Starting out imaging

[AdeyBuzz]

I'm going to start out imaging soon after contemplating so many variations of equipment can anyone tell me if an EQ5 would support a triplet 80mm and 100mm with room to grow into a 10 sct.

My equipment idea

EQ5 

First rig dual 80mm and 100mm mounted side by side.

DSLR

Condsenation controller x2

Condensation bands x4

Upgraded focusers

Electronic filter wheel x1 maybe manual on the other 

Guide scope + heat bands 

Eletronic focusers x2

Or am I better to pay an extra 1000 and get a EQ6

 

any information would be great thanks especially anyone running the same sorta rig? 

[barbulo]

6 minutes ago, AdeyBuzz said:

Or am I better to pay an extra 1000 and get a EQ6

Absolutely. Forget the EQ-5 for astrophotography. 
EQ6 or even AZEQ-6, very appropriate for dual rig. 

[Budgie1]

I have a Skywatcher EQ5 and have used it with a Skywatcher Evostar 100ED DS Pro, DSLR and guide scope on it. It wasn't bad and I got some nice images but it was at the max of what it could realistically handle for astrophotography.

I've just upgraded to an HEQ5 because I don't intend to go any larger with the scope, if anything I'll probably go for a 80mm scope for wider field, but I have some capacity left over for if I want to add things like a filter wheel or better guide scope.

If you want to a dual rig with an 80 & 100mm scopes plus the other kit then a minimum of an EQ6, EQ6-R Pro or AZEQ-6. Personally I would go with the EQ6-R Pro with it's belt drive and 20kg payload capacity.

You need to work out roughly how much weight will be in the rig you want to use and then match it to the mount. As a very rough guide, the kit you've listed will be in the range of 11-12kg, which is nearly double the 6.5kg payload capacity for imaging with the EQ5 and on the limit of the 11kg for the HEQ5. So you either need to go larger with the mount or loose a scope.   

[The Lazy Astronomer]

Woah there. That is a huge expenditure you're planning.

Now I'm not in the business of telling people what to do with their money (except l am about to do exactly that 😃) - based on the fact you're buying all the equipment, I'm assuming you're completely new to this, in which case, let's maybe start a bit slower.

First up, some recommended reading: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html

Buy that and you won't need to listen to my shoddy advice below. Otherwise, continue reading this post at your own peril 😁

The cheap option would be a DSLR with a lens and a camera tracker. There are some very good images on here taken with that combination. 

However, if you know your interest in astronomy/astrophotography will be longer term, it may be worth splashing a bit more cash.

General advice is buy the best mount you can afford. The mount is more important than scope or the camera; the best scope and camera in the world will produce poor images on an inadequate mount. If you've narrowed it down to an eq5 or an eq6 class mount, go for the latter, preferably the eq6r pro or the the az-eq6 gt.

Next up, get yourself a small (60 - 80mm) refracter, a decent doublet would be a good choice to keep the cost down a bit. If you're feeling fancy, then by all means go for a triplet.

If you wanted to add guiding capability, then a simple guide scope and camera package such as that offered by ZWO will suffice. The small refracter could potentially serve as a guide scope for a larger main scope at a later date too.

As for the camera, if you've already got a DSLR, then use that in the first instance. If you need to buy a camera, then consider a DSLR for the cheaper option, or again, if you're feeling fancy, get yourself a dedicated cooled astro camera. Your talk of filters and filter wheels leads me to believe you've got your eye on narrowband imaging, and if this is the case, I'd say get yourself a mono camera to make full use of the whole sensor when doing narrowband imaging.

Other accessories such as autofocuser and dew heaters can be added as desired/needed.

You haven't mentioned this in your above post, but something worth considering is the sampling rate you will achieve with a particular camera and scope combination. Under typical skies, it's generally recognised that there is little point imaging with a sampling rate below 1"/px, as you will be limited by the seeing conditions. A good sampling rate to aim for for deep sky imaging is somewhere in the range of 1 - 2"/px.

Lastly - and very importantly - before you start buying any astrophotography gear, take one last look at your bank balance so at least you'll remember what it was like to have any money! 😉

[rickwayne]

Heartily concur that Richards or Bracken should be your first purchase. That will inform all the rest.

Most people start with one-shot color before going mono/narrowband. It's not that hard, but there are certainly more moving parts, in both the literal and figurative senses of the term.

Sampling rate is more commonly referred to as "imaging scale", and astronomy.tools has some nice calculators with cogent explanations of the issues. Really good for matching a cope to a camera.

[Planitair]

The new OSC CMOS Cameras are growing in popularity due to ease of use and alongside Software like Sharpcap will give you all you ever need in imaging plus for about £10 pa you get extra features in Sharpcap including the PA routine which is very easy. As for Mounts , I wouldnt comment as I only use 2 OTA (in my signature)

eric

[Clarkey]

On 26/05/2021 at 01:09, The Lazy Astronomer said:

Lastly - and very importantly - before you start buying any astrophotography gear, take one last look at your bank balance so at least you'll remember what it was like to have any money! 😉

Could not agree more. I've gone from affluent to poor in 18 months thank to Astrophotographyitis. 🤣

[barbulo]

2 hours ago, Clarkey said:

Could not agree more. I've gone from affluent to poor in 18 months thank to Astrophotographyitis. 🤣

+1 , in 6 months (and still convalescent). 😩

[nfotis]

In my opinion, the HEQ5 is the minimum mount to get for astrophotography.

If you want to do dual imaging, what's the mass you expect to load the mount? (two OTAs, cameras, filters, dual saddles etc)? Multiply this amount by 1.5x in order to budget a reasonable mount (for up to 14-15 kg, an EQ6-R type mount is quite good for long exposures)

N.F.

 

[nfotis]

On 26/05/2021 at 03:09, The Lazy Astronomer said:

Lastly - and very importantly - before you start buying any astrophotography gear, take one last look at your bank balance so at least you'll remember what it was like to have any money! 😉

 

That punchline got me laughing hard - I am sure that you speak from personal experience 🙂

N.F.

 

[AdeyBuzz]

thanks all for the advice.... someone wrote maybe try a cheaper double... I plan on getting a double for some star clusters... there's a few which I would like to bloat and maybe add some diffraction spikes... so I might get myself a 80 doublet aswell second hand to add to the tool list. I'm 20 years old... all i'm thinking is if I get all the big expensive stuff out the way when i m younger I wont be able to afford anything when im settled down.

[Jonny_H]

On 26/05/2021 at 01:09, The Lazy Astronomer said:

Lastly - and very importantly - before you start buying any astrophotography gear, take one last look at your bank balance so at least you'll remember what it was like to have any money! 😉

 

11 hours ago, Clarkey said:

Could not agree more. I've gone from affluent to poor in 18 months thank to Astrophotographyitis. 🤣

 

6 hours ago, nfotis said:

 

That punchline got me laughing hard - I am sure that you speak from personal experience 🙂

N.F.

 

So very true. But that said, everybody knows that spending all your money on AP gear is the key to success.....🤔😉

[The Lazy Astronomer]

8 hours ago, nfotis said:

I am sure that you speak from personal experience 🙂

Sadly, or perhaps happily, yes. Besides, with interest rates so low, hardly seems worth keeping anything in a bank these days - may as well put it to use ☺