Success Imaging DSO using Fork Mount SCT on wedge

[GVD82]

Hi,  I recently decided to upgrade from my Orion Starblast 6 to a CPC Deluxe 800 edge HD.  Thr scope is beautiful and was really impressed with Celestrons quality and attention to detail in design of the edge hd series scopes. I went with the forkmount because I wanted a scope with the versatility to do visual, planetary, and wide field DSO imaging in the future. The one common theme among all of the different forums is that imaging with a fork mounted SCT on a wedge is rather difficult and can be a rather frustrating experience. I am curious as to whether anyone has had success imaging with this setup? Please share your success stories and images?.

In addition would the celestron pro HD wedge provide enough stability for long exposures on the CPC or is an aftermarket wedge the way to go? 

[barkis]

I can't think why the wedge mounted SCT's should suffer from guiding problems any more than the GEM configurations.
Some great deep sky images have been produced via wedge mounted scopes, and I venture to say, some good images have been returned by SCT
scopes in Alt-Azimuth Mode, albeit they have been constructed from  Stacked Subs of short Durations.
Perhaps the failure of the Wedge mounted  attempts can be attributed to the propensity of the mirror to shift position slightly in different attitudes during exposures.
I don't know this is  fact, but a reasonable assumption, Some SCT's have a mirror locking attachment to at least minimise the flop, as it is often termed, but refocusing during sessions be comes a bit laborious
then I guess.
 SCT's can easily be ringed and attached to a suitable GEM mount, but perhaps it would be better if Celestron and Meade figured out a better way to engineer the focusing arrangements of their instruments.
I can't see how Declination and or Right Ascension tweaks during guiding can be any  more traumatic than the same tweaks on a Gem.
No doubt we will get a follow up on this, and a better explanation of what the real problems are that confront the  Wedge Mounted Imagers. Heaven knows these telescopes are not cheap, so they ought to perform
well enough, and I'm sure some do .

[michael8554]

EQ and fork mounts both have their failings, the real challenge is imaging DSO's with the long focal length of F10 SCT's, compared to fast Newtonian OTA's.

So many SCT owners image DSO's  with a F/6.3 reducer.

Or image planets, for which SCT's and particularly MCT's are well suited.

Michael