my first real astro equipment.....

[stan26]

As per my intro thread, i'v been using an old donated vixen 60l refractor with the finder scope eye piece used as the main scope EP for a while and now I feel I'm ready to move on/up to a proper set up.

My budget is ideally 250 pound, 300 max!

I'm looking for an all round scope capable of viewing both planetary and dso's. I understand there isn't such scope for doing everything at a perfect level, But I'm not that serious an astronomer.....yet! And I'm still not sure out of all the stuff to see what's going to grab me most.....

:

Like many others I do want to try dslr astrophotography so its important to bare this in mind with my purchase, although I'll probably purchase motors etc later on. I use a Canon 500d for mainly aviation photography so I already have some idea in this area.

In my mind I am thinking minimum mount must be EQ3-2. Later will get motor drive unless I find complete second hand.

As for scope, I'm struggling a bit going round in circles all day long thinking it over. Right now after reading soooo much I'm thinking skywatcher explorer 150p. Or 150PL, going by most aperture for money theory.

Im swaying towards the PL, but how much would the PL suffer with dso photography? I know it will be great for planets. Would the "p" be a better all rounder, lighter for the mount to handle etc??

or do I forget big aperture/ high power and get a smaller fast refractor to try at photography.

Would like to know your opinions?

Kind regards

Stan.

[stan26]

Anyone using a explorer 150pl for astro photography?

[oldfruit]

Hi Stan, to be honest a good all round scope for your needs would be the Skywatcher 200 dob. It would be a big step up from the scope you are using and is good on planets and dso`s too. This scope would show you what you want to see and keep you busy for a while plus it`s simple dobsonian mount will make it east to navigate your way around the night sky.

Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

[Quatermass]

I got the 130p then quickly upgraded to the sky watcher 200p with the EQ5 mount. For the money I really am happy with it and the mount is sturdy and strong which is a must have for astrophotography. The EQ5 mount came with out an RA drive so I got one later on. Here is a shot of the Orion Nebula I got with this scope and one of many of the moon to give you an idea of what you can do with it. I would highly recommend this telescope for that price and what you can do with it view wise.

This one was taken last night with the camera attatched directly to the telescope with a t adapter.

An 8 inch mirror in the scope gives you good views of most objects in the sky and if I had to choose again I would get the same telescope for sure. Hope that helps a bit.

[rowan46]

Hi stan I would forget dso photograpy on that budget. the first requirement is the mount which needs to be rock solid, have reasonable tracking, be capable of guiding and eq mounted. the cheapest mount which fits that description is about £700 then you will need 2 scopes camera for the guidescope, adaptors software maybe filters as you can see you're well over a £1000 already. try this book it will give you some idea of what is needed and may help you buying some costly equipment which will not be suitable. Most imagers start with visual astronomy and grow their equipment as their expertise increases keeping the useful stuff and upgrading a bit at a time, anyway I suggest you read the book keep posting and when you know what you need you may be able to get some of the stuff 2nd user. the for sale page opens up after 1-month and 50 posts heres the link for the book it will answer most questions on deep space astro- photography Books - Making Every Photon Count - Steve Richards

[Quatermass]

You might like to try this set up for some shots of the moon you will need a mobile phone and a rubber band.

Here is the video taken of the moon with this set up.

And here is the picture from that video when stacked in registax free software. Easy to do and good fun too.

and one straight shot.

We all have to start somewhere and this is how I got started. Beware though it gets addictive.

[umadog]

As mentioned above, with that kind of budget I'd forget about serious AP for now. You can stretch your money most effectively by buying yourself a nice 6" or 8" Dob. In the future you can buy a second rig for AP. If you're looking for a little challenge, I have an 8.75" home-built Dob for sale but it'll need about another 130 spend on it to get it working:

http://stargazerslounge.com/sale/122685-cheap-8-75-home-built-dob-must-sell.html

[stan26]

Ok guys I appreciate what your saying. Maybe a few lunar pics to start off with. What results can be achieved with a direct t-adapted dslr with the moon? I'm sure I read somewhere that dslrs are no good for lunar/planet work...? I'm desperate to find more use from my Canon you see.

I'm also quite keen to use just the camera itself for some wide field/ clusters etc. I thought EQ3-2 mount would be adequate for a piggy back setup for this, hense not opting for a dob.

Plus I like the idea of the eq mounted scope being up higher I guess making the finder comfortable to use.

Hmm

[rowan46]

Hello for lunar work the 150p will be fine you will get some nice shots of the moon with a dslr. and you will be able to do some wide field shots piggy backed on top of your scope. for that level of astro-photography it will be fine and you should be able to get some shots you will be proud of.

[Quatermass]

The moon is a worthy subject for astrophotography and what you learn photographing the moon will help towards further projects. Its tempting to be led away from the moon to those deep sky objects but the moon has a lot to offer as a first subject. Heres my shots of the lunar eclipse.