LottJT

That's good to hear. I've obviously got no experience so have tried to do quite a bit of reading up and based on what others have said these seem like a good start. I'm hoping I can barlow the 16mm Nirvana for higher magnification but if not will think about getting the 7mm Nirvana too when I can afford it.

With the seller saying that it was no longer for sale I bought the it from FLO along with a 12mm BST Starguider as I'm in a bit of a hurry to upgrade from the stock EPs. Thanks for querying though, if it does become available again it will hopefully benefit someone else.

Thanks for the heads up. I did actually enquire but the seller said they have are no longer selling due to lack of interest. That confused me a little if I'm honest as I'm interested but it's obviously their choice.

Yes, they do seem like good value from the shopping around I've been doing. I'm going to get one and then try to decide whether to get the 7mm too or a 12mm BST as I try to upgrade my EP selection. Thanks for your help, I know it can be personal preference but it's still reassuring to learn from others' experience before spending your hard earned money.

I also have an Orion XT8 dobsonian and am looking to upgrade from the stock eyepieces. Living under bortle 6, maybe 7 skies means this thread is really relevant and useful. I was planning on going for a couple of BSTs but I've seen you say good things about the 82° Nirvanas so, based on your advice of going higher mag complimented by wider FOV, I think I'd be better off going for the 16mm for DSOs. Before I part with my money I just wanted to check that it would be decent (I say decent as I'm being realistic with the sub £80 price tag) at f5.9, I think you have experience of the Nirvanas at f6? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Well the only imaging I've ever done was 1x 30sec shot of the Milky Way taken on holiday with my DSLR propped against a shoe to point it skyward...so this is definitely better than what I've produced! I'm obviously not in a position to judge other people's images but it definitely looked like the tracker has done what it promises. Thanks for sharing.

I'll await your Hubble level images with anticipation! 😉

Hope it went well. I'd be very interested to see how you got on.

I've looked at some used Manfrottos and Gitzos but the only ones in my budget seem to be the less sturdy models or those without heads. As I need to get the LX3 and probably a Starwatcher equatorial wedge as well as the tripod I need to keep the costs down where possible so something like the Neewer seems to fit the bill. Thanks a lot for the advice, it's all been really helpful. 👍

Thanks for the recommendation. Good to read of someone using a similar set up to what I'm proposing. I know it's more suited to wide angle Milky Way images but have you managed to capture any DSOs with it?

Yes, I've read that carbon fiber is a good option and I know Neewer make decent budget alternatives to the higher quality brands so I may go for that if I can't find a Manfrotto or Gitzo for similar money. Thanks for getting back to me.

I haven't looked at used yet so I'll definitely see what's available for around the £100 mark. If I don't see anything the Neewer you suggest could be a good option, I'm familiar with the brand so would sort of know what to expect in terms of quality. If it's used by a few other people of the forum I guess this level of tripod and head is sturdy enough to image with - do you know if anyone has used it with the Mini Track LX2/LX3 because I'm pretty sure the LX3 is the route I'lltake but just need to sort a tripod and head too? Thanks for your response and I hope you don't mind a follow up question, I just want to make sure I'm spending my hard-earned money on equipment that will get me started. I know I'm definitely at the budget end but from what I've seen, if I spend wisely, things like Andromeda and Orion nebula should be possible.

Hi Peter, I'm thinking of buying the LX3 and as this would be my start in astrophotography I'd need a tripod and head too, you seem to know of some good alternatives so I'm wondering if you can offer any advice to someone who doesn't have Manfrotto money. I've read that Vanguard make decent budget tripods so do you have any idea if something like this would be sufficient for the LX3 with my Nikon D5600 with 18-55mm kit lens, 70-300mm and 50mm Nikon series E lens? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vanguard-Alta-Pro-263AB-100/dp/B004OYUDG4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=vanguard+alta+pro+tripod&qid=1587317337&sr=8-3 Any advice on tripods and heads would be much appreciated.