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Hello from the Wirral

LeeWilky

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LeeWilky

LeeWilky

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Hi all!

My Names Lee and i have finally decided to get into something that i have always had a passion for ever since i was a child. 

I bought myself a Skywatcher Explorer 200p with an EQ5 mount last night as my first telescope to get me started with the intention of upgrading it over time to start getting into Astrophotography.  My scope will be here tomorrow and i cant wait to get started!

I have a number of questions to ask and i will ask some of them here but all of them on the appropriate page.

Firstly what accesories should i get for the scope?  The only thing i ordered with it so far is a moon filter.

Secondly what is a semi decent DSLR in the region of £300 to get me started?

Thankyou for any assistance and look forward to spending many nights outside driving the mrs mental lol!

 
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swag72

swag72

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Welcome to SGL Lee - Good to see another potential imager about!

Before you spend a penny more for AP, can I suggest getting the book 'Making Every Photon Count' available via the FLO website, in the book section. This is an imagers bible and you should read it through twice before making any decisions about what to buy. It will be the best £20 you ever spend!

For AP it's all about the mount, and the general recommended minimum is the HEQ5 - Hop over to the imaging section and have a look at the images posted. Be realistic about what you want to achieve and pick similar images and see what they are taken with. That will give you another starting point.

Hope that helps!

Look forward to seeing you around :smiley:

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LeeWilky

LeeWilky

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Thanks guys :)  Ill get that book ordered mate.  Im serious about getting into this now as its something ive always wanted to do and i actually have a girlfriend who supports the idea lol! 

This is exactly what i have bought,  http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-sky-watcher-explorer-200-eq-5-newtonian-reflector-telescope/p10561

I take it the mount isnt good enough for AP?  I just saw the heavy duty EQ5 and thought oh thats what everyone seems to be going on about lol!  If i need to upgrade then thats no problem but will be in a few months time.  My main concern at the moment is what other lenses i should get as it doesnt really come with many choices.  For now i just want to get into looking up there and using it to look rather than AP.  Im looking at orderig a Cheshire Collimator that Astro Baby reccomends for the 200p on his collimation guide but still have some of my budget left over for anything else that is reccomended.

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Quatermass

Quatermass

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Hi Lee good to see you on here at last. The eq5 mount is fine for astrophotography been using mine for over 3 years now, the HEQ5 is better still but the set up your getting is a great set up so fear not. You will get a standard set of lenses with your 200p and they will be fine for now, In fact once you get your telescope I suggest you spend the first month just getting used to it and taking your time. You need to be very careful with the bolts that adjust your mounts latitude as they are soft and bendy and will warp if you use to much force on them. A moon filter is cheap enough I got one but to be honest never use it any more. The collimator is a much needed item with a scope like this so very much worth getting now.

There is a bunch of us chaps on here using an EQ5 mount and the 200p so you have come to the right place for help and advice. You will be surprised at how big the 200p is when it arrives and its going to take you a month at least of using it to become best friends so for now just take your time and enjoy some observing is my advice to you. Its a great time to be observing with your new scope and plenty to see around Orion this time of year. 

The astrophotography side of things is very addictive but please don't rush into it all that was my first mistake just take your time and get used to the telescope first believe me that will take you  a good few weeks to get to grips with. Any questions you may have just let us know and we will be happy to help you make the most of your telescope and enjoy the night sky. Your a lucky man, I remember when my 200p arrived with my eq5 mount I was so excited and really had no idea of the amazing journey I was about to go on with it.

Heres my 200p from 2010 when I wrote about it in my blog back then.. ah happy days

http://astrocasto.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/new-sky-watcher-explorer-200p-eq5.html

And some advice about the bolts..

http://astrocasto.blogspot.co.uk/2010_10_01_archive.html

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LeeWilky

LeeWilky

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Hi mate yes this site is looking fantastic!  Cant beat a decent forum full of experience when starting a new hobby.  I noticed your post about the bendy screws so i will definately take your advice on that and modify it as soon as possible.

All the reviews of the 200p seemed excellent and your pictures are fantastic so im really looking forward to it arriving tomorrow!  Im very lucky with where i live as ambient light is quite minimal and my girlfriends parents are farmers so we have plenty of land where i can sit in the middle of a field with the closest street lights about 800 metres away and the cloest built up area a few miles away so should get some decent views British weather providing! 

Ive also bought a few aps for my Ipad mini which seem great for fiding things in the sky with the accelerometer so that should hopefully help a lot and i was made redundant not long ago so late nights arent a problem lol!

Definately going to start small and work my way up so in respect to the digital camera it will be more used for daytime terrestrial pics at the moment so ill probably buy the Nikon d3200 as its almost half price on Amazon at the mo so be daft not too.  Ill buy a seperate camera for AP in a few months once im all set with my new scope.

Fingers crossed tomorrow night is a clear one!

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Quatermass

Quatermass

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We have a thing on here that when some one gets a new telescope the clouds home in on them for about a month so hoping that you don't suffer from cloud when you get your new telescope. Having dark skies is a big plus if your going to do some imaging later on but for now you will have lots to see. Check out the Orion Nebula as your first object its a cracker.

And just to set you on the path to the dark side here is a picture of the Orion Nebula I took a couple of years ago with the telescope and mount your getting and a canon 350D plus the dual axis kit that gives you two motors and a control box.

post-8732-0-39967700-1385384135_thumb.jp

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LeeWilky

LeeWilky

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Hi Laura and thankyou :)

Mark its pictures like that that have had me obsessed with Astronomy ever since i was a child.  Its one thing looking at them on the internet or seeig them on TV but actually taking them yourself and seeing them with your own eyes is a totally different thing.  i just hope the weather plays ball and i can use the scope tomorrow!  The last few nights have been pretty good up here and last night was fantastic so fingers crossed!

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Knight of Clear Skies

Knight of Clear Skies

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Welcome to SGL.

Camera wise, here's a picture on M13 taken with a Nikon D3200 through a 5" refractor (not mine I should add).

9608077914_2df5f1ac4f_c.jpg

(42 minutes of data.)

It's a very good camera, but please bear in mind the Canon's are more friendly for astro-photography. Converting the files is more of a hassle with the Nikon, and there is free astro-specific 3rd party software available for the Canon.

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LeeWilky

LeeWilky

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Wow i didnt realise you could take pictures that good unmodded.  Ive ordered my d32oo and it will be here tomorrow with the telescope.  Are the T rings generic or is there a certain type you need for the d3200?  Theres a couple on amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revelation-Nikon-T-Ring/dp/B0039ZN3UC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385389134&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+t+ring

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