Celestron 114LCM?

[Axeldude]

Howdy!

I've been looking around for a starting mount/telescope for widefield and maybe deepfield (not sure if it's possible with this scope). I have a Canon EOS 1100D and it doesn't weight too much, about 0,5 KGS-ish. Got all the mounting equipment too (T-rings, camera adapter, barlow).

I stumbled upon this one: Celestron 114LCM (link)

It has a GoTo system and can follow star movement. Wondering if this is a good mount/telescope to start with?

I own a SkyWatcher 150p dobson, which is awesome btw, but it's hard to use for imaging DSO's.

Any help or advice would be appreciated

- Axel

[msh1]

i maybe wrong but i think that is an alt/az mount which means it tracks an object up a little bit then over a little bit then up and so on like steps so for photography no good like i said i maybe wrong someone else will probably confirm this

[atmenterprises]

It is an Alt-Az mount with a total payload capacity of five pounds. You might be able to get away with moon shots but I think that's going to be about it for this mount.

What is it you want to image? We can probably make some suggestions based on your answer.

[Axeldude]

I wanted to do widefield shots and as a bonus DSO's, thought this would do the trick. I'm on a budget tho, so can't go for an EQ5 mount

if this is not a good option, what about the SkyWatcher Explorer-130p (link)?

[atmenterprises]

The rule of thumb is this: for imaging, you don't want to exceed 50% of the mount's payload. So add up the weight of your scope, your camera, your t-adapter, t-mount, guide scope, etc. and see if it's over 50%. And you want a mount that's not going to move if there's wind.

The smaller the f-stop on the telescope (the bigger the aperture) the more light you'll get on your camera sensor faster.

I'm sure Olly and some other folks can give some solid advice here, but from everything I've read on here, the consensus is mount is priority and that's where the bulk of your money should go and the two recommendations I see most are HEQ5 and EQ6 mounts with refractors mounted on them, like anywhere from 70mm to 125mm.

Why don't you go look at the Imaging - Deep Space section of the forum and find pictures others have taken and ask them what equipment they used to photograph them? All said-and-done, I just spent almost $2,000 U.S. on what I think is a starter imaging rig. The HEQ5 Pro, an 80mm refractor, a power supply, a field flattener, a focusing mask and a guide scope. I already had a laptop and a camera.

Better yet, many folks on here recommend buying Steve Richards' book Making Every Photon Count. That should give you an idea of what kind of stuff to buy.

[atmenterprises]

I wanted to do widefield shots and as a bonus DSO's, thought this would do the trick. I'm on a budget tho, so can't go for an EQ5 mount

if this is not a good option, what about the SkyWatcher Explorer-130p (link)?

If you want to start with wide field, why not just buy yourself a sturdy tripod, mount your camera on it and take 30 second exposures with a wide-angle lens then stack the captures in Deep Sky Stacker? That's how I started and I got a few images of the Milky Way and the moon that way.

[Axeldude]

Thanks for the tips, getting a tripod this xmas so I can start out with that and Deep Sky Stacker.

For deep sky I'd like to get myself a cheaper guiding mount to use with my camera w/o scope to start with and get acquainted with deep sky photography before I get the bigger (and more expensive) HEQ5 mounts

[atmenterprises]

Thanks for the tips, getting a tripod this xmas so I can start out with that and Deep Sky Stacker.

For deep sky I'd like to get myself a cheaper guiding mount to use with my camera w/o scope to start with and get acquainted with deep sky photography before I get the bigger (and more expensive) HEQ5 mounts

Looking forward to seeing your images!

[stem1989]

I would advise against buying the alt.az mount as I too bought an alt/az mount for my first and it was GOTO, but it really doesn't help with imaging too much, as they track up and down rather than RA/DEC. once I started getting some images I ended up spending more to get better imaging equipment. If you want to image wide shots and DSO's a great little 80mm refractor is very nice and get an EQ mount (one with motors will let you get exposures of around 30 seconds or more if you use guiding) Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to get!