Quote:
Originally Posted by OzEclipse
Hi Sara,
A Star Adventurer can’t track even a short lightweight refractor, unless you want one of the little 50mm f4 models. If that's the case and if you’re going to be travelling with it, perhaps something that’s multipurpose like a good fast 135mm or 200mm lens. The physical weight, dimensions of a short telephoto are better suited to a Star Adventurer than say a 70mm-80mm class refractor.
You can capture Andromeda and the Pinwheel galaxies successfully with lenses of 135mm and up.
In the attachments:-
1. Milky Way Core captured with a 135mm f2. I wanted to test the unguided tracking ability of the Star Adventurer lens so I stopped the 135mm down to f5.6 to extend the exposure time to 4 mins.
2. Andromeda captured with a 300mm lens but on an equatorial mounting.
3. I have also captured Andromeda with a 135mm. The Samyang 135mm f2 ED vignettes at f2 but this can be controlled with flats or stopping down to f2.8 gets rid of the worst of the vignetting. You could also consider a good quality 135mm f2.8 rather than f2 to save some weight.
The Andromeda shots were taken from southern NSW with Andromeda low on the horizon. You should be able to do considerably better from the northern hemisphere.
Joe
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Thanks Joe - I have been tossing between the Redcat 51 or the Evostar 72ED, that latter of which has focal length of 420mm. I own a Z7ii full frame, which doesn't help.
I have previously owned a WO Zenithstar 61 that worked, but it was tricky I think because it hit the payload weight. No guiding. I could also only get about 30 seconds, maybe a minute with any luck before the declination drift starts to make things hard. I don't particularly like the star adventurer except for wide-field nightscapes, but I want something portable and lightweight for pack carry/travel.
Others I have thought of include Astro-tech AT60ED.
Otherwise, I agree, a 135mm lens should be sufficient, and while I have an FTZ, I think I would prefer to get a Nikon Z lens to avoid any problems, which means $$$ and so maybe, in terms of affordability, I could go for the Nikkor Z 24-120mm F4, but there are no specific reviews (that I have found) for the purpose of widefield DS.
A lightweight telescope seems the logical approach in terms of saving money for the purpose of doing close range DS objects.
Great photos btw