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ED80 v 130P-ds


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Hi,

So as the title suggests I'm deciding on which of these is the better buy for AP.

After attempting AP with unsuitable gear a few yrs ago I've decided to do it properly this time. Over the next few months I'm getting yhe HEQ5 Pro Synscan mount & had originally decided on the ED80 for the imaging scope until someone mentioned the Skywatcher 130P-ds. Although the P-ds is a faster scope @f/5 (the ED80 is f/7 but with the reducer f/6.37) & a lot cheaper, is it a better scope for AP.

Thanks 

Steve

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Swings and roundabouts really.... the 80ED although slower, is dead easy to use. The 130pds requires a little bit of fettling and tinkering but for that you get more speed in a fairly small package.

80ED 17x600 (bicolour):

9503001557_f64216abca_h.jpg

 

130pds 17x450 (bicolour):

14836802044_7d8bff503f_h.jpg

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2 minutes ago, Uranium235 said:

Swings and roundabouts really.... the 80ED although slower, is dead easy to use. The 130pds requires a little bit of fettling and tinkering but for that you get more speed in a fairly small package.

80ED 17x600 (bicolour):

130pds 17x450 (bicolour):

 

Not totally fair as the 130PDS has less total integration, but I get the point you are trying to make.

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I would suggest that for plug and play out of  the box useability the ED80 is very hard to beat. The 130PDS could possibly be fettled to be superior to the ED80 but thats a lot of effort, know how, ability and  deep love of collimation.

Both great scopes - one for fit and forget and one for the tinkerers!

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I love my 130pds, with the coma corrector it is f/4.5, and I actually prefer diffraction spikes!

As long a you can deal with occasional collimation, diffraction spikes, and a bigger tube, the 130pds is probably better. For more of a plug and play though the ed80 is the clear winner.

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42 minutes ago, Paul67 said:

Me too, leaning ever so slightly in favour of the 130 due to larger aperture for visual as well.

Yeah but don’t forget the price - the 130 is a third the cost of the ed80.... im trying to find a reason not to get the 130!

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3 hours ago, Paul67 said:

I know how you feel Mr niall, have to kick myself sometimes when I start formulating an upgrade plan :)

ED 80 evostar is more or less same price as the 1Quote30 with the moonlite focuser. 

You really dont need the moonlight, I dont use it and I have 1.2kg hanging from the stock focuser. Also the 130PDS has the exact same design of focuser as the SW ED80 so what makes if ok on the ED80 but not the 130PDS?

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Selecting a scope for imaging, you need to consider which camera it is to be mated to, and which targets you want to go for. While the native focal length isn't that much different (560 mm vs 650 mm), with the focal reducer on the ed80 this becomes more of an issue. Focal length and camera pixel size determine resulolution. Fl with sensor size determine field of view. Personally, I would consider both more important than "speed".

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1 hour ago, wimvb said:

Selecting a scope for imaging, you need to consider which camera it is to be mated to, and which targets you want to go for. While the native focal length isn't that much different (560 mm vs 650 mm), with the focal reducer on the ed80 this becomes more of an issue. Focal length and camera pixel size determine resulolution. Fl with sensor size determine field of view. Personally, I would consider both more important than "speed".

 

1 hour ago, wimvb said:

Selecting a scope for imaging, you need to consider which camera it is to be mated to, and which targets you want to go for. While the native focal length isn't that much different (560 mm vs 650 mm), with the focal reducer on the ed80 this becomes more of an issue. Focal length and camera pixel size determine resulolution. Fl with sensor size determine field of view. Personally, I would consider both more important than "speed".

Thanks for the reply.

At the moment I'm looking at this CMOS camera (it was recommended by a fellow SGL member)  https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-cameras/zwo-asi1600mc-pro-usb-3-colour-camera.html 

The pixel size is 3.8. I'm a little clueless when it comes to dedicated AP cameras as my very limited AP experience is with a dslr. 

My main targets will be nebulae & open/globular clusters (I understand that galaxies & planets aren't really feasible with the ED80) 

Would you 2nd this as a good choice? I've decided to up my camera budget to around £1000 to give more options. Any advice would be gratefully received as I'm just starting out reseaching these type of cameras & unsure what would be good/bad for my target choices.

Regards

Steve

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43 minutes ago, Spikey said:

Really?  :)

msg-11568-0-01498100-1370252918_thumb.jpg

Ah, this is why I'm asking so many questions. I'd read (I think it was on the Cloudy Nights forum although I've trawled through so many, I may be wrong:icon_biggrin:) that the ED80 didn't have the light gathering capabilities  for galaxies.

Thanks for that as not been able to image galaxies was the one thing that would've swung my choice towards the 130 but now I'm much more in favour of the ED80. Can I ask which camera took these images? Great captures btw.

Regards

Steve 

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1 hour ago, jjosefsen said:

Why do you think galaxies are not feasible with the ed80?

I'd read that the light gathering capabilities of the ED80 were insufficient for detailed images of galaxies (I'd read this on another forum) I now know this not to be the case & as I've mentioned ,I'm only starting out down the AP route after over 10yrs of visual astronomy so I'm bound to make mistakes as it's a much steeper learning curve compared to visual astronomy :icon_biggrin:

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I went down the ED80 route and I am very happy with my decision.

I'll echo what has previously been said...

  • 130 PDS wins when it comes price (although I would argue that AP is an expensive hobby if you really get into it, so get used to putting money into it)
  • ED80 just works, requires next to no maintenance.

I don't think you can go wrong with either.  This thread might be worth a look too:

 

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Thanks for the link Matt.

Compared to the price of the mount & camera I've decided on, I think the ED80 is very fairly priced for a decent quality frac (especially considering the quality of the images I've seen it produce) with so many other things to get right, not having to collimate the scope is one less thing I'm very happy not to be bothered with :icon_biggrin: A few hundred quid in this hobby is neither here nor there (my bank balance may disagree :hmh:)if it gives good results.

Regards

Steve

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