Crazy world of CCDs...Decisions decisions

[ncjunk]

I had the c11 which is 12kg with 2 cameras, an oag and atik filter wheel then two 5kg counter weights. So 12kg + 4 ish of imaging equipment.

Your edge hd 8 is 6.5 kg so 5.5 less which brings it to within the capabilities of the eq6, just bare in mind there will be a lot to learn and tweak. 

The focal length is 2032mm which is doable as you aren't overloading the mount. The C11 was 2800 or 1800 with focal reducer.

I've got an SX usb filter wheel with the 7 x 1.25 filters and it's a nice design.

I'd probably go:

Atik 383:   £1,599

Sx mini usb filter wheel with oag: £280

Sx lodestar x2: £445

I've not included filters, focal reducer or spacers to get the correct distance between focal reducer and camera.

I can't comment on the Moravian as i've never used one but check the reviews, there's a reason some people have problems with qhy.

You could always try buying second hand to reduce costs. 

I also think the atik 460 or 428 may be ok, well i like them as i have the 428....

[ollypenrice]

I don't really follow Davey's point about the small Sony chips and the SCT. For me the combination of the small chip and long focal length would be deadly. Such a tiny FOV.

I'm glad Neil said what he did about QHY. Let's see if he gets in as much trouble as I did over this!!

All very difficult.

Olly

[uhb1966]

just 3 advices: the pound might very well recover the lost ground so your woes might ease, the nb filters really cost 1 arm and 1 leg so do take that into account... have you thought about getting a used  ccd first and work your way up from there? Thats what i settled for.  Good luck!

[nightster]

I would like to add how much trouble I've had getting usable NB subs over 600 seconds with my merely mortal f/6 @ 480 f/l with my NEQ6. Purchased new, the lightly loaded(less than half the mounts stated capacity) mount needed several worm gear lash adjustments to get it usable at 600s. Depending on the width of your NB filters you may need alot more time per sub.  I still get eggy stars over the 10 minute mark but if I would double the focal length I'd have streaks, quadruple it and they might be arcs.

My best suggestion is to not rush into the CCD, use the EQ6, a nice Triple Frac 70/80mm and a cheap used Canon DSLR (maybe 100-150£) before you drop the CCD hammer. Go through the upcoming winter nebula season learning tight PA, plate solving, focusing, EQMOD, image processing with the DSLR. Get your CCD (or maybe the then proven cooled CMOS cam) a FW and filters for your SCT in the spring for Galaxy season.  Timing your learning curve up to when you could actually use all that f/l.