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Small Imaging scope thoughts

CGolder

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CGolder

CGolder

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I finally got my DSLR out last night and plonked on on the az sct for some very short exposures for the hell of it... and i am shocked by just how much detail and colour comes out... lets just say i am looking for more.

With nearly 1k of car work last week I would have to sell to be able to buy so i am looking cheap.

I am considering selling my beloved etx and replacing it with a az3 ST120.

i can then put the ota on my eq mount if i fancy the imaging and put the ota on the az3 to maintain my travel/grab setup.

This would also allow me to sell my 1.25 eps and make the switch to only 2" eps. as I have both this would also free up a fair bit of budget.

If i did this i could be looking at a budget of around £600.

anyone have any thoughts of suggestions?

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CGolder

CGolder

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I have both but its not really ideal. the balance on the polar aligned scope is not great, I was going to do this last night but the dec slipped and the scope dropped and smashed my hard dew shield on the floor... at the point i decided it wasn't worth doing that

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Whippy

Whippy

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£600 is going to get you a decent scope, but for imaging you can have the best scope but it'll be useless without a good mount.

You've mentioned the AZ3 which is nice mount for visual but how far you planning on taking it? If you're looking at DSO imaging then you've really got to look at a motorised EQ mount, preferably something that'll take a bit of weight too like an EQ5 or better.

To my mind, I think £600 could get you a secondhand HEQ5 and ED80 which in conjunction with your DSLR would make a pretty good start. You can always add bits like guiding, reducers etc etc at a later date.

HTH

Tony..

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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+1 for the HEQ5. Nice stable mount that isn't too expensive. It's been said many times before but it really is important - the mount is the most important thing to get right. You need enough stability to carry all your kit and track with precision. A HEQ5 will do that as long as you don't put too much weight on it.

I have a 150P newt (~£75 second hand) and an ST80 guidescope mounted on mine.

I am open to correction, but I think you could get away with a 200P on the HEQ5 for imaging? Those, like the 150P are pretty good value.

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Keiran

Keiran

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+1 for the HEQ5, £450-£550... then you have a huge choice of scopes. You could get yourself a SW200p for around £150, and you really dont need to think about guiding yet...

You could probably find an ED80 for about £150...

As long as you polar align it well, you can get up to about 3, maybe 4 min unguided.

I would defernatly go for a HEQ5, and you can find a really decent scope for the remaining money

HTH

Keiran

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CGolder

CGolder

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Thanks for the replys, i do have an eq5 equivelant mount. so its only the ota require atm, a bigger mount can come later, a refractor appeals to me more as i wouldn't need to collimate it. If i sell the etx it would need to be portable and reasonable for visual

Thanks for all your input guys

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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Thanks for the replys, i do have an eq5 equivelant mount. so its only the ota require atm, a bigger mount can come later, a refractor appeals to me more as i wouldn't need to collimate it. If i sell the etx it would need to be portable and reasonable for visual

Thanks for all your input guys

Don't fear collimation. Collimation takes a couple of minutes, even first time. Also, the EQ5 and HEQ5 despite being only a letter difference are quite substantially different with (IIRC) the HEQ5 having double the payload of the EQ5. I don't think you'd get very long unguided subs on the EQ5 and you may find yourself quickly outgrowing it.

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Keiran

Keiran

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Don't fear collimation. Collimation takes a couple of minutes, even first time. Also, the EQ5 and HEQ5 despite being only a letter difference are quite substantially different with (IIRC) the HEQ5 having double the payload of the EQ5. I don't think you'd get very long unguided subs on the EQ5 and you may find yourself quickly outgrowing it.

I do agree with Mike here, but if you just want to have a try and would prefer to spend the money on a scope you could get quite a nice scope for £600...

-An Equinox 80 APO £470 new

-A William Optics ZS80 Flourite APO £630

But as Mike said im not sure on how long you will be able image unguided on an EQ5... So if you consider guiding, your looking at about £100 for a guide scope and rings. Then you need a guide camera (qhy5 £130 and £180 ish) so then you really cut down your money on a scope..

HTH

Keiran

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Unguided on an EQ5, probably a couple of minutes. I would not vote for the ST120 because it has nothing like the colour correction needed for imaging and also has a lot of field curvature. The small apo doublets would be miles better and if unguided the shortest possible focal length and fastes focal ratio to give yourseld a chance.

Olly

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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-A William Optics ZS80 Flourite APO £630

If you know of one available, please do let us know!!!!!

William Optics William Optics ZS80 Fluorite APO

Incidentally, if you had a choice between the William Optics Megrez 90 APO (+ field flattener) and the Skywatcher MN190 for urban DSLR imaging, which would you choose?

Both are above the OP's budget but excellent scopes and could be within budget second hand. I don't think the MN190 could 'go' on the EQ5 (nor even a HEQ5 PRO if one is imaging) but maybe the Megrez 90 could?

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step_hen

step_hen

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Pulsar optical are one and the same as scopes and skies. I and others have had some terrible service from them in the past. However their astroboot service has been fantastic and improved my opinion of them a little from what it was! still, most of their problems seem to stem from whether or not they actually have stock of what you have just paid for. Best to read the supplier reviews section on SGL

Stephen

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TheThing

TheThing

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We're getting a little OT here and I'd prefer this not to turn into a supplier bashing thread please.

Suffice to say that potential problems with Scopes 'n' Skies et al can be prevented by calling them first to check stock levels.

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Deneb

Deneb

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+2, how about something like Whippy has suggested or a Megrez 72 on a CG5 Motorized mount, or a heq5 if you can afford it. Unguided with this combination with a shorter focal length your looking around 2-3mins.

Nadeem.

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CGolder

CGolder

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Thanks for every ones feedback, I actually went out last night with the ETX125 and put it in polar mode, I did a really rough alignment and didn't use my focal reducer.

I think if i put some effort into the alignment and use the reducer i would get some results to keep me happy until a some funds become available, this should also give me time to see if its a passing fad or something else.

I think an small refractor is what i am going to look for but i would want it as well as my ETX, so ill have to hope santa brings me some money :)

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