Buying my first kit

[paulbuckley221]

Hi there

I posted a week or so ago regarding buying a set up and received some great help, I still have a couple of questions that I can't seem to find an answer to via research.

I have a maximum budget of between £900-£1000 to spend on the whole kit, (ie eyepices, power tank, scope, mount etc).

Portability is a massive issue for me as I have a very mild walking condition and I live in a flat in inner london, with no car. Luckily I can get myself to a couple of parks within about 10/15 minutes walk which seem suitable for observing the sky. 

I want to at some point delve into astrophotography with this kit and even at some point some DSO AP if i can. 

I am looking at buying a C5 spotter due to it's portability and optics and a Eq3 goto mount. I believe the combined weight of this set-up is less than 15kg which is ideal; however i've been told that for DSO astrophotography as a minimum I should be using a small refractor and a Eq5 mount. The small refractor could come in time and this is not an issue as I have seen some fairly lightweight ones available; however me transporting the weight of an Eq5 mount for a mile is about as feasible as me visiting mars tommorow.

My questions are; can any DSO astrophotography be done on a Eq3 syncscan? Also is there any light weight mounts, suitable for DSO astrophotography that have a similar price tag as the Eq5 GOTO?

Lastly, is the goto system the same on a Eq3 and Eq5, ie if I buy a Eq3 GOTO and later want to buy an Eq5; could I use the Eq3 GOTO on the Eq5 ? Cause a consideration that I'm having is that I might move house in a year or so and if I had a garden, an Eq5 could be a possible purchase if that happens. 

Thanks in advance.

Paul

[NGC 1502]

Hi Paul, as you are in London, maybe here can help http://bakerstreetastro.org.uk/  they meet in Regents Park.

Nothing can quite beat meeting up face to face with like minded people and chatting things over.

Regards, Ed.

[ronin]

If I recall the C5 is a Mak/SCT and on an EQ3-2 the combination is not that good.

The scope has a long focal length and the mount is a bit too light.

Alternatives the the EQ5 really it would be one of the iOptron eq mounts, offhand no idea which and none on the cost. A couple of outlets sell them, Altair Astro being one.

A small refractor is a good choice but it would need to be an ED to minimise CA, even with an ED there would be some CA and it may get through.

Concerning the motors - not sure and to avoid disappointment I would assume not interchangeable, however there is an idea they might just be, say 80/20 that they are not compatible. If in doubt ask one of the retailers.

As you are London suggest the same as Ed = Baker Street Astro one night, also you have Astrofest at Kensington in 10 days. Visit that and enquire about the goto compatibility and have a look at all the nice shiney bits.

[paulbuckley221]

Cheers guys. Yeah I've been to one of the nights at Regent's Park. I've been planning on going to the widescreen centre shop which I think works in conjuction with BSIA. Astrofest is a great shout, hadn't even thought of that.

[dick_dangerous]

As a fellow (mostly) pedestrian astronomer in London, I have some experience in telescope portability. Those mounts can get pretty heavy, pretty quickly. Alt-Azimuth mounts are generally lighter than Equatorial because they lack the counter-weight. Even a camera tripod or spotting scope tripod will work well with a small telescope. The only problem is that you can't use an AZ for astrophotography.

I use an ST80 with an EQ1. I wouldn't recommend the EQ1 mount especially because its mostly a pain in the rear end. The telescope however is brilliant - I managed to observe M81 and M82 (With supernova) from Zone 6 at the weekend. I simply sling the kit over my shoulder and walk to the park, and it's quite manageable although my arms do ache when I get there (I'm a 9 stone weakling). Your budget is larger than mine which opens up a range of snazzier possibilities, many of which have been recommended above.

One thing that has been suggested to me and gave me Ideas was to buy a trolley. I'm investigating the possibilities of this, but it could help you get to your dark(ish) site with heavier kit. I should imagine pneumatic wheels are a must to reduce bumps to the 'scope...

DD

[paulbuckley221]

I've been looking at refractors for at some point in the future but I've become a sufferer of aperture fever.. that coupled with my need for portability has driven me toward a cassegrain. C5 spotter is light as hell and the same optics as the 5SE. I've had a look at a 70mm refractor (name has escaped me) for some point in the future when I get a bit more serious about DSO AP.  

A trolley is a great idea and i've considered this before but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't survive the evening if I brought home a trolley and left it in my shared 3 bed living room haha!

I've been looking into the ioptron mounts but I've heard some pretty bad things about them. I'd ideally like my kit to be train-portable so I can travel to my parents (or anywhere out of zone 2) with it all. 

So many decisions to be made!

[cantab]

People have imaged on an EQ3-2/EQ3 Synscan. You'll need to keep the focal length short (perhaps use a camera lens rather than an astro scope for the imaging), watch the weight, and be prepared for a bit more trouble, but you should get some results out of it.