the right scope

[salmon16]

h i as a new to astronomy about 7mths just want to know if a sw 120 refrator will be good for astro photo but not new to photography i also have a sw 150 reflactor and sw 80 refrator tried camera on 150 could not focus did not uesd the long camera extension how to focus ? ok on 80mm sw thanks stu

[rowan46]

Welcome to the site. It's hard to say exactly how good they will be as photography is dependant on the mount first. so what mount are you using? and which particular skywatcher 120 are you using?

[salmon16]

hi thanks for looking it is a sw explorer 150p which i cannot foucs camera on camera is mounted on the direct mount on cryford with canon eos t mount do i need longer extension i want to buy a sw evostar 120 with motor will this setup be ok for tracking with camera my camera is a canon 1100d no mods

[Catweazel]

Hi Stu, a refracor won't be that good for AP unless you get a smaller Apo refractor. I have the Evostar 120, and don't use it for AP at all. I would say that you will get more joy from your SW 150 reflector, but it would help if you could tell us which one it is. As far as mounts go, you would be best getting an EQ5 type mount to get the stability for AP. Hope that helps. CW

[salmon16]

hi sub dwarf it has a eq3/2 mount deluxe 150p f/5 newton blackdiamond thanks stu

[JamesM]

May I suggest you consider getting a book by Steve Richards called "Making Every Photon Count" (FLO £19.95) is a great book to get for those starting out in astrophotography. It will provide you with a comprehensive overview of what kit to get and why you need it to take good consistent images. A webcam is all that you need to image solar system objects (moon and planets) and because it takes a huge number of 'frames' in such a short time, it therefore sidesteps the need for prolonged accurate tracking. Registax which is free will help you stack the best frames on top of each other to construct a good composite final image. Imaging deep sky objects (DSO's) such galaxies and nebulae which are significantly fainter, will require longer exposures to collect sufficient data to construct a final image and that in turn will mean imaging from a mount that has accurate motors that can facilitate the necessary exposure times. The above book will help you unpick all the considerations involved selecting the most appropriate kit for your desired objects and being modestly priced will certainly help save you money in helping you to avoid buying the wrong kit. Imaging should be fun rather than a frustrating exercise and getting the basics right at the beginning will help ensure that an enjoyable activity.

James