Astrotrac advice

[smeech]

Hi all

I'm thinking of getting one of the astrotrac guidance mounts. I have a bit of a dilemma though due to lack of knowledge.

I am starting out in dslr photography and also want to get a planetary telescope - something like a 127 mak. I don't want to spend twice the money on mounts I need to, so my quesiton is this - can I use the astrotrac setup (including photography tripod and mounts) to mount the mak? Will it also take the camera mounted either alongside or attached to the mak?

Thanks

[E621Keith]

I think Astrotac is more for widefield imaging. If you don't need the portability and want to use the scope for planets, you may be better off with a HEQ5 Synterk.

The 127 Mak is lighter than many large telephotos so I can't see many reason why you couldn't mount it and use it as a lens. However, the 127 has a focal length of 1.5 meters, which is 5 times that of a 300mm telephoto. I have no idea how an Astrotrac will handle this focal length.

Also, Astrotrac only provide 2 hrs continuous tracking before you have to reset the mount, where as a HEQ5 can potentially go for the whole night.

I don't use an Astrotrac and if I can only get one mount, I'd pick a general purpose HEQ5 over an Astrotac.