1 st imaging set up

[sam mayo]

what do people think the best set up for a novice is to start imaging mount camera scope and all

priorities are ease of use

price

can be upgraded in future thanks

[Capricorn]

If you intend using the 200P then a damn big mount.

If not then the problem with imaging is quality counts.

Youi need a good mount that will easily handle what you hang off of it.

Then you need a good scope to produce an image.

Neither of the above are inexpensive.

If you go down the refractor route then the SW 80ED is a good start point, a nice triplet even better.

Mount well even with the ED80 it is suggested that an HEQ5 is considered.

The HEQ5 will need dual motors at least, better a goto system. Let the goto do the finding and spend your time imaging.

Minimum I suppose could be an EQ5, motors and a used ED (perhaps the recent WO 70mm scope if new).

That would keep the weight down, the EQ5 should be OK. However you would eventually upgrade everything if you got deeper into imaging. Depends on the approach you want to take. Tracking depends on how accurate you set it all up (30-560 sec exposures), there would be some CA from the scope.

[Chris]

I would start with an unguided setup consisting of something like: HEQ5 pro, ED80 (or a similar short tube Apo frac), and a Canon 1100D.

Chris

[sam mayo]

what do u think of the megrez 72 also i was leaning towards the neq6 synscan gto?

thanks for the replys appreciated

[Chris]

No that great:) if you can go for the NEQ6 then that may be all the mount you'll ever need so good future proofing. The megrez looks like a really nice scope, the one with the digital focuser right so you can refind focus quickly, I know they are discontinued at FLO not sure about elsewhere, there is one thing though if the focuser is the same as my WO66, if so you can get a bit of focuser sag when hanging a lot of kit off it, although a light weight DSLR shouldn't give you too much trouble. I would check out Telescop Service website the exchange rate with Germany is very good at the moment and people are bagging great deals on scopes.

Chris

[kirkster501]

I would start with an unguided setup consisting of something like: HEQ5 pro, ED80 (or a similar short tube Apo frac), and a Canon 1100D.

Chris

Precisely what I have

Steve

[ollypenrice]

I wouldn't trust a difital focuser to get me to focus. It isn't that simple. Atmospheric refraction varies with elevation and temperature has a huge effect.

The old mantra of HEQ5 or NEQ6 and ED80 with flattener has not been roundly displaced by any means.

You can also start without a scope at all. A guest recently did a Milky Way shot here with an unmodded 350D on an EQ1 (seriously) running unguided on 5 minute subs. After losses he still got a stunning stacked shot which, I kid you not, split Albireo. I don't have a copy here but it was lovely. The secret was the very short focal length, of course.

Olly

[sam mayo]

thanks for the advice, i get the feeling there is a very differing opinion in what is needed,i am intrested in the neq6 for my 250px for visual use as-well.will look into the ed 80 very intrigued!!

olly have you recently written an article for astronomy now ?

[Daniel-K]

i have an neq6 and a ed80 love it with a modded 550d

[rocketandroll]

The Meg72 is an incredible little scope.... best thing I ever bought. Mine is an early DDG model and I have found the DDG focuser (despite other people's problems with them) gets be bang on focus (or very, very close) every time. I have gone back three or four times over a month or so, using a Bahtinov mask to check focus, set it to the same focal length on the DDG as before and not had to sjust it any more at all. I think in the year I used my Meg I never had to move it more than 2/100ths of a mm. I've also never had any sag issues with the scope either.

Ben