Portable Scope and Mount Selections for Visual and Photographic use

[AstroJason]

Hey guys,

Hoping to get some advice on a few things here. Been out of the hobby for about 10 years now and looking to get back into it. I am looking for a scope that can be used for both visual and astrophotography as well as be highly portable. I am not in too much of a rush as I want to make the right decision here without the need to upgrade scope/mount/ccd later down the line, although I may have to concede to needing to upgrade if the astrophotography bug really bites me hard.

At the moment I am happy to continue to use my 60D on a fixed tripod with the various lenses I have to do wide angle astrophotography. I have also recently sent off my application to join the ASNSW so I can meet and check out gear that other people use and are happy with. I think most of my questions here would be answered once I check out equipment myself but I just wanted to get a start on this. I have already received some advice on products that are out there such as the Vixen Polarie which is handy for portable DSLR astroshots.

But I do want to start thinking about my next scope and what it should be. So below I have listed what my current thoughts are, please feel free to provide feedback here, especially if I am going right off track. I would love to keep the budget for all this under $3000 if possible.

Aperture. Having previously owned a 12” Dob I don’t want to go too far back in aperture. It was a Meade Starfinder (so was the big cardboard tube, not the collapsible Lightbridge Meade sell today). So I am fully aware of the sheer weight and awkwardness of large scopes. At the moment I’m living in a top floor unit (2nd floor). But I have pretty good views of North, South and East (although they are light polluted). So lugging it up and down stairs is a factor I have to consider. I am thinking either an 8”-10” scope. I’m leaning more to a 10” because I really don’t want to concede too much aperture. Also I will have access to the relatively dark skies of Heathcote on most weekends.

What is the weight difference between a 8” vs 10” scope?
Is there much of a difference visually through the eyepiece between a 8” vs 10” scope?
Will imaging through a 10” scope on deep sky objects make any difference to a 8” scope? Less imaging time?

Scope Type. This is one area which has been doing my head in and I keep swapping and changing my mind on. I guess the weight difference between an 8” v 10” scope will be answered in combination with this section. Firstly I can rule out another Dob. Also Refractors are ruled out as I would like to use the scope for deep sky visual use and a 10” refractor… need I say more…

So which to get out of a Newtonian, SCT or Astrograph? My head is saying Newtonian because they are cheaper than the other 2 options. Great for visual use and it could be a great base to start my astrophotography from. However they are long. I think the shortest 8” Newtonian is 800mm (which is about the max tube length I would like) while 10” is 1000mm? While nowhere near as long as my old 12” Dob, I would like something a little more compact. The SCT option is a little more pricey, but is compact and offers incredible visual use. However for astrophotography I hear they are not the greatest scope to use and I’m probably better off with a Newtonian? Which brings me to the Astrograph option. By far the most expensive OTA of the lot, however the photos I have seen taken with them are “out of this world”… However for visual use I hear they aren’t as great because of the large obstruction created by the secondary mirror.

What is the shortest 10” Newtonian on the market? Been eyeing off the Skywatcher Carbon Fibre f4 OTA from Andrews… although the Guan Sheng sounds like it could be a good value for money option? Just unsure of the quality?
Do Newtonians suffer the same issues SCTs do for imaging?
Am I correct in thinking SCTs aren’t the greatest for imaging?
Can an Astrograph by used for visual use when required and still present a great view?
Are the Guan Sheng Astrographs worth the price?

Mount. This I think I have nailed down to a NEQ6Pro. Reason for this is I think it should suit my weight requirements for some time into the future and it seems that any level up in terms of payload capacity means almost a doubling in price. Is there any alternative mount out there that is in between the load capacity of a NEQ6Pro and say the EQ8? Just here we’re talking a jump from 20kgs – 50kgs. Is there anything in between that does not break the bank?

Apart from all this I think my “easy way out” alternative would be to just bite the bullet and get a 10” Meade LX200ACF on a wedge. But I honestly only think this because for some reason I feel more familiar with Meade products. Plus it exceeds what I would like to spend!

CCD. I have no idea here apart from Canon DSLR knowledge and I think it would be a while off before I get into purchasing a dedicated CCD for astrophotography.

