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Good imaging setup - comments welcome

SgtBilko

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SgtBilko

SgtBilko

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I've spent a year or so starring upwards with binoculars and Starmap (iPhone). The Stargazing programmes and my daughter's interest in the have motivated me to take the plunge. Difficult as it may, we want to do deep space astro-photography.

We have spent a week or so researching on the web and we have read Steve Richard’s book (Making every photon count) cover to cover a couple of times !

I am lucky enough to have a reasonable amount of disposal income and have set a budget of around £2,500. So far so good……... but I want to use my 27" iMac (because of its power and quality of display) and I want to “do it” remotely (i.e. observe and image in the warm of my study !!).

Apart from telling me how the steep the hill I am choosing to climb (imaging, mac instead of PC and at a distance) I would welcome the benefit of your experience in respect of the following set up.

Mount : Skywatcher NEQ6

Main scope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED

Main camera: my Canon 500D USB and DSUB

Guide scope: Skywatcher Startravel 80

Guide Camera: Starlight Express Colour Lodestar

Both telescopes with Skywatcher auto focus and FCUSB / FCUSB2

20m active USB 2.0 lead to 7 port powered hub

Goto: SkySafari

Guiding: PHD

Imaging: Nebulosity

Focus: SS Focus

Thank you very much

Ian

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Beyond_Vision

Beyond_Vision

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Looks like you have done your research well. The only thing that is missing is the following

1.) Post processing software (maybe Pix-Insight or AstroArt 5 or Photoshop)

2.) Side by side mounting bar for imaging and guiding scope.

3.) Light pollution filter. (Clip in style filter for DSLR such as Astronomik or Hutech LDAS equivalent)

Regards

Kevin

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Beyond_Vision

Beyond_Vision

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DSO's are normally imaged via a Reflector in the case of a NEQ6 a SW 250P DS is the max size for the mount, see what other people recommend...

Not necessarily true the main thing is to have a system with a low focal ratio. The refractor you have picked out us a great scope for money and will be easier to get to grips with in that it wont need collimating.

One other thing you will need is a Focal Reducer Field Flattner for the 80ED such as these

First Light Optics - Reducers/Flatteners

Regards

Kevin

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SgtBilko

SgtBilko

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wow, thank you very much for the replies

Rik - I don't want to mod my Cannon, but once I'm up and running I will either buy a second hand body on ebay and have it modded or splash out on an upgraded Starlight CCD

Tinker, thanks I would like to hear what people think Steve Richard's comes down on the side of refractors although not conclusive

Kevin. I have photoshop elements, the side by side is interesting. Why ? I was going to mount themone on top of the other but would welcome your thoughts. I will get a light pollution filter as you suggest.

Thanks everybody

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RikM

RikM

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I use a small Newtonian (150P) originally only because I couldn't afford an 80ED but I have since found that I really like the results I get with it. I don't have a modded camera or dark skies, so widefield images of faint Ha rich nebulae are always going to be a struggle for me. The slightly longer focal length of my Newt is a better match for my targets, given my camera, skies and budget. I also use it visualy as a grab and go scope on an AZ4 so it's dual purpose.

It is harder work than an 80ED but the right choice for me.

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Black Knight

Black Knight

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[...] the side by side is interesting. Why ? I was going to mount themone on top of the other but would welcome your thoughts.

I think it's partly personal preference apart from anything else. If I had a permanent setup in an obsy, I'd probably have gone for a piggyback arrangement myself. In the end I went for side-by-side simply to make setting up and stripping down easier.

The thing about refractors vs reflectors in imaging .... refractors are definitely easier to start imaging with. Many targets such as nebulae would be difficult to fit in the FOV of a reflector as well. That's not to say you can't image with a reflector - I do, and so do many others - it's just that fracs are just ... easier! :icon_salut:

EDIT: Well there you go, Kevin's just given a proper reason to go side-by-side! :evil:

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Sp@ce_d

Sp@ce_d

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Thats pretty much a very similar setup to mine.. controlled from inside the house. Although I found using the finder as a guide scope on the ED80 easier. So the ST80 hasn't been used for some time. You won't get a one scope fits all but the ED80's a great scope for starting out in AP.

I use Macs although I do still use some windows software running on a VM on the Mac or a netbook for capture/control EQmod/Ascom. Once I get EQMac running and have Mac drivers working for everything then I'll be happier though.

One thing about collimation.. refractors don't usually need it but I had to do it on the ED80 as the focuser wasn't aligned/screwed to the tube squarely and the lens cell threads were full of paint flakes so needed a good clean to get it to seat properly. Made a world of difference.

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red dwalf

red dwalf

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one thing to metion is the mount, are you thinking of using it for observing anywhere else ? if not have you considered a permenant pier fixed in the garden, saves alot of time polar aligning the mount every time you set up and is one less heavy item to put away each evening, with a pier you could just throw a cover over it and would be alot less than a neq6 mount.

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SgtBilko

SgtBilko

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Kevin: yes i can see that side by side makes more sense. More weight near the fulcrum

Spaced: How far is your set up away from your Mac ? How many USB leads to you use over the full distance ?

red: yes I have considered a pier, but so far I haven't seen anywhere to buy the mount with the tripod. I would still need the mount on top of the pier wouldn't I ?

Thank you everyone for your help is much appreciated.

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sabana

sabana

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If you want the best and you want to be in front of your Imac in the warmth of your home then don't waste your money. This is a much better option with equipment that is far and beyond what most consumers can afford.

Astrophotography and Photog

The skies in New Mexico are incredible and you won't ever have to worry about light pollution or clouds. The images you take are your copyright too.

If you want visual just get a 200p Dob.

See, I've just saved you £2000 plus pounds. And you'll get better images.

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Sp@ce_d

Sp@ce_d

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Also Spaced, do you use your set up for indoor observing (as well as imaging), if so how well does that work for you ?

Thank you

Not really at this stage. unless you call viewing through the 9x50 finder with the CoStar observing. :evil: To be honest you'll very soon be wanting something with more light grasp than the ED80 for observing. I sold my visual setup a couple of months back to fund the imaging side of things. At the moment I'm halfway through building an obsy and I do intend to get a video observing setup in the future but I think actually being under the stars (and frostbite) is all part of the observing experience is it not.. :icon_salut: Have a look over on the video astronomy section there's some interesting stuff over there.

For USB I use these USB 2.0 Active Extension System Pro - Extend USB 2.0 up to 56m | LINDY UK

This'll go to 56m!... works great I have about 20m + 5m cables running out of the hub to the mount, finderscope, dslr & focusser. I think I'll move to a networked solution once I migrate it to the obsy. I'm toying with running it on a Mac mini in the obsy and using the remote desktop from the house.

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SgtBilko

SgtBilko

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Spaced

Thanks for that. I had seen the Lindy stuff and its comforting to know it will work.

I have a networked mac mini and have remotely controlled it from my iMac. I can't remember which RDP software I used but I did find it clunky and slow to respond at times. I gave up, but as the two Macs were only a few feet from each other I didn't have the motivation to make it work. Thinking about it, we use CitrixApp to control PCs at work (hunderds of miles away) which works very well.

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Sp@ce_d

Sp@ce_d

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Spaced

Thanks for that. I had seen the Lindy stuff and its comforting to know it will work.

I have a networked mac mini and have remotely controlled it from my iMac. I can't remember which RDP software I used but I did find it clunky and slow to respond at times. I gave up, but as the two Macs were only a few feet from each other I didn't have the motivation to make it work. Thinking about it, we use CitrixApp to control PCs at work (hunderds of miles away) which works very well.

You don't need any extra software unless you're pre leopard (slightly different config on Tiger but also works)

On the target Mac just enable screen sharing in sys preferences - sharing ( set access rights if you want to tie it down)

Then on your client Mac either browse for it in finder or select Finder-Go-connect to Server stick in vnc:// ip-address of target Mac and away you go :icon_salut:

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Sarah

Sarah

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hi have you considerd the Skywatcher Equinox 80 APO PRO OTA over the evostar at the min at flo the price difference is only £40 it seems silly to me for £40 you could get a nicer finish and better focuser

nige

The Equinox 80 is also has a shorter focal length making it faster (f6.25) as opposed to the ED80 Pro at f7.5.

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Beyond_Vision

Beyond_Vision

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This depends on whether he still wants to use the 500D as a regular camera.

Once modded you can use an original white balance filter from Astronomik, or use the custom white balance option in the camera, or reset the balance in software in order to use the camera in the daytime.

Regards

Kevin

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