Hello and wow!!

[shadowarrior (Sidds)]

Hi,

Found out about this forum while doing some research on my first telescope. The pictures, content and tips in this forums are as beautiful and overwhelming as the space is to a newbie And that's a good thing...it pokes my interest...I started reading one thread...got referred to another in a post half way down... 3 links later I was looking at a picture of the mesmerizing tarantula.

I got a set of binoculars from my dad when I was a kid and that was my first tool to get things from the vast unknown closer to my eyes.

I enjoy bits of photography now, own a 60D, and love low light landscapes. I have been saving up a bit to get a telescope and eventually get into astro-photography.

I am keen on capturing some bodies like the Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, but I might find myself more interested in taking pictures of deep space objects, milkyway backdrop with terrestrial objects, nebula etc.

However, I would at times want to just observe, instead of taking pictures with it. So it won't be a 100% astro-photography equipment.

I am confused between 3 types of telescopes to purchase...
1. 102x1300 EQ3 SkyWatcher Maksutov Cassegrain
2. 150x750 EQ3 SkyWatcher Newtonian
3. Saxon 8" Fulltube Dobsonian

I have found one local shop so far near my place (AstroPetes) where I can go and look at the telescopes.

If you guys have any advice, tips, prefer any other make/model, or know of any shops near Gold Coast/Brisbane, that would be really appreciated.

Cheers,
Sidds

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

Hi Sidds and mate, of the 3 scope,s you mentioned the 150mm x 750 on eq3 , but you will need a motor drive , would be the best for AP , the Mak is best for high power luna planetary viewing and the 8 inch Dob for deep space viewing. , 3 different scope / mount combo,s for 3 different aplications .

Also Astro Pete gets a very good rap here at IIS , a great guy.
He won,t put you crook.

Brian.

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by shadowarrior

I have found one local shop so far near my place (AstroPetes) where I can go and look at the telescopes.

If you guys have any advice, tips, prefer any other make/model, or know of any shops near Gold Coast/Brisbane, that would be really appreciated.

I can definitely recommend Astro Pete's http://www.astropetes.com.au/ , having bought a few items from him over the last year or so. Also, take a look at Sirius Optics http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/ - they're a bit further down Logan Road at Underwood.

[shadowarrior (Sidds)]

Thanks Brian,

Haha yeah, see when I said am confused over the three
I think I will have to pick one of the options to get in and eventually build up my collection.

The motordrive will add to the cost as well I think quite significantly? I am a bit worried about the overall maintenance and collimating cost and effort for the newtonian.

Will go and see Pete at his shop soon. Not sure if the models listed on his site come along with a mount or not. I was thinking of using my camera's tripod to hold the camera in place and then have the telescope use it's own tripod, that way the whole weight is not on the scope and should turn out to be bit more stable.

Thanks Julian, let me check out Sirius's website.

Cheers,
Sidds

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by shadowarrior

The motordrive will add to the cost as well I think quite significantly?

Astro Pete will sell a single-axis drive for the EQ3 for $130 - see here:
http://www.astropetes.com.au/accessories.html
There is also a dual-axis option available which he might be able to get in for you.

Note that this won't give you automatic Go-To functionality, so you still need to polar-align the mount manually, and find your targets manually, but once aligned, a single-axis motor drive will track nicely.

Originally Posted by shadowarrior

Not sure if the models listed on his site come along with a mount or not.

The prices on Astro Pete's site include the mount as listed in each case.

[bugeater (Marty)]

I'll vouch for Astro Pete's too. I got my scope and mount from him and the price was very good even including shipping.

[raymo]

You really do need the camera attached directly to the focuser[assuming
that you have a DSLR], without a lens on it [prime focus]. Using a camera
aimed through the scope's eyepiece [afocal method] is only good for the
most basic of photos. If you buy a Newtonian make sure that it can be used for prime focus work, as many Newts cannot without modification.[ Skywatcher Newts can ].
raymo

[shadowarrior (Sidds)]

Originally Posted by raymo

You really do need the camera attached directly to the focuser[assuming
that you have a DSLR], without a lens on it [prime focus]. Using a camera
aimed through the scope's eyepiece [afocal method] is only good for the
most basic of photos. If you buy a Newtonian make sure that it can be used for prime focus work, as many Newts cannot without modification.[ Skywatcher Newts can ].
raymo

I have a Canon 60D which am planning to attach to the scope using the T-ring adapter setup. I'll see how it performs for long exposures before I go modding it to get a cooling system installed. Can't I also have the camera attached to it's own tripod while being connected to the scope to take some weight off it?

Thanks Marty and Julian, I'll give him a buzz and might drop by this Friday. Website says they are open till late on Fridays.

Cheers,
Sidds

[raymo]

I don't see how you can have some of the camera's weight taken by
a separate tripod, being as the scope will be moving to track the stars.
The scope should easily be able to take the weight on it's own.
raymo

[shadowarrior (Sidds)]

You are correct...forgot about the tracking part

[shadowarrior (Sidds)]

Had a quick chat with Pete and he gave me some good tips. Going to his shop this Friday to try out some of the scopes with my camera. But now am even more confused
He recommended me to go for the refractor ones with a EQ5 GoTo mount for astrophotography. But this now bumps up my entry price to around the $1500 mark :| Will keep an eye out on the For Sale section here and save up bit more by sneaking it away from the Mrs I guess

[julianh72 (Julian)]

You probably need to really sit down and think about what you are trying to achieve - what you REALLY want to do, and what you would LIKE to do.

If you want to get into long-exposure astro-photography seriously, then you NEED a good mount (such as an EQ5) first and foremost, and a good OTA to suit. I suspect that is the basis od Astro Pete's advice.

You started off looking at a Mak and a Newt on a more modest EQ3 mount, and a Dob. The two cheaper EQ3-mounted scopes would probably be fine for basic astro-photography, using either a DSLR, a modified web-cam, or a telescope eyepiece-astro-cam, but would limit your ultimate potential if you get serious. The Dob is an excellent visual telescope, but isn't really suited to astro-photography (apart from lunar and / or planetary shots).

Note that "serious" astro-photography requires a big investment of time (and money!) in equipment, processing software, and technique - it's not something that you can expect to just buy all the gear and be getting good results in a week. Personally, I'm having a lot of fun with a $280 ZWO camera in either my 90 mm Mak or 130 mm Celestron SCT. I'm limited to exposures of about 20 seconds or so using my rig (before tracking errors and / or vibrations ruin the shot), but there are plenty of targets for me to have fun with!