What should i buy next

[Fluffyllama95]

Hi everyone!

I have just started this hobby and ive got some shots i am pretty happy with. My current set up is HEQ5 pro, REDCAT 51, ZWO ASI385mc, a zwo mini guide scope and camera.
I cant afford to buy all the filters and all the extra equipment all at once so I'm wondering what the next thing is I should buy? I see alot of people using different filters for the nebulas etc, i also get told i need a better camera as mine is currently a planetary one. (it seems to work very well for M42, NGC2070, Globular clusters etc)

Just wondering what I should buy next to add to the collection :)

[JA]

Hi FL,

Tasmania has some wonderfully dark skies, so depending on where in Tasmania you are(?), maybe you can do without some of the light pollution filters for now.

On the issue of what to buy next, if it were me I would look at another camera, one with a larger sensor that takes greater advantage of the (~40mm) image circle of your telescope/lens and thereby would give you a much larger field of view. It would also give you a future upgrade path when/if you wanted a longer focal length scope at higher resolution.


Best
JA

PS: If you are in an area with perhaps moderate light pollution from sodium vapour street lamps, there are some much less costly options you could consider than the typical, but excellent $3-400 multiband type filters

[RyanJones]

Hi Della,

I’m with JA. I’d go for a camera upgrade good enough to future proof any further upgrades and take full advantage of your current scope. I’ve seen some great images taken with that scope so that was a good choice 👍. I guess the only other thing I’d recommend is to belt mod your HEQ5 if you haven’t already to improve guiding accuracy. That’s about it for now :) hope that helps.

[Startrek]

Your next expenditure should be a new camera , the filters can come after that ( eg Optolong L Extreme OSC narrowband for all Nebula )
As far as belt modding the the HEQ5, I agree with Ryan, however if your using the Redcat 51 for the next few years I wouldn’t worry too much about super tight guiding as the Redcats 250mm focal length shouldn’t pose too much of an issue with star shape due to FOV , resolution and image scale.
Some Cmos cooled colour cameras for consideration -
ZWO 533MC. Sensor 11mm x 11mm 4.76um pixel size
ZWO 183MC. Sensor 13mm x 9mm 2.4um pixel size
ZWO 294MC Sensor 19mm x 13mm. 4.63 um pixel size
ZWO 071MC. Sensor 23mm x 15mm. 4.78 um pixel size

Or alternative QHY OSC cameras

Cheers

[Drac0]

As others have said, I would be looking at another camera. I currently use an ASI224MC and as yet unmodified DSLR's so I'm considering something in between - I do like the look of the ASI533MC Pro. For me the decision is which to get first - a new camera or an EQ6R/AZ EQ6 mount for my C8 and future newtonian purchase.

[rustigsmed]

i was in the same boat and just started chipping away at the filters. Ha first then O3 then S2 then a mono camera with a filter draw, and then a filter wheel later on.