I'm currently looking at some stage if I can afford buying a AT65EDQ as AP scope. Got advise from Jerry Lodriguss as being a fantastic buy and he still currently uses. Seems affordable for me but can only get US prices and can't seem to find anywhere around here which sells.
A mount will also be required. Recommend by Jerry again a Orion Sirius EQ-G as a mount. Not as much research done on availability here but suspect the same deal.
Any folks use this set up or similar?
I'm currently using a 8se for visual and basic AP. Also own an iOptron sky tracker which I'm rather disappointed about as I should of done more research into how hard sigma is to pinpoint in my finder and no chance at all 10kms out of Melbourne where I live.
I'm also wondering how this particular refractor would shape up against my 8se for visual and planetary AP? Obviously far superior to that of the 8se for advanced DSO AP but I am considering selling my 8se and sky tracker to bring me closer to the mentioned set up or similar but don't know if it's such a wise decision as visually and for planetary I could be disappointed?
Only really interested in one scope and this seemed like a good choice as a bit of a all rounder perhaps but more favorable for AP.
I know it's hard to compare a SCT to that of a refractor as they have very different purposes so sorry folks might be a tricky one to answer but hopefull someone out there who's had a similar delimar and can give me advise.
On the other hand which is something I have considered but not really got positive feed back was using my 8se's OTA and putting on a decent EQ? I own a 6.3 reducer which is essential for the slow f10 but the challenge I know is the focal length itself and been told it's a VERY difficult challenge to obtain quality images with a SCT setup no matter how good your EQ mount is.
Thanks for reading folks and I look forward to getting some advise and opinions of my future choice.
I had an AT65EDQ and I regret selling it to a friend in NZ. It's a superb scope (heavy for its size) with an amazingly flat, perfectly colour-corrected field. It also works brilliantly on the HEQ5-Pro/Sirius mount. I now use a 6" F/5 Newtonian and the mounting struggles but I could easily take 2 minute exposures unguided and with some effort 5 minutes exposures unguided.
I've attach a (highly compressed) image of the LMC/Tarantula neb that's 15x 4 minute subs taken from the massively light polluted backyard of my old house.
An 8" SCT with a 6.3 reducer is a popular rig for AP, a good F.O.V. for
smallish objects such as many galaxies, and of course good for even smaller objects when used at it's native focal length.
I often wish that my 8" f/5 [1000mm f/l] was a bit longer.
Off topic, why on earth does your HEQ5 struggle with your 6" Cam?
mine handles my 8" effortlessly, and a friend has a 10" f/4 on his.
raymo
So maybe ditch the idea of a APO and perhaps see how I go with a decent mount with my 8se's OTA? I guess this way I already have a mount and later down the track invest in a APO or even a APO better than a AT65EDQ?
Just seems a little daunting going down this road and trying to capture decent DSO with a SCT
I'd certainly love to pick their brains before committing to a decent EQ.
Im curious to know if they using a guided set up. I guess what's appealing about using a smallish APO is you can get away with unguided 2min sometimes more exposures.
There's no one scope to rule them all unfortunately
Depends on what you're interested in imaging, Ben. Your 8se would do a good job with planetary imaging as-is. The AT65EDQ is always going to give you a much wider field of view...that's a plus if you want to image big things, not so if you want to image small things.
IMO the setup of the mount, i.e. getting very good polar alignment, will be key to getting usable subs out of the C8. The AT65 will be more tolerant, but at f/6.5 you'd probably want to be exposing for longer than 2 minutes on anything but the brightest of objects, in which case, you still need good polar alignment. Guiding is no substitute for that, it just helps get around the periodic error manufactured in to affordable mounts.
An 8" SCT with a 6.3 reducer is a popular rig for AP, a good F.O.V. for
smallish objects such as many galaxies, and of course good for even smaller objects when used at it's native focal length.
I often wish that my 8" f/5 [1000mm f/l] was a bit longer.
Off topic, why on earth does your HEQ5 struggle with your 6" Cam?
mine handles my 8" effortlessly, and a friend has a 10" f/4 on his.
raymo
Off-topic, I believe I have a dud. The last owner only used it for visual use and so was very happy with it. I am pretty unhappy with it.
