Advice needed on my planed setup please.

[paul101]

hi

i am relatively new to this group but everybody seems very friendly and full of good advice.

I have a future planed set up in mind and would love some feedback on my choices, i have a small 114 reflector at the moment that my son and i have been using avidly since xmas. i am keen to get into astrophotography as well as observing with a bigger telescope.

I have in mind the following setup.

1. Celestron CG-5 goto EQ mount.

2. Explorer 200 PDS or 250 PDS Reflector, for viewing.

3. Equinox 80 ED For the DSLR photography. i would be mainly interested in DSO's

4. Startravel 80 for a guide scope,(as the CG-5 has support for this) also for a travel scope for when i work away.

I have thought long and hard about this setup and have read alot of very good info on here to help me.

I wont be getting this all at once but will hopefully start soon.

This set up should also future proof me to a certain degree.

all your help and advice would be much appreciated.

sorry if you get this kind of request alot, dont mean to bore everyone but i dont want to regret buying any gear.

thanks again

paul.

[Digz]

Sounds good to me, although I am newbie myself with this

I would consider an actual guide camera as well. There are lots of options with webcams being used successfully with EQMOD and ASCOM, or there is a dedicated CCD for guiding.

One thing I am not sure about is whether you would need both the Equinox and Startravel? I imagine you could easily start with the 250p DS and use either an Equinox or Startravel as a guidescope.

Another thought, which I am currently planning on, is to use my finderscope as a guidescope once the skies clear.

As I said Im a newbie so Im sure other, more experienced members will chip in.

HTH

[Ad Astra]

Hello Paul!

Goodness, you are a planner, aren't you! Seriously, you have the kind of mind that makes for a good astronomer - full of details!

If you and your son are enjoying the 114 mm, I would suggest that you consider getting a nice dobsonian reflector telescope or perhaps 8-10". Since you seem to be fairly serious about this, you may wish to consider going with one of the scopes that have "Intelli-scope" features - an on board computer that can help you point your scope accurately and find planets, nebulae, galaxies, clusters and many other wonderful things. Very easy to use, and a fraction of the price of a full "GoTo" system. Such a scope can also allow you to take simple photos of the moon, and other bright objects if you have a fast, point-n-shoot camera and a simple camera adapter.

This kit, with a reasonable set of eyepieces, a filter or two, a barlow lens, a battery for the scope computer, starmaps, and a case to carry all the goods in represents a significant investment in cash AND in learning! If you start with say a 10" 'intelligent' dob and two eyepieces, a moon filter and a star map, you will have LOADS to do and learn about and keep you and your son happily busy for many months. Orion telescopes sells these here in the USA, but they are all Asian made and sold world-wide by many dealers. A little research here will pay many dividends!

Add a new eyepiece or filter after you know what it is for, and certainly after you have mastered what you have. Add complexity after you achieve mastery - and you will never be either overwhelmed or bored. This also means that you are much more likely to be here hanging out with us and having fun in a few years time! (win-win! )

If you get all this under your belt and you know your way around the sky, then we'll talk about more astro-photography! See if there is a local club nearby. You and your son will be made very welcome, and you can see what sort of kit you need to be serious about sky photography.... it's a whole other world of gear and challenges on top of basic astronomy!

Have fun and let us know how you are doing!

Dan

[paul101]

thanks for that Dan, im looking fwd to it all. i have learnt alot in a couple of months and know my sky in the back garden very well so far.

i also enjoy all the tinkering that can be done. i have stripped down my modest EQ1 tightened and loosened bits and bobs( i fix aircraft in the RAF) and removed the horrid grease and replaced with good stuff.

i also have a good DSLR and i have had a few good pics so (ill put them on)

thanks again for your feedback Dan

[paul101]

These are the best of my pics so far, not too bad considering the equipment, more importantly my son and i have enjoyed doing it.

Any feedback is always welcome, i love this fascinating hobby!

Does anyone know if the CG-5 mount can be be moved manually or do you have to use the motor controls all the time?

Thanks

[x6gas]

Does anyone know if the CG-5 mount can be be moved manually or do you have to use the motor controls all the time?

Thanks

Nice pics - well done!

You can move the CG-5 manually. There are clutch release levers which mean you can move the scope freely on both axes.

I don't have much to compare it to, but I am very happy with my mount...

[Adz]

Hey Paul, we are actually very in a similar boat. I was about to post my own thread on what would people recommend for my future set up.

