Nebbie

Many thanks for the responses....I have a headache now thinking about the advice given !! Seriously though, it's much appreciated and has certainly given me other options to consider whilst the stocks are horrendously low in the shops.

I wondered if enjoying both things may be a problem!!! If I really, really had to make a choice I suppose it would be the latter although I have thoroughly enjoyed my limited time on friends 'scopes (some years ago, other side of the world) just looking around our tiny universe etc. I've been an avid photographer for years now so my trusty DSLR is like my third arm, hence the reason for using it, or at least wanting to use it and to cut down on any other unnecessary expense. In all honesty my line of thought was "I'm certain that I'm going to enjoy it so why not buy a reasonable setup to begin with then I wouldn't have the urge to 'upgrade' after a very short time and, in effect, spend even more money". Hmmm, let me find some 2nd hand gear somewhere...

I’ve been wanting to get into astrophotography (in addition to general star gazing) for some time and have been looking for recommendations; I eventually decided that a Skywatcher 200PDS may be best option without spending a small fortune. I called a store and chatted to them and they suggested that I also think about a EQ6 because of weight of dslr, which I would be using. After doing some more research, mainly on here, I’ve noticed some comments suggesting a better option would be EQ6-R or AZ-EQ6. I haven’t made any purchases yet as nobody seems to have anything in stock so I’m taking the time to ask for advice. I would really appreciate some feedback on the above, with any other alternatives that may be suggested. Many thanks in advance