Lost in scope jungle, needs help

[ThomasBR]

Hello, I am yet another newbie asking for help to choose my first scope.

From ploughing through the forum I can see that it is good to first consider what I will use it for – and of course I want it all: planets, DSO, imaging and…the list goes on. After more reading it is obvious (duh) that I can’t on my shoestring budget of 400£. Initially the budget was 200, then 300 and then 400 which pretty much guts my piggybank. So a behemoth reflector on HEQ6 with guide scope and super cooled CCD is currently out of reach (although I can see from the imaging section that they produce pretty nice pics).

So, settling for less I plan on simple astrophotography of planets and bright/compact DSOs mixed with visual. After looking at many scope reviews and pondering prices/package deals on FLO I am (currently) down to the choice between to setups: SW Skymax 127 MAK on a Supatrak AltAz mount and SW Explorer 150PL on EQ3 with dual axis drive motors. The latter setup eats the entire budget so there is no room for extras except for a T ring to mount my EOS 500D.

I realize that EQ mounts are optimal for AP but when I read more reviews of the EQ3 mount I could see that I will get star trails after about 30-60s exposure even with careful PA (including guide scope). Drift alignment could perhaps expand the max possible exposure time but it should talk about an hour. As I do not have so much time, I don’t think drift alignment I an option for me.

I am also a bid concerned about the load the EQ3 can carry and still be stable enough for AP. The 150PL should weigh about 5 kg and my dSLR housing adds another 500g. Will it overload the mount/standard SW motors? (I know that a bigger mount would be better but unfortunately the budget does not allow for it).

The AltAz mount will of course introduce field rotation but I cannot figure it that will have any substantial effect on pics with up to a few minutes exposure time?

Enough rambling for now. Comments and suggestions are much appreciated

[hemihaggis]

i have just sold a 127 mak for 200 quid so keep your eyes open in the for sales sections . they are great scopes . also have a look for a newtoinian ...they are very reasonable . and good all round scopes

[Pete Presland]

you could get this for just a bit less than £400 skywatcher explorer -200p - eq5 its a good visual scope

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5

the eq5 is probably not good enough for astrophotography though,but you might get an even better deal 2nd hand.ideally you want a minimum of an heq5 for astrophotography.

[JamesM]

I remember someone asking me what I wanted to look at/do in astronomy as a way of narrowing done the options - like you I said everything!

With regard to imaging, may I recommend getting hold of Steve Richards "Making Every Photon Count" (FLO £19.95) It will tell you everything you need to know be it from techniques to kit to help you understand the bigger picture (sorry, couldn't help myself) regarding imaging and potential difficulties which ultimate equals budget decisions. Having said that, you can image planets and moon using a web cam which, when the frames are stacked together, can produce a good image using software that is free.

The tricky part comes with imaging deep sky objects (DSO's) namely galaxies and nebula etc hence accurate tracking and alignment which can come at a price. A dobsonian will provide you with the biggest aperture per pound spent which will help resolve detail when you are observing. You can later transfer it from its alt/Az mount to a quality equatorial mount for the DSO's later on once you've read the book and asked more questions on here to ascertain a likely true budget. Remember that capturing data via the scope is one thing, processing the image is another and although there is a lot of free software to be had, there is also some software that will need to be purchased too.

The most important thing of all is to take your time as the stars aren't going anywhere. Your budget won't be enough to do all that you want to do but it will help you make a good start.

Clear skies

James

[brantuk]

I'd get a used CG5 GT goto mount - they come up for £300-£400 depending on age and condition. Then I'd get either the £150P or £150PL (OTA only) brand new for about £190 - or a s/h one from the For Sale section for around £100-£120'ish. Could only cost £550 including one or two essential accessories

[chemtom24]

bunnygod has given a good link. a 200p on an eq5 is an excellent scope for visual and will let you have a dabble with astro photography. for 400 brand new its one of the better deals.

I really wouldnt go for anything under 150mm aperture wise, you will regret it in a couple of months time - you want bigger and bigger! so going straight in with the 200 is a good idea

check out astrobuysell.co.uk for now since you can access the for sale section here for another month. you might find yourself a bargain theres a couple of eq5's on the for sale section here for ~125, and 200p's for ~140 so you maye get the above setup for ~300 2nd hand

[ThomasBR]

Thanks for the good suggestions! The 200p on EQ5 does seem like a quite good deal. If I want motors on that it'll somewhat strech the budget once again (yes I already have aperature fever).

I have read elsewhere on the forum that the EQ3-2 is hard pressed carrying the 150pl (which is one of the options I consider). On the other hand, I have seem some very nice pictures with exeactly that setup in the imaging section.

I like the s/h option so I guess I'll spend a month getting up to >50 posts to see whats on the s/h market

[John]

...I like the s/h option so I guess I'll spend a month getting up to >50 posts to see whats on the s/h market

While you do that you could be looking on the UK Astro Buy & Sell website to see what comes up. It's a much frequented website by astronomers !:

U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell