orion ed80 or sw

[kingcarp]

i am wanting to upgrade my scope for astrophotograpy, i have a price range of about 400, but for the scope only, is the orion ed80 and the sw ed80 the same or are there better versoins of these, also is there any other recomendatoins, thanks

[BigBlueOne]

Hi Kingcarp,

I have the SW 80ED Pro which I brought for imaging its a very well

made bit of kit.

If you read the threads regarding this scope most people will point you toward this model if its imaging you are after.

There are a couple of choices you can purchase the one with all

the whistles and bells, or the main tube assembly with no eyepieces

just as is.

Hope this is of some help. BigBlueOne

[John]

The Orion ED80 is the same scope as the Skywatcher ED80 but with a different colour scheme. Difficult to improve on them for £400 I reckon.

[kingcarp]

thanks guys, just a thought i know the sw ed80 is lightweight so would it be ok on a eq2 mount, considering its around the same weight as the sw 130 reflector

[John]

thanks guys, just a thought i know the sw ed80 is lightweight so would it be ok on a eq2 mount, considering its around the same weight as the sw 130 reflector

OK for visual observing perhaps but the EQ2 won't be up to imaging I reckon. You should be considering an EQ5 / CG5 I think.

[sabana]

The EQ2 is way below what you need. EQ5 or HEQ5 at least should be your target.

[Guest]

I'm using the Orion ED-80 and a Skywatcher Startravel 80 (guiding) on an EQ-5 mount and haven't had many problems.

The ED-80 is a great scope for observing and imaging.

David