80mm ed refractor

[P.Rees]

Dear All

i have an eq6  which I use with an 8 inch f4 Newtonian reflector. I have an atik 314l with filter wheel rgb and Ha filters.

i am considering purchasing a 80mm refractor with my above set up for wider view imaging.

i also have an old Astro trac which I may use with the new refractor?

Would I need off axis guilding ? I currently use a 400mm camera lens.

The scopes I am considering are as follows 

Altair star wave f6 super ed triplet apo.

Explorer ed 80mm apo f6

Skywatcher equinox 80 pro ed

Any recommendations from the above? Will I need a field flattener?

The Altair is more expensive than the other 2

many thanks Peter 

 

 

[pc387]

Like yourself, I started off with the astrotrac travel system and would think that the 400mm camera lens would be the max payload for this system.

Similarly I had/still have the equinox 80 pro/NEQ6 combined with a TRF/2008 flattener/reducer, and found this was necessary even with a 314 OSC (small chip camera, so a reducer increased the field of view; possibly also consider a larger chip camera if you want wider fields of view) . There may be cheaper flattener/reducer alternatives to the Televue.

p.s I found the equinox an excellent scope, albeit rather heavy.

 

pc387

 

 

[SonnyE]

For imaging, Peter, I would always go with guiding.

I look at it as simple, give your mount an "Eye on the Sky" to help it stay as rock solid as possible.

But off-Axis guiding is best used for the light buckets. Schmidt-Cassegrain's are the best candidates.

How do I know? I spent over two months trying to get 2 different OAG's to work with my ED80T CF telescope. Finally, I sent back the second high end OAG, and got my 50 mm guide scope. BINGO! The right combination!

Get as good of a Triple APO telescope as your budget allows. Remember, it is going to be the lens for your camera. So it's important it do the job as flawlessly as possible.

I don't need any flatteners with my telescope. I have tried a couple, and they simply messed up my imaging. What I did use with my first camera was a focal reducer to widen its FOV. Now I have an Atik Infinity camera and getting images to write home about. Stunning!

I only need my Baader Moon and Sky Glow to abate the light pollution around me and I can image any clear direction.

You can click on my profile picture to see an example. 

Remember, the telescope is the lens, make it a good one.

[Uranium235]

The humble Skywatcher 80ED (with 0.85x FF/FR) is a great telescope for the 314L+, I used one for quite a few years before I discovered the need for larger sensors and faster optics (mainly because after a few years, you may go in search of more difficult targets). Another thing going for it is the price, plus the fact that it has an all threaded connection (the FF/FR screws directly to the drawtube). Here are a couple of images from the 80ED/314L combo: