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Give me back my wallet!

keybaud

By keybaud
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keybaud

keybaud

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I'd like to thank Mr Cox and the rest of the Stargazing live team for convincing me that my son needed a small telescope for his birthday. Unfortunately, it seems to have had the same effect on me as when a friend of mine bought his daughter a Scalextric set...

My son has a Celestron 70mm Travel Scope, which he loves, but when the mount on the tripod broke I started looking at what the options were to get him a better tripod. I decided not to go for anything too expensive and found a well priced EQ2 that was for sale on EBay 10 miles from where I live. This has made a huge difference to his ability to use the scope and for Christmas I've got him a 2x Barlow and a Moon and Skylight filter. Whilst I was looking at what the tripod/mount options were I saw lots of fantastic photos taken by what I assume are everyday folk. My old Canon 30D had died due to mould 'in' the sensor (not 'on' it) and I was looking for a new camera to replace it, but now I wanted to take photos of planets and the stars instead of the kids and the visiting mother-in-law.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I've undertaken the compulsory astrophotographers' ritual of purchasing and reading 'Making every photon count' and I'm now creating a list of things to look out for over the coming months as I prepare to have my wallet stolen by FLO and other purveyors of astronomical produce. I'm looking at getting an ED80, but I'm still trying to work out which mount I should get and how many bells and whistles it should have, when it arrives!

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swag72

swag72

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Welcome to SGL and the expense of AP as you have already discovered!

The 80ED is a well considered scope, but with a DSLR you'll also need to consider budgeting for a reducer / field flattener. Without that the corners will be a little dire. Mount wise, the HEQ5 is often recommended as a start and for good reason. Follow the tried and tested methods and you'll be up and running in no time!

Look forward to seeing you around, this imaging lark is addictive that's for sure!! :smiley:

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keybaud

keybaud

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Welcome to SGL and the expense of AP as you have already discovered!

The 80ED is a well considered scope, but with a DSLR you'll also need to consider budgeting for a reducer / field flattener. Without that the corners will be a little dire. Mount wise, the HEQ5 is often recommended as a start and for good reason. Follow the tried and tested methods and you'll be up and running in no time!

Look forward to seeing you around, this imaging lark is addictive that's for sure!! :smiley:

You have just answered the question I was going to ask, as I keep seeing the field flattener listed as the item the person that just bought an ED80 'also bought'. On the list it goes...  :smiley:

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JamesF

JamesF

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Welcome to SGL

Planetary/solar system imaging is quite different from DSO imaging, so you may want to give some thought to your preferences before you start buying kit.  I'd hesitantly suggest that planetary can probably be done a bit cheaper too if budget is an issue, though buying second hand and making good choices can help a lot in both cases.

James

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi and welcome to the forum. Plenty of competent people over on the imaging sections to help you out as and when you need it. Imaging isn't difficult but there is a lot to get your head round and to pull it all together at the same time, it just a little bit of planning and a bit of practice - I'm sure you'll get there.

Clear skies and look forward to seeing some of your images in the new year!

James

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Horatio

Horatio

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Hi and welcome from me too......sounds like it's going to be painful but the pleasure will more than count for it I'm certain.  Some great astro photo's I'm amazed what people can do, I daren't get the book 'Making every photon count'  exactly for the reason you listed.  I look forward to seeing the results :smiley:

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BritAngler

BritAngler

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Hello Keybaud and welcome to the forum :)

For AP, have you considered going the modified webcam route instead? Much lighter (and cheaper) than a DSLR. Even though I've got a Nikon DSLR I've got my eyes on a couple of webcams - one that will need modifying and another that is designed for AP.

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keybaud

keybaud

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Hello Keybaud and welcome to the forum :)

For AP, have you considered going the modified webcam route instead? Much lighter (and cheaper) than a DSLR. Even though I've got a Nikon DSLR I've got my eyes on a couple of webcams - one that will need modifying and another that is designed for AP.

I already have a 70D I bought myself as a Xmas present and, as mentioned in other posts here, I've just resurrected my old 30D by removing the IR filter. This doesn't mean I won't try a webcam or CCD, but I am going to try and limit the rate at which I destroy my bank account.

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