Amateur with a big telescope! Help!

[idbvideo]

OK I bought the same set up last year, I went another direction and upgraded the mount for Astro Photography.

Don't forget the basic EQ5 mount is not motorised. It really is hard to track objects manually and take photographs - I know I tried it. The good news is that you can buy single axis and dual axis motors or upgrade teh mount to a full goto mount.

As for the scope part ED80 is a way to go. There is a cheeper alternative though, the ST80 - It is not as good optically, but probably could be made to work - Some issues with Chromatic Aberation probably but it could be a start which could eventually be upgraded to an ED80 and the ST80 retained as a guide scope - just a thought :-)

[stardustjunkie]

Thank you for the advice everyone, it's really appreciated. Any more will be appreciated too.

I've got GoTo on my current mount, so if I change the scope I've still got tracking.

[Ags]

Just to throw another option in... you do not need a scope for astrophotography at all. You could mount your camera plus a good lens on the EQ5 and take truly awesome pictures. So... what camera do you have?

If you have a DSLR, then you can get a fast 200mm prime second hand on your budget, which would be a brilliant imaging option.

If you don't have a DSLR, then you need to spend your budget on getting a DSLR :-(

[stardustjunkie]

Just to throw another option in... you do not need a scope for astrophotography at all. You could mount your camera plus a good lens on the EQ5 and take truly awesome pictures. So... what camera do you have?

If you have a DSLR, then you can get a fast 200mm prime second hand on your budget, which would be a brilliant imaging option.

If you don't have a DSLR, then you need to spend your budget on getting a DSLR :-(

I have a Canon 550D which is professional entry level. I like looking at things as well as the photography though, so what does this option leave me with?

[JamesF]

If you want to use the scope visually as well then obviously a camera and lens isn't going to work for that, but you can still put the camera on the mount directly and do some wide field imaging. The kit lens is capable of producing some nice shots of the Milky Way or individual constellations depending on how the mood takes you, and you can start to pick up DSOs in such images, too. If you have some longer lenses then they can also be put to good use.

James

[Ags]

Errr.... you can get a small and light scope to go on the EQ5 too, like the 130PDS I suggested earlier, or you could get it in dob form (Heritage 130P) which would mean you could stargaze while the camera snaps away.

To make the camera snap away unattended, you need a programmable shutter release - good news, they're cheap. Then you stack the multiple frames in software like Deep Sky Stacker, which is free.

[Ags]

What lenses do you have for your yummy 550D?

[stardustjunkie]

Thank you Ags and JamesF. I'll look at both options. I'm looking at spending £250 tops with a trade in, which I'm hoping would leave me with around £400 without needing to buy a mount.

[stardustjunkie]

I have the standard 18-55mm and then a 75-300mm lens which I love! I can't afford new lenses at the moment if I change telescope lol! I've got car insurance due in January if I pass my test, I need to limit my spending!

[Ags]

Well good luck with your decision. If I was in your boat, interested in photography and astrophotography, I would spend the money on a good prime that you could use for both AP and regular photography. Visual astronomy loses out, but you should be able to get the money together for a small scope (100 - 250 pounds for an OTA or Dob) in the next few months I imagine. Then you have the best of both worlds.

Beware - we will find many ways for you to spend your money :-)

James' idea below is even better - spend no money at all on the AP side but just use your current lenses. Then you can spend your budget on the bits you absolutely need (the photo dovetail, the programmable shutter release) and a more manageable scope for visual use.

[JamesF]

You should be able to have some fun with those. Zoom lenses are always a bit of a compromise and prime focus lenses are preferred for imaging, but you can still get some decent images with zooms. This is one I took with the kit lens earlier this year: http://www.tanstaafl.co.uk/2012/08/another-attempt-at-a-cygnus-widefield-image/

James

[stardustjunkie]

That's incredible James!! Thank you, I'll have a look.

[Chris]

Another vote for selling your 200p OTA on astrobuy and sell, then buying a SkyWatcher ED80. They really are great value for money for what they do. I've just picked up a cheap scruffy looking second hand ED80 and when I checked out the optics on some targets like Jupiter, Pleiades , M42 etc I was very surprised with how good it was, they really pack a punch for an 80mm scope, and this is down to the quality of the optics!

[stardustjunkie]

Thanks starfox, I really like the look of the ED80!

[stardustjunkie]

Jeeze, I got offered £80 for my tube that's hardly anything. I'm going to look at selling it myself, particularly with Christmas coming up.

[cantharis]

The 200P is too big on an EQ5 for astrophotography so you'll need to downsize that.

I keep reading that, but one of the best pics I have ever seen of Jupiter (posted last week) was done by a 200P on an EQ5. I don´t do AP, but I have to carry my EQ5 up a spiral staircase and find it is WAY heavy enough.

[Chris]

I recken you'll get double that on Astrobuyandsell:) I'm always watching the second hand market for astro equipment. 6-8 months ago I reckon you'd have got even more for it, I've noticed that the market has slumped over the last 6 months or so. e.g 150p's were going for 140 second hand before but I've seen a few around the 100 mark recently (all black diamond series). I sold my astro modded Canon 300D with extras recently for less than 100 pounds, I wouldn't have imagined I'd need to drop the price so low to get a sale. On the flip side it does mean its a buyers market so I would be also tempted to buy second hand if I was you. For example, I picked up my ED80 with rings, dovetail plus a set of guide rings all for 120 quid, It does require a little cosmetic work though which I'm in the process of doing:D

[JamesF]

Jeeze, I got offered £80 for my tube that's hardly anything. I'm going to look at selling it myself, particularly with Christmas coming up.

There's also Stargazing Live at the start of January which has kept the market quite buoyant at that time for the last couple of years.

James