Seleckta

Thanks Olly, After digesting all the various points of view I'm now thinking of just getting a proper tripod and guide set up for my Star Adventurer / WO 61 and see how far I can take it from there!

Hi Sam, My reason for avoiding guiding was, if I was to take the set-up out and about I didn't want to be messing about with a laptop etc. Is there a guiding solution that would negate the need for all too much extra kit? I want to enjoy imaging in a fairly basic way and all the extra set-up would, I think, get in the way of that.

Thanks Dave, interesting advice....I think I'm edging away from DFO if I'm honest...following a telecon early last week I emailed them and still no reply so perhaps that is a sign of things to come! The CEM25 is now in the running...what is the largest scope I could get on that? (weight wise I guess).

Hi, DFO do mount mods, not camera mods....or am I missing something?

Hi Olly, thanks for the reply. I read the post re: Dark Frame Optics and whilst agreeing that their experience was pretty awful, I've also read some great reviews about the service they offer elsewhere on the web. and no other posts about them here on SGL...though that might also be something to set alarm bells ringing! So confused.

Cheers U. Much appreciated.

Thanks Tonato. I'm sure the HEQ5 is a great mount but it seems like it"s the ONLY mount worth considering. Down the line, you never know but for now portability and cost are overriding factors.

Hi SimM, No chance of a pier in le jardin at this stage. My kitchen is big enough to leave a mount/scope set up ready to take outside when the skies are clear.

Not at all...sorry, perhaps my original post could have been more detailed, your response was fab because it confirmed the 130pds was a good scope. I'm happy to collimate a scope and don't need a 80ed as I already have the WO61. This is just going to be an occasional hobby and so not worth the investment of an HEQ5 pro / cooled ccd / guide scopes etc. If I go for a Dark Frame Optics mod on a mount and they are as good as they say they are then I should get near HEQ5 pro performance without the added complications. I'd be taking the mount and WO around the UK to the Peak district and Kielder on occasion but not anything too serious...like I said, just an occasional hobby.

Hi Happy-kat... I've not even started using it really and have not even had the WO61 on the Star Adventurer yet! I've managed to save £1500 and am really not interested in cooled cameras etc. I spoke to the chap at Dark Frame Optics who said, with their modifications, I could expect 5 minute + unguided with either my WO61 or a SW130pds. At present I don't have the time nor patience to submit to the full requirements/dark arts of AP but want to be able to take some half decent shots without too much hassle and, more importantly, without going over budget....I wouldn't know a dark frame if it punched me in the face! I have to be honest when I say that a lot of responses to questions on this site fail to answer the questions asked and just make newbies like me even more confused. I know everyone has an opinion but...

Hi Louise, but what about the EQM35 pro (with modifications) which is what I was asking about?

Sorry, yes a mount mainly but will get the 130pds just because.

Canon 200D....for now.

Hi, Canon 200d...as compact a DSLR as you could hope for. Not the best but it will suffice for now. Ioptron CEM25...all reviews point to them being somewhat delicate.

I bow deepy to the experience and knowledge on this forum.... Hi, I am looking for crystal clear answers to a cloudy question. Almost total Noob to AP but I am lucky enough to have a budget of £1500 for a basic AP set up. I already have a WO61 and a SW Star Adventurer and use a Canon 200d. I have done so much research on this that I am almost tempted to give up because....questions around mounts asked on this forum are often (always) answered with 'get an HEQ5 Pro' and, in this case I am not after that model. I live in London, do not have a car and am likely to be found turning the light out around 10! My set up needs to be portable otherwise I will just get bored of lugging it about. I'll take my Star adventurer and WO61 (on a weighted camera tripod) with me on hols etc. With the proper mount and 130pds more for back garden use. I have been looking at an EQM 35 Pro (with mods done by Dark Frame Optics) and a SW 130pds. I may or may not get a guide scope (apparently no need at the level I want to be at and after modding by DFO). Looking at larger scopes and working on the 50% AP weight limit to go up to any decent sized scope beyond the 130pds would realistically need an 5Pro or EQ6 which is about as grab and go as a herd of excited elephants. At present I am exceedingly unlikely to be out with whatever set-up I have more than 10-15 times a year and even then for no more than a couple of hours per session. So my questions: EQM35 Pro (DFO modded) / 130pds / WO61...good combo? Could I attach my Star Adventurer to the tripod of the EQM35? Is the 130pds the biggest OTA I could get on a modded EQM35 pro? It would be great if HEQ5 Pro was not any part of an answer! Image attached is from my third (out of 5) outing with the SW Star Adventurer...not world beating but (so far) the best photograph I have ever taken.