First Telescope!

[pancakesmaplesyrup]

Hey guys!
I'm looking to buy more first telescope. I'm wanting to get into astrophotography and keep going around in circles when it comes to looking for a telescope. My budget is around $1000-$1500 AU.

I was looking at something like this one, but got a bit concerned when I couldn't find that model anywhere else. Is it an older model?
https://www.ozscopes.com.au/sky-watcher-120-1000-eq5-refractor-telescope-with-steel-tripod.html

Also, I have a canon 80D. Are there any additional bits and pieces I need for connecting the camera?

Thanks!

[johninderby]

It’s a very common scope sold by most Skywatcher dealers. Being an achromat best suited for low power use.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/evostar/skywatcher-evostar-120-with-eq3-2-eq3-pro-eq5-eq5-pro-heq5-mounts.html.

This thread dicuses the 120.

This thread will give you an idea of what adspters needed to connect a DSLR.

 

 

Edited April 7, 2020 by johninderby

[MattGP]

Matter of interest what lenses do you have? 

I spent ages pondering the same question, then came on here and was suggested to just use the camera I had (canon 500d) and to invest in a Star Adventurer Pro (tracking equatorial mount) and to just use my existing lenses 80mm and 200mm.

Since this I’ve now borrowed my sisters 300mm lenses and actually this is great for learning and starting...eventually will add a Skywatcher Evostar 72ed which I can add to this set up  

 

[pancakesmaplesyrup]

5 hours ago, MattGP said:

Matter of interest what lenses do you have? 

I spent ages pondering the same question, then came on here and was suggested to just use the camera I had (canon 500d) and to invest in a Star Adventurer Pro (tracking equatorial mount) and to just use my existing lenses 80mm and 200mm.

Since this I’ve now borrowed my sisters 300mm lenses and actually this is great for learning and starting...eventually will add a Skywatcher Evostar 72ed which I can add to this set up  

 

Wow that's really interesting.  I have an 18-135mm, but can borrow a 300mm. I've actually been looking at the 72ed, but didn't want to launch into something and spend heaps of money straight off. 

Did you have much astronomy knowledge prior to buying the mount? 

I'd love to see some of your photos!

[Ricochet]

The best thing that you can do to start with is to get yourself a copy of the book making every photon count and give it a good read before making any purchases. Neither your choice of scope (achromatic refractor) or (non tracking) mount are suitable for astrophotography and would have been a complete waste of money. 

The cheapest route of entry will be a star adventurer for your camera. If you want a telescope then the usual beginner recommendations are the state watcher HEQ5 mount with either an 80ED or 130PDS. 

[MattGP]

11 hours ago, pancakesmaplesyrup said:

Wow that's really interesting.  I have an 18-135mm, but can borrow a 300mm. I've actually been looking at the 72ed, but didn't want to launch into something and spend heaps of money straight off. 

Did you have much astronomy knowledge prior to buying the mount? 

I'd love to see some of your photos!

Nah none at all, didn’t even no Orion or Venus 😊

These are some I’ve taken over last 2 weeks, the zoomed ones are 300mm and the wide shots are 18mm, some using Star Adventurer but not all and then editing in canons free photo software (actually simple but good).

These are all single pics, no stacking

cheers

matt

 

[MattGP]

This is me last night trying to find M51 (unsuccessfully)

But, on full 300mm zoom 26 sec sub with the Star Adventurer Mount, stars look pretty sharp to me  

[pancakesmaplesyrup]

On 09/04/2020 at 19:43, MattGP said:

Nah none at all, didn’t even no Orion or Venus 😊

These are some I’ve taken over last 2 weeks, the zoomed ones are 300mm and the wide shots are 18mm, some using Star Adventurer but not all and then editing in canons free photo software (actually simple but good).

These are all single pics, no stacking

cheers

matt

 

That's awesome stuff! How are you going about learning the skies and stuff? Are you reading through a book or using the internet? 

[pancakesmaplesyrup]

On 09/04/2020 at 16:03, Ricochet said:

The best thing that you can do to start with is to get yourself a copy of the book making every photon count and give it a good read before making any purchases. Neither your choice of scope (achromatic refractor) or (non tracking) mount are suitable for astrophotography and would have been a complete waste of money. 

The cheapest route of entry will be a star adventurer for your camera. If you want a telescope then the usual beginner recommendations are the state watcher HEQ5 mount with either an 80ED or 130PDS. 

Thanks heaps, great to know! Yt?I'm thinking I'll probably go the star adventurer and camera route, then add a scope to it a bit later down the track

[cletrac1922]

On 08/04/2020 at 08:35, pancakesmaplesyrup said:

Hey guys!
I'm looking to buy more first telescope. I'm wanting to get into astrophotography and keep going around in circles when it comes to looking for a telescope. My budget is around $1000-$1500 AU.

I was looking at something like this one, but got a bit concerned when I couldn't find that model anywhere else. Is it an older model?
https://www.ozscopes.com.au/sky-watcher-120-1000-eq5-refractor-telescope-with-steel-tripod.html

Also, I have a canon 80D. Are there any additional bits and pieces I need for connecting the camera?

Thanks!

