Upgrading (astrocam) & simplifying my setup. How to proceed?

[pipnina]

Hello! I've been gone for a while but now that the dark nights are upon us again I have been thinking more and more about my dusty astrophotography setup, especially since my coworkers recently saw my previous astro pics and wanted more! Sadly the weather over the last month has not been welcoming but I hope to become ready for the winter and spring ahead!

Currently I have a fairly simple HEQ5-PRO, Nikon 3200, and 130-PDS. I have been thinking about possible upgrades to this which would make it either out right better or easier to setup, but I felt I should ask for ideas from the experts!

The first thing I want to change is to move to a proper astrocam. The Nikon has been a great and cheap way to get started but it just doesn't keep pace with the rest of the kit. The Atik Horizon CMOS seems like a good direct replacement as it has the same pixel scale as my Nikon and I'd not lose too much FOV from differences in resolution, while gaining the benefits of active cooling and mono+Ha sensitivity. But maybe for my 130-650 telescope a bigger pixel scale would make better use of my field?

The other thing I must consider is setup time. Getting my HEQ5-PRO polar aligned and star aligned feels like a lengthy process with consulting the scope, then 3-star align, then scope again seemingly making no progress past 5". Is there any kit I could use to make this process less tedious?

I have a laptop I can use to control the mount and camera with. But ideally I could control both remotely? I seem to always use my photography equipment in my back garden which is within wifi range. I have heard of wifi modules for these things but don't know how universal or practical they are...

If I get the mono camera, I would want to get filters eventually, but I feel like I'd want to buy filter equipment once I am already comfortable with the astrocam so i don't think I'll buy any yet.

 

What do you guys think? The choice and possibilities for equipment are vast and there is much to consider... Higher quality pictures of the universe are in my future I hope! Thanks

[DaveS]

Cooled astrocam, yes. Probably CMOS unless you can afford £2k+ just for the camera. At the same time GUIDING. You haven't specifically said you have a guiding set up, but if you don't you will find it makes all the difference, even with a basic DSLR. With a 130PD-S you can piggyback it on a second dovetail opposite the main one..

Is there any way you can leave your mount at least set up? Telegizmos 365 covers are Very good and available from our favourite supplier.

Although I don't have direct experience of it (Yet) the ASIAir looks to be a very good semi-remote solution that will (Supposedly) allow you to control mount and camera from a smartphone or tablet. The only negative is that it appears to be locked to ASI cameras, but as first cooled cameras they look to be a good option.

[pipnina]

1 hour ago, DaveS said:

Cooled astrocam, yes. Probably CMOS unless you can afford £2k+ just for the camera. At the same time GUIDING. You haven't specifically said you have a guiding set up, but if you don't you will find it makes all the difference, even with a basic DSLR. With a 130PD-S you can piggyback it on a second dovetail opposite the main one..

Is there any way you can leave your mount at least set up? Telegizmos 365 covers are Very good and available from our favourite supplier.

Although I don't have direct experience of it (Yet) the ASIAir looks to be a very good semi-remote solution that will (Supposedly) allow you to control mount and camera from a smartphone or tablet. The only negative is that it appears to be locked to ASI cameras, but as first cooled cameras they look to be a good option.

Guiding is definitely something I need to look into! Thanks for reminding me.

I suppose I could leave the mount itself outside between nights with a cover. But it being soft ground I do wonder if it might be at risk of shifting over time (I don't have a good concrete space to put it), also the risk of theft while mild given my area and the setup location always lingers in the mind. But I'll definitely look into those covers!

If there isn't a good dedicated system for remote telescope control, maybe I could use a Raspberry PI to control the whole setup (Guiding/Mount movement/Camera) while the expensive computer sits safely indoors?

Thanks for the response