HEQ5Pro can handle around 13.5Kg whereas the EQ5 is recommended to have a maximum of 11Kg.
The NEQ6 is much stronger but more pricey. I wouldnt load anything more than my 200mm newt and the orion mini guidescope on mine, even so, I had to buy a third counterweight to make sure it balanced properly.
HEQ5Pro is deemed to be the minimum starting point for Astrophotography here on IIS by many
so would i be able to image fainter nebula if i kept my current OTA, which by the way, i cant see much through it, just very faint patches of M42, M20, Centauras A and Omega centauri. Because i really really want to get further with my Deep sky photography.
Sean, you can see my setup in my sig. I have an old 130mm Newtonian I bought in 1986 to see Halley's comet. It has a chip in the primary the size of a 1c piece (they still had 1c pieces when I got this scope).
Just for fun I put the old Newt on top of my Losmandy G11 mount and took some images mainly using stacks of 5-min exposures with my Canon 60Da DSLR. I've attached them so you can see what you might get if you put your existing OTA on an EQ5.
As Chris says, it's a very forgiving way to start with imaging.
As you say, you are also going to need a camera. I'm pretty pleased with my 60Da which I picked up for $1200. Its quality seems on par with Atik and similar astro CCD cameras at the same price (i.e. lower-end). Cheapest of all in your range is http://www.bintel.com.au/Astrophotog...oductview.aspx but I don't know what its output is like.
Mount first, then camera, then autoguiding package, then telescope. In that order.
You mentioned $1700. In that case, get:
- the EQ5 ($600) - don't worry about GOTO. Then
- Get the DBK41AU02 for $600, or the Atik 814E for $900, or try to pick up a second-hand DSLR in that general price range, modded for AP if possible (that's a whole other topic - my camera has a special filter that allows nebulae to be photographed. Most off-the-shelf DSLRs don't.)
- Get an autoguider package such a the Orion mini autoguider pack ($400)
If you still have change from your $1700 (I suspect you won't), then by all means pick up an 8" OTA on the classifieds here - it will let you get fainter objects quicker. But remember, with imaging, aperture is not the key to how faint you can go - exposure length is the key here. And how long you can expose for is entirely determined by the quality of your mount and how well it is autoguided.
What is the difference between the HEQ5 and the EQ5?
Payload capacity, can control from your PC with EQMOD, half decent bearings and worms (versus plastic in the EQ5). If you ever plan to shoot deep sky images over a minute or so the HEQ5Pro is a minimum.
Sean you're discovering the evil truth of astronomy. The ideal setup for astrophotography is quite different to needs for visual. Most people have a couple (or more) scopes for this reason. For visual, a 10" or larger dob is unbeatable. For astrophotography most people would suggest you start with an EQ6 and an ED80. You'll be blown away either way - either with what you SEE in the dob, or amazed at what a DSLR can show in a 5min sub through the ED80.
As Paula said, there is the possibility of quite a decent compromise if you get a 8" Newt on an HEQ5Pro. Just make absolutely sure you'll be able to reach prime focus and expect to have very tight backfocus (more reading to do if those are unfamiliar terms - but that's why the hobby is fun - so much to learn and explore! )
Hi Sean. There are lots of suggestions being offered here which is great. My advice is is to go with a setup that is easy to use, that will minimise your setup time and frustration, and maximise imaging time - and at a reasonable price.
For a camera, I reckon it will be much easier to learn with a DSLR, than getting straight into a astro CCD, and also much much cheaper. Look at Justin Tilbrook's photos in the Deep Space section. He is using an un-modded Canon 1100D and getting some great results, and that camera can be purchased for less than $400.
For a 'scope', you again want something that is easy to handle and quick to setup. Newtonians give lots of aperture at a cheap price, but need good collimation to produce the goods. I started with a 200mm f4 newtonian, which is affordable and can produce nice shots, but can also be very time consuming to collimate well - just what you don't want when you only have a few hours available each evening to take photos. A better option might be an Skywatcher ED80. No collimation required. Just attach the field flattener and your camera and off you go. jjjnettie on the IIS forums has had her photos taken with an ED80 and DSLR displayed at the NASA Goddard Institute, so you certainly can get good results with this gear.
Camera lenses are an even cheaper option. I actually shot a lot of my images last year with camera lenses instead of my newtonian. Lenses are very affordable, quick to setup, don't require a field flatenenr, and are nice and light weight meaning that its less demanding on the mount. I also use a DSLR for my images. See here (images grouped under "Nikkor and "Rubinar" are taken with camera lenses): http://www.astrobin.com/users/rmuhlack/?public&sub=gear
For a mount, I reckon that a GOTO eq mount is really a must, because it just makes finding the objects you want to shoot *so much faster and easier*. A GOTO mount also will make it much faster to polar align, because you can use the polar alignment tools on the mount to get you aligned quickly. GOTO mounts can also be controlled by a laptop, which makes it even more versatile. Your have limited time available to take astrophotos like we all do, (like on a weekday, or if there is clouds approaching) I'd rather as little time as possible setting up so I can spend as much time as possible actually taking photos.
If you're only using camera lenses, you could get away with a light weight mount like an EQ3 GOTO, however if you're using a telescope, then a HEQ5 is probably a safer bet. In the IIS classifieds, there are currently a couple of HEQ5 mounts for sale for $900, just to give an idea of the second hand price.
Sorry for the long post. Hopefully that gives you a few more ideas to consider
If you read up on the equipment history of all the dedicated astrophotographers here, it's usually just repeated cycles of buy-upgrade-sell as you realise why the entry level equipment that at first looked appealing wasn't suitable.
If I were starting again - I'd probably go for an HEQ5 or NEQ6 (with goto), ED80, field flattener, modded DSLR or OSC cooled CCD, a finder/mini guide scope with camera, dew heaters, upgraded/motorised focuser, a light box, software to streamline things (e.g. BackyardEOS or APT, something like CCDInspector, plus processing software like PI), powered USB hub, laptop for data capturing (possibly processing), and a deep cycle battery + quality charger.
If you're patient, you'll easily to be able to get all of the above within your $1700 budget by purchasing second hand. The benefit is that when you feel the need to upgrade, you won't lose much $$$ as they're all easily sellable items. (Buying new will be well over your budget.)
You'll notice that the OTA actually makes up for a tiny part of the budget - it's not quite as important as other things (especially mount). The problem with getting a big OTA for deep space imaging is that everything else becomes correspondingly more expensive - you'll need a bigger mount, better focuser, better field flattener, bigger sensor, etc etc.
There's soooo much knowledge, skill, and experience that you need to get that set up to work well that it'll keep you busy for ages I think people - myself included - tend to underestimate the skill needed, and overestimate the need/benefit of giant OTAs - because it's a much less visible part of imaging.
If you read around the forum, you'll see that getting round stars across the entire frame is a tricky business - even for the guys with top notch equipment.
At the moment, I think I'll start off buying a Canon 1100D, then make my way up to the mount, then guidescope and so on. But thanks so much to everyone, you really have opened up my mind further about such an amazing hobby
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