Hi

When you mentioned $AU, assumed you also from Land Down Under

For many years I have had a Skywatcher ED80 on a EQ5pro mount

Would recommend you go for either a ED100 or ED120 on a HEQ5 mount, and can also get belt drive conversion kits

Depending on where you are in OZ, you would not go far wrong from purchasing from Bintel in Sydney

Another option is Astroanarchy, located Myer Center in Brisbane

Tell the guys at Astroanarchy I sent you

Have attached pic of my ED80 taken at a club solar viewing day on the coast

The scope in the background is also an ED80 on a HEQ5 mount

John

 

 

 

[MattGP]

41 minutes ago, pancakesmaplesyrup said:

That's awesome stuff! How are you going about learning the skies and stuff? Are you reading through a book or using the internet? 

For the moment I've just been using two apps to help me confirm what I'm looking at in the sky - of the two I'm preferring StarTrackerLite. It's not perfect in terms of locating say Galaxies that you can't see with the naked eye - but is great form identifying constellations etc and good for helping you locate Polaris - which you'll need when Polar Aligning the Star Adventurer :)

[pancakesmaplesyrup]

On 10/04/2020 at 21:39, cletrac1922 said:

Hi

When you mentioned $AU, assumed you also from Land Down Under

For many years I have had a Skywatcher ED80 on a EQ5pro mount

Would recommend you go for either a ED100 or ED120 on a HEQ5 mount, and can also get belt drive conversion kits

Depending on where you are in OZ, you would not go far wrong from purchasing from Bintel in Sydney

Another option is Astroanarchy, located Myer Center in Brisbane

Tell the guys at Astroanarchy I sent you

Have attached pic of my ED80 taken at a club solar viewing day on the coast

The scope in the background is also an ED80 on a HEQ5 mount

John

 

 

 

Hey John,

 

Thanks heaps for your reply. I'm in Melbourne. I checked out Astro Anarchy online and they seem amazing. Got some cheap stuff on there for sure. 

 

I was thinking of starting out with a SW EQ5 GoTo Mount and a SW ED72. What do you reckon about that?

 

Honestly, my other concern is that I'll buy the stuff and use it for a couple of months, then get bored of it or give up with it, because that's just the kind of person I am. Do you have any tips to help avoid this? 

 

Thanks!

[Dr Strange]

That scope is a very good all around one. Even though it is an Achro it is f/8 (IIRC) and at that f/stop and focal length only the very brightest of objects will show the yellow or purple fringe of Chromatic Aberration (CA). It is a great starting scope as well. It will show you all kinds of things out there. 

The mount is not going to work for astro photography (AP). It is manual. For that the AZ-EQ5 is a good choice. It will do visual work in alt/az mode which means the eyepiece (EP) will not be put in potentially awkward positions like an equatorial (EQ) mount can. For AP it converts to EQ mode which is what you need. It is quite a bit more expensive but a good entry level mount that will get you going in AP. 

Unfortunately AP is a time, frustration, and money sink. There have been many nights I have spent alternately cursing and making rude hand gestures at my equipment and pleading with it to work right. Prepare yourself for that. It can also mean spending crazy amounts of money on equipment. Prepare yourself for that too. 

Also understand that AP and visual are two different things with two different sets of equipment. For visual good quality aperture is important. With the caveat that you don't go so big in terms of aperture that it is now a chore to take out and you start looking for excuses not to take it out after the initial "newness" wears off. For AP it is quality of the mount, quality of the telescope, and quality of the camera that makes the difference. Aperture is actually a very distant second to all of those. For someone just starting out the Skywatcher refractor you list or a 152-203mm Dobsonian, or a 152-203mm SCT is the best option.

[Dr Strange]

The fight against boredom is a tough one. It happens to the best of us. But there are ways to combat it. One is to realize that things change by season bringing new kinds of objects into view. Another is to go after different and harder to see types of targets. Yet another is to participate in various challenges and observing programs. Working towards completion of the ones that are out there can last a lifetime. And yet another is to do Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) where you use a camera or (more recently) a Night Vision Device (NVD) to enhance your viewing experience. It is a hybrid between AP and visual and from light polluted skies can be very rewarding. Lastly is the AP end of things. AP is very complex and that means quite a bit of time to master it. Then there are the targets to go after. 

[cletrac1922]

On 13/04/2020 at 20:31, pancakesmaplesyrup said:

Hey John,

 

Thanks heaps for your reply. I'm in Melbourne. I checked out Astro Anarchy online and they seem amazing. Got some cheap stuff on there for sure. 

 

I was thinking of starting out with a SW EQ5 GoTo Mount and a SW ED72. What do you reckon about that?

 

Honestly, my other concern is that I'll buy the stuff and use it for a couple of months, then get bored of it or give up with it, because that's just the kind of person I am. Do you have any tips to help avoid this? 

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Buddy

The simplest way is to join your local club, once this pandemic is over

My own club has several 10 inch collapsible Dobs, Meade LX90, LUNT solar scope, for only $10 a month

In my initial response, I enclosed pic of my SW ED80 on a EQ5 Go To mount which I have now had for about 10 years, and been very reliable

I also use my SolarMax11 on the same mount

I recently purchased WiFi SynScan adapter, and downloaded the SynScan APP

The APP takes the guess work out of setting up your SynScan controller,  taking GPS, Date/Time from your mobile device

We also have the Lyrids Meteorite Shower this week as well, going through to end of April

Finally, which side of Melbourne are you

I am originally from Nyah, outside Swan Hill, and mum and dad sold the farm in the early 1960's, and we moved to Mt Waverley 

Take care during the current pandemic

John