Anyway wow that is a long post with heaps of questions! Apologies about that! But if anyone out there can assist in narrowing down some of the questions I have that would be great.

Thanks all,

Jason

[Kunama]

I too am easing back into this hobby with a do it all scope, some visual some photography. (More imaging than visual, hopefully)

My setup consists of:
new Vixen GP-D2 mount,
iOptron IO8400 GoToNova control,
Vixen HAL130 tripod,
mint s/h Vixen R200SS 8" Newtonian F4
Canon 50D + Baader ACF, and
various Vixen bits (Coma Corrector 3, Extender, W/A adapter & Tmount)
LV 6mm, LV 20mm and LVW 3.5mm
Meade 9.7mm,15mm,25mm Plossls

Total outlay about $3500.

Should keep me busy for a while. Its a nice and compact setup. The R200SS F4 is about 700mm long.

Edit: The F4 was a factor in my decision, as I will be using a DSLR and wanted to keep exposure times as short as possible, the 2 fStops mean times are reduced to a quarter of those for an F8 scope.

[Irish stargazer]

An F4 astrograph Newtonian from GSO on an EQ6 would do for both visual and astrophotography and wouldn't break the bank

[AstroJason]

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys.

Matt, how are you finding the iOptron IO8400 GoToNova mount? I have heard good things about iOptrons ieq45 mount. Most saying its better than the NEQ6Pro. I would consider it however it is more expensive for the same load capacity.

Thanks for confriming that astrograph is good for both visual and astrophotography John. So safe to say that a 10" GSO astrograph would be portable enough up and down stairs?

[Merlin66]

I have and use both the HEQ5pro and NEQ6pro mounts for spectroscopy...
Lugging the NEQ6pro mount up and down stairs is definately NOT for the faint hearted!!
It would need to be separated into the various components, then moved around, plus the scope, plus power batteries, the eyepieces/ cameras/ cables etc etc
Could add up to four or five trips.....

[AstroJason]

Thanks Ken, I'm reading that the mount and tripod alone are 24kg (then another 10kg of counterweights) so 34kg! The mount alone, without counterweights or tripod is 16kg. So as you say, it would be a few trips up and down stairs along with all the other components. Looking at 3 trips just for the mount. Definitely food for thought.

[Poita]

I'd say don't get an EQ6 unless you can go semi permanent in your situation. Lugging the mount in and out really ends up equalling not setting up very often, unless you are *really* dedicated. I found that was the case even living on the ground floor.
Once I made a weatherproof cover for the mount and left it outside, I used it easily five times as much.

For scopes if you want big aperture and reasonable portability then go with an SCT, add cooling so that tube currents aren't such an issue and it gets to temp faster. SCTs are fine for imaging, especially if you get one that has a mirror lock (celestron edge or Meade ACF), just make a long dew shield from a camping mat or similar to keep the dew at bay. The SCT won't limit your imaging, at least in the first 5 years, and you can do planetary which is fun as well. You can always piggy back the DSLR with a lens, or pick up a cheap ED80 later for widefield.

There is a great 10" Meade ACF SCT in the classifieds from Casstony at the moment, and you could get it and a 2nd hand EQ6 and have change from $3000.

I have owned 8" and 10" scopes and run them side by side often, there is a significant difference at the eyepiece and with photography. I ended up with a 9.25" as it was close enough visually to the 10" and was easier to manage (and had the hyperstar option which I wanted).
Having said that though, on some occasions the view through the 10" wasn't much better due to seeing limitations, especially on planets.

A C11 is also still pretty manageable, but maybe outside the price range.
You may as well get a 10 or 11" as the scope will be a trip down the stairs on its own no matter what size you get, so it doesn't save you any portability going with an 8"

Yes Newts are cheaper, but they are l-o-n-g and photography I found a hassle as the camera is mounted on the side, not on the back and I always had troubles with flex, balance etc. The mount also has to work harder because of the length.

Whatever you choose, the scope won't be the limiting factor for the first few years at least as far as photography goes, skills and mount will be far more the issue really. SCT or Newt or Mak or whatever, get one with resonable optics and a good mount and they will perform better than your skills are capable of for quite a while really.
That is not a dis, photography is time consuming and processing is more than half the skill, most of the other half is guiding and polar alignment, managing backlash and seeing. The actual scope only become the limiting factor once all that is mastered, and that takes a long long time :)

[GC - South Aus]

G'Day Jason

Welcome back to the hobby (obsession)!

