Getting started

[Gareque]

Good afternoon folks,

Being new and yet to buy my starting gear for astrophotography, I am just looking for some advice.  Having been given some already by LeeWilky, I think I am mostly there (it's just the monetary commitment mainly!).

It seems that all hands point to the SkyWatcher Explorer 200p with regards to OTA's and I've already got a Nikon D3100 for taking the shots (granted, unmodded at this stage) and I'll be getting the EQ-5 mount and upgrading it with the motors at a later point.

With regards to image editing, I've got the full CS5 suite, so that should handle most needs.

I believe this leaves me with needing a t-ring to mount the camera to the scope and a remote switch which are both available fairly cheaply.

My question then, is there anything missing from the above, or does it largely look about right?  Also, are there any recommendations to look into further before committing to my choices?

Thanks in advance,

Gareque

[Steve 1962]

Hi Gareque

I'm not sure all hands do point to a 200p - mine would tend to point to a short focal length refractor if you're looking to get into astrophotography. I've owned both and the refractor is a far more forgiving instrument on which to practice your new craft. I went from a slowish refractor to a 200p and then to short, fast  refractor - which I am very happy with.

AP is a notoriously expensive hobby with a steep learning curve,  so I'd recommend you get a copy of Steve Richards' book "Making Every Photon Count" (available from FLO) and read it from cover to cover before spending any significant money on AP kit.

Steve

[GuillermoBarrancos]

Newtonians like the 200P are big beasts and not easy to handle.

Everyone makes the same mistake first time by looking at a big Scope first and a Mount later. Wrong!

It's best to invest in the best Mount you can afford first and foremost! If you are serious about going into Astrophotography, get at least the HEQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo Mount.

If that takes up Your entire Budget.... no problem. You can get dovetail adapters to Mount Your Nikon DSLR straight onto the Mount and start practicing With Polar and star alignment and try take widefield images With just Your camera.

There are very good tutorials on youtube on how to polar align / star align Mounts like the HEQ5 (and its bigger Brother NEQ6). Like here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwJ9O0lFnQs (and he has more videos)

It's the best start you can do and then save up for a Scope later. Like a good ED Apo refractor.

Just my 2 cents.

PS. It's exactly the process I am going through myself With getting back into Astronomy. Currently saving up for a NEQ6 Pro Mount (Next month hopefully) and then a Scope (thinking about Equinox 120) in June.

[Gareque]

But what is the difference between say, the EQ5 upgraded with the motors for an additional £90, £190 to make it a goto, and the EQ5 pro?  I can't seem to find any real difference, other than a massive price increase.

Also, the issue I have with refractors is that I have been informed by several people that to get a refractor of the same quality as say an 8" reflector, you wind up spending a lot more due to how they work.

I've done some more research at work today as well and luckily, the Nikon I have is not one of the so-called star-eaters I read about, so at least that's something .

[Gareque]

I forgot to ask also Steve, what refractors would you recommend?  At the moment, I have got budget restrictions, so I am generally looking at around the £4-500 mark.

[swag72]

That is definitely not a setup I'd be starting with. The stock answer for AP is an HEQ5 and an 80ED or some other such variant. People make this recommendation for good reason ........... it works, time and time again. If you consider how many nights you get to do AP in the UK, think then about how much of that time you will lose due to not having the right equipment. A long focal length scope for guiding is difficult and it NEEDS a good mount. Without a good mount you can kiss goodbye to a considerable number of your subs.

I know that it's hard to bite the bullet and that cheaper options are very attractive, but in the long term it will either lead to an upgrade (probably to the kit mentioned above) or you will not enjoy AP and give it up.

Just my ideas ......

[Steve 1962]

Hi again Gareque

I agree with Sarah - a Skywatcher 80ED is actually cheaper than a 200p.  There's no need to collimate a refractor and you don't get any of the diffraction star spikes that you'd get with a 200P. Also, some of the DSOs are very big and the 80ED will give you a bigger field of view.

I started with an HEQ5 Pro - you can save a few quid by going for the non-goto Syntrek version and controlling it from a Laptop using EQMOD.

There are people who have success with a 200P on an HEQ5, but mine struggled, so I upgraded it to my current NEQ6.

HTH

Steve

[GuillermoBarrancos]

But what is the difference between say, the EQ5 upgraded with the motors for an additional £90, £190 to make it a goto, and the EQ5 pro?  I can't seem to find any real difference, other than a massive price increase.

Also, the issue I have with refractors is that I have been informed by several people that to get a refractor of the same quality as say an 8" reflector, you wind up spending a lot more due to how they work.

I've done some more research at work today as well and luckily, the Nikon I have is not one of the so-called star-eaters I read about, so at least that's something .

There is a big difference between the standard EQ5 and HEQ5.

For starters. The EQ5 can only handle half the load capacity compared to the HEQ5 Pro. It can only handle 6Kg load for AP compared to 11Kg with the HEQ5 Pro.

There is a good reason why there is a 250 bucks price difference between a EQ5 and HEQ5 Pro and why People swear by latter mount.

Both the HEQ5 Pro and NEQ6 Pro a very good Mounts for Astro Photography.

So really, do not go for the standard EQ5. You will deeply regret it later on. 6Kg load is nothing when it comes to AP. You can completely forget putting a 200P on a EQ5, as the OTA alone is already nearly 9Kg.