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12" Sywatcher Tracking Collapisble DOBS
I still have my ( now ) beatup, lobotomised F/5, now F/4.7 GSO 10" DOB.
The DOB mount, for what it is, is cactus ( water and plywood do not mix ), and the primary mirror is also, pretty well cactus.
I've been researching for absolute ages on a new scope, looked at a Celestron 10" with EQ6, Skwatcher 10", again with EQ6, then noticed the new Skywatcher Flexdobs with Tracking.
I've kind of shied away now from an EQ mount - I'm not a dedicated astronomer. Simply want to pick it up, take it out, spend some time looking about, perhaps snap some frames of a planet or large DSO with my DSLR, then pack it up again, with the minimum of fuss. With an EQ6, polar aligning, etc, will eat even more into my precious time.
Now these 12" truss tubes with tracking, just how good is this tracking ? Good enough to keep Jupiter in view without adjustment with say a 12mm for 10 mins ? The skywatcher site says your DSLR can mount directly to the OTA, or is this just propaganda ?
And the "optional" GOTO. Are Andrews saying that if you buy an EQ hand controller, you can simply download the firmware to make this a full GOTO with tracking!
As for DSO photography, can this really be good enough to take a stack of 1-2 min shots of closer galaxies ?
I have an Argo Navis lying around from my 10" - with the right decoders, could I use this for GOTO ?
Questions, questions, questions. This has been a long long fruitless battle to find exactly what I want - good visual viewing, ease of setup ( wieght dosn't worry me - strong enough ), and a few nice shots to brag about now and then.
Any help appreciated. More than willing to talk via phone if anyone can help. Just PM me. Desperate to get another scope, but like everything, have to get value for my dollar - poor guy in what can be an expensive hobby.
Lance
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