I wish I had all the answers for you, but alas I don't. The holy grail of the one use for all (visual & imaging) scope is something that still alludes me! :sadeyes:

I am gathering from your discussion below and situation that portability is key!

Based on this you could consider:

EQ6 Pro/Orion Atlas with a 8 - 10" Imaging Newt, 8" - 10" SCT with focal reducer or a 4" - 5" APO Doublet refractor. Albiet you may have to do some searching on the classifieds to keep within budget (especially the refractor option).

Any of these would be a great package for visual and imaging, however all would be a pain in the butt (SCT & Refractor not much so!) for trampling up and down sets of stairs.

If you are looking for something that is truely portable, maybe the following:

HEQ5/Orion Skyview Pro or a CG5 mount (this mount will have a limited load capacity of around 15 - 17kgs) with an 8" - 9.25" SCT or a 4" - 5" APO doublet refractor.

This would be a lot lighter than the EQ6 and a Newtonian and more transportable, especially if packing into a car for dark sites. The thing to remember is that you will be limiting yourself more to the scope you can use in the future due to its lower load capacity than the EQ6 Pro (which its approx 25kg load).

The thing to ask yourself is what kind of imaging you want to do (planetary or DSO)? SCT would be great for planetary and with a 6.3FR will be ok for DSO (I have seen some good DSO images taken with SCT's checkout google images). Where as the 5" APO Doublet (something like a Skywatcher 120 Pro, I wish I could have one!) will be great for DSO's and good for planetary.

The SCT (or a MAK if you are looking at just planetary) & APO Refractor will be better options for transportability, holding collimation during travel, easier to find/build cases for etc etc.

I worry in that you will not be any different to any of us, in that once you get back into this you know the "aperture fever" will take hold! :rofl:
But sometimes you have to make trade off's (i.e. money, space, quality of light polluted skies etc) and go for a more suitable option! :sadeyes: I think if you were to get anything too heavy and cumbersome, you may soon put yourself off and the equipment may see little light.

Good to see that you are not rushing in and taking time to consider though.

Best of luck

Regards

Gav

[AstroJason]

Thanks for the detailed responses guys, very helpful and much appreciated.

Here I was thinking the mount was pretty much sorted yet it is starting to be the one thing which could undo my plans. I may really have to rethink this and go the HEQ5 Pro mount and drop down to an 8” scope for a few years. Maybe that is the smarter move for now considering my current situation.

But all things considered regarding weight, I’m still going to be faced with a similar problem with an 8” scope and the HEQ5 Pro mount. I mean they obviously aren’t as heavy as a 10” scope and a NEQ6Pro. I would probably still have to carry the mount and counter weights separately on the HEQ5 up and down stairs. (I think this is me trying to talk myself into getting a larger scope).

Peter, I have actually spoken to Casstony about that OTA but I’m not sure I’m just ready yet to purchase. Also there are risks involved in shipping it to Sydney from Melbourne which will cost between a further $100-$200. But thanks for the heads up on it anyway. Your point about you noticing a significant difference between an 8” to a 10” both at the eye piece and with photography does reaffirm my thinking in going the 10” plus the fact that you make a very good point here… the scope is 1 trip up/down stairs regardless of size. Should I just get a 12” then? :lol:

But yes I understand where you’re coming from; astrophotography is going to be time consuming and requires a lot of patients and skill. Processing… I have a lot to learn here.

Gav, the limiting factor of load capacity on the HEQ5 Pro is exactly what is leading me towards the NEQ6Pro. Once I add my 60D, a Guidescope and a Autoguider to the mix I would like the mount to be more than capable of carrying the entire load. I want to do DSO imaging more than planetary, hence why I am leaning away from SCT.

Regarding the scope though, you guys have me thinking that while a SCT might not exactly be the best OTA for imaging DSO it may be the best solution for my situation because it’s the most compact. And as Peter has suggested, it will take me a while to get my skills up to speed to push the scope to its limits.

