Beginners Budget - Explorer 200PDS MOUNT?

[D34nobagio]

Hey everyone, i have a budget of £450 tops and was going to purchase the Skywatcher 200p on and EQ5 mount however i was thinking of going into astrophotography later on in the year so i think I'm going to go for the 200PDS instead however i can't afford to get the mount with it, the cheapest I've found is £550 with the mount.

Is there any cheap cheap mounts that i can use until i can afford to get a CG-5 Gt or a decent go-to mount to take photos?

All i want to do for half a year or so is get use to the scope and its features maybe take a few shots of the moon on my Canon dslr. I would much rather get a good scope first than payout for an ok mount and an ok scope then have to replace them both in a year.

Thanks all

[Dazza121]

hi i have a 200p on a cg5-gt and to be honest its pushing its limits for LX photography. if your having to save up for a better mount i would go up a level if you can afford it (although the CG5-GT will do the job if you cant stretch for a bigger mount) - if you dont mind second hand i see a GT on astronomy buy and sell this morning for £295 which is quite a good saving.

[D34nobagio]

OK good advice on the mount for the future but i haven't looked too much into what mount to get for future as of yet, i know there will be better ones to what I've stated, i will be spending a lot on a mount later on. My problem is for now, i just need as low cost mount as possible so i can spend more on a telescope now.

In 6 months time i will be asking what mount to get to replace the one I'm about to buy which hopefully won't cost more than 150?

[D34nobagio]

like is there anything cheaper than the EQ5. will an EQ3 be ok for this scope for a while?

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Even for just visual use, the eq5 is pretty much minimum you need for the 200p. I know its hard to keep saving, but your best option is to just save more and buy the better mount first time.

[D34nobagio]

ok thanks for the advice, looks like ill just have to save abit longer . Is the explorer 200pds a good buy for my first scope? is there better out there for the same price?

[pel]

Hi D34nobagio ,

Have you seen Quatermasses images from the 200p/EQ5? I don't think you need the 200PDS nessecarily.

I have connected a Canon 350d to the 200p and it achieves focus.

A heavier mount (HEQ5) would be more important than the PDS OTA for AP (ask anyone on here).

I thought about the HEQ5, but the 200p/eq5 is such good value when bought together it seemed crazy to get the mount and the OTA seperately.

Perry.

[johnrt]

If you want to do imaging on this scope you will need the HEQ5 as a minimum. Where imaging is concerned the most important part of the whole set-up is the mount. Don't skimp a penny on it.

If you stick to visual stuff you will be fine on the EQ5.

[D34nobagio]

No i haven't seen them, i will have a look now. so are you suggesting getting the 200p and an EQ5 together. Can i add a motor to it at a later date or is it best to invest in a much better mount (go-To) later on.

[pel]

I went through the same process as you. I had limited funds, I wanted to do AP. I was told the mount is the most important and it probably is.

After seeing what QM did on the 200p/EQ5 though I went for that and have just bought the motors.

The motors are amazing and kept the planets in my viewfinder for ages and I took some reasonable images of them. They are essential for DSO's as is accurate polar allignment (the 200p/EQ5 comes with a polar scope on FLO)

[pel]

Took my first DSO image last night.

Rough polar allignment

Just held the camera button for 30 seconds as I haven't got the remote yet.

Imagine what you can do when you set it up perfectly.

Perry.

[dtr42]

is that the orion neb?? looks alright cant you set the timer on manual so that when it goes it takes a 30 sec shot [ie set timer and have camera set up as manual with 30 second shutter ?]

[D34nobagio]

whats all this i hear about taking 10 30second darks and 10 30 second lights etc. Is that for a webcam or is this something id have to do on my canon 550d

[pel]

is that the orion neb?? looks alright cant you set the timer on manual so that when it goes it takes a 30 sec shot [ie set timer and have camera set up as manual with 30 second shutter ?]

Yes I heard you can, I've only had it a couple of days though, so still haven't found out how to do it yet.

Just showing that you can get a picture out with minimal effort.

[pel]

whats all this i hear about taking 10 30second darks and 10 30 second lights etc. Is that for a webcam or is this something id have to do on my canon 550d

Webcam's are used for the Planets. It's for your canon. I've found the following references and there's a lot of info. on SGL too. -

Covington's DSLR Astrophotography Procedures

DeepSkyStacker FAQ

[D34nobagio]

Just like to thank you all for your help. i changed my mind again thanks to Pel and went for the 200p with eq5 mount for 395. i will more than likely buy a very good mount in a years time to take photos with but lets take one step at a time and get use to a telescope first ay. Thanks again everyone

[The Viper]

This is my latest image with the 200p eq5 dual motors,i can get 90 second subs before the star trail is bad.The hand controller can be modified to accept a st4 port and guiding can be achieved throught the finder.I havent personally done this but seen i think a 10 minute sub on this website and it was brilliant.Good luck with whatever scope mount combo you buy,hope to see some images very soon.

BTW the image is M13

[pel]

Nice picture Viper, I wish I hadn't posted my very first test shot now :-)