but I haven't really used it properly.. so far it's been a few times in the garden but soon after setting up it's omg it's cold and i'm going back indoors 😛 Although it was never properly pursued I have always had an interest in photography, have been curious about astronomy for a long time and now after spending some time online looking and trying to learn I am very much interested in the idea of astrophotography so... here I am.. My first question has already been posted.. I'm sure there will be many more lol

Hello one and all A total beginner here who is looking for a bit of advice... I'm sure my questions have been asked many times but I can assure you that I have been doing some research before posting but at the moment I am finding it all a bit hard to digest. I currently have a telescope although for the life of me I can't remember exactly what it is.. haven't used it much at all and it is currently packed away.. It is a Skywatcher... a 150 something on what I believe is a eq3-2 mount that's best I got with out looking at it 😛As I said, I haven't used it a lot and when I have it's usually staring at the moon or towards Orion but I am quite happy with the minimal progress that I have made so far. Lately I have been reading about various sites including this one plus trawling through youtube and right now I am very interested in having a go at astrophotography but knowing myself as well as I do I want to start very basic and simple.. more from a cost pov tbh. Have found in the past I have ideas, spend money and find that im not as interested as I thought and it becomes a waste of money and it's something I want to try and avoid for a change. So.. dslr, which one to start with? I know opinions vary but after a couple evenings of reading I am very much under the impression that a Canon of sorts is a safe route to take and after reading and watching various videos I have come up with an idea of a EOS 450D and a EF 50mm f1.8 II Lens both of which happen to be on WEX.. I had started of looking on Ebay/Gumtree etc but after reading a few posts on here then started looking on a few proper sites with the idea being you have a better idea of what you are buying plus a bit of warranty. When it comes to early results I am not expecting or even looking to be starting off with spectacular images hence why I want to start on a budget.. I figure I have more than enough to learn before worrying about buying expensive gear and progressing with what will hopefully be a new hobby but as a starter route, what do you think? Can I buy less, do I need more? The 2 items are £126 which is in my budget but also bare in mind I don't have a clue as to what would be considered cheap/expensive for said items. Out of curiosity... the shutter count on a camera.. what would be considered low/high.. well, low obviously speaks for itself but what is considered high or even too high stay away if that is a thing? Any advice/help will be greatly appreciated 🙂