Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew_Campbell
Cheers. That leads to my next question:
Is there a resource that will show me what I can capture at a given focal length? I've been looking, but can't seem to find what I'm looking for. Sort of a "At 1500mm Focal Length, this is your field of view for THESE DSO, here they are at 2000, here they are at 500" etc.
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CCDCalc is what you are after - its a simple freeware program where you select telescope and camera from a drop down list and then you can browse through the collection of images to see what the field of view is with different targets and telescope/camera combinations. You can also add you own scopes and cameras to the lists as well (all you need are FL, f-ratio, pixel size and ccd dimensions)
http://newastro.com/book_new/camera_app.php
re mounts, I would suggest a HEQ5 or NEQ6 as a minimum. Both are great mounts for the price, with the main difference being the max weight that each can comfortably carry. Both good options, so it really depends on what scopes you want to use in the future. The actual NEQ6 mount itself is quite a bit heavier than the HEQ5, so that might also be a consideration if you have to carry your gear a long way to set up.