EQ5 or HEQ5 ????

[sharpie78]

Hi all,

I have a skywatcher 130 f/l 650 and would like to try a little bit of imaging.

OTA is sitting on the EQ2 mount that came with it which is obviously not very sturdy so after previous advice from this forum I have decided to upgrade.

Would an EQ5 be enough to handle the job or would I need to go for an HEQ5 ?

OTA (according to the specs) is 3.7KG so with tube rings/finder scope/dslr or ccd and guidescope I'm estimatiing somewhere around a total weight of 7-8 KG.

Your help and advice is appreciated

Many Thanks in advance

[sharpie78]

The other option might be a Celestron CG5 GT ?????

[JKB]

Hi Jack

Myself I would opt for the HEQ5 Pro if possible. I know there is a big difference in price but they come up 2nd hand quite often and well worth the money. I paid £500 for my HEQ5 Pro Synscan 2nd hand and is a fantastic piece of kit.  Whilst your scope isn't on the big size you may be lured into bigger later so probably better to be ready for that eventuality.

One thing to bear in mind is that if you are talking about the 130P reflector there is often difficulty in achieving focus with a DSLR due to mirror position.

HTH

Cheers

Jamie

[sharpie78]

Hi Jamie, Thanks for your reply, The skywatcher 130 is on loan from my sister so I will prob get a 200p like yours at some point meaning, I guess, the HEQ5 would be the better option. When the loan telescope goes back I'll be left with my little skymax. That would obviously be ok on an EQ5 seeing as its so light and compact but I don't know how good that would be for imaging, again, due to its focus limitations ??

There's so many different choices and opinions it's hard to figure out what the best route to take is.....grrrr. lol

Without a massive budget everything seems like a trade off. I can get about £650 together at the moment so could afford a 200p on a dobsonian mount (which i would sell on or keep as a spare) and an EQ5 (both for sale on astrobuysell). I think that would be fine for visual use but as soon as I go down the imaging route, weight limitation of the EQ5 gets in the way. 

Would an EQ5 take a decent refractor ??

cheers

jack

[sharpie78]

I've been told to steer away from Dobs for imaging. Is that true ?

[JKB]

Yes Dob's are good for visual, although I have seen images taken with tracking Dob's. The problem is that the Dob is essentially a Alt/Az mount ie up/down and left/right this means as an object travels across the sky it will appear to rotate in the frame (field rotation) and you will get blurry images.

The EQ mounts obviously track the object with the centre aligned to the north celestial pole.  Whilst the Dob is a great quick set up and needs less learning to use personally I hate mine and rarely use it.  Mostly used in school where I teach a little Astronomy to the kids. My main imaging scope fir deep sky objects is the 150P which sits nicely on the HEQ5. The EQ5 will of course take a good Frac but then there are other limitations to consider.

The little Mak is great for planetary imaging as I use the 127 regularly.  It is a hard choice and not one thing suits another.  I think for the money I would try to get the HEQ5 2nd hand and save a little more for a 150/200p reflector as you have the Mak suitable for lunar/planetary imaging at the minute.

There are a few 150p's on a certain auction site on the EQ3/2. I sold my EQ3/2 for more than I thought I would so recouped some of the cost towards the HEQ5

Cheers

Jamie

[sharpie78]

I do like my little mak as it's so portable which gives the saying I hear so often " the best scope is one that you use a lot" a lot of credence. It's on the AZ goto mount which helps too. 

I think I'll probably take your advice and try and find a good 2nd hand HEQ5, then save up for a new OTA. As you say, I have the 102 Mak for planetary imaging to keep me going. Probably best to start off in the solar system anyway (well that's in my head, closer objects/brighter objects = easier for beginner). 

Out of interest......have you used webcams for imaging or just your canon dslr ?

Cheers

Jack

[JKB]

Well I really think you will look back and think you made the right decision. I know how frustrating it can be especially when you have the money ready. (I just bought a Brompton folding bike, only to be told it will take 8 weeks to be ready!)

I have used and tried numerous webcams from the Philips SPC range (now getting hard to find and damn expensive. 2yrs ago you could buy one for £7!) to the really low end cheap ones. Currently use a £2 Tesco webcam as my guide cam.  For imaging I have been using the X-Box camera and some Logitech ones.

Image attached is a 10 frame mosaic from the other night using an ASDA cheap  cam and far from being perfect its not too bad.

Cheers

Jamie

[sharpie78]

That's a pretty good image. Defo better than my one of tyco I took last night. I've got a microsoft lifecam which I modded for prime focus and it works.......but.......I'd really like a dslr or dedicated ccd for higher quality long exposure DSO's. Again.....the proverbial head banging against a brick wall of money or lack thereof !!

Well thanks for the advice and clear skies.

HEQ5 here I come.........

