Scope choice and fitting for DSLR

[stuffedhaggis]

Hey guys

Earlier this year I jumped on the band wagon i got myself a SKYMAX 90. I am happy with this small scope which was a learning curve to use. I am now looking for something bigger to use in the winter months. I have around £300. I want something i can use my Nikon D3000 on as well if its possible. I like the look of the Skywatcher Dobsoinan 200p . Any ideas or can recommend.??

[DirkSteele]

Unfortunately if you have astrophotography ambitions, as indicated by wanting to use your Nikon D3000, you will need a mount with tracking ability for anything other than snap shots of the moon. An Alt Az mount with tracking ability would be sufficient for planetary (though you are better off using a webcam and stacking software like Registax), but for deepsky photography you will need a polar aligned mount as field rotation makes long duration exposures (required for deepsky) impossible with an Alt Az mount. As such given your budget, you may need to aim for a smaller aperture or look for second hand scopes.

Of course, if you decide you just want a larger scope for better visual views of the nightsky, a large Dob like that is a good choice.

[stuffedhaggis]

thats for the heads up. any choice on a scope and webcam then ?