I would keep visual and imaging completely separate, with a large dobsonian for the visual with a couple of great eyepieces and you will be astounded at the difference to your current scope.

A small refractor and an expensive mount are whats required for astrophotography at any serious level and with those comes quite a large price tag too. At the moment I have a 200mm reflector on a CG5 and I am not getting on with it. I have decided to invest in the plans I have suggested for you above.

As a side note, the CG5 is very loud and yes you can move it manually.

Hope this helps, I will be keeping track on this topic!

Adam

[libraryman]

Great pictures Paul, nice to see your son getting an early start; it's very very easy to get really engrossed.

i've taken great pleasure learning from this forum, the amount of expertise available is unreal.

If you choose your kit carfully and dont worry too much about the dam and blast "oop's got carried away myself then" weather it's a great past time.

Ray

[Ad Astra]

You are certainly off to an excellent start - very nice to see your son working with you on this! Dad & Son time at the telescope is wonderful! I've spent my share with my three sons, and even though none of them have taken up the hobby as adults , I wouldn't trade the memories for anything!!!

Dan

[Adz]

Thankfully nearly all the astro time I get to have is with my dad. I think he sees it as just a great way of spending time together, he doesn't have much of a clue about the equipment. But he gets nearly as astounded as me when we find and see something for the first time, especially if I have a bit of background knowledge eg. The crab nebula is the result of an exploding star, instead of ooh look at that blur

The funny thing is, every other parent and child astro relationship seems to be the other way round

[paul101]

hi all

Thanks for all the great advice, my son and i really appreciate it!!!

I hope to make a decision soon, i am and looking to invest as soon as i make a final decision (cant wait), which should be soon.

Still not sure weather to get a large computerized DOB first or just go for the mount and a large Reflector i mentioned. i dont want to find myself spending £700-800 on a large computer dob (or non computer dob) to then get the CG-5 and a large reflector anyway, think i may be better getting the CG-5 with reflector first anyway. ill worry about the astro photography later on (at least it will then only mean an ED80 and a guide camera).

Are the skywatcher equivalent mounts any better quality as they cost quite alot more, or am i good with the CG-5.

is the CG-5 really that noisy? are the skywatcher ones quieter? and same weight limit?

Thanks again for all your advice! my son and i have downloaded stellarium this weekend, i must say its very good!!

[Digz]

You can certainly get more "bang for your buck" with a dob just be warned that they are not best suited for astrophotography. For that an EQ mount is a definite.

Its a difficult decision for sure. On the one had a dob will get you going visually with good results and little outlay. On the other you may get a dob and immediately want to get into astrophotography.

I had the same dilemma myself and ultimately went for a NEQ6pro and 250 newt because I just knew I would want to get straight into astrophotography and would kick myself if I got a dob.

I dont know how much help the above is, probably not a lot. I suppose the best thing is to work out what your budget is and go from there.

[Ad Astra]

Three things to keep in mind:

1. Astrophotography is an entirely separate, and demanding set of knowledge and skills that must be added to an excellent knowledge of the sky and celestial objects, and computers and digital photo processing.

2. Add complexity, only after you have achieved mastery. Trying to do too much, too quickly spells death in any hobby you choose to name. If you begin with a decent dob - perhaps one with 'intelligent' pointing? - you can learn astronomy and how to use a telescope. You can even try some photos of the moon or the planets (very short exposures!) with a small digital camera or a webcam.

3. The scope that is easiest to use gets used most often. A good dob will always have value - as a grab and go scope for those times when you don't want to spend 30 minutes or more setting up and aligning a scope. If you don't want it as a grab and go (or a Father & Son scope!), you can sell it and reinvest in a photographic rig in a year or so - when it will all make sense to you! A good dob will hold its monitary value pretty well if you buy a quality rig in the first place. (I'm in the States, so others can advise you on the best local deals!)

If you really get the photo itch, go to your local astro club and hang out - there will be happy lads who will love the chance to gush about their kit and show you the ins & outs of it all. A little 'hands on' advice and experience can go a very long way!

For my money, 8-10" intelligent dob FTW!

I hope that helps!

Dan

[Digz]

I dont want this to turn into a dob vs non-dob debate and all the points above are valid, but they can equally apply to non-dob scopes.

For visual work an EQ mount can just be roughly polar aligned taking seconds to achieve.....