Earl

Only ever used Canon, im Nikon now what is  the deal with lens compatibility ?

Simple answer is yes.

Learning to use it is far from simple.

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Hmmm.      wonder how big a scope you could fit in place of the tank gun barrel? Talk about a heavy duty alt-az mount. 😁

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturmtiger

WoW that Roboscope rig has really performed !

Im looking at dabbling with a DSLR but need a tracking mount, but... id also like the option to pop a mak 127 on it for luna.

any tips?

5 minutes ago, peter shah said:

I think its some faint Hydrogen, but it is in the dusty part of the MW ....I am grabbing some H-alpha frames for it too, to see if I can bring out some of the faint stuff in the background

looking for war to seeing the results.

Is it my eyes or is there a lot of dark brown nebulosity going on around the corners on this also?

10 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

I upgraded mine for about sixpence...

lly

thankfully the  far more focus stable version  drift on mine was bad over the session.

14 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Again, flatteners for the FSQs? I only know of reducers. (My own FSQ106 is an early fluorite so I can't use the reducer.) Unlike the Baby Q it easily covers 35mm. A friend uses his with the 35x35 Kodak chip.

Olly

yeah reducer my bad

18 hours ago, Ken82 said:

The fsq 85 is a super scope but really needs the additional flattener for aps-c sensors and above. A bit disappointing when you consider it’s supposed to have a 42mm imaging circle. Kind of defeats the purpose of using a petzval ?? With the flattener it’s awesome, I have one 😀

But pound for pound the 100 esprit is probably the better option. That being said, time to contradict myself,  I’d still buy the fsq 85. Just cause I love it ! 
 

Ken 
 

 

Yeah i did too and a 106 (both with flatteners) which was better once i replaced the focuser.

On 25/04/2021 at 10:18, Jonny_H said:

Hi all,

As above - I am curious to get views on Taks and whether the additional premium over other brands that are highly regarded is 'worth it'.

Appreciate that it is up to the buyer as to what they spend their money on - as with most premium/quality products, and for them to judge whether they are worth the premium or not.

But take the FSQ-85 for example at circa £3.5k+ once accessories have been added. For 1/2 the price you can get a very well respected esprit 100ed. I know that's not a true 1-2-1 comparison but the point being you can get a very good quality and highly regarded triplet, larger aperture and focal length scope at 1/2 the price. The Esprit 80ed is almost 3 times less.

I just wondered if the extra cost of the Tak in the example above gives you twice the quality and performance?

THe  FSQ-85 is a killer imaging telescope and designed as such, the esprint is a very good telescope but not as good. is it worth the extra money? Debatable, the size of your wallet or how much of it you wish to use makes that decision.

On 29/04/2021 at 09:57, Astro Noodles said:

I have been attempting DSO astrophotography for a couple of months now but haven't yet produced an image I would be prepared to share on this forum. I understand that this is a difficult and complicated thing to do and there is an enormous amount to learn, and I don't yet really have the equipment or skills.

I was just wondering how long it took you before you had produced an image you were satisfied with and prepared to share?

IMO getting an image is just the last part, taming the gear so it behaves as it should is the tough bit, once that is down the imaging part is relatively easy.

Try finding an Nvida 2060 its just as bad let alone the 30xx range

1 minute ago, ballisticbrian said:

What is pinching for the resident noob?

When the lens cell is over tightened and it distorts the image.

4 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

Broadband, yeah. With the L-Extreme filter?

In the processing

its a good start , id get the colour balance beter as there is a fair bit of blue in those stars to be had

A shutdown procedure is always worth having on the wall so you dont miss anything, I hope you can get the mount fixed

10 minutes ago, Leewfc said:

Im thinking of buying one of these to put in my observatory. I don't leave my equipment in there due to security and the area I live in. Does the mount head attach and remove easily enough? Like on the tripod it just screws on with the accessories tray bolt. Or once its attached you need tools to remove it at the end of the night? Also anyone who has one can you tell me the length of the support legs please? Obviously with the tripod legs they stick out quite far. I need something solid but with a smaller footprint so can move round obsy with more ease and without tripping thanks. 

you will need to unscrew 3 allen bolts to remove it.

8 minutes ago, Coriorda said:

No, I thought that was just for Guiding, I haven't progressed to that just yet : ) 

iirc you can use it to polar align been a few years mind you

Have you used PHD?

On 08/10/2019 at 20:48, Davey-T said:

Where did the fashion for odd size objectives come from 61, 71, 62, 72, 73, 82 etc etc, does it really make any difference to the view ?

Dave

yeah i have been pondering that

I fancy the 150, i did have a 180 but its a bit heavy for me now.

I think a Evostar 120 might be far heavier than you are anticipating. not particularly portable imo

good rule of thumb with mounts is to check what they are supplied with, then if you want to do astrophotography look one or two models above (ideally the best you can afford)

I suspect once prices have gone up and the situation has reached its normal state (whatever that is) the prices will stay up. not due to the retailer but the supply chain.