Splash the Cash!

[groberts]

I have spent the past year getting to know  astronomy (OK it'll actually take the rest of my life), if I like it and what I want to do.

Well I do like it, particularly imaging and using my current set-up have had plenty of fun but I can now see the DSO imaging (other than general viewing) is what I would like to do now and (rightly or wrongly) would like to upgrade my equipment, particularly the mount & OTA, insofar as possible, with a degree of future proofing. With a budget of say £2,000 what should I be getting?

• The mount has to be either the SW EQ6 SynScan or HEQ5 Synscan but which?
• I have had my eye on the Orion ED80T CF APO refractor for a while, is this a good choice? Clearly a good scope for the money but would I be better to go for a larger aperture from the start?
• Guidescope - no idea, maybe the SW ST80? Would this match the above?
• Inevitably other bits and pieces will be needed, I'm thinking: side mount, diagonal, power, reticle - what have I missed + recommendations.

Of course this is a big subject but my strategy for year-1 was also to get to know the issues with equipment and there are many (too many!) + use basic equipment, not because it's cheaper but to get to understand the basics from 1st principals and problems better i.e. for this purpose I deliberately started without a goto, the lack of even a basic motor drive proved a step too far for imaging.

So go on, what would you get? Thanks.   

[DaveS]

OK, HEQ 5 Syntrek, no point paying extra for synscan since you'll be using a laptop anyway, that's £150 you can spend elsewhere.

Short-focus apo 'frac, have a look on FLO, the WO GT 81 is looking good, with a flattener and a reducer / flattener to give a choice of FL no point spending mony on a diagonal, you won't use it anyway, but you may want an extender.

Skywatcher ST80 'scope and a suitable guide cam, the QHY 5 II is popular for a reason.

At £2000 total you won't be able to go CDD so a modded Canon DSLR, possibly the 1100

Basicaly and updated version of the kit in my sig.

[groberts]

Thanks Dave - a camera doesn't come into the budget for now as I already have a DSLR, albeit mot modded.  If all went well that would be the next step or CCD. 

[Astro Imp]

Hi,

First let me say I don't image but have read plenty of threads on here and the usual advice from them that know is to read Make Every Photon Count by Steve Richards and then read it again. Get it from our site Sponsors FLO:-  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html

[swag72]

I would say get the biggest mount that you can. The HEQ5 is excellent with an 80mm scope and will happily buzz around all night, but you will do well to future proof yourself. You never know if you fancy a change! So I would say the NEQ6.

Scope wise an 80mm is a great starters choice - It's short focal length will put minimal stress on the mount with regards guiding. It's certainly the basis for many people's imaging rig.

For guiding you could use a finder guider - You can get an adapter from Bern at Modern Astronomy that will turn your finder into a guider - Works well. Have you budgeted for a guide camera? You'll need one of those.

Get a Bahtinov mask for whatever scope you get - Focus is crucial and is something that will make or break an image. Good focus is absolutely necessary if want good images.

So I would say the NEQ6, ED80 or something equivalent, a modded finder for guiding, guide cam (perhaps a QHY5 mk2), Bahtinov mask, power for your mount.

That's off the top of my head - Hope that helps.

[PhotoGav]

Hi,

Plenty of suggestions already, but I thought I would add my thoughts...

I started off imaging with a short refractor and would highly recommend it. Guiding is made a little easier and the targets up there with that field of view are abundant - you'll be busy for ages! So...

Mount - do you need to set up your kit each time? If so, the HEQ-5 is already quite a lump and will certainly handle more than a small refractor and will take a longer second scope, so while the NEQ6 would be sweet, the HEQ-5 will be ample.

Scope - I was recommended by everyone on here to go for the Skywatcher Evostar 80ED - Pro. I went for it and don't regret that one bit, it's a great scope. You will need the dedicated reducer/flattener too.

Light Pollution Filter - if you need one, I would highly recommend the IDAS D1 filter. You can use the 2" filter with the FLO adapter for the reducer.

Guiding - you can happily use the finder scope that comes with the 80ED with a Bern Modern Astronomy adapter as suggested above. I use the QHY5-II camera for guiding and it works very well.

Power - go for a decent sized leisure battery with attachments to plug all the 12v things in. You can get a 'battery box' ready made or construct something yourself. Don't forget a charger too.

Dew control - I would suggest you get a controller with two bands, one for the main scope and one for the guide scope.

PC - Windows laptop to run everything, APT to control the camera, EQMod & Cartes du Ciel to control the mount, PHD2 for guiding, Alignmaster for better Polar Alignment, Astrotortilla for plate solving. You will also need stacking and processing software. DSS for stacking (though I use Nebulosity on the Mac) and Photoshop for post processing. A red screen to put on the laptop is great for preserving night vision. Don't forget a usb hub to connect everything together. Also, you will need an EQDir cable to connect the laptop to the mount.

