Skywatcher Star Discovery 150P + Camera?

[tehmac]

This is primarily for anyone who has used a Skywatcher Star Discovery 150P  https://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto/sky-watcher-star-discovery-150p.html  but if anyone knows, I'd appreciate an answer. I'm looking at the aforementioned item, and I have been told that to use a DSLR (I have a Nikon D50 DSLR) you would need to also use a T threaded barlow to achieve focus. They said this is doable, but it might be wobbly. Does anyone have any experience with this telescope and mount and using their DSLR with it? How have you fared? 

Also, it says in the advert that this comes with the below item. So would I need anything else in order to hook up my camera? Is the below, the T threaded barlow they speak of?

x2 Deluxe Barlow Lens (1.25") with camera adaptor

And please no comments about spending more on an EQ mount for imaging etc because I am happy to try this and have some fun, learn the skies, and then sell this to a family member thereafter who has an interest also. It would be their starter scope and I would put the money toward a more advanced set up. I am very aware of the pitfalls of this unit, and I would be aiming for an EQ mount as a next progression.

Many thanks.

[Peco4321]

I have a 150p on eq3-2 and with t ring and adapter have achieved some great pictures, (to me anyway!). This is via eyepiece projection (camera looking through various EP's) and prime focus to get a full picture of the moon for example. Also use it to take video clips and then stack, of planets. 

Anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Peter. 

[tehmac]

Thanks. That is great to hear. Can you tell me if I will need to buy anything else to hook up my DSLR? If the unit comes with a x2 Deluxe Barlow Lens (1.25") with camera adaptor, is there anything else on top of this I would need?

Also, have you found it a problem not having a Dual Speed Focuser? I have heard these are really important for imaging.

 

[SilverAstro]

That is not the same 150p as comes with the Discovery in your link.

Nigel G has a lot of experience (and good results) with the Discovery but needed work with a hacksaw and a lathe to get to prime focus without the barlow

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/262059-125-focuser-too-long/?do=findComment&comment=2871065

[Nigel G]

Hi there.

I have the Skywatcher star discovery 150p synscan and use a canon eos 1200d with it.

The barlow supplied with it will thread straight onto a t ring BUT for prime focus I had to modify the focuser. 

For DSOs prime focus is best, attaching the camera directly to the scope without a barlow.

A t ring will screw onto the end of the focuser or you have a nose piece on the t ring which inserts into the focuser.  The problem was the camera would not get close enough to the secondary mirror.  I had to cut bits off and make a bush to fit the camera to the focuser,  it's simple and cheap  approx £ 5.

If you need anymore info I'll be glad to help. I have posted a thread on the forum somewhere 

As for the eq mount, take a look at what we have managed with alt az mounts on this post .

Nige

[Peco4321]

I'll leave it to those who have more relevant experience with the exact model as yours. Knowing this place, you'll have loads of advice really soon ?

[Nigel G]

Here are some images taken with the star discovery after modifications, I have only been imaging for about 4 months now, M51 Whirlpool  was one of my first with this scope  ☺

No matter what people may say I think it's great value for money.

[tehmac]

Hi Nigel. Thanks. Would my telescope come with a T ring? It says it comes with a barlow camera adaptor, but I'm not sure what a T ring is or T thread is.

It might only be a £5 fix, but doing anything to the scope is worrying for me. I'd prefer to leave it intact, particularly for warranty purposes etc. I guess the only alternative would be buying a low profile focuser, but I see they are like £119 on FLO.

I can't really visualise in my head what prime focus vs the focus you'd otherwise have with the barlow would look like. You can't take photos at all with this? Is what you want to capture too big in the scope to capture entirely?

[Nigel G]

The scope does not come with a t ring so one will need to be  purchased. 

A t ring is an adapter to fit direct to your dslr it clicks on like a lense and then fits to the barlow.

http://www.telescopehouse.com/nikon-t-ring.html?gclid=CjwKEAjw2PK7BRDPz5nDh9GjoGcSJAAybcS3m5xSFzDfwrsu46l2tl9lhXkk2n8POOWiQ7Ewem5gkhoCljTw_wcB

there are plenty of websites to buy t rings from, one with a 1.25" nose piece gives more options as the nose piece will unscrew to leave a plain t ring. Best of both worlds. 

Nige. 

[Cornelius Varley]

6 minutes ago, tehmac said:

Hi Nigel. Thanks. Would my telescope come with a T ring? It says it comes with a barlow camera adaptor, but I'm not sure what a T ring is or T thread is.

It might only be a £5 fix, but doing anything to the scope is worrying for me. I'd prefer to leave it intact, particularly for warranty purposes etc. I guess the only alternative would be buying a low profile focuser, but I see they are like £119 on FLO.

I can't really visualise in my head what prime focus vs the focus you'd otherwise have with the barlow would look like. You can't take photos at all with this? Is what you want to capture too big in the scope to capture entirely?

You will also need a t-ring adapter to suit your camera.

[Nigel G]

23 minutes ago, tehmac said:

 

I can't really visualise in my head what prime focus vs the focus you'd otherwise have with the barlow would look like. You can't take photos at all with this? Is what you want to capture too big in the scope to capture entirely?

Prime focus gives you a wider field of view,  I have not tried dso's with a barlow attached yet, it's my next project,  funny as we were chatting about this yesterday. 

Prime focus is like looking through a 25 or 30 mm eyepiece,  a x2 barlow is similar to looking through a 8 or 10 mm eyepiece 

As for the low profile focuser, I believe it's still too long,  someone had one on here and measured it for me. It was 5 or 10 mm to long.