And yes Gav, I know “aperture fever” will take hold! It’s already beginning to take hold and I don’t have a scope yet! Those 16” Meade Lightbridges that Bintel are selling at $1999 make my head twitch each time I look at them!! :scared2: But I agree and know from my past experience in this hobby that getting something too heavy and cumbersome does put you off from using it and everything just ends up sitting there gathering dust. I don’t want that to happen this time around!

One last question, what are peoples thoughts on the GSO Astrographs? They have the focuser at the back (unlike the newts). Should I still consider them? Anyone have first hand experience with them?

[GC - South Aus]

Hi Jason

I don't have first hand experience but I have seen some impressive images from them. There are plenty of reviews on the internet and a simple search will reveal some especially on the Cloundy Nights site.

I know that a few IIS members have them, so best leave the opinions to them. I think there is also a review of the GSO 8"RC in one of the IIS equipment review sections.

Good Luck

Gav

[AstroJason]

Thanks Gav I will have a look at that review, should give me an idea of their performance.

[GC - South Aus]

Hi Jason

As it turns out, I may have sent you down the garden path as there appears to be no GSO 8" RC review in IIS. I have read so many reviews lately I have forgotten where I have read them! :screwy:

So I felt kind of bad about it so I got you these links below for GSO 8" RC review and equipment discussions:

http://paulhaese.net/GSORC8inchreview.html (Paul is an IIS member)

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/116463-gso-254mm-f8-ritchey-cretien-first-impressions/

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=44888

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4436969/Main/4434014

http://www.myastrospace.com/forums/showthread.php?2542-Gso-8-quot-rc

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2006

Happy reading! :lol:

Regards

Gav

[AstroJason]

Oh wow! haha no worries Gav! Thanks so much for that mate, Got some reading ahead of me! Much appreciated :thumbsup:

[Poita]

Well, if you are going to be carrying up and down the stairs, then yes.

As you said, the scope is always going to be a trip on its own, so it doesn't make much difference. There is a 12" meade SCT on sale in the classies at the moment. It has the advantage of taking classic focal reducers, so you can knock it back to f6.3 or even f3.3 from memory, and have a resonably fast DSO scope, and a killer scope for planetary and for those tiny galaxies that need the long focal length and big aperture to reach.

As far as budget goes, you could have a 12" SCT and an EQ6, both second hand for about $3000, and talk the owners into throwing in some eyepieces and other bits and pieces :) I'd grab a crayford SCT focuser for about $120 or so, it will allow you to focus finely and attach your DSLR easily. They make SCTs a joy to use.

This will keep you busy visually for a long time, and for <$100 you can throw a toucam on the back and do some quality planetary and moon imaging while you learn the ropes. Or use any webcam you have laying around. I probably still have a piece of solar film big enough somewhere to make a solar filter for it as well.


Down the track, when you are ready for photography, I would save up and get an good OAG and guide camera, like the lodestar and SX OAG. It works a treat on SCTs and RC scopes, and bypasses so many problems with flex and mounting an extra guidescope etc. You can use your DSLR on the back.

[AstroJason]

Thanks for those links Gav, had a read through each of them now. Some real good reading there. Looks like some mods are required to really make the GSO’s work. Focuser needs to be replaced from the word go and there are some issues with reflections, all that are easily fixed though so no big deal there. Some people say that they aren’t great for visual use while others say they are fine.

Yeah it is a fair point with all things considered. I have to make the trip with the scope on its own regardless of size. But yeah I saw that SCT Peter, just not ready to jump in on anything just yet and have a couple things I need to sort out still. I was close to just biting the bullet and purchasing the 10” OTA casstony was selling but was not keen on having to get it shipped, would much rather just pick it up, but if one comes up for sale in Sydney Im still not sure if I’ll go for it.

I noticed Andrews put the price up of the NEQ6Pro as well ($100 more). Same price as Bintel now. So again if one comes up in good condition on the classies I might grab it.

Anyway at the moment I’m leaning more to an SCT for their compact size on a NEQ6Pro mount.

Thanks everyone for your input! :)

[AstroJason]

Actually I probably couldn't go a 12" SCT because wouldn't the weight of it along with guide scope and cameras, etc be too much for an NEQ6Pro to handle? Or would it just be able to cope?

