I did it

[OzStarGazer]

I really don't know if I did the right thing.... It was an impulsive decision. I just took advantage of eBay's 15th birthday with everything 15% off and bought the Neximage 5. With the discount it was just over AUD 170 incl. postage from the US.
I still don't know if I did the right thing, but I will be able to use it with future telescopes too, and when I look at the price they sell it for at Ozscopes I think maybe I did grab a bargain. The seller has 100% positive feedback and not a single negative or neutral fb, so he should be fine. So it should be on its way soon.

[Monstar (Johnny)]

Hey OSG, I enjoy following your posts, so let us know how you get on, has it arrived yet?

Which scope do you plan to use it on, or both?

[OzStarGazer]

Thanks, Johnny. It's still in transit. The earliest delivery date is Friday (next week), so it will probably arrive the week after.
It can be used with both telescopes.
I have seen really good images taken with the Neximage 5 and the Astromaster 90AZ (and even the 70AZ), but also nice videos taken with the Neximage and our dob (when I first heard about the Neximage I found some YouTube videos). I even found a video of Uranus taken with the Neximage and our dob. Tiny.... but it was there!

[OzStarGazer]

I just remembered this thread.
I like the NexImage a lot. I mostly use it with the refractor though.
There is a bit of a problem with our dob because of the focusser. It is a bit awkward to focus with the camera in it attached to the computer!
Another problem (with both scopes) is that at really high magnifications, for example with a Barlow, the image drifts away really quick because I don't have tracking (well, not yet).
But I am still happy!
I know there are much better images of the big spot, but you also have to consider my scope, not only the camera. So the attached image for example would be the big spot. Nothing really spectacular, but I don't have a solar scope or even a big normal scope. I also got very close to Copernicus and saw what I had never seen before. All in all I was happy to get that close with just a small scope. So yes, I like the NexImage.

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

nice work, seems to be working properly!

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Sounds like it was a good buy at the price then. Time to get some sort of tracking solution now. With a small scope you might be able to pick up a cheap EQ3 and motorise it. I did for my first 114 f8 Newt and managed to get a good enough SCP alignment to get 30 sec exposures. With the mag the NexImage is giving you then planets become a feasible option.


Good one ..

[OzStarGazer]

Thank you, Russell and Brent.
Yes, a cheap EQ3 mount would be a good idea. I might upgrade next year.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

I slung a heavy weight (5 kg anvil) under mine to keep it stable. Made up a wire bridle and a snap hook. Makes a difference to vibration and accidental knocking when moving the scope etc. I'd send mine over as I no longer use it but I suspect shipping might be a bit expensive.

One of the Aus dealers had a good sale going on a few months ago. Cross your fingers and hope they do it again or you could advertise on here for one. I bought another scope recently that came with very good A\Z tripod which is now just sitting in the lounge as the scope is up on the EQ6 with the rest of them. I got it with the 80mm f11.3 as a long f\l guider and planetary scope.

So you might find someone with a 'leftover' who would be happy to let it go at a reasonable price.

[OzStarGazer]

Thanks, I will keep my eyes open.
Without the Barlow it is "mostly" OK though, at least for the moon and the sun.
I would be interested to know if with the Barlow the magnification is a bit too much anyway for my scope. I could not experiment much because of how swiftly the image disappeared from the screen, but I think my scope might not be able to handle the Barlow with the NexImage except maybe when the seeing conditions are really excellent.
Even without the Barlow the moon one night looked like I was looking at it from the bottom of a swimming pool!
Anyway, when possible I try to keep the tripod legs low to achieve more stability, but of course it depends on where the object is located. When I took images of the sun, luckily it was possible to keep the legs very low.
Maybe I can buy an anvil too (like you) and try to make it more stable.

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

A housebrick or a bag of sand will do as well.
Or, if you are Winnie the Pooh, a really big jar of hunny.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

one or two 2 litre bottles of water works, milk bottles have useful handles (well over here they do). My anvil just happened to be handy ( and heavy) at the time.

The Barlow may become more useful with the camera when you can't change EPs to change the mag. A range of EP sizes is a better option for visual.

Yep, you need the RA drive to keep the moon or object in the feild of view. Objects are normally more visually stable towards zenith rather than near the horizon, depends on your location and jetstream as well.

I haven't got any big jars of hunny ....

[OzStarGazer]

I have seen a construction site near Woolworths, so I might discreetly steal a brick. A big jar of hunny would be better though.

PS: The moon moved, but I could take nice pics. When it was swimming in the sky it was because of real turbulences, particularly at full moon!