Matt61

Having tried with a laser and then a Cheshire collimator my conclusion is there's a risk of relying on a laser that is out of collimation itself . I now realise my eyes are better than the laser.

I've got a 5dmk2 and 7d. I don't intend modding either. You'll get responses saying you must have the latest expensive kit . A top of the range mount and tripod. Ask yourself who you aim to please with images . Then make a decision around your budget.

My sister bought her husband a pair of nikon binoculars this Christmas. We sat outside last night observing. Her reaction was brilliant to see . She said " now I know what you meant "

I didn't touch the spider vanes at all. Personally using a Cheshire collimator it was a case of adjusting the central philips head screw to get the secondary mirror under the focusser correctly ( this was out on my 2nd hand scope)and rotating it in tiny increments. Then balancing and tweaking the 3 Allen bolts to get the mirror as circular as you can . I'd say this is easier than concentrating on the 3 mirror clips.

You may find info on cycling forums just a thought.

It's a German Equatorial mount. Rather than try to explain google or you tube will show to set one up

I've just looked and realise that the focusser differs between our telescopes .Yours being more basic. One site recommends putting some ptfe tape( the white plumbers tape available cheaply in any diy store) If when adjusting your focus it all feels a bit loose and imprecise a couple of turns of tape around the screw thread could help in making fine adjustments.

Focussing on them was no problem although obviously the more magnification used the more crucial it becomes. If I rember correctly best view was via 5mm bst starguider eyepiece. The rings of Saturn clearly defined. At best feint bands on Jupiter of different colours. 4 distinct moons all different colours. ( you could check collimation mines spot on now. Pay attention to getting the secondary mirrors centred and looking as circular as possible under the focusser. I got there with a Cheshire tool fairly easily. Corrections are tiny on those 3 Allen screws. After that getting the black dot central on main mirror is pretty easy . Do allow time for any vibration to settle when changing focus too.Iwould also say don't over magnify expecting to see more and concentrate at first Jupiter looked like a bright disc it took time to tune in and see more.

I've got a skywatcher 150P on Equatorial. Since purchase in September only once have I had good viewing of Saturn and Jupiter with any detail. Conditions in Gloucestershire have just been poor worsening since they've got lower . I upgraded to Bst eyepieces which are stunning elsewhere in sky. I'm resigned to waiting for better conditions

There's photography and there's photography. I am not going to kill your dreams though. For £200 I picked up nearly £400 worth of scope used just 6 times. It's capable of giving me excellent pictures. Second hand could be an option to explore. OK at the top tier you are looking at thousands but don't think you can't drive because you can't afford a Ferrari. Before buying do your research ,ask around and to be honest waiting won't hurt. My guess is come the New Year many disillusioned Christmas telescope owners sell up. He's never going to see things as the Hubble telescope sees them. ( I've been delighted to pick out Saturn's rings and seeing even our own moon in detail is breathtaking. But since purchase in September the weather has given just 3 windows to view in.) Good luck in your search

If it's anything like the skywatcher circles I've read they are essentially just for show. When you consider how the scale is marked it's hardly a precision instrument.

My skywatcher Explorer 150P is an 750mm F5. To be honest I was worried about collimation. However with a Cheshire collimator it was painless. The most difficult being getting the secondary aligned under the focusser. That done the rest is simple . Personally I found laser hopeless as it wasn't aligned itself and doesn't help with that first step of centering the secondary.

I got the skywatcher 150P on an eq3 pro mount. I've been impressed so far. It's the 750 f5 . I also looked at the 200p but for me it appeared a little unwieldy for transport and storage ( interesting to see comments above). My dslr attaches easily and there's no problem focussing. The weakest link for me is the tripod so I'd say the eq5 would cope admirably. I'd also budget for eyepiece. I picked up 2 bst starguider that make a huge difference. They are very well built and have retractable eye cups that I imagine would be good with glasses.

I've often found the marked infinity point on a lens isn't always the sweet spot. My advice would be to work around that point. It's time consuming but what you can do is take test shots review magnified on camera lcd and fine tune focussing. Once happy tape the focus ring . You can afford to do do that at high iso.

Canon live view should have exposure simulation . So yes whatever parameter you alter shutter speed or iso should be obvious on screen. Certainly on my 5d mk2 I will deliberately set it to over expose for low light focus or composition then reset to to my desired exposure. Note also you may be getting zoom movement on the 100 to 400 if it's the older version of the lens with the push pull zoom action. If tripod mounted turn all lens stabilisation off.