JamesB303

I'll very likely be using refractors with around and under 800mm focal length, with a DSLR attached, for the foreseeable future - so it sounds like a guidescope would be the way to go. The info on pixel size and guiding was very helpful--thanks for that!

Thanks for the info. I'm not worried about cost too much for this particular setup as far as the guidescope and mounting system goes - it should all be less than $200 either way - I just wanted to have an idea of which path to go down. Now it's about finding the right tandem bracket for the side-by-side (I think I prefer this over mounting directly on the scope, mostly for aesthetic reasons).

Hey all, I'm new to the community and the hobby and I'm excited to be here. Thanks for having me! I wanted to get started right away with a question I haven't seen the exact answer to that I'm looking for, and it concerns auto guiding and off-axis guiding systems. Considering that I will be doing wide-field up through intermediate range (500-700mm focal length) AP using DSLR with lenses up through a small-medium scope (to start), here are my question(s): 1. Does either system have an objective advantage over the other, or is it simply personal choice? 2. Does either one make more sense for wide-field up to a particular focal length (or maybe weight?), at which point the other makes more sense, or are the pros and cons pretty much uniform regardless of the setup? 3. Do you have any OAG's you recommend or don't recommend? 4. Any recommendations for guide scopes which would be useful for my range of uses? ***Note: The setups I am comparing would both include a mini monochrome guide camera similar to a ZWO ASI120mm Thanks for any advice or info you can provide. - JamesB303