Definitely a Bahtinov mask for focussing, as Sara says, it's essential.

I think that's pretty much everything you need to get started, not sure where that would be budget wise, but FLO do the 80ED with HEQ5 for £1190 (http://www.firstlightoptics.com/pro-series/skywatcher-evostar-80ed-pro-heq5-pro.html), so that leaves £800 for all the other bits and pieces - should be enough!

Word of warning though, you will need an awful lot of patience to get everything working to your satisfaction, not to mention waiting for the clear dark skies! You will also find yourself spending a whole lot more on upgrades in the future! The rewards are fabulous though - just look around on SGL at the amazing pictures, there is little more satisfying than producing something half decent yourself!

I wise you the very best of luck, enjoy the journey and I look forward to seeing your images posted on here before too long!

[Christopher Davenport]

Must say if I was starting over with a 2k budget, I would stick to used kit astro photographers are a meticulous bunch.

If i plan on imaging at home, then

eq6pro, finder guider, qhy5l ii, 150pds with coma corrector.

Otherwise for field work my current kit in sig plus a nice cooled CCD! (New Qhy8 or 9)

Anyway point is think carefully about what you want to image and where you going to image.

[m37]

As above, a small frac is plenty within the heq5 imaging weight limit. I had a wo triplet, 60mm guide scope, filter wheel, DSLR, guide camera, teelrad and counterweights and I was well under half the stated load for imaging. Worked really well so unless yo can see yourself going much bigger in future an heq5 would be a great choice.

As for scope, long exposure favours quality optics with a flat well colour corrected field over aperture as long exposures kind of handle the light gathering that would normally come from aperture. For this reason a small e.g. 80mm frac is a very popular choice that keeps the weight down too.

I can recommend the gt81 but for less money you will get very similar results with the ed80 from what I can tell. I think with that money I too would go for second hand. You can pick up a used heq5 in great condition for under £600 and maybe look at the crucial accessories to work out what you have left for a scope. Get the best scope you can for the money, anything from the ed80 upwards will give very nice results.

Look for images taken with various scopes by amateurs to see what gives the kind of images you would like to achieve.

Also check your field of view as a fast frac with a DSLR is great for wide field but if you want smaller clusters and sao on, you might want to consider factoring in the cost of a smaller chip. Cooling will really give noticeable improvements, set point even more so but then you're getting expensive. The noise reduction from even simple heat sink/fan cooling is quite remarkable.

Cheers and good luck

[groberts]

Thanks for everyone's replies, still weighing up the choices.

The mount is really about: can I handle the larger EQ6 (weight) and future proofing.  I'm happy that a, 80 APO of whatever make is the way to go and clearly the HEQ5 will handle this but I already have the larger SW 150PL and am sure to want something larger than the 80 at some point in the future.

The SW ST80 seems to give you a good bang for your bucks but is using this alongside an 80 APO as a guide is it overkill?

I have recently got a Bahtinov which is great + have DSLR and computer etc + outside electricity supply, what about other accessories / essentials: Field flattener, reticle eyepiece etc?

I am not averse to second hand - any recommendations on sources please?

Thanks again, Graham     

[swag72]

Keep your eyes out on ABS http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php

[groberts]

Whilst I realise a 2" focuser is best, my eyepieces etc are all 1.25" at the moment.  I presume a converter sorts this problem but does it have any implications?  Also, whilst on focusers, any comments on Rack & Pinion v Crayford? As value for money I like my current SK150PL except for the focus mechanism which I find to be quite poor = once bitten.......      

[tekkydave]

I see from your SIG that you have an ASI120MC - can that be used as as a guide cam saving a bit of cash?

[groberts]

Yes, though I haven't tried it yet.

[Mr Spock]

I'd go for an EQ6 first. Then I'd have a look at ABS, there's quite a few suitable scopes on there at the moment.

[groberts]

Was thinking of the SW ST80 for guiding but concerned it's too big along with an ED 80 but like the idea of a finder guider. Any recommendations for a set-up that will work with my ZWO ASI 120MC? 

[Scott]

I'd go for the neq6. You WILL realise that one scope doesn't fit all and you'll want to mount possibly an 8" newt for some of those smaller targets and I'm not sure the heq5 will be best for that. (and here come the "yes they are's"). 

It's my opinion so treat it as such

[Christopher Davenport]

Abs has a eq6 and a heq5 on it now.

Not that I suggest a 190 mak newt for getting into imaging, but it is a thing of beauty which I drool over (one on abs)

These need a eq6 so when I have money....