Quote:
Originally Posted by raymo
To adequately answer your questions would need an A4 page. To meet all your requirements you need at least an 8" scope,[ an ED 80mm
refractor is good for photography, but just doesn't have the aperture for
observing galaxies and anything but the brightest nebulae]. To mount
that 8" scope requires at least a Skywatcher HEQ5, or equivalent in another brand. Schmitt Cassegrain scopes are slow photographically,
and have a narrower field of view, although a reducer can fix that to
a degree. A fast Newtonian [ f/4 to f/6 ]is a good compromise, having
a wider field of view, and needing shorter exposures than the SCT.
They do suffer from coma, so a coma corrector would be required to produce images with pinpoint stars to the edge of the image.
Should you think that you might go to a 10" or larger equatorially mounted scope later, you would be better served getting a heavier duty mount in the first place. [SW NEQ6 or equivalent].If cost is a
consideration, I would start with a DSLR, even budget models do a great job, and perfect your skills before moving up to a CCD camera; this would let you see if you are committed enough, as CCDs are quite pricey.
raymo
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I agree with Raymo on all those comments. There is a learning curve but if you make informed buying decisions along the way it will cost you less.