Ideal set up is the star discovery mount with the 150pds scope which is designed for imaging.  But it's a few more quid, the scope only is £209.

Nige.

[Nigel G]

Here is a picture of my canon , the t ring and barlow.

[tehmac]

Thanks very much for all the help. I really appreciate it. I'd love to get photos even half as good as yours, Nigel. Impressive.

I found this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25in-Telescope-Adapter-Extension-Tube-T-Ring-for-Nikon-DSLR-SLR-Camera-DC619-/152046673162?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368 which I think is what you mean by having the 1.25" nose with it also. You say it gives more options, though I'm not sure what they are.

[Cornelius Varley]

5 minutes ago, tehmac said:

Thanks very much for all the help. I really appreciate it. I'd love to get photos even half as good as yours, Nigel. Impressive.

I found this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25in-Telescope-Adapter-Extension-Tube-T-Ring-for-Nikon-DSLR-SLR-Camera-DC619-/152046673162?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368 which I think is what you mean by having the 1.25" nose with it also. You say it gives more options, though I'm not sure what they are.

On its own the extension tube won't work, it will move the camera away from the point of focus. The extension tube will allow you to drop a suitable eyepiece into the tube for eyepiece projection photography.

[Nigel G]

14 minutes ago, tehmac said:

Thanks very much for all the help. I really appreciate it. I'd love to get photos even half as good as yours, Nigel. Impressive.

I found this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25in-Telescope-Adapter-Extension-Tube-T-Ring-for-Nikon-DSLR-SLR-Camera-DC619-/152046673162?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368 which I think is what you mean by having the 1.25" nose with it also. You say it gives more options, though I'm not sure what they are.

That's it, 

the options are, you can use any 1.25 barlow as not all have a threaded end, I use a x3 for planetary. You can connect prime focus with the nose piece straight into the focuser on most scopes but not the above one ( nikon cameras might be different to canon and you may be able to achieve prime without moding) plus you can use an eyepiece with the extention. 

[tehmac]

Perfect. Thanks, Nigel. One last question (I promise! For now ... :))

I've heard that, at least on the version of the 150P I'll be getting, that the 10mm eye piece is pretty terrible. I don't know if my unexperienced eye would even be able to tell this or not. Have you upgraded any of them to the Plossls etc and found them to be a marked difference at a reasonable price?

[Nigel G]

You get the 10mm and 25mm ep's which are ok. I purchased a 8mm Cellestron ED eyepiece and a Vixen NPL 30mm. Both are a good improvement.

The supplied ep's are very usable, I use the 10mm to align the scope but tend to us the other 2 for any observing.

Cost around £50 each.

No problem, any Q's anytime.

Nige.

[tehmac]

Hi Nigel,

I was going to order a Bahtinov Mask also. I thought I should order the 150-200mm OD item from Rother Valley Optics, but they have suggested perhaps that the 175-220mm OD item is a better fit. Do you have any experience with this?

Thanks,
Gary

[Nigel G]

18 minutes ago, tehmac said:

Hi Nigel,

I was going to order a Bahtinov Mask also. I thought I should order the 150-200mm OD item from Rother Valley Optics, but they have suggested perhaps that the 175-220mm OD item is a better fit. Do you have any experience with this?

Thanks,
Gary

HI Gary.

Sorry I do not have any experience with Bahtinov masks, I have been using live view on canon eos  utility program on the pc screen to focus 

That's how I  gather my subs, I set up number of shots for x amount of exposure and click start. Sit back and check the images as they download,  delete any bad ones.

Nige

[happy-kat]

As a side comment I think the 150p-ds would be heavy for the mount it weighs 4.9 kilos just for the tube so already upto the mount limit of 5 kilos. Perhaps the 130p-ds is lighter. If worried about warranty. And motors wearing.

[Nigel G]

8 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

As a side comment I think the 150p-ds would be heavy for the mount it weighs 4.9 kilos just for the tube so already upto the mount limit of 5 kilos. Perhaps the 130p-ds is lighter. If worried about warranty.

That has crossed my mind, my camera weighs just under 1kg my scope weighs 3.9kg , 

As a test I'm going to add 1 kg to my scope and see how it goes. I might do a couple of mods to improve mine instead,  my biggest issue is the amount of draw tube in the scope when at prime focus.  My idea is to remove 1 " from the end of draw tube. 

To compensate for the loss of tube I can use a Barlow with the lense removed as an extention.  This makes the focuser about the same as cam on prime. I have tested this and it works perfectly,  just got to make the decision ☺☺

Nige.

[Shahruq]

Hello there, 

Did anyone try capturing deep sky objects with a barlow lens upfront on your dslr with 150P yet? 

[Nigel G]

1 hour ago, Shahruq said:

Hello there, 

Did anyone try capturing deep sky objects with a barlow lens upfront on your dslr with 150P yet? 

I did try with a 2x barlow a few weeks ago on M1, not very good result, The camera wasn't capturing enough light with such short exposures and Alt-AZ tracking wasn't good enough to get subs over 10 seconds at a good keep rate.

Short subs on a bright target could be worth it.

For planetary, yes with good results, I have also stacked 2 x2 barlows with good results.

Nige.

[mislav]

what about this one? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-ultra-short-canon-eos-t-ring.html

is there any need for hasksawing focuser when t ring is 9mm shorter??

[Nigel G]

49 minutes ago, mislav said:

what about this one? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-ultra-short-canon-eos-t-ring.html

is there any need for hasksawing focuser when t ring is 9mm shorter??

I found the total required amount of extra inward travel to be 25mm, sadly the ultra short t ring is not enough on its own.

Nige.