Gear for Astrophotography

[Benklerk]

Hi all

I posted sometime ago about the gear I was getting to put into my backyard observatory. I had a lot of set backs and had to stop everything for my observatory.
           As things have now settled down I'm now getting back into looking at my gear list.

What do you guys think
EQ8 mount only                          $4799
GSO 12" RC                               $3699
G4-9000                                   $8750
G4 7 filter wheel                         $780
Astrodon Gen 2 E LRGB                 $1225 US
Astrodon 5nm Ha                        $875 US
Feathertouch 3" automatic            $1335 US
Astrozap 12" Shroud                     $69
AAG cloudwatcher                        $400
ZWO ASI 174mm guide camera        $772
I already have a guide scope (Skywatcher 80x400)
Sequence Generator Pro                $138 US
Pixinsight                                     $230 Euro
PHD 2                                          Free

(Prices are in Australian unless specified)

Have a missed anything in astro gear or paid software?

I can get the G4-16803 for $600 more but is it worth it. Has anyone found a comparison between the 2 cameras on the same object? The G4-9000 has a better QE than the other camera.
I have already done the arc pixel size and field of view
G4-9000    Arc pixel 1.01   Field of view 51.6 X 51.6 Arc min
G4-16803   Arc pixel 0.76  Field of view  51.9 X 51.9 Arc min

Ben

[AKB]

I take it that you're an AP expert already... that's an awful lot of gear to handle in one go.

 

[swag72]

Personally I'd go for a 3nn Ha filter over a 5nm. 

[ronin]

That is serious equipment and some of it may not be "user friendly" - thinking the GSO 12" RC here. People can find them a problem.

Have you done a lot of imaging previously?

Also which bit of Aus? Wondering if there are clubs around you that may be worth visiting.

[Benklerk]

4 minutes ago, ronin said:

That is serious equipment and some of it may not be "user friendly" - thinking the GSO 12" RC here. People can find them a problem.

Have you done a lot of imaging previously?

Also which bit of Aus? Wondering if there are clubs around you that may be worth visiting.

I live about 150km west of Sydney. There is a local club near me but they do not have much to offer. They mainly help with visual only and not much astrophotography. I have been to other clubs and again they do not offer much help unless you become a paid member. I have done imaging before but with a DSLR. I do have a smaller RC 6" so Im doing a big upgrade.

[Benklerk]

14 minutes ago, swag72 said:

Personally I'd go for a 3nn Ha filter over a 5nm. 

I cannot offered it anyway, the US to AUD exchange rate is around 0.76c, if it gets to around 0.85 or 0.90 than yes. Plus I don't live near a city so light pollution is low and up high about 1000meters. Also with the 5nm NII is included but with the 3nm you would need to get the NII filter to image that bandwidth.

[Benklerk]

I should add, I do help at the local observatory. They have been teaching me basic astrophotograpy, and said once I get my own observatory they can teach me much more including astrometrics.

[swag72]

Sure I'm aware of the NII argument..... But as a long term user of 3nm its never been a problem. Also its not just about light pollution..... Olly Penrice for example, who has lovely dark skies, is rather partial to a 3nm. They do get better contrast and smaller stars regardless of light pollution.

Anyway, no matter..... If it's too expensive no point going on about it

[ollypenrice]

Do you want an honest answer?  Under no circumstances would I buy the kit on your list. This is not an argument which I can possibly lose because it is absolutely true! I wouldn't buy it. I could, however, lose an argument which said that I ought to buy it... But I wouldn't buy it.

I wouldn't buy it because it is too full of things that might not work.

These big RCs seem to need an awful lot of sorting out if you read the web. The RC is not, in its nature, a budget design, it is a complex design. Two parabolic mirrors. Say it quickly...  Even if you do manage to sort it out it is going to have a focal length of 2.4 metres.

I've imaged at this focal length extensively but with smaller pixels. The 12 micron pixels of your proposed camera are new to me and they would work well, in principle, at this focal length, giving about an arcsecond per pixel. This is very sensible. But if you don't get it to work you are going to be stuck with a camera useful only with very long focal length instruments. If you decided at some point to try shorter focal length imaging the camera would be useless. Second hand market? How many people want 12 micron pixels???

The EQ8. It is a big mount but how accurate is it? At an arcsecond per pixel you are going to need accuracy. If you are a relative beginner you are likely to be focused on payload. Experienced long focal length imagers are, however, focused upon accuracy. Have you seen a strip-down video of an EQ8? I'd urge you to watch one and decide for yourelf what you think of it.

I would not consider, for a moment, trying to guide a 2.4 metre FL reflector with a 400mm guidescope. Out of the question. Your only option is an OAG.

Long story short, I think you are trying to jump into the very difficult territory of long FL deep sky imaging with kit which is on the very ragged edge of just about acceptable and at the very sharp end of 'difficult.'

To image in this way I would want a 12 inch Plane Wave on a Mesu 200 mount (and your 12 Micron Moravian!)

Olly

 

[Benklerk]

Thanks Olly for your feedback.

I'm looking at a few other ideas also, but it all comes down to cost. The mesu 200 will cost about 9k to 10k including import costs to Australia. I'm looking at the 10micron as there is a dealer over here as it would bring some of the costs down from that mount. As I live in Australia everything comes come to exchange rate and import costs.

I'm deciding on between the G4-9000 and the G4-16803, as its only 600$ different and the 16803 has less of the residual bulk image I will most likely go with this one, will also most likely get the OAG attachment. As for the 12RC, I know its a bargain price but is one of the cheapest cassagrains you can get in Australia, and I have a 8" RC now, so I'm looking at a upgrade, but need all new gear to do so, and yes I know how to collimate an RC.

Ben

[ollypenrice]

It's your call, of course. I like all my kit to be working well within tolerance and firmly at the user friendly end of difficulty.

Have you considered the alternative way to capture the same targets? That would be with a smaller scope and smaller pixels but still giving 1"PP. I suspect that this might be easier, cheaper and more likely to succeed. Just a thought.

Olly

[DaveS]

If you can get hold of the 10 micron mount that could obviate the need for guiding *provided* you can do a big model, I think Davey-T on here does 80-odd points with his. It's also a sight more accurate than an EQ8, though without the payload capacity

Incidentally I use 3nm Astrodons, but consider the exclusion of [NII] to be an opportunity rather than a drawback, since if the target has little or no [NII] emission then I'm not loosing anything, and if it does I can (And do) image the [NII] separately from the HII, and construct a NHO image analogous to the Hubble SHO palette. It's always possible to add the two sets of images together in post to construct a (H+N) layer.

Regarding pixel scale, my TS 130 f/7 and Trius gives me just over 1" per pixel.

[Benklerk]

Just an update.

I have been talking with Lucas Mesu about his 200 mount and being reading all the import taxes into Australia.  I will order his Mesu 200 mount and import it.

I will also get the G4-16803 chip not the G4-9000 anymore.

I can get a discount on the GSO 14" RC and 16" RC, depending on costs. I may upgrade to a 14 or 16 inch RC.

[DaveS]

Good call on the Mesu and 16803 camera, though filters are going to be pricey (As they are for the 16000).

Not sure about the big RCs though, I'd take on board what Olly had to say above.