skywatcher st f5 150 HELP!

[Woza]

Hi all, I'm very new to this hobby and also my first thread, took the plunge and got this as my first scope 2nd hand but only comes with basic lenses.

Need help on which filters and lenses I need for this fast scope, don't mind spending the money on baader filters especialy to stop the haze but there are a couple of different types and not sure which 1 is best for my scope and have no idea what lenses are suitable.

I'd be very pleased if some 1 could point me in the right direction.

Is there any other upgrades i should be looking at to get the best out of this scope. Many thanks warren

[Gary70]

As Green as you mate but....

I found the sticky 2nd from the top in this page to be very helpful,

As for filters I dunno it depends on what you want to look at, but Probably a moon filter atleast,

I find the online scope shops/manufacturers can offer good direction as to what is good for what and thus what you might need.

[nightfisher]

you will need eyepiece`s that are compatable with a fast scope, i guess you have the 150mm f5 startravel widefield, BST explorers work well with this model, maybe look at getting a light pollution filter

[Woza]

I've been looking at the baader contrast booster or fringe killer but not to sure which one, they say these block out some of the light pollution and i have noticed a blueish haze, the one is also ok for a moon filter or is it best to get ones that do that pacific job. next question is do i go for the 2" to put in the diagonals or is it best to fit them to the lenses, I'll check out bst explores, thanks

[sgazer]

Hi, i wouldn't use either of those filters. One is for refractors anyway. The skywatcher light pollution filter is cheap and good for visual.

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[Space Invader]

Recommend 32mm up to 40mm, one & a quarter eyepiece (or 2 inch) along with a 2X Barlow, a lot of clusters are so big, you will need the wide field to view them. I would pay £40 - £50 for new lenses if on a budget. Don’t go for TMB planetary 5,6,7,8 mm I got one thinking high magnification would be great, a year later hardly use it. The conditions in this country are not good, get better views with lower mag.

[John]

Hi, i wouldn't use either of those filters. One is for refractors anyway.....

I think the OP may have a refractor - the ST 150

[sgazer]

I think the OP may have a refractor - the ST 150

ah thanks, I was thinking 150p. In that case the fringe killer should get rid of the blue/purple fringing on bright objects, but I'd still recommend the skywatcher filter to start with if mild light pollution is an issue. I found them quite good for visual without being too strong. As the 1.25" version is cheap, might be worth trying this and seeing if it helps at all with the fringing. Not sure how these filters work stacked up, but you may be able to use them together.

Do you have a 1.25" diagonal or 2"? For now I'd stick to 1.25" for everything, 2" eye pieces don't give you that much more over 1.25, plus all the filters and eye pieces will be cheaper. If you place the filter in the diagonal, then you can swap the eyepieces without swapping the filter each time.

I'm not really an expert in eyepieces as I've mainly done imaging, but I think you generally get what you pay for!

[John]

I think something like a fringe killer filter would reduce the chromatic aberration a bit but, with an F/5 achromat, there will still be some false colour visible - it's part and parcel of the fast achromat design. Even the F/8 version shows a reasonable amount of CA around bright objects.