Hi all,
This is my fist post after lurking and sponging information for a couple of months.
I am thinking of getting a SkyWatcher Black Diamond 250/1200, paired with a NEQ6Pro GoTo. With their 10% off special at Andrews at the moment the total is $2500, which seems much better than anywhere else.
Scope -
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatche...ector-ota.html
Mount -
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatche...pro-mount.html
Links are from Ozscopes as I can't find how to link to anything other than a generic page with heaps of products with Andrews.
From what I can gather the mount is rated somewhere between 18.2kg and 20kg
, depending on which site you look at. My scope seems to come in at 14.3kg. I then plan to try a bit of Astrophotography, starting with the planets, with a Canon 60D (can get on eBay/Gumtree for around $400).
Getting back to the weight issue. I've seen some forums posts say never go beyond 50% of payload capacity for astrophotography and others say up to 75% is okay. I see my setup would be around 15.3kg (76% - 84% depending on actual payload of 18.2 or 20kg).
There is no way on earth I can afford the next weight level up for a mount (around $5500 for an EQ8 Vs $1799-10% for the NEQ6).
I suppose I understand the weight is not ideal, but would it render it totally useless for anything other than short exposure? Would it be okay to have a go at the DSO stuff later with this setup, understanding it may be a little difficult? Am I in danger of wrecking the mount with this weight attached?
Also thinking about getting the camera modded for better H-Alpha. Has anyone used Sun East in Hong Kong? They do it for $170AUD which includes both filter and workshop charges, a lot cheaper than anywhere else I have found (some charge more than this just for the labour)
Any suggestions appreciated, including thoughts on the camera setup, including 60D in general, etc.
Cheers
Mick