Refractor setup

[whzzz28 (Nathan)]

Hello all,

Had my Dob for a while now and i find the visual viewing great, but my urge to get into astrophotography has grown to the point that i get disappointed in the lack of things the Dob can do.
So i was looking at outlaying some cash to get a decent refractor and EQ mount.

Thought i would ask for some suggestions.
My budget is a bit variable, with absolute tops being $5k.

From my reading i've gleaned that i will require (obviously) the scope, a decent EQ mount, guiding scope /w camera, possibly dew control and a camera. To get me started.

So far my list looks like this:

Scope: Orion ED80T - $1049
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ6 Pro $1799
Guidescope: Orion Autoguider package (at bintel) $599
Camera: ?
Dew control: Kendrick DigiFire controller + 2 heaters $267

Now the questions.
Stuck on what to look for in a camera. Go Canon 1100d DSLR modded (cheapest option, or is it)? or look for a color oneshot CCD (ex: Atik 314E) or consider a B&W CCD + color wheel setup?

If i do decide to go with the DSLR; if i am only going to be using it for astro work (wont be buying a lens) will i need to replace the IR filter with a baader, or can i simply leave it blank? I have read that you will need an IR/UV filter if you do leave it blank, but i'm not sure on how correct that is, or if it is only for terrestial photography.
B&W CCD + filter wheel is probably out of the question, given how expensive filter wheels are.
I was trying to stick clear of the low resolution camera's that are available, like the Orion $600~ CCD's at Bintel as the seem too small and may lack detail.

Given this is my first foray into deep space astrophotography i was thinking that this may be a bit too much to outlay as a beginner.
Should i be looking at an ED80 doublet scope instead (Such as the Skywatcher ED80 - $899) or something else? Most seem to recommend spending the extra and getting the NEQ6 over the HEQ5, as a beginner should i go with the cheaper?

If you have any other general suggestions as well as to my choices or what you would recommend, please do tell.

Cheers.

[vanwonky (Dave)]

Hi Nathan,
Welcome to the mind melting world of astrophotography. I spent months trying to get my head around what I thought I needed (as opposed to what I wanted) as a beginner. No doubt others will come to your aid with your questions on scopes but I think your off to a good start. The only advice I will offer is maybe go second hand for your first scope / camera combo if for no other reason than to counter the scourge of upgraditis!

Also maybe factor a laptop into the equation if you haven't already. I believe you can get by with using the hand controller on the NEQ6 but a laptop will be needed for your guidescope etc.
Cheers
Dave

[naskies (Dave)]

Hi Nathan,

Welcome! I'll let others talk about the specifics of the gear, but have you thought about how you might travel to a dark site with it? Unless you can find a site with power, you'd need a generator or deep cycle battery plus quality charger - neither are particularly cheap.

Here are a couple of example pics to give you an idea of why it's worth traveling to a dark site... the light polluted version was taken in my backyard in Brisbane (Rochedale) - a stack of 52x 185 second exposures, for a total integration time of 2 hr 40 min at f/5.6. The raw subs are basically a sea of pink light pollution, and the final output still has a gradient that I haven't removed.

The dark site version is a single, unprocessed 15 second exposure at f/2.0 (equivalent to 2 min at f/5.6).

Let's just say I won't be doing any more imaging at home!


Cheers,

Dave

[whzzz28 (Nathan)]

Originally Posted by naskies

Hi Nathan,

Welcome! I'll let others talk about the specifics of the gear, but have you thought about how you might travel to a dark site with it? Unless you can find a site with power, you'd need a generator or deep cycle battery plus quality charger - neither are particularly cheap.

Yeah power is of a concern so batteries are go. Not sure on what the NEQ6 pulls per hour or how many batteries i will need all up.

Before i start going out west ill do a bit of testing at home to get used to it all. A friend lives out on acreage out at Samford (basically a farm) and has agreed to let me use his property. Probably not going to be pitch black but its a start.

I have also heard that Camp Mountain lookout near Mt. Nebo is a nice dark location, although i have no idea where it is.
I was also going to try Clear Mountain but the only non-tree infested area's are private property. No parks or anything, so unless i setup on the side of the road (no thanks!) then there isn't much hope up there.

I've got January off work so i will be doing some traveling to see whats around out west that isn't too far out.

[RobF (Rob)]

I think Dave raises some good questions to ponder re mobility.
- Do you expect to travel sometimes to dark skies?
- Realistically, how often could you do that, and how bitter and twisted will you be if it's cloudy on "your" weekend?
- Portability of gear (and how to best power). It's no good having top gear if you can't be bothered assembling it at home, let alone in the wild

I'd argue you can do some very decent astrophotography of brighter nebs and galaxies from the backyard, but obviously depends on your local environment, horizons, etc. A good light pollution filter or narrowband filters might be worth looking at too.

If you KNOW you'll be in it for the long run, a CCD is unbeatable but obviously reasonably expensive. Suggest a bit of research and thought too on what objects you enjoy to see imaged, and what sorts of gear people used to get good results.

[naskies (Dave)]

If you're scoping out dark skies, it's worth checking out the light pollution maps:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-404-0-0-1-0.html

I think the QLD Astro Society people travel out to a site in Leyburn? Perhaps you could join them.

Figuring out all the bits and pieces in the backyard first is a great idea. When it just doesn't seem to work, you can 'cheat' and just turn on the flood light to see what you're doing

Btw, you may want to check out this package that's just been offered in the classifieds (Brisbane-based to boot):

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=85008

[Visionoz (Bill)]

Nathan

What size of dob are you using currently?

Perhaps it might be possible for you to de-mount the dob so to speak and buy mounting rings for it, get the NEQ6 Pro (never can get enough in "over-mounting"!) and try to get the other bits like camera etc second-hand first to dip your toes in the water before you slip over the edge and fall down deeeeeeep into astro-imaging quicksand (read as money pit)!!

YMMV

HTH
Cheers
Bill