Star Adventurer

[Gmac]

Hi all,
I'm keen to get the Star Adventurer for my DSLR to ease myself into AP. It appears to also be suited to a small scope such as the Evostar 72ED. Anyone have any experience with this combination? The FL of 420 would seem within the capacity of the SA.
If I eventually go further, then the SA becomes a good quick portable unit for wide field and the 72ED becomes a guide scope. Thoughts?
:thanx:

[pluto]

I've used mine with a WO Star71 which I think is possibly a bit heavier than the Evostar but shorter focal length (~350mm).
I've had good results with 30 second unguided exposures but It gets a bit tricky when guiding with longer exposure lengths.
It's definitely doable but I think it's getting near the limit.

Here's a write-up I did on mine a few years ago if you're interested:
hughsblog.wordpress.com/equipment/

The SA is great for widefield stuff too :D

[Gmac]

Thanks Hugh, I'll check out that write up. Cheers

[xelasnave]

I really think they are a great idea and what you can do with even a cheap lens can be really impressive.
All my stuff is 30 seconds and you get a decent result.
I am building banks of 30 second stuff to be able to stack a heap of the near perfect ones.
I have stacked 3 and a half hours of 30 second for good result.
Alex

[Icearcher]

Hey Greg

Im from Adelaide so happy to catch up some time and learn together.

Iv had my Star Adventure about a year and really loving it, its great with an DSLR, Iv been able to get shots up to 2 mins at shorter focal lengths and up to about a minute at 250mm.

Big word of caution though, be prepared to put a bit of time into learning how to polar align, the polar scope unfortunately wont help much for us, well Iv never had any luck with it anyway. I use a bubble level, compass and angle meter to get a rough alignment which is fine for shorter focal lengths but I needed to learn how to drift align for longer focal lengths, its really quite easy though just takes some time.

I have started using an evostar 72ed on mine. You will open up a whole new range of issues when you go this route and you will need a whole lot more gear. Im just about to start guiding so that I can get usable results from the scope. I also need to get a few bits to get the balance just right, its a bit of a learning curve.

Its super fun though so dont let these things hold you back, personally I think it really helped me learn more about the hobby then if I had gone out and purchased a HEQ5 or such.

Regards
Chris

[Gmac]

Thanks guys for your replies. My SA is on it's way and hopefully have it by Thursday this week.


Chris.... yes, I'm expecting polar alignment to take some practice and have already got my level and angle meter (which I use for work anyway) to help.
I'm not right in Adelaide though, I'm up at Riverton in the Gilbert Valley. There is an event at the Stockport Observatory this coming Saturday night so I'm planning on being there to hopefully soak up some knowledge.
You mentioned the HEQ5 etc....those mounts were also an option for me but I figure easing in with something low budget was the way to go and the SA has excellent reviews. If I dive right in and spend more money later on then the SA can remain as a quick portable unit for wide field as I mentioned in my first post.
Thanks for the offer of help and hopefully catch up along the way.
Cheers