[GC - South Aus]

G'day Jason

No probs about the information (links) just thought it would give you some better information than I could.

With regard to the 12" SCT on the EQ6, I am not sure I would recommend this, especially if your prime interest is getting back into imaging. Might be barely ok for visual but I don't think you would get optimum imaging out of this setup and I certainly would not use the goto to slew around.

Max SCT I would recommend on the EQ6 for imaging is the C9.25 and the 10" Meade, or a 10" Newtonian.

Regards

Gav

[AstroJason]

Thanks Gav, yeah I was reading up about it last nigh on this old thread. http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/archive/index.php/t-67354.html

People said pretty much what you ve said here in that it might be ok for visual but would be really pushing it for photogaphy. Some people said they were getting good results with this combination but yeah I am not going to risk it. I'll stick to a 10"

Thanks again mate

Jason

[Poita]

Mind you there is an 8" scope on an eq5 in the classies, all setup for imaging and ready to go for less than $800 all up.

Now *that* is a good deal and highly portable and is a proven system looking at the images he has taken with it. I could carry the whole thing down a flight of stairs in one go :D

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=97335

[AstroJason]

You make a very good point there Peter. It is very tempting!

[Poita]

If it was me, I'd jump at it.
I found I used my refractor on the old EQ3 all the time because I could carry it outside in one go. When I sold it and got the SCT I found I got outside less than half as much.
I'm so lazy...

Oh, it has a solar filter as well. Hmmm.... (Must put credit card in the freezer)

That looks like a really nice, really portable package with an easy path to photography without breaking the bank or the back :D

[Merlin66]

IMHO there's no way you can live with a 12" Lx OTA on a NEQ6pro.
Been there, tried that.....
The tube weighs in a 17.1 kg, and that's before all the dangle dollys.
I sold my 8" and 10" Lx OTA's for a C9.25 (10.1Kg with dovetail) and my 12" Lx for a C11 (12.5Kg)

[Poita]

Depends on the EQ6 I think. My old one handled a 12" meade without much worry at all, as long as it was balanced. Brendan used to image with a big scope on his too from memory.
But then Glen had one though that struggled to get good results with my 9.25, so they are a bit of a pig in a poke.

They are a real lucky dip, but if you were headed to 12" territory and wanted to do more than planetary, I'd only buy one that had a proven track record, it is certainly at the outer limits.

[AstroJason]

It’s true Peter, it would be a good scope and it’s at a good price but unfortunately it’s not exactly what I want. I just have to wait a little while longer for the right equipment to show up. I do have my heart set on at least a 10” and I would like the goto capability and payload capacity of the NEQ6Pro. The troubling thing to be honest with you though even after all this discussion is I am still undecided. Brain is saying go easy to manage and take the advice I have been given here. Heart is saying you only live once, get a 10” LX200 ACF… talk about break the bank… (and possibly back).

Ken, yeah after reading the thread I saw last night I definitely won’t be going down the path of a 12” scope on a NEQ6Pro mount. Not worth it and I think it would shorten the life span of the mount. That said, some guys on that thread were also saying that a 10” was pushing it?? Bit surprised by that. Some were also saying that while some scopes were lighter than the recommended max payload capacity, long reflectors pushed the mount harder due to the fact that they are long and I guess “back heavy”? I would have thought that counter weights would cancel this issue out?

[Wavytone]

Jason,

To do justice to a 12" scope (ie make it actually useable) you're really going to need at least an iOptron45 (will take 45kg scope) or preferably the SkyWatcher NEQ8 when it comes out (one site is taking pre-orders for this), the EQ6 variants are way too puny. The NEQ8 specs look superb IMHO if you have a big scope and are serious about astrophotography; the big question will be the $.

Regarding the 10" LX200 ACF, for a long time I have thought the same - it's compact, it's all there, it all works, and about the biggest/heaviest you can safely lift single- handed (I'm not young either) instead of messing around with DIY stuff.

