Advice on my choice of scope and mount please

[Allan the plumber]

Hi from snowy, cloud covered Beeston, Nottingham..

I have spent the last few months trying to whittle down the best telescope and mount for a keen back garden sky watcher!! This will be my first real foray into the world of mounts and telescopes.

I’ve had the basic wooden tripod, mass marketed, bulk standard telescopes and now I have be given the green light to buy something better to develop my interest :rolleyes:

After much soul searching and many topics on this forum site I have narrowed down my choice and want to know if suitable.

I wish to do a bit of Astrophotography both webcam based and DSLR but mainly just looking around the sky at both planets and deep space objects galaxies, nebulae etc.

The choices are the Skywatcher Explorer 200P-DS with the HEQ5 PRO mount or same Skywatcher mount and the Skywatcher Evostar 80ED DS-Pro OTA,

I have about £1000 to £1200 to spend at this time.

I have ordered the “making every photon count” book but would really like some professional advice on eye pieces, Achromatic Barlow’s and collimating devices, laser or ‘Cheshire’ as I tend to be leaning towards a reflector, also if anyone local to the Nottingham area knows of any astronomy groups around here that I could join to help me develop my interest in the night sky

Thanks in anticipation

Allan

[Velvet]

Hi there from snowy heanor

HEQ5 and 200P newt would give you visual and astrophotography. NEQ6 would be better mount but is more costly. But obviously there would be add ons for this set up for imaging.

But if you start on visual with it you can add on as you can afford. Please note imaging can get very expensive, very quickly....it is a bit addictive, so hide you credit card

Velvet

[Allan the plumber]

Thanks for that Velvet yeah looked at NEQ 6 but pushes budget off a little I realise it's important to get a good mount as you can always upgrade or swop between telescopes on the same mount

Allan

[rowan46]

If you want mainly visual with a bit of photography thrown in get the 200. If you want mainly imaging with a bit of visual get the ed80.

[Allan the plumber]

Think start with the visual then work up to the photography

would I still be able to use the 200p for photography work???? I see using software to build up multi images of an object seems to be the way forward (still reading up on that hardware software)

[rowan46]

You should be able to get some product out of that system. I have seen plenty of good photo's out of that combination on here not perhaps absolutely top drawer but very good even so. The way to get the best out of the heq5 photograhically is by guiding and then stacking the pics taken. the book will tell you all you need to know about the subject.

[Allan the plumber]

Thanks for that Rowan 46

So should go ...

1 read book (MEPC)

2 learn how to use mount correctly

3 learn how to use the telescope correctly

4 bore non astromony based friends with evening in your back garden

5 make new friends to replace the percentage you lost due to your new interest

6 sell objects from around the home to by webcam software ,hardware, etc

7 ask your wife if you can borrow more money as you just need one one item and ths time it the last thing you'll need (promise)

8 explain that the mount/ scope not quiet right and what are the chances of now buying the mount / telescope everyone on the forum was saying would be better

9 move back in with parents, sister, brother, other friends, under the motorway flyover as your wife, girl friend , partner has chucked you out and is screaming for a divorce

Is this the correct procedure !!!???

[rowan46]

Thanks for that Rowan 46

So should go ...

1 read book (MEPC)

2 learn how to use mount correctly

3 learn how to use the telescope correctly

4 bore non astromony based friends with evening in your back garden

5 make new friends to replace the percentage you lost due to your new interest

6 sell objects from around the home to by webcam software ,hardware, etc

7 ask your wife if you can borrow more money as you just need one one item and ths time it the last thing you'll need (promise)

8 explain that the mount/ scope not quiet right and what are the chances of now buying the mount / telescope everyone on the forum was saying would be better

9 move back in with parents, sister, brother, other friends, under the motorway flyover as your wife, girl friend , partner has chucked you out and is screaming for a divorce

Is this the correct procedure !!!???

almost right just move no5 to 9 and all the ones below 5 up one

[Astro Imp]

Thanks for that Rowan 46

So should go ...

1 read book (MEPC)

2 learn how to use mount correctly

3 learn how to use the telescope correctly

4 bore non astromony based friends with evening in your back garden

5 make new friends to replace the percentage you lost due to your new interest

6 sell objects from around the home to by webcam software ,hardware, etc

7 ask your wife if you can borrow more money as you just need one one item and ths time it the last thing you'll need (promise)

8 explain that the mount/ scope not quiet right and what are the chances of now buying the mount / telescope everyone on the forum was saying would be better

9 move back in with parents, sister, brother, other friends, under the motorway flyover as your wife, girl friend , partner has chucked you out and is screaming for a divorce

Is this the correct procedure !!!???

You've caught on real quick

[Allan the plumber]

Thanks for that Astro Imp

The more I read this forum site the higher the price seems to get, I'm now looking into filters, Collimating eye peices (laser and Cheshire???) and I know see that you really need to line the tube with a darking sticky back plastic stuff

Then eye peices Ive not even looked into web cams, DSLR rings , barlow tubes!!!! :eek:

The wife was right it doesnt stop with the mount and telescope

But it fun just dont tell her !!! wait till she see the CC statement

[kreekineez]

Hi Allan, Just been reading your comments with great interest and amusement.... I joined the SGL forum yesterday and I'm in a very similar situation to you - I am a beginner and after some advice have narrowed my choices down to Celestron C8 SGT XLT or Skywatcher Explorer 200 PDS HEQ5 Pro. I want to explore the skies but would like to try some AP once I have learnt the basics - eg setting up. alignment and pointing the telescope in the right direction......! Did you buy the 200 PDS and if so how is it? Would appreciate any advice from you or any other members reading this. Like you I am keen to get started...before my wife changes her mind about the initial cost..... Regards to all from Rutland

[Spookylight]

Just to throw a spanner in the works....

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/pro-series/skywatcher-evostar-100ed-ds-pro-outfit.html

Comes with a free focal reducer (capable of photography) and reduced OTA price to boot. You can also use a f6.3 reducer to bring it down to around f5 as well.

This gives you a more universal scope to a degree for planet viewing etc.

I've just bought one as my first scope. Saving for a mount now.

[Rich MedRev]

Just to throw a spanner in the works....

http://www.firstligh...pro-outfit.html

Comes with a free focal reducer (capable of photography) and reduced OTA price to boot. You can also use a f6.3 reducer to bring it down to around f5 as well.

This gives you a more universal scope to a degree for planet viewing etc.

I've just bought one as my first scope. Saving for a mount now.

Spookylight, the mount is the most important aspect for AP, therefore mount first - scope second, further more the focal reducer has taken the focal length from F9 to F7.65, you wont then be adding a further reducer!

Allan stick with the 8" Newt on the HEQ5 and invest in an ED80 in due course and use the same mount.

[Spookylight]

Spookylight, the mount is the most important aspect for AP, therefore mount first - scope second, further more the focal reducer has taken the focal length from F9 to F7.65, you wont then be adding a further reducer!

Allan stick with the 8" Newt on the HEQ5 and invest in an ED80 in due course and use the same mount.

Yes, hence why I'm saving for the HEQ5 myself. I just bought the scope first - makes no odds to me which came first, the chicken or the egg. Only that the scope was on offer.

Secondly, yes you can have alternate reducers for different speeds on exposure length, better to get one free (x0.85) and have another.

Not that I intend to, but actually people have doubled up on reducers to good effect - google it.

I could of bought the mount first, but then OVL may end that OTA bundle.