Astrophotgraphy Scope

[TrickySpot]

Hi All,

My current scope is a William Optics GT102 with FF/FR, but I live in a light polluted area and use narrow band filters. I feel the scope just doesn't get enough light in for the exposure times I use (15 min usually).

I want to upgrade, choices I think are Skywatcher Quattro 12S (@25kg) or the Vixen R200SS, and I'd get the right FF/FR for which ever I get. What would other people choose if they were making this choice? Japanese build quality vs 12" of aperture? The vixen looks like it wouldn't sit well on a losmandy style dovetail......and I don't want to go down to vixen, I think they are too flimsy. I've got the Catseye ComboSet PRO XLKP & XLSKP 15" set for collimation. I had a MN190 and just had years of collimation problems, so don't want to go back to that scope!

Will ride on an EQ8 on a pier in an observatory.

Thanks for any advice!

Martin

 

[ollypenrice]

Have you thought of a dual rig? Two refractors are fast and easy.

Olly

[Singlin]

The 12" Quattro in Steel scares me, I think that they should have built it only in Carbonfiber.

The weight gauge of Steel used in these tubes is not fit for purpose in anything more than 8"

[TrickySpot]

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

Have you thought of a dual rig? Two refractors are fast and easy.

Olly

I won't sell my two WO refractors...just want a better imaging scope. Do you agree that 12" in steel is pushing it? the 8" would certainly move around my dome a lot easier!

 

[ollypenrice]

1 hour ago, TrickySpot said:

I won't sell my two WO refractors...just want a better imaging scope. Do you agree that 12" in steel is pushing it? the 8" would certainly move around my dome a lot easier!

 

I don't know the Quattros from first hand experience but Singlin does.

I do know that dual refractors can work nicely.

Olly

[TrickySpot]

On 24/03/2017 at 17:33, ollypenrice said:

Have you thought of a dual rig? Two refractors are fast and easy.

Olly

Hi Olly, dual rig - do you mean get another GT102 and put them side by side?

Thanks,

Martin

 

[ollypenrice]

28 minutes ago, TrickySpot said:

Hi Olly, dual rig - do you mean get another GT102 and put them side by side?

Thanks,

Martin

 

Yes. Quite a few of us do this. Here's ours.

All of this kit was second hand and cost only a little more than a single setup bought new. 

Olly

 

[Skyline]

I think you should keep what you have got, the dual refractor solution might be just the ticket unless its more Newtonian fiddling.

[TrickySpot]

22 minutes ago, Skyline said:

I think you should keep what you have got, the dual refractor solution might be just the ticket unless its more Newtonian fiddling.

Thanks all, but a dual rig means another atik one 9, another set of filters......thats almost £3000 I hadn't bargained on! The problem is, you guys have 6" APO refractors and dark skies!!! :-) :-)

I'm trying to combat the lack of dark skies through aperture......maybe a 10" carbon fibre quattro??

Thanks for all the advise, I am taking it on board!

Martin

[TrickySpot]

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

Yes. Quite a few of us do this. Here's ours.

All of this kit was second hand and cost only a little more than a single setup bought new. 

Olly

 

Thats a thing of beauty!!!! I'll start looking for a large aperture refractor then, thats probably the route to go...2nd hand TAK?

Cheers, Martin

 

 

[DaveS]

What are you planning on imaging?

The 12" Quatro is 1200mm FL which gives 0.63"/Px. Can your EQ8 guide to that or better? I'm guessing that in NB only you'll be going for emission nebulae, most of which are pretty big.

Remember that while the dob-mob may bang on about aperture being king for AP things are a bit more complicated, plenty of APODs taken with the BabyQ. Have a look in the Deep-Sky imaging section, page 3 I think now, I posted a Rosette with my 80mm f/4.4 'frac and an ASI 1600 in 90min.

[ollypenrice]

6 minutes ago, TrickySpot said:

Thats a thing of beauty!!!! I'll start looking for a large aperture refractor then, thats probably the route to go...2nd hand TAK?

Cheers, Martin

 

 

These are the old fluorite FSQ106N instruments. I actually prefer them to the new ED models because they are far less prone to drifting in focus during cooldown (which can be an all night business.) Being unfashionable, and not taking the reducer, they are quite affordable second hand.*

Olly

*By the insane standards of astrophotography, that is...

[TrickySpot]

14 minutes ago, DaveS said:

What are you planning on imaging?

The 12" Quatro is 1200mm FL which gives 0.63"/Px. Can your EQ8 guide to that or better? I'm guessing that in NB only you'll be going for emission nebulae, most of which are pretty big.

Remember that while the dob-mob may bang on about aperture being king for AP things are a bit more complicated, plenty of APODs taken with the BabyQ. Have a look in the Deep-Sky imaging section, page 3 I think now, I posted a Rosette with my 80mm f/4.4 'frac and an ASI 1600 in 90min.

With PPEC done and guiding, I usually am guiding way under 1", about 0.4".....I get great images....just not as good as if I was in a dark area...hence me wanting to compensate with a larger aperture, especially as I've built a whole observatory..... :-)

 

[johnrt]

A larger aperture is not going to fix the issue, as often a larger aperture comes with a longer focal length, which restricts the FOV and gives you no adantage in f/ratio. For example your WO GT102 is an f/6.9 704mm scope, and to compare something like the Skywatcher 120 triplet which is an f/6.7 804mm, less field of view and no advantage in capture speed.

I would look at going for less aperture if I were you, something like a real quality 80mm fast refractor that can get you down to f/4 territory

[TrickySpot]

Sorry to resurrect old threads, but have been looking at super fast smaller aperture scopes as Johnrt mentioned was an option.

This is currently so super enticing:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/offers/clearance_borg-90fl-f4-astrograph-ota-set_76162.html

That seems to fit the description of a smaller aperture super fast refractor? 

Then I started thinking.....I have a Canon 100-400mm telephoto (f/4 - f/5.6) lens which is 77mm, surely that would make an excellent imaging scope? I've tried the Geoptik Canon lens to Astrocam adapter and on the last use it broke a portion of the bayonet fitting on a cheaper Canon telephoto lens, I can't see any other solution on the market.....and I'm not keen on DSLR long exposures, I just don't think they're made for that.....anybody used canon lenses as imaging scopes before?

Cheers!