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Another noob

engstrom

By engstrom
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engstrom

engstrom

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Hi there from Cambridge. There seem to be a lot of Cambridge people on here.

New boy here. Had an interest in getting a 'scope for years but now I think I'm ready to take the plunge. Been scouring the threads for the last couple of days and think I've made my mind up as to what I might buy for both visuals and imaging (been a keen amateur photographer for a while). I think I'm going for a Skywatcher 200p DS on a Heq5 Syntrek...although I may change my mind yet again :-). I'll get the 'scope and mount first and take a few short exposure shots on my 450d then think about guide 'scopes and the like later.

I look forward to getting my 'scope then harassing you guys for help shortly after.

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david o

david o

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Hi there engstrom, welcome to SGL :)

Before making a start with astro-photography I really recommend that you read Making Every Photon Count (by SGL's very own steppenwolf).

Easy to read, it's full of good advice aimed at the imaging novice, including choosing the right equipment - explaining what kit you'll need and, more importantly, why. Helping you avoid poor choices and costly mistakes. There's also loads of tips 'n' tricks as well as lots of other vital stuff.

Have a trawl through the imaging sections too. They're full of info and some very experienced and talented folk who, I'm sure, will be more than happy to share advice and guidance with you.

PS - Might be a good idea to go for an NEQ6 mount to go with that 8" Newt.

HTH :)

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi and welcome to the forum

As others above have said, Making Every Photon Count (FLO £19.95) is a must read before buying any kit. I would advise taking your time if imaging is your goal and getting a good overview is essential on deciding your budget. Remember that collecting the data is only half the story. The remainder is the processing and although there are many excellent software programs that are free, equally there are many others that are not. There's no rush as the stars aren't going anywhere and we don't want your first image of a black hole to be the one in your wallet! :):D

There are some real experts on here who are more than happy to help guide you through this subject which has an initial steep learning curve. Planning and patience is the key.

Hope that helps and here's wishing you clear skies on your endeavour.

James

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engstrom

engstrom

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Hi there engstrom, welcome to SGL :)

PS - Might be a good idea to go for an NEQ6 mount to go with that 8" Newt.

HTH :)

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

I've ordered the book as it's been recommended time and time again.

I gather that the HEQ5 Syntrek has enough strength to carry that tube, imaging equipment and a guidescope. Is there any other reason to go for a NEQ6? FLO do the OTA I want and the HEQ5 for just over a grand whereas the NEQ6 takes me just out of my budget.

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JamesM

JamesM

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I'm sure that the recommendation is in two parts. The first, that purchasing a NEQ6 will future proof your initial investment as your equipment might change in the future or you might want to add some more toys (auto guider etc) which all adds to the need for increased weight capacity and getting the NEQ6 would save you from having to resell a smaller capacity mount as your imaging needs grow. The second, is that it's also about making sure that the total weight of the imaging gear is as small as possible compared to the capacity of the mount because the tracking of any mount will be effected if the gear is anywhere near the total load capacity. The mount should be able to carry the imaging gear 'easily' where as for observing purposes, this is less important and so the weight of observing gear can run very close to the capacity.

Hope that helps

James

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