Kiwi_Brad

Yeah it is tough. As you say on paper the HEQ5 just seems the go to for everyone but not much more for the AZ-EQ5 and it’s belt driven which people say is conservancy better. Doesn’t sound like you have had any issues with your HEQ5 or did you mod it? Everything is so expensive here with conversion and transport costs. Thanks for the tips. I’ll leave the IOptron I think.

Hi team, My Explore Scientific iExos-100 has has some issues (great beginner mount though by the way). I am looking to move up and have three mount in mind a iOptron ZEQ25 on a 2 inch pier for $1500NZD a Skywatcher HEQ5 pro for $2300 or a Skywatcher AZ-EQ5GT on a pier as that setup can come for $2600. I know this is belt driven as standard. clearly the iOptron is older but also a much cheaper price and looks pretty solid. Does anyone have solid advice around these mounts for me. cheers

Thanks Steve appreciate the help and feed back. Possibly but worth the OAG journey just yet then. Brad

Thanks for that Steve. That adapter could do the trick with OAG replacing the t ring is it. So Low profile adapter into OAG straight into MPCC. With the OAG I see lots are purchased with a helical focused which seems to be where this conversation has headed is that correct. Thanks for your help everyone.

This is the set up exactly as I have it now. Are you guys suggesting to put the OAG before the CC? would be interesting to get the thin adapter and a thin OAG then I just space it out to hit the 57.5 as required by the MPCC? I’m confusing myself here...

Hi guys Does anyone have a solution for OAG with a Nikon DSLR. Seems like a better option if I could make it work than buying a new guide scope plus would reduce some mount weight. Nikon D5600 with a sky watcher 130pds using a baader cc. Thanks

Yes it’s not a lot of time compared to those sorts of hours I just don’t know that they would get much better with more of the same data? I guess that’s the point. I think my biggest issue is sorting focus and possibly getting a bigger mount for better tracking. Some great viewing and easy to get to dark skies here but not so many galaxy’s this time of year. Thanks for your comments.

Love this scope. These are my very first images from it and other than a very short image on lagoon nebula my first images at all. Carina is only Ha Sii with the Duo Band Optolong. Both are taken with my full modified D5600. Maybe an hour each of data. Much better images than the very. Heap refractor I first tried with.

Yeah they are. I have had a go at Carina before but without a filter and it wasn’t a great result. I used the Optolong Duo band Ha and SII I think it is. It’s also perfectly positioned for me. I have taken a decent photo of the lagoon and trifid before but only a few frames. These have got about an hour on each. How the hell people get ten hours on one image I have no idea! If any one wants to have a go at processing the Carina data let me know because I truly have no idea what I’m doing in that department Thanks for your feedback.

Evening everybody. Just finished up as best I can processing these two which are my first images with actual time on target. Any tips to get better much appreciated. I’m pushing my mount pretty hard. I modified my Nikon D5600 the Carina Nebula is Ha only. I have a Explore Scientific iExos-100 PMC-eight. Very happy with it just working it pretty loaded with a Skywatcher PDS 130 and the Dslr. Cheap 50mm guide scope and ZWO asi120mm guide camera. Plenty of light pollution on the Orion Nebula from my back yard with no filter and possibly my focus is a touch off or that could just be the tracking errors cause the slight blur? cheers

Great thanks. I’ll get the OTA and have a play around with it all then grab a CC. See what the colour and clarity are like through this new set up. Cheers

Thanks for the advice which version of the Baader coma corrector are you referring. Although nothing seems to be in stock at the moment. I currently use all 2” equipment.

I have been reading this site for a while and playing around with Astro for about a year. I have a mount and guide set up and taken some okay photos. Nothing like on here but I’m happy so far where I was using a cheap refractor the SV48. I have a Skywatcher 130p-ds on the way from FLO all the way to NZ. I currently use a DSLR with a full modification a Nikon D5600. Modified myself and seems to work well it’s very sensitive. I’m considering upgrading my camera. Are their any recommendations for a camera upgrade. At this stage only wanting to stay with colour if I can. I have all 2” filters an HA and astromania light pollution. Can someone tell me a good lower end OSC for this reflector (I see some much about resolution vs pixel size. Maybe my Nikon is just fine? Finally any tips and tricks moving from the cheap refractor to the reflector. I don’t have a coma corrector at this point (so dam pricey) but feel free to recommend a good pair. I will also play around with a 2x 2” ED Barlow as I like galaxies. Thanks for the knowledge and wisdom already shared. Very low res image attached of the southern pinwheel galaxy. Terrible CA (I think). Cheap refractor remember.