Another beginner wanting advice :)

[RA180]

Hi folks,

I'm sorry to say that this thread will probably read the same way as a lot of other threads on this (very handy!) forum. Yes, I'm yet another astronomy beginner seeking confirmation that, after weeks of painstaking research, my proposed first telescope is indeed the one I should be buying.

My hobbies are photography and reading about astronomy. I'm not actually much good at the former, and probably don't understand much about the latter, but hey, I'm thinking my persistence might eventually pay off.

So, my quandary this month is a choice of paying the bills or buying a telescope. Since I get to pay the bills every month and have never bought a telescope, I thought I might take a break from the norm.

So, what I'm after is a scope that will be good for linking up my camera to (Canon 500D DSLR), to be able to get some good planetary shots, and stretch out and into the galaxy.

I've looked at shots that people have posted in various forums and websites, but almost all of the posts have one thing in common - they don't say what equipment was used to take the photos, so I've got no idea what is a realistic viewing outcome from my proposed purchase - a SkyWatcher EXPLORER-200P.

Can anyone give any ideas?

I'm a little wary of this scope for two reasons though.

Firstly, I read a comment on a website that made perfect sense: the amount a scope is used is directly proportional to its weight. And this scope does seem to weigh a fair amount.

Secondly, I'm not sure on the mount. Ideally for photography, I'm imagining that a motorised mount would be needed, but this seems to add a whole lot of cost (and weight!) if I get it as a package. Are there any mounts that anyone could advise on?

Total budget for purchase of scope + mount is around £750...but less would be good! Are there any other suggestions of the right scope to buy?

[DOBBY]

IMHO... you will need an HEQ5 Pro with this 'scope for astro-photography...it's not just the weight of the 'scope you need to consider

The 150 may be a better bet...

[Tinker1947]

Ok, firstly most people have a signiture that gives the equipment they use, generally that's what takes the Pictures, on the Skywatcher 200 the scope is fine very good choice, but to do Astrophotgrapy will require a driven mount so your camera can track the DSO your taking pictures of something like a NEQ5 Pro, then a couple of bits to connect the camera body to the scopes focuser something like the link below..

First Light Optics - Max DSLR Camera Adaptor

[Tinker1947]

Something like this might do,phone them for a price....

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 200P HEQ5 Syntrek

[rocketandroll]

Hi folks,

I'm sorry to say that this thread will probably read the same way as a lot of other threads on this (very handy!) forum. Yes, I'm yet another astronomy beginner seeking confirmation that, after weeks of painstaking research, my proposed first telescope is indeed the one I should be buying.

My hobbies are photography and reading about astronomy. I'm not actually much good at the former, and probably don't understand much about the latter, but hey, I'm thinking my persistence might eventually pay off.

So, my quandary this month is a choice of paying the bills or buying a telescope. Since I get to pay the bills every month and have never bought a telescope, I thought I might take a break from the norm.

So, what I'm after is a scope that will be good for linking up my camera to (Canon 500D DSLR), to be able to get some good planetary shots, and stretch out and into the galaxy.

I've looked at shots that people have posted in various forums and websites, but almost all of the posts have one thing in common - they don't say what equipment was used to take the photos, so I've got no idea what is a realistic viewing outcome from my proposed purchase - a SkyWatcher EXPLORER-200P.

Can anyone give any ideas?

I'm a little wary of this scope for two reasons though.

Firstly, I read a comment on a website that made perfect sense: the amount a scope is used is directly proportional to its weight. And this scope does seem to weigh a fair amount.

Secondly, I'm not sure on the mount. Ideally for photography, I'm imagining that a motorised mount would be needed, but this seems to add a whole lot of cost (and weight!) if I get it as a package. Are there any mounts that anyone could advise on?

Total budget for purchase of scope + mount is around £750...but less would be good! Are there any other suggestions of the right scope to buy?

Hi mate

Don't worry about repeating the questions... everybody wants their own answer and we've all been there!

Imaging planets and imaging anything else are unfortunately two very different tasks requiring very different equipment. The only thing they both need is... a motorised mount!! :-)

As a general rule the SkyWatcher HEQ5 is considered the lowest spec (and cheapest) option for this... but people have got ok results out of EQ3s so long as you are using a short focal length, lightweight scope.

Unfortunately... if you hope to take up any kind of astrophotography... a good motorised/go-to equatorial mount is about the single most important thing you will ever buy... and that's where most of your money should go.

If your on a tight budget try looking at UK astro buy and sell and see if you can pick up what you need second hand.

Oh, and if imaging 'deep sky objects' is something you are even considering... buy 'Making every photon count' a great book on the subject by Steve Richards (Stepenwolf here on SGL).

Good luck!!!

Ben

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[RA180]

Thank you all for the replies. They've been very helpful.

I had a nasty feeling that the mount especially, was going to be an issue. That leaves me stuck between a rock and a hard place; Practical astronomy is new to me, and as with anything new, I can't guarantee that I'll gel with it. This leads me to think that I should be getting the telescope that I've mentioned, but with a cheaper mount that won't support photography. The idea then being to upgrade the mount in due course for one that will enable me to start taking photos.

But on the other hand, if I'm unwilling to spend the money on what I am mostly interested in - photography - then what is the point?

However, Astro Buy and Sell may have presented a third option. It might take a while to pick up the right 'scope and / or mount, but it does solve both issues (and I found a 200mm L series for my camera as well!).

I'll have a think about it and continue looking. Thanks again everyone for your responses so far. If anyone else has any suggestions, please, feel free to post!

rocketandroll: I had a look at your photos on flickr. Very good. Really, very good!