Imager looking to view

[Terrierist]

Folks..

I'm a new imager but I would love to be able to put the camera down for a while and try to enjoy the skies at my Bortle 8 site.

Mount is a tuned EQ5 which will be on a shiny new home-built pier soon.

Your advice please, what OTA should I look at as a BUDGET user? The Skywatcher 130PDS gets great reviews for little money, this or a skymax 127/150?

Is a 200 too much to ask for  my mount?

My interest lies in Galaxies, DSO and the odd planet or two

 

Ta for any advice.

 

Kev

[NGC 1502]

 

If your viewing interests are deep sky and occasional planetary, then looking at FLO site at tube assemblies, for only £9 more than the 130pds, there’s the regular non pds version of the 150.

Don’t know if your mount would be ok for a 200, perhaps others could advise.

Ed.

[almcl]

My SW 200p came with an EQ5 mount as standard and, I think, still does.  

For purely visual use this is fine. 

Over time I added motors, then stepper motors and an AstroEQ and used it for imaging, too, but it was a bit over loaded with a DSLR, ST80 guide scope and so on - still got some good images and it remains in use for my 200mm Canon lens for which it is more than adequate.

[bomberbaz]

you have bortle 8 skies, a mount that will handle a 200, go for it.

Yes over budget but make the most of the lovely dark skies you have, when your homing in on faint galaxies and faint nebula you will realise how well spent your money was. 

Eyepieces however are a different money sponge altogether ?

[Terrierist]

48 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

you have bortle 8 skies, a mount that will handle a 200, go for it.

Yes over budget but make the most of the lovely dark skies you have, when your homing in on faint galaxies and faint nebula you will realise how well spent your money was. 

Eyepieces however are a different money sponge altogether ?

Bit of a confusing reply there.. Bortle 8, edge of Liverpool and you say it's dark skies? has the Benny and hot kicked in?

[bomberbaz]

18 minutes ago, Terrierist said:

Bit of a confusing reply there.. Bortle 8, edge of Liverpool and you say it's dark skies? has the Benny and hot kicked in?

well I was just going off what you said below old bean. (Cider is my tipple, we don't all drink at the miners you know )

On 08/11/2018 at 00:54, Terrierist said:

Folks..

I'm a new imager but I would love to be able to put the camera down for a while and try to enjoy the skies at my Bortle 8 site.

 

[Stu]

13 hours ago, bomberbaz said:

you have bortle 8 skies, a mount that will handle a 200, go for it.

Yes over budget but make the most of the lovely dark skies you have, when your homing in on faint galaxies and faint nebula you will realise how well spent your money was. 

Eyepieces however are a different money sponge altogether ?

Bortle 8 is a city sky, the OP isnunlikely to get decent views of rainy (should say bright!) objects from there.

I would be tempted to focus of brighter objects like the moon, planets and double stars, plus perhaps the brightest DSOs such as some globs and planetary nebulae with higher surface brightness. Perhaps the skymax 127 or even 150 would suit this, and should easily go on your mount.

[nightfisher]

Your mount would handle a few nice scopes like 127 and 150 Maksutov, but you will always have a narrow field of view with these and the 150 mak is a long focal length, another nice scope to consider is the GSO 150 F6 newt OTA, a very good performer on a lot of stuff from Luna to some dso

[rockystar]

11 hours ago, Stu said:

Bortle 8 is a city sky, the OP isnunlikely to get decent views of rainy objects from there.

Rainy objects are just the worst

 

[Stu]

41 minutes ago, rockystar said:

Rainy objects are just the worst

 

Bleep bleep auto correct! ?

[RayD]

47 minutes ago, rockystar said:

Rainy objects are just the worst

 

They're all I've seen for the last 2 months!!!

[Terrierist]

On 09/11/2018 at 23:45, bomberbaz said:

well I was just going off what you said below old bean. (Cider is my tipple, we don't all drink at the miners you know )

 

Raising a glass of Aspall's Grand Cru in your direction, had a few very good nights out in Burnley with a hell of a lady from Padiham, gawd, she could party...

[Terrierist]

On 10/11/2018 at 06:56, nightfisher said:

Your mount would handle a few nice scopes like 127 and 150 Maksutov, but you will always have a narrow field of view with these and the 150 mak is a long focal length, another nice scope to consider is the GSO 150 F6 newt OTA, a very good performer on a lot of stuff from Luna to some dso

Jules, many thanks for the recommendation, will look at this.

[SIDO]

I would second the 150/750 Gso, for light polluted skies larger apertures tend to magnify the lp and smaller ones don't produce the needed resolution so a good medium is the 6" newt. You will be running the eq5 with legs retracted if a sitting observer making the setup very solid with this ota too.

     Best of Luck...

                       Freddie ?

[cletrac1922]

Kev

I have a Skywatcher ED80 on a EQ5 mount

Also use my SolarMax11 on same mount

There is now also an Wi-Fi adapter for EQ mounts, which I have recently purchased

Wi-Fi adaptor plugs in where your handset would normally connect

Just down load the APP and control the mount from your mobile device

Pic of my ED80 showing solar filter, as another viewing option

 John