What should I upgrade next?

[Mistasparkaru]

Ive recently got into deepsky astrophotography and Want to get some better pictures.

My current setup is a 12" lx200 classic on a brick built peir, alt azi mount with a normal canon eos 450d all setup in a roll off shed.

Heres are my options

1) build a brick observatory (needed if i go with a meade super wedge because of space constraints)

2) meade super wedge for polar alignment

3) eq6 mount and attach my lx200 ota

4) astro mod my eos 450d

5) buy a canon 6d

6) buy a second hand proper astro ccd

7) replace the lx200 with a faster scope, im using a f6.3 reducer already

[ChrisLX200]

You've sort of come at it from the wrong end really, what you have is a very nice visual scope but you want to do AP. For AP you don't need a big scope, rather a small high-quality refractor on the best mount you can afford. The camera IS suitable for entry level AP but yes, a mono cooled CCD with filters would be better. I wouldn't know where to start to be honest :-)

ChrisH

[ngwillym]

My 2d's worth - an Equatorial mount - not necessarily the Meade wedge or the EQ6 - I'm sure others will be along with more detailed advice on this aspect.

With an Alt-Az you are severely limited to the exposures due to field rotation. At least with an eq mount you could begin by piggybacking on the scope and use whatever lenses you have for your camera to get some experience before bolting it  onto the back end of the scope.

[Tinker1947]

A good EQ mount. either a Reflector or Refractor with the suitable Coma Corrector or Field Flattener, its the mount that counts most, wedges are not flavour of the month...... 

[Mistasparkaru]

Yes the lx200 is ment to be great for visual (it is) and planetry (not tested yet)

People always seem to recomend smaller high speed refractors for deep sky photography, is it purley because of the lower f rating/ higher speed? As f6.3 seems pretty fast to me.

Thats two votes for the wedge/eq6

[nightfisher]

Have a look at the 130p ds thread this is proving a superb scope for deep sky imaging and coupled with some thing like an EQ5 pro on a pier would be ideal

[mikeDnight]

First I'd stick with the wooden shed rather than a brick observatory as it will release daytime heat quicker. Concrete and brick hold onto heat and release it slowly. Then I'd seriously consider something along the lines of a Takahashi FSQ 106 astrograph. Which incidentally is also a great visual instrument. If cost is an issue, and it usually is, then there are numerous other fast refractors that will fit the bill as great deep sky imaging instruments.

Ask Olly to show you some of his amazing images.

Mike

[Peter Drew]

F6.3 is quite fast but this is with a telescope of 3000mm native focal length resulting in nearly 2000mm at f6.3 and a DSLR. Short focal lengths, well corrected optics and very accurate mounts seem to be the formula for success in AP. Also a lot of sense in the obs comment by mikeDnight. 

[carastro]

For better images I would go with options 3,6 & 7 for the reasons given above.  

Carole 

[Mistasparkaru]

Ok i think im going to get an eq6 mount and mount my lx200 on it and astro modify my 450d

[Peter Drew]

That's a lean in the right direction, a step would have been better. Good luck anyway, it's all good experience.    

[ollypenrice]

Ok i think im going to get an eq6 mount and mount my lx200 on it and astro modify my 450d

Don't do that. It is the worst possible thing you could do and will never take an even half way decent picture.

1 The mount is not capable either of carrying that payload for deep sky imaging nor of autoguiding at the precision required for the pixel scale you'll get with a DSLR at that focal length.

2 A 450D at that pixel scale will deliver little more than noise.

I would simply say this. Meade (and certain other SCT sellers) would have you believe that these scopes ae God's gift to DS astrophotograhy. They are not. Like the other posters in this thread I would strongly advise you to forget the 12 inch SCT right now and do AP with some system which works. I was given this advice by Ian King ( http://www.iankingimaging.com/) nearly ten years ago and had I followed it sooner rather than later I would not have ruined a good visual LX200 in trying to turrn it into an EQ mounted deep sky imaging rig.

I'd start by reading Making Every Photon Count ( see the sponsor FLO for a copy ) and then you'll see why small pixel cameras in long focal length scopes are a dead loss.

I'm perfectly aware that there are great SCT deep sky images out there but you need to look at the camera and mount that were used and also at whether these were ACF/Edge SCTs or not. The devil is in the detail. It really is.

Olly

Latest image from 4 inch apo refractor and monochrome CCD camera. https://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Best-of-Les-Granges/i-pmQ4Dvv/0/X3/Heart%20Nebua%20HaRGB-X3.jpg

[seo]

+1 to Olly's answer. Also if as you say you're now starting your learning curve to DS imaging try to use as much as you can of course the proper but "light weight" equipment. Heavy and big equipment will make your already steep learning curve more difficult and in some cases dangerous either for you or for your equipment. Also this means less money for learning.... When and if you'll come to a point where you "know" what you need then hit the skies as hard as you like...

Clear skies to all.

[Physopto]

I agree with Olly, but also I had an LX200 12". It is definitely not a good idea to try to remount it on a GEM. The costs are very high and you would ruin the resale value of the Meade. Also it will not work properly unless you spend a vast amount of money on the mount. For 2000mm you need extremely precise tracking for astrophotography. Then there is the fact that the Meade suffers from a curved field and is not so good at the edges. The mirror is not as solid as needed either for photography during tracking. Definitely go for a refractor if you want to try your hand at astrophotography.

It all comes down to what you really want and can afford. Look at second hand gear you can save a lot of money!

Derek