Please help - nexstar 6SE or Skywatcher 200PDS (HEQ5 pro)

[chrisbuck10765]

Hoping to do some astrophotography and am upgrading my scope from a current explorer 130P.

I know it's a 'how long's a piece of string' question but I've settled on the choice of either a Nexstar 6SE or a skywatcher 200PDS - these both fit my budget. Any advice to help with the final decision would be really appreciated as I'm just going round and round trying to choose one or the other. Also, I could slightly increase the budget ( by waiting a couple of months) if anyone has any better suggestions.

Thanks all.

[mrjolly]

I think the 6SE has a long focal length (F10 I believe) so AP might be challenging compared to the 200PDS which is F5. The HEQ5 mount, being an EQ would also be better suited for long exposures too.

[Naemeth]

The most important thing to consider in Astrophotgraphy is the mount, then the camera, then the scope.

The longer the focal length of a scope, the harder it is to track and the less forgiving it is of tracking errors:

Think about it in a practical way: You point a laser at a sheet of paper 1 metre away, then you move the laser slightly and the dot on the paper moves. Now imagine this same movement done when the paper is 10 metres away. The laser will appear to have moved a lot more. What may seem fine at a short focal length in terms of tracking may not be with a long focal length.

In addition to a long focal length, you need to consider the focal ratio of the scope, the faster this is, the faster you gather data. At F/10 you are gathering data far more slowly than at F/5 to get the same number of photons.

HEQ-5 Pro is probably the minimum for the 200PDS, but it would be more comfortable on an NEQ-6.

The Nexstar would do well at planetary photography, but not for DS photography, so it all depends on what you want to do .

For widefield AP, people often use a SW ED80 with an FF/FR (Field Flattener / Focal Reducer) on a HEQ-5 or NEQ-6 as a start.

You should probably get this book before spending the best part of a grand on imaging gear, just a thought.

HTH

EDIT: It seems you've already got the book

[CSM]

The NexStar 6SE is great for webcam planetary photos but it has an Alt-Az mount so no good for Deep Sky. I am just in the process of sorting out the 2nd hand wedge which will convert mine to an EQ mount. Then I can use the Starshoot G3 CCD camera plus focal reducer which just arrived today!

However, if this is your first scope then I would suggest forgetting about astrophotography to start with and concentrating on the visual side of things. Gain experience that way then think about the photo side of things.

And if you haven't already done so, go along to your local society and talk to the guys there and look through their scopes.

[chrisbuck10765]

Thanks guys for the replies - looks like maybe the explorer 200PDS and possibly the NEQ6 looks like the way to go. Yes, book on order and looking forward to reading that ... I think I'll maybe try and get a second-hand schmidt-cassegrain at a later stage possibly.

[Peter Drew]

If it's possible to stretch the budget then the EQ6 is the best direction to go.

[timtrice]

I know this is an old thread; would the Celestron f/6.3 Reducer help the Nexstar take quicker exposures? Granted, the mount is still a problem (mixed reviews on the wedge). In addition, I know the camera is Hyperstar compatible which would be an additional (unnecessary for many) but should help even further. Would the reducer be enough to get pretty detailed photos?