advice on imaging equipment

[Sp@ce_d]

The OP said:

And as there is no single OTA that can do everything... hence the discussion really. I don't think the ED80 is the only option, although if it were imaging only it would be a natural place to start...

Ha... I went back twice to reread as well... doh yet another pair of glasses wasted

But yes.. that's why we all end up with more than one scope... accept the addiction..

I've found an old image from a couple or so years back done with the 80ED & the1000D its ha (I modded the camera) and colour.

[Eeyarn]

yeah sorry if im confusing people the reason i wanted to use it for visual as well is mainly because my current scope is not very good the focuser is terrible not a major issue for visual i guess but its still annoying, it needs collimating but there isnt a centre spot on the primary mirror ant the screws to adjust the mirrors are in so tight iv basically destroyed the cross in the top of the screw so its almost just a hole,  just wanted to kill two birds by  getting a new one, but going to have to compromise somewhere i guess also i keep it in the house and i think two scopes inside might be going abit far lol

anyways thanks for all the great info its been alot of help

[Eeyarn]

forgot to mention i think the reason the scopes not very good is because its from argos haha bought it when i knew nothing about them so cant really excpect much more oh well...

[LouisJB]

the skywatchers come with a centre dot and the F5s can be colminated in about 3 mins - so colmination being an issue is a bit of a duff one really - unless you start going down towards F4 territory. I've found the 130P holds colmination, I've adjusted it maybe 2 times since I got it. Not sure on the bigger models, think the larger it is the more parts may move/flex - but at F5 or above these are not so sensitive for it to be much of a big deal.

You will need to allow for some cool down time though on a reflector, more the bigger it is. The GSO I have has a mirror cell fan. You could look at the GSO equivalents of the Skywatchers, they have nice focusers and are well made. The 200 comes with the fan, not sure if the smaller 150 does though.

Probably best to put the argos thing on ebay asap the views even from the 130P are pretty good and likely a massive improvement on what you have. Very pin sharp and no colour fringing on bright planets. This is why I think a 150PDS is quite a sweet spot as an all-rounder, heck even I'm tempted to get one. How many tubes can you have, not enough it would appear Having the HEQ5 pro or NEQ6 you will have a few options and even the 200 would be fine on it, primarily better for visual (big improvement over 130/150) but also it should be very possible to image with it, you'd just need more patience to set up and be prepared that it's unlikely to be ideal in the wind! It would be much better for say imaging planets with a web cam.

At the end of the day you'll probably end up with a few tubes. Something faster with longer focal lengths for small/dim DSOs like galaxies and planetary nebula and something ED80 style for wider field work. Maybe something specific for visual. You simply can't get one tube to do all these things perfectly.

[ollypenrice]

AP is a great hobby, but never underestimate the difficulty that comes with it. To this end, if you want to start getting results from the off and not getting disheartened with it, the HEQ5 and an 80ED is a perfect starting point .............. but not for visual. I've never actually looked through my current scope, but as I understand it, visual and imaging have very different requirements. Could you perhaps consider a second hand dob for your visual fix while you are imaging.

 Your current scope (I do know it!!) is ruddy marvellous visually and with 85mm aperture showed the Hamburger galaxy in the Leo Triplet quite easily. No, but I agree with your real point. Small  refractors are great for AP and rather 'niche' in visual use...

Olly

[Eeyarn]

hi again, i went for the 150pds and tonight was the first chance to try it out, couldnt be happier. 

do just have one question regarding getting focus, it seems that i cant get enough inward focus is this just because of the 2inch to 1.25inch adapter? my t-mount is 1.25 and so i think the adapter is just holding it too far back. will this just be solved by buying a 2inch t-mount? 

thanks again

iain

[Thalestris24]

hi again, i went for the 150pds and tonight was the first chance to try it out, couldnt be happier. 

do just have one question regarding getting focus, it seems that i cant get enough inward focus is this just because of the 2inch to 1.25inch adapter? my t-mount is 1.25 and so i think the adapter is just holding it too far back. will this just be solved by buying a 2inch t-mount? 

thanks again

iain

Hi Iain

I just got a 150pds too and had the same problem. It's not a problem really. A dslr with a T-ring screws directly into the focusser without any other adapter. Actually, I screwed the T-ring into the focusser first then attached the camera body. I did it that way cos it was easier as I didn't want to undo the power adapter and usb cable which was already in place. Hope that helps.

Louise

[Eeyarn]

thanks louise, it does help a great deal wish id have known last night as we're forecast cloud for the next few nights..  but i'll try when its next clear. thanks again. 

Iain