[RikM]

I think you have made the right choice. The HEQ5 is a fine imaging mount for a smaller/shorter FL telescope. If your 130P can reach focus with a DSLR, it should be very good. Fast f/5 optics, free from false colour and a nice field of view at 650mm FL. Being shorter FL, you should be able to achieve some respectable unguided exposures 1.5-2min as well, before adding a guide system later on.

[sharpie78]

Thanks Rik. More helpful info which has brought something to mind.......would a focuser upgrade help me at all ? I like the shortness of the newt I'm borrowing from my sister and I'm sure I could persuade her to part with it but I don't want to start putting mods on it if it isn't worth it ?? 

[sharpie78]

Just had a look at some of your pics. pretty impressive. My main interest is DSO too. (working my way up to that)

[RikM]

A lot of people do upgrade the Skywatcher focusers; I haven't. I use the standard single speed jobs on the 150P and 250PX but I have tickled them a bit, so they run smoothly and don't slip. The older blue-tube SW Newtonians do have a reputation for not being able to reach focus with a DSLR. If your sister's 130P is a blue one, chances are it would need modifying.

[sharpie78]

Yeah it is the blue one, she bought it quite a while ago and used it maybe twice so it's on "long term loan" (basically mine).

What other mods would you suggest on it other than a focuser upgrade ? Dew shields/Dew heaters ? I've seen cooling fans added aswell but I'm not sure why that's done.

If I can put a little money into mods rather than a new OTA, it frees up money for the HEQ5.

[RikM]

I always use a camping mat foam dew shield and have fitted a Rigel QuikFinder to help get my bearings for alignment. If DSO imaging with a Newtonian is your long term goal, then a coma corrector is a must.

Before spending any money on upgrading the telescope, by far the best 'first buy' should be Steve Richards' book http://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html this will set you off in the right direction. Deciding on an HEQ5 rather than cutting corners with the mount, is the best decision made though.

[sharpie78]

I've been pointed in the direction of that book by several people. It is now on my reservation list at the library. 

thanks again for the info. 

check list :

HEQ5

Focuser upgrade

Dew shield

Rigel or Telrad

anyone else with any suggestions/experience of mods for my 130.......please post 

[JKB]

Hmm. Now the fun begins........

Correct me if I am wrong but has the Blue 130 only got a 1.25 inch focuser? Just thinking that if upgrading make sure it is 2 inch as later you will almost certainly want to fit a Coma corrector to get rid of the annoying eggy stars you will get in the corners. Again I may be wrong but even with a low profile focuser you may loose that extra bit of travel ithe the coma corrector fitted?

A decent focuser upgrade (dual speed crayford) is going to set you back a fair sum (c£100) which is over half the price of a new 150P tube which of course is plug and play when it comes to using DSLR and has the 2 inch crayford.

Just thinking about spending money to upgrade?

Cheers

Jamie

[sharpie78]

I've been doing my research this afternoon and it would appear there is no dual speed crayford that is suitable for my SW 130 and like you say even if there was it would cost me a bit. I'm just gonna bite the bullet and get the HEQ5 and save up for another OTA while using the little skymax for planetary imaging in the mean time. I'll try my webcam in the 130 too and see what results I get. (fingers very tightly crossed)

I've seen a 200p on an HEQ5 on ebay so will watch that for the next few days and see how expensive it gets whilst obviously keeping an eye on astrobuysell.

It's so hard to resist aperture fever and put the money in to the mount first but I'm just gonna have to teach myself patience safe in the knowledge I won't regret it later. 

[RikM]

A 200P is on the limit for an HEQ5. Either the 130PDS or 150PDS would be a better match. If you are not guiding, the 130PDS would be the one I would go for. It's not only the weight, but the focal length that makes it difficult as it magnifies any tracking errors. It is also a bigger sail area for the wind to blow about.

[JKB]

 Yes aperture fever can be bad.  Just be cautious that a 200p on the HEQ5 (especially when you start adding guide cameras, DSLR, possible Guide scope etc etc) will be on the edge of the mounts capability.

Realistically the HEQ5 is suited for around 11kg payload for AP.  The 150P is around 5kg, say 1kg for a guide scope and camera, plus 1kg for the DSLR (don't forget the weight of all the cables and leads too)

The 200P is around 9kg (if my memory serves me right) plus the other bits and you will be pushing the mount.  Generally it is considered safe to load the mount between 1/2 to 3/4 the payload.

Just a thought

Jamie

[sharpie78]

Well I've just seen a NEQ6 for £650.......That solves all the problems of weight I reckon.......might be a touch of overkill but it's unlikely I'll need to buy a new mount in the next 10 years.

Maybe I'll get a mount this year and a new OTA next year. 

[sharpie78]

I think I might have mount fever.....let alone aperture fever.....

[JKB]

I think I might have mount fever.....let alone aperture fever.....

Sensible type of fever!