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Rod
Welcome to IIS
Enjoy your 8” dob , you have a great visual scope there to explore the night sky
If your considering getting into Astrophotography, take your time and research as much as you can on this part of our hobby
I’m currently setting up to install a NexDome backyard observatory after 4 years of setting up and pulling down my Astrophotography rig ( takes me 2 to 3 hours at a time , I usually leave it up for a week or 2 and have a weatherproof cover for it )
I use an 8” f5 newt on an EQ6-R mount which is just about the maximum you can place on this mount for Astrophotography ( just under 15kg )
Probably the most important part of an Astrophotography rig is the mount. The mount should be only loaded to around 60% to 65% of its max rated payload
The telescope is secondary to the mount , I use basic GSO newtonian reflectors $300 to $600 range and they produce fantastic images with both DSLR and cooled Astro CMOS cameras
HEQ5 mounts are great little workhorses but are limited to a 6” newt OTA or an ED80 or ED100 refractor for Astrophotography ( around 9kg max)
There are a lot of factors governing Astrophotography not just what type of scope you buy and where you will be using it
I hope other members offer more advice , the main thing is don’t rush into it , take your time and learn as much as you can just by reading forums, looking at video clips , magazines, books etc....
A great e book for beginners is one released by Jerry Lodriguss called “Beginners Guide to DSLR Astrophotography” it a well constructed book , easy to read , has interactive topics, covers the A to Z in starting off in Astrophotography and is thoroughly recommended
Cheers for now
Martin
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