New Telescope and Mount

[Capstone55]

I'm currently researching telescopes after 40y away from the hobby. My interest is predominantly visual astronomy but I'd like the option of doing astrophotography at a later date. So this post is more about mounts than anything else.

The telescopes I'm most interested in are the Skywatcher Explorer 150PDS or 200PDS. I know neither of these are ideal for astrophotography and I would plan to get a 80 or 100mm refractor with a shorter focal length, should I eventually take it up. So my question is this: with the 150/200PDS, should I get an EQ5 mount for visual, which I can upgrade to GOTO etc with an add on kit if I do astrophotography? Or should I bite the bullet and get a HEQ5 from the beginning? And any views on whether the 150 or 200PDS would preferable would also be welcome. I'm technically minded so tinkering around with collimation etc doesn't worry me.

Thanks in anticipation

[Ricochet]

10 hours ago, Capstone55 said:

The telescopes I'm most interested in are the Skywatcher Explorer 150PDS or 200PDS. I know neither of these are ideal for astrophotography

Actually, the pds scopes are all designed for astrophotography, they just have longer focal lengths than the standard beginner scopes of a 130pds or 80ED. 

10 hours ago, Capstone55 said:

should I get an EQ5 mount for visual, which I can upgrade to GOTO etc with an add on kit if I do astrophotography? Or should I bite the bullet and get a HEQ5 from the beginning?

An eq5 with motors and an heq5 are not the same thing. In any event you should start with at least an heq5, but if you choose the 200pds and get into astrophotography you will most likely want to use it for that too so you should start with an eq6 class mount. 

If you think that you will only ever use your initial scope for visual then I think you would be better off with an alt/az mounted solution (dob for 8") as a Newtonian on an eq mount is quite unwieldy and subject to focuser rotation as the mount tracks the sky. 

[Capstone55]

Thanks, a useful reply and food for thought. I suspect I'm making too many compromises at the start and will seriously consider a Dobsonian with maybe a 250 or 300mm mirror for visual (I know the 200PDS is designed for photography but its FL is 1000mm which gives a smaller FOV than I'd prefer for photographing DSOs...not as interested in moon and planets). If I decide to get into astrophotography, I'll go for the HEQ5 plus scope. I don't want to try the EQ6 as I'd want to (a) run a scope with shorter FL to achieve a good FOV (though the 150PDS may be OK) and will therefore likely to be lighter, and (b) I will want to transport it to areas with darker sky than at home and I've heard the EQ6 is quite heavy.

The only mild concern I have with a Dobsonian is actually finding DSOs without RA/Dec scales to get you pointing in more or less the right patch of sky. I know the sky fairly well (and knowledge is coming back) but I years ago, I remember fiddling around for ages with a refractor on an alt/az mount, hunting for galaxies and nebulae which I knew the position of on star charts and was able to find the nearby reference points in the sky. But maybe it was the scope. Or me.

Edited July 20, 2020 by Capstone55

[Pixies]

A big dob with a Telrad and RACI finder can hunt down objects pretty well. How bright are your skies? Light pollution can really scupper star hopping.

[Capstone55]

Ah yes, I'd not come across the Telrad before. Can imagine it would help greatly with finding DSOs. 

Skies are dark where I live but hope to move soon to a smallish town with some light pollution. But without actually trying it, I'm not sure how bad it will be.