First parts to buy for new setup

[Benklerk]

Hi all

If some of you remember I have proposed my future setup. I have had so many set backs with local council and landscaping taking for ever to do.

As the exchange rate is now looking good, once the Euro gets around 0.72 and the US above 0.82 I can start to but the gear.

The first parts will be the Mesu 200 and the filters.
The first filters will be Astrodon true balance and Ha 5nm. I'll get the S2 and O3 later.

Telescope will be a GSO 14 RC or a GSO 16RC from Bintel.
Camera will be G4-16000 with 16803 chip, with filterwheel 50mm square.
Feather touch focuser with the automatic addon.

But for now its the mount and filters, is this a good why to start off?

I do live in Australia so take this into consideration.

Regards
Ben

[ollypenrice]

The mount is an excellent choice in my view. I run two Mesu mounts commercially with great ease and success.

Are you new to deep sky imaging? If so you are jumping in at the deep end with long focal length instruments, especially ones which are notoriously difficult to collimate. Obviously you should go for it if you're up for the challenge but do be aware that it will be a challenge. Personally I wouldn't buy either of these telescopes but I have, quite rightly, been described as a wimp in this regard!

Olly

[wimvb]

Rc's look good on paper and in professional observatories. But the practical problems such as balancing and keeping collimation, hardly become easier with heavier mirrors, imo. If it's aperture you want, a Newton seems a safer bet.

Just my € 0.02

[Alien 13]

9 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

The mount is an excellent choice in my view. I run two Mesu mounts commercially with great ease and success.

Are you new to deep sky imaging? If so you are jumping in at the deep end with long focal length instruments, especially ones which are notoriously difficult to collimate. Obviously you should go for it if you're up for the challenge but do be aware that it will be a challenge. Personally I wouldn't buy either of these telescopes but I have, quite rightly, been described as a wimp in this regard!

Olly

By the way Olly I liked this comment not because you are in any way a wimp but  because long focal lengths are hard.

Alan

[Benklerk]

Hi

No, Im not to new to Deep sky imaging (don't know why everyone thinks this). I have used newtons before, I do not like them and I find them harder to use then a RC, its also a personal choice.

I have been around RC's for a few yrs now, so I know all about the pros and cons. I have helped my friend who has a 12" RC.

Ben

[swag72]

Sure the Mesu will be good and will suit your needs for a long focal length... they guide well and do all that is required.

Filters - I would personally get the 3nm Astrodons..... There's an argument that at 3nm the Ha cuts out all of the N that the 5nm picks up, so you only have a PURE Ha bandwidth.... for me and others I have seen using the 3nm filters this has not been an issue. No one has ever looked at my images and said they would be better with the added N neither has anyone noticed that its not there. What you will get with the 3nm is slightly better moon proofing ...... You strike me as someone who wants the best and so to that end I would go for the 3nm's...... you may always be left wondering with the 5nm's if you could have got better data after all  

[tony210]

I like RCTs but they do need collimation and attention to ensure they STAY in collimation- however having just migrated up to a 12inch from 8 inch would agree entirely that focal length issues with imaging are paramount - have reduced mine to 1.6m and this needs careful setup and PA  also I found the physical size of the 12 inch and its weight  (hard to mount single handed on a Mesu ) a real pain - there is little room in my observatory and head injuries and bruises are not uncommon when I try to rush about in the dark - however for all that for high resolution images of galaxies I think they are great - Tony