Wow amazing I was just about to post that scope up to see if it was similar or near enough to the same thing. Seems very affordable. What you reckon gents about this investment?
If I could afford a 80 to 80 plus would be great ( just too much $$$) but I think 65 is perfect. Good entry level for wide field AP and I just hope keeps me going for a couple of yrs or more. If I do purchase and obviously depends on the mount I buy also.....I hope to get 2 to 5 min unguided exposures. If I want longer any thoughts on folks using guide scopes with small refractors like this?
I guess it comes down to which mount. Don't wanna break the bank but I don't wanna regret a going too cheap so if who knows I go for a more heavy duty APO which I understand can be quite heavy
Wow amazing I was just about to post that scope up to see if it was similar or near enough to the same thing. Seems very affordable. What you reckon gents about this investment?
If I could afford a 80 to 80 plus would be great ( just too much $$$) but I think 65 is perfect. Good entry level for wide field AP and I just hope keeps me going for a couple of yrs or more. If I do purchase and obviously depends on the mount I buy also.....I hope to get 2 to 5 min unguided exposures. If I want longer any thoughts on folks using guide scopes with small refractors like this?
I guess it comes down to which mount. Don't wanna break the bank but I don't wanna regret a going too cheap so if who knows I go for a more heavy duty APO which I understand can be quite heavy
The CEM-25 or HEQ5-Pro are the perfect match to the AT65EDQ. They are very affordable mounts and you can get a 2nd hand HEQ5 for ~$700, which is superb value I feel.
What people don't get about this scope is that you can have fast optics, corrected optics or affordability. Pick any two. This scope has moderate speed optics and nails the last two completely. It's good value for the images it produces.
What people don't get about this scope is that you can have fast optics, corrected optics or affordability. Pick any two. This scope has moderate speed optics and nails the last two completely. It's good value for the images it produces.
+1. I have just bought one of these little gems and so far I am very impressed.
Well looks like I know what's on my b'day or Xmas list this yr unless I can manage to find a good 2nd hand HEQ5 so have an excuse to buy sooner
Spoke to the owner (well assume to be) of astronomy alive regarding this set up he said a very wise choice. Although thought it be a wiser choice to go the NEQ6. Done my reaserch and seems like a great mount (as they both are) but for my intended set up a bit of a waste. Sure there is 6kg or so difference in payload but the expense of a APO that would push the weight boundaries of the HEQ5 I'd say will always out of my reach. At around 13/14kg's of payload with the HEQ5 I'd say would be more than enough. It would also allow me the possibility to purchase a guide scope sooner. On the topic of a good guide scope set up........does anyone have a suggestion which is good but won't break the bank?
Ben, as tempting as a little quadruplet is, consider the objects you're most interested in imaging. Also, what is your imaging sensor? DSLR? CCD?
For a small scope, EQ5 should be fine, although more popular for imaging are the HEQ5 and NEQ6/AZ-EQ6...at added cost of course. If you shop around there are better deals to be had than mentioned.
I'd be using my 70d for this set up and only for DSO imaging. I own a 8se which I was considering selling but plan to keep for visual and planetary imaging.
So I'm thinking in keeping the 8se and the possible future purchase of a HEQ5/65Q, it will be a good combination of gear for visual and AP.
Why are you recommending the 6 Dunk? the 5 is more than capable of
handling the 8SE OTA; in fact it easily handles the 9.25. It's true that he might want a larger scope further down the track, but I suspect that that is probably a long way off.
raymo
You're right raymo, the C8 is well within the capabilities of a HEQ5 and the EQ6 is quite a bit heavier. I use a NEQ6 which handles a C8 like it isn't there
Yeah I took that into consideration while favoring the 5. Although don't know if I'd be using my 8's OTA much for imaging on the 5. Maybe for longer planetary exposures. Just having no experience in longer exposure AP (above 30 secs) I may have problems with the dramatic focal length increase. Guess it's good to have that option. I don't know of any advantages if at all to using a SCT for DSO imaging to a decent APO? Another thought would be using my 8's OTA as a guide scope?? I'd rather keep it as small as possible but guess it could work?
