To de-fork or not.....

[Hairycamel]

I have a Celestron CPC925 which is a fantastic scope and it's a brilliant planetary/visual outfit that is very easy to setup with GPS etc. However, I really want to start DSO imaging as well and had thought to buy the Celestron HD Pro Wedge but I now have the chance to buy an EQ6 on a substantial pier that would be just the ticket. Do I de-fork my CPC and mount on the EQ6, or do I sell the CPC complete and buy a different OTA? Is there a market for a CPC mount if I do de-fork it? Any suggestions would be more than welcome!

[ollypenrice]

I would forget the C9.25 for deep sky imaging and start afresh on the EQ6 with a shorter focal length. Whatever I did I would never again buy a wedge and when I later de-forked my LX200 I simply turned a super visual setup into a pestillent DS imaging one. You could get the C9.25 to work for DS imaging on an EQ6, all being well. But boy, it's hard work. The long FL is not in the EQ6 comfort zone, it's in the 'can be done' zone. How many clear nights have you got to mess about? Are you going to add a focuser and a 6.3 reducer? Spend spend spend. I wouldn't have wanted to learn DS imaging that way. Give me a short fast refractor on a GEM any day. Even that will keep you seriously busy, trust me.

Olly

[Hairycamel]

Thanks Olly, your wedgeophobia has been explained to me a couple of times now and I think I have finally taken notice! I already have the 6.3 reducer and a WO Crayford for the 9.25, and I wanted to keep this OTA for planetary and small objects ( M57 size) where I think it would still shine. The plan was to add the ubiquitous ED80 for widefield - et voila! all a man could want in a system .........except maybe a nice triplet and a fast Newtonian and etc. etc.

[Hairycamel]

I forgot to ask, could one image on a 9.25 whilst using the ED80 to guide, then change the roles with the 9.25(with reducer) guiding?