So, without a 10" LX200 ACF the meantime I stay strictly visual. My weapon of choice would be a 14" f/7 dob with Argo, push-to. If I had more time for astronomy and the weather was better, I would have shelled out for one long ago. OTOH the shi*ty weather in Sydney for the past couple of years has left me with no regrets about spending the $ on a new paraglider instead (I can get airborne most weeks).

[AstroJason]

Wavy I thought the iOptron45 was a 20kg capacity mount? Otherwise if it is in fact 45kg, for a further $200-$300 I would get one for that extra payload capacity. I read that it’s also lighter than an NEQ6Pro mount so another advantage there for portability.

From what I have been reading, I think while an NEQ8 would be awesome, it would be FAR too heavy for me to move about from location to location.

So on to the Meade 10" LX200 ACF's. That’s what I was thinking, it would be the easiest to carry and is compact and still what I would consider large aperture. Got awesome GOTO capability and a very strong fork mount which could handle more equipment for my future needs. The issue with this is that for astrophotography I would need the wedge. I can’t even begin to imagine how awkward it would be to place the scope with the wedge on the tripod by myself. Anyway I’m thinking way ahead of myself here but need to consider it. Plus at $4699 brand new… the misses won’t be very impressed!

Which brings me to a scope I have been looking at today that might be the smarter option. The Skywatcher 10” f4 Carbon Fibre Newt. Being carbon fibre it would be very light for carrying around to sites as well as for a NEQ6Pro mount. It is a meter long but I think I can live with this as it is relatively cheap. So might just settle for this combo. Just one thing I am unsure on.

Is this scope here http://u-shop.com.au/UShop/Home/CategoryID/15/List/0/catpageindex/1/Level/a/ProductID/1855.aspx?SortField=UnitCost%2cProd uctName (http://u-shop.com.au/UShop/Home/CategoryID/15/List/0/catpageindex/1/Level/a/ProductID/1855.aspx?SortField=UnitCost%2cProd uctName)

The same as what is sometimes called the Quattro 10CF like in this video? Or is it different? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcvHOHwg1j4&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcvHOHwg1j4&feature=related)

Oh mate, if I had a yard I would have a massive dob in a heartbeat. I’d be going straight for the Meade 16” Lightbridge, put some wheels on it and whack in an Argo, away we goooo! But I don’t. I envy you for having a 14” dob! Paragliding huh? Very interesting pastime mate. Bet you wish you could take your dob with you up there above the clouds and seeing! Last nights weather in Sydney annoyed me. Was attempting to do an all night star trail. Battery ended up dying in the 60D after 372 x 30 second images. But yeah clouds came through pretty much the entire time and spoiled it all. Plus the light pollution, the day I get out to a dark sky can’t come soon enough!

[Wavytone]

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Haha no... I don't have a 14" dob, sticking with a 7" Mak. But I recall using a very nice 14" f/7 once at Mt Bowen many years ago, almost as good as using the 16" inside Crago observatory. From time to time toyed with the idea of building one like it. But no.

A 10" newt is still too big for an EQ6 IMHO, I have seen someone try this combo at Katoomba and well... he got a few shots but I suspect the load is well past what is advisable for the wormwheels - remember these are alloy about 50mm diameter and the forces are huge from a 10". Regarding the iOptron45, I was looking at the data form one earlier today and it seems to depend which page you're looking at. Dunno... all i can say is the worm wheels are much bigger than those in the EQ6 so it should support a 10" or 12" scope far better than the EQ6 could.

[AstroJason]

Haha oh dur, I just reread what you said. Yeah a 14” dob would be awesome. I’ve never seen the view through anything more than my old 12” Starfinder and it was great. Views with larger scopes must be awesome! Actually I lie, I remember seeing Hale Boop a couple months after it was discovered through the 16” Meade LX200 at Sydney Observatory. But I only got like a 15 second glimpse!

Really, you think a 10” newt is too much for the EQ6? Wow ok. I thought it would be more than enough for AP. I need to rethink this then. Maybe whack a SCT on it after all? I think the 45 in the iOptron stands for 45lbs? Just read that on the iOptron website.

Maybe a complete 10" Meade LX200 ACF isnt a crazy idea afterall? Im not too much in a rush for AP and more leaning towards visual for now anyway.

