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Old 10-01-2020, 09:43 PM
RyanJones
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RyanJones is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Melbourne,Australia
Posts: 1,439
I’ve had my fair share of different telescopes though my short astrophotography journey. Starting with an entry level Mak Cas I knew nothing of collimating and couldn’t adjust it anyway. Then I moved to C5 SCT and could adjust my secondary which I found quite easy to do after watching a couple of YouTube videos. I think once you understand what it is you’re trying to achieve, it’s really not that difficult. I bought a doublet f/5 refractor and the appeal there was that at f/5 I could get so much more light faster. To this point I hadn’t had a Newt. Next came a Vixen 130rf f/5 Newt. Now I was collecting more light faster and cheaper but I did have to learn more about collimating given I was adjusting both primary and secondary mirrors. Again, really not that hard when you really understand what you are trying to achieve. Admittedly buying a laser to complement my Cheshire did help in that regard. Next came a C9.25. Again just as simple as the C5. SCTs are really quite easy but you do have to be careful with mirror flop. Finally entering my stable was an 8” f/4 imaging Newtonian and this is where things become more difficult..... at f/4 the adjustments are far more touchy and it doesn’t hold collimation quite as well. In summary I’d say there is nothing to be fearful of with Newtonians once you understand what you are trying to achieve but the faster the scope, the more time it can take to do.

Last edited by RyanJones; 10-01-2020 at 09:58 PM.
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