If you had under $1500 to spend??

[Marclau]

O'K..........apologies if this has been done to death, but I want to learn from everyones experience and seek your input.

If you had under $1500, wanted a good scope and eventually wanted to move in taking photo shots, a mix of deep space, planets, moon etc, what sort of scope would you pick?
There have been many reviews of GSO, Orions, SW, Meade etc etc as well as mix of 8", 10", 12" picks.

I would also like to add a Novus or Go To eventually.......

I am also aware of the aperture bug !!! and the bigger the better..........
So, if you had to do it all again, and wanted a scope you could keep for many years of pleasure, what would you pick?

[Gama]

Living where you are, i'd go for the second hand 8 or 10" Meade SCT. You wont need to carry it around, as your sky conditions should be very good.
It has enough size, to go deep, and fast. yet has the power for planetary as well as the regular sky attractions. Its easy to use, has computer interface and goto..

Theo

[Hagar]

Save up fora bit longer and then buy at least an EQ6 and 8" reflector. The minute you mention Astrophotography it's Mount, mount, mount. then worry about the rest.

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Marcel,

You could start with this package just listed in ICE Trade and perhaps upgrade the EQ6 to Goto later?

Might be able to get it for around $1500 and he is down your neck of the woods by the look of it too.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=47230

Worth a look? GO GO GO!

Cheers

Chris

[Moon]

Yes, get it!

[toryglen-boy]

TBH, its a false economy getting stuff to get you by, when you will only need to upgrade it later, and for $1500 your gonna be hard pushed to get anything.

it really all depends on what you wanna take pics off ...

An EQ5 with something like an ED80 on there will suffice for taking 60-90 seconds shots of the brightest DSO's but unless you never ever tire of looking at Eta Carinae, then your gonna get bored very quickly.

As a bare minimum :-

Used HEQ5 Pro (actually anything like this will do, as long as it has an autoguider port for ST4 signals to get sent to the mount, you could use a Meade LXD75, and it might cost you a wee bit less, but they are not easy things to find used. Something like an Orion ED80 or SW ED80, and a small guidescope. a 70mm scope would do for guiding, although i would keep the focal length quite short if poss, and somethiing like an older Meade CCD for guiding.

Realistically, a well maintained HEQ5 Pro, or even better, EQ6. something between either an ED80 (HEQ5) or 8" Reflector (EQ6), the same small guidescope, and Meade CCD for guiding, although i prefer what i use, the Orion Star Shoot autoguider, but there are other things that you will need to, T-Ring, Guidescope rings, dovetail bar, LPR filter etc. etc. etc.

realistically, your gonna need around $3Kish, to get something happening, not saything that you cant do it for $1.5K, but that $1.5K would be better put towards something that you will use for longer, and not just tide you over.

A laptop is also another handy thing, and you will need something for guiding out in the field, i am starting to find out photography is a money pit ...

;)

[Marclau]

wow, thanks...........guess i will be researching again tonite.

As for laptops, thats not an issue. We have 3.........including a latest Dell XPS.

ummmm so the 12" GSO is then out of the picture? (no pun intended)

[seanliddelow]

Jerry Gibbs Camera House sells the Skywatcher 12 inch dobson reflector for $1200. Very cheap and a good sized scope.

[netwolf]

You might need to look for used equipment, and maybe save a bit longer and increase your budget.

EQ6 would be a good starting point for a mount, you can always pass it on to anohter beginer later on when you upgrade.

ED80mm scope, good all round telescope for imaging DSO's and visual.

8" SCT Celestron C8's from the late 80's and 90's can be picked up at a resonable price used and are a good all round scope for Visual and imaging.
DSO imaging at the native FL of this scope is something you will need to work up to, so suggest you start with Planet imaging, and use the ED80 for DSO imaging. You can get a F6.3 which on a DSLR size sensor should still give you a large enough Illuminated field for imaging. You can push it to F3.3 if your using a smaller chip like the DSI cameras.

Another options is 8" F5/F4 GSO/Synta Newts, also a good all round option.

A guide scope Short tube 80mm would be good for DSO imaging with your ED80. You can guide with the C8, but given the mirror shift and FL probably better to have an alternative. You could get this later.

Imaging gear.
Planetary start with at least a Phillips Toucam or DMK colour usb camera.
DSO start with DSI and work up to a DSLR, you can then use the DSI for guiding. But if you get the DMK planet camera thenyou can use that for guiding. DSLR's are a good option because of the twin use Astronomy and Terestrial. But you might want to modify it at some point in which casea used modfied DSLR maybe better option.

If you buy used your still looking at at least 2500-3000dollars worth of gear there. Might be somewhat less if you go the 8" Newtonian option.

If you get the ED80 and EQ6 mount first then you wont really feel the 'Wow' factor visually. So maybe better to start with EQ6, 8" Newt and ST80 guidescope.

Still keep an eye on the clasifieds and sometimes you can get a good bargain.

Regards
Fahim

[Marclau]

Ummmm so perhaps a 10" DOB on a mount is then perhaps another good option??

I saw one of these at both Bintel and York for around $2000 (if I remember rightly)??? and I think another $500 for Goto......I think it was around $2600...would this give me the wow factor and keep me entertained for the next 10 or so years??

[bmitchell82]

Well wow factor. :) this is a funny one depends on who you are for that! I run with the setup that everybody has spoken about the 10" SW Newt running aboard the EQ6 platform, the scope and mount costed a tad over 2100 (that was back when the $$ was good).

I guide with a DSE 114mm reflector (works a treat) and a DSI 1. As for the DMK and guiding ide steer away from them they arnt sensitive enough to pick faint guide stars (my friend leinad brought a DSI for this very reason).

One big thing your moutings will cost you a significant whack as knowing what i know now, get the biggest nastyiest set of rings to attach your 10" to a EQ6. secondly chuck the Vixen straw that attaches the rings and the mount head at a undesierable! they are useless and flex BADLY go for the Losmundy D style clamp 3" on the bottom 4" on the top. so you will be looking at approximately 500 +- to get the job done right!

I belive that a 10" is the perfect balance of portability/light bucketness/photography (deepsky/planetary).

as for cameras the 350D modded can be had for 400 - 600, but remember you will need a adaptor to take long exposures DSUSB and if you use the software EQMOD with a goto mount you can do away with the GPUSB (to talk to the mount for guiding) very easy and accurate.

All up if your looking to go to photography but want something to show people in the mean time this is my layout

Hardware
10" Dobsonian (this is so you can drag it out drop it and show people, then flick it up onto the mount for photography or large groups)
EQ6 Pro
114mm Guidescope
Home made rings/mounting solution (because i have access to machines)

Cameras

DSLR 350d minimum 20Da or modded 40D is preferable
Meade DSI 1 or 2 depending on price for guiding also doubles to check your drift alignment and to compleate your star alignments (handy for accurate alignments)

don't go with a 12" upon a EQ6 Pro, there will be limited nights you will be able to use it and the size difference from a 10 - 12 is ASTONISHING. that said the 12 has more light... thats my ideas on the budget end of the spectrum.

[Marclau]

Thanks Brendan.

Yeah, thats what I have been thinking now for a while. Although more $$$, the end result would porbably allow me to do the astrophotography in the end.

My take is not to buy the foto gear now as i dont have the $$$ but like the idea of the 10" DOB now on the EQ6 Pro...........

Was hoping to place a 12" on on e but the costs would end up too much.

When you say that I would have limited nights/use on a 12", why is that???