[GC - South Aus]

Hi Jason

I run both a 10" Newt and a C9.25 (obviously not at the same time! :rofl:) on an EQ6 Pro not a problem!

If you are concerned about the longevity of your mount (which I am too, as to me it is the most valuable astro asset I have and I want it to last as long as I can) you can always unlock the decs and push to where you want to image and then track. This will minimise wear from goto slewing!

As always balancing is the key!

Don't take my word for it you can google images with ths kind of set up to see what kind of AP others are doing with the same gear. You could also visit your local club/assoc to speak with others and look through their gear. I guess where it gets interesting from the Newt perspective is imaging when their is a breeze.

Regards

Gav

[Poita]

From memory the C11 weighs about the same or a bit less than the Meade 10".

[AstroJason]

:lol: Gav, if you could run both OTAs at the same time then I would have a NEQ6Pro by now!

You raise a good point, so I could push the scope along with a NEQ6Pro mount to help it slew to an object without having to reset its GOTO ability?

I have seen countless images and a lot of them are great. If anything I prefer the images from a Newt over an SCT. A lot of people seem to have this match of a 10” Newt on the NEQ6Pro. I have signed up to join the ASNSW, just waiting for them to approve my application so I can pay my membership.

That’s interesting Peter, the C11 is bigger aperture yet could be lighter than the 10" Meade. Celestron a little more efficient in their construction?

Also from watching countless videos on youtube of different scopes and mounts. Is it just me or does the NEQ6Pro sound pretty quiet? I mean its not silent but I think I could use slower slew speeds so its not as loud. I have watched a couple Meade LX200 videos and the amount of noise that that fork mount makes scares me! I really have to take that into consideration as well as I don’t want to piss off my neighbours with this high pitched sound at 3am!

Again, this is something I will have to see for myself. But can anyone confirm if the NEQ6Pro is quieter than a Meade LX200 fork mount? Originally I didn’t think about this but it’s something I really have to take into consideration as I need the noise levels to be very low.

[Merlin66]

I can only say I've been successfully using a C11 on a NEQ6pro for the last couple of years for spectroscopy with no issues.
I did have a 10" Lx200 - can't remember the actual weight....
The Neq6pro is noisy, like all mounts, when slewing..yes, I do think it's quieter than the ol' Lx200 Classical - I don't know about the newer Meade mounts.

[AstroJason]

Thanks for your input Ken. The amount of noise the mount makes is worrying me and might be the main deciding factor in the eventual mount I purchase. I mean it is really quiet in the dead of night. I realised this on the weekend when I doing my star trail shots. I could hear the click of my DSLR shutter echoing off a neighbour’s wall which is about 40 feet away. So can’t imagine how loud a mount would be. Again, I think slewing at a slower speed or helping it along towards the target will help.

Of course there is a solution for my problem…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Al5BnGC5c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Al5BnGC5c)

Completely silent. Amazing stuff.

[GC - South Aus]

G'day Again

Just to make sure you are aware, the iOptron45 is actually 45 lbs this equates to around 20.5 kg's (excluding counterweight). So definitely will not take a 12" Newtonian well.

In relation to giving the mount a helping hand (i.e. push) and then letting it track, I am aware that some of our 12" newt owners on an eq6 mount use this technique. I believe Mike (iceman) may do this and may be able to provide further guidance.

Cheers

Gav

[AstroJason]

Thanks Gav, nice one. I would like to be able to give it a move along if possible. Rather than waiting for it to slew at a slower, quieter speed to an object.

[AstroJason]

Went to Bintel today to actually see the NEQ6Pro. Wow is it BIG!! I was really surprised at its size. The guys in there let me pick it up to test its weight as well. It’s heavy. Not exactly something I want to be carrying up and down stairs too often. Before I went I put gym weights on a dumbbell to give me an idea of the weight but it’s just not the same. It’s bulky and not exactly easy to hold. Well at least not in my quick attempt to lift it in store. I’m glad I went into see it in person. I got to hear it too and was happy with the amount of sound coming from the mount. The guys confirmed my thinking that it’s a lot quieter than an LX200 mount which is what I thought.

And gee I have forgotten how big a 10” OTA can be when it’s towering over you. They had one on the G11 mount and it just looked huge!

