Replacement mount?

[stevil]

Hi,

Could anyone advise me if the Celestron Nexstar 127 SLT is compatible with other tripods, i.e. if the dovetail will fit other tripods?

Secondly, and I realise there is the issue of the Mak 127's long focal length, would using an EQ type tripod (or smiliar) instead of the nexstar/goto tripod make this scope decent enough for some astrophotography with a DSLR?

Thanks

Steve

[Digz]

I think your missing something in your terminology. Usually there are three things that make up a telescope - depending on how you group them.

1. The tripod - the legs of the system if you like.

2. The head - EQ, Alt Az etc

3. The optical system - telescope, reflector, refractor, CAT etc.

The head and optical system are combine via a dovetail, so depending on your head it may be possible. But note there are different types of dovetail.....

With regards to astrophotography a GEM mount is the preferred mount due to its setup and the way it works. That isn't to say any other type of mount can't be used it will just be limited in what you can do.

HTH

[LukeSkywatcher]

I think your missing something in your terminology. Usually there are three things that make up a telescope - depending on how you group them.

1. The tripod - the legs of the system if you like.

2. The head - EQ, Alt Az etc

3. The optical system - telescope, reflector, refractor, CAT etc.

The head and optical system are combine via a dovetail, so depending on your head it may be possible. But note there are different types of dovetail.....

With regards to astrophotography a GEM mount is the preferred mount due to its setup and the way it works. That isn't to say any other type of mount can't be used it will just be limited in what you can do.

HTH

I agree. You want to find out basically what size the dovetail is on the mount. Once you find that out the scope will be compatible with any other dovetail/ mount of similar size.

You may even be able to put the 127 on an EQ mount if you can get a set of tube rings to fit the 127. This would allow for imaging.

[rowan46]

Its a standard vixen dovetail on the scope so any of the skywatcher mounts and any other standard vixen fitting mount will be OK. As to astrophotography with a DSLR. I assume you are wishing to do long exposure work with it as you already know about the issues with its focal length and high focal ratio. Unless you are getting a very good mount I would suggest you keep your sub's to about 30 secs they will not be great pics but with a bit of work and luck you should get some product

[Geordie mc]

You're going to need an equatorial mount with motors to track your target object. You're looking at a fair outlay. Anything under £500 is probably not up to the job or you'll quickly want to replace it. Skywatcher heq5 pro or neq6 are good places to start. Really depends on your budget. You can spend thousands - many do.

[stevil]

Ok, useful information there, thanks.

I was not aware of the "head", I had assumed that the dovetail was attached to a specific type of tripod.

Thanks

Steve

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

[Digz]

Take a look at this:

http://m.skyatnightmagazine.com/feature/general-guide/equatorial-mounts-part-1

quite informative on the parts of a setup.

[stevil]

Take a look at this:

http://m.skyatnightm...l-mounts-part-1

quite informative on the parts of a setup.

Thanks, I guess my Nexstar is a pretty basic setup. Interesting reading.

[astrosathya]

Hi,

Do not be dejected. Basically, there is no "One Size Fits All" in Astrophotography, and therefore, no instrument is actually bad. Just that it is good for one purpose or another. Let me explain. Moon, Planets etc have a lot of brightness and therefore a long focal length telescope like your own can be use for photographing them. It also make life a little simpler. You will take videos with a dedicated planetary camera like the QHY5, Opticstar PL-131C, a Phillips SPC900C web camera or use your DSLR in Video mode to take videos of the moon or planets, stack individual frames using Registax and produce a still image.

Deep sky objects like Galaxies, Nebulae etc are objects with low surface brightness compared to moon and planets. Therefore you need long exposures on your DSLR to collect enough light particles called Photons. You can make up for this lengthy exposure time partially by using a combination of a large aperture and short focal length. My setup shown in my signature has an F Ratio of 4.5 in photographic mode. That is a fast system and exposure times are quite fast. Your telescope is therefore suitable mainly for planetary and lunar photography, though you can still do restricted deep sky photography like perhaps globular clusters, planetary nebulae. Get yourself an Equatorial mount (GEM) like the Sky-Watcher EQ5-PRO. You will be benefited a lot from its use.

All The Best.