So with all this in mind and me living in a second story apartment it really got me thinking that this just isn’t going to happen like I planned. I was really seeing all my plans come crumbling down around me as I realised that I have to rethink all this and heed the advice given to me. Otherwise I’m going to fall into that trap of going too big too soon and the stuff just collecting dust. So my options are… Get a HEQ5Pro mount instead and have a 8” Newt on it. That’s if it can carry the OTA plus all the other gear needed for Astrophotography. OR I put the entire AP thing on hold for a couple years and go back to a Dob.

The more I think about it the more I like the idea of going to a Dob. They had the 10” Skywatcher dob there with Synscan (very noisy but relatively quiet at slower slew speeds). It really caught my eye which I didn’t expect to happen. I almost bought it there and then! Its compact and I could easily set it up and pack it away. I could even build a small housing for it and leave it outside when stored in a horizontal position. Maybe this is the smarter option for now considering my living situation. Then after a while building my observational experience back up, I’ll get into AP and get a dedicated scope for it all while keeping a dob for visual use. I really like that idea! Not sure the misses will! :D

Anyway I am really surprised at today’s outcome, really glad I got to see the mounts/scopes and tested them out as I did not expect to be walking out of there with this complete back flip on everything. But I honestly think I would be doing more visual use than AP at first, hence why I think I should just stick to a dob for the time being.

[Kunama]

Or you could get one of these:
OTA 5.5kg
mount 8.8kg
tripod 5.5kg
c/weight 5.6kg
canon 50d 1kg

Total about 26Kg + eyepieces

[AstroJason]

Thanks for the suggestion Matt but I ended up pulling the trigger on Saturday. A little silly of me I know without trying out some scopes first hand in the field. I just could not wait any longer. I had made my mind up on what equipment I wanted based on countless reviews I read, youtube video clips watched and my past experience in the hobby. Also having attended my first ASNSW AIM Meeting last week I saw photos taken with normal camera lenses which confirmed for me that I could do lots of AP without the need for a separate AP scope.

Anyway, I decided that I want to have 2 scopes. One for visual and one dedicated for AP.

So I went out to Bintel for the second week in a row. Left home at about 10am Saturday morning, spoke to the guys there for a while and decided to pull the trigger and make the purchase. Get back home, log into iceinspace… I didn’t want to look at the classies but I did anyway… low and behold, a NEQ6Pro for sale… What did I buy? A NEQ6Pro… While I was making the purchase (approx. 11am) a second hand one became available on here. AND ITS STILL FOR SALE! :scared2: The timing could not have been any better or should I say worse… Not much I can do about it now. I am more than happy with the gear I have. I gotta laugh at the timing though otherwise I will go insane.

I was really surprised at the weight of the NEQ6Pro as well. In store I carried it with the counter weights and tripod. But once disassembled it’s really not that bad to carry around. I have no trouble carrying it outside with the mount still attached to the tripod (minus counter weights). I kept all the boxes for the mount as well for when going to dark sites.

But that was not the only purchase I made. I also pulled the trigger on a 10” Skywatcher collapsible GOTO Dob. From my first visit to Bintel the week earlier, I was really impressed with its compact size and weight. Having learnt my lesson from my old 12” Meade Starfinder (cardboard tube) I knew what I wanted here and made a small sacrifice with aperture for this light bucket. It is so easy to carry around I’m so stoked that I made this purchase.

So for now I am going to do lots of wide field AP with the NEQ6Pro by mounting my Canon 60D on it. I have 3 lenses that I’m going to use for this. They are my Sigma 8-16mm, Sigma 50mm f1.4 and my Canon 70-200mm IS f4L. At the moment I am leaning towards a 8” GSO Astrograph but that will be months away I think. I have seen the couple that came up for sale this week but the misses wouldn’t be impressed if I continued this spending spree. So I’ll give it a rest for now. I will push my 60D to the limit with my wide field shots and during this time I will hone my AP skills for when the day does come and I take my AP further with a scope and CCD. But having the NEQ6Pro mount now, future proofs me for a larger scope/s down the track.

Attached are some photos of my new gear.

Really gotta thank all who commented here and assisted in my decision making. :thanx:

Jason