Skywatcher 200mm (8 inch) Newtonian on EQ5 mount

[Mountain_Wanderer]

Ok, another thought...

If I choose the 8 inch, but can't right now afford the HEQ5 mount, the remaining option I have is NOT just to get a dobsonian! Why not stick to the original idea I had at the start of this thread and get one for much cheaper with the EQ5 manual mount! That should satisfy me for a while until I take the plung and get a fully motorised mount and expensive photography gear later.

Interesting!

[that_guy (Tony)]

you can make yourself a dob mount for your 8" newt and than when you can mount it on HEQ5 or better

[Mountain_Wanderer]

Originally Posted by WadeH

Hi there Jowel,

Yes the world of telescopes can be a bit of a headache at times, however I'll see if I can help at all. As you can see in my signature I use exactly the setup you are seeking infomation about. So here goes:




Ok, yes they are fiddly and you are continually screwing/unscrewing the tube rings and spinning the tube within so the eypiece is located more user friendly. You do get used to this.



The EQ5 is fully manual which is not so bad once you have a good set of charts and is great for expanding your knowedge of the sky. Once you align the mount, which is very simple when only doing visual observing, tracking is quite simple.

I find that my scope is amazing and I am still surprised at how much I can see through it. Part of the trick is not to expect to see coffee table book quality views. e.g. you are doing well to see faint mag. 10 galaxies as smugdes. They are not called faint fuzzies for nothing!!
It is also worthwhile investing in a set of good quality eyepieces. I do most of my viewing with a 21mm (47X), a 13mm (76X) and a 2.5X powermate. Great! To give a little idea of its capabilities I have seen Pluto through it on an exceptional night.

Also no problems with transporting as we have a 4X4 and station wagon but I do think a smaller vehicle should be not great drama.

Hi mate. Interesting to hear your thoughts. Any other experiences you can share? I like the idea of learning the sky on a manual mount. Interms of tracking, my main worry is that if I got a dob I'd quickly get annoyed in having to nudge it up and down, left and right to keep it on an object, my interest being planets and the moon. Turning a handle to keep the thing in the middle of the scope would be so much more relaxing than having to use a dob.

[RobF (Rob)]

You don't have to decide now, but it would be big help if you decided if you're likely to go down the astrophotography path later. There are 3 broad options:

1. Purely visual - invest all the bucks you currently have in as big a dob as you can afford, lift and transport (slightly longer focal length is nice for visual - that's why those dobs tend to be F6)

2. Covered for astrophotography - spend at least $1500 on mount (or more if you can afford it) and worry about camera etc later. You will need to spend thousands more down the road as you've started to realise (cameras, adaptors, laptops, software, cables, autoguiders, 2nd scopes, mounting accessories, analgesics for headaches....)

3. Compromise setup - something like the 8" on Heq5. A newt on an EQ is a bit of mucking around for visual (eyepiece is often in awkward position) but you can do a lot of visual and grow into quite a bit of photography too.


Why not visit the next local astro club or IIS gathering you can get too and look through scopes and talk to people first? (I didn't though.....just had to buy something...)

Remember there's a 4th option too Jowell - lots of people don't research what they want/need and end up frustrated and confused, ultimately selling off quite a bit of expensive gear at 50-75% cost.

[epistle]

Jowel,

I've been in the same boat as you and I just wanted to tell you that i've given up and jumped into the ocean! Glub glub...

I thought about $500 scopes, I thought about $4000 packages. In the end I decided on something more than I can afford, but trust me when I say you will always find a way if you want something!

I'm going to pop my hard earned biccies down on a EQ6Pro+300mm Newt package because I feel I get the best of both worlds. I'm sure there are better deals, better packages out there but if I spend all this time mucking around i'll miss everything that's going around above me!

In the end, you'll buy another scope, another mount, another camera. But in the beginning you've gotta start somewhere.

Happy puchasing!

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

epistle,

if i where you i would rethink your idea if you havn't already laid out the $$$. A eq6 will not control a 12" for anything other than visual. they are just far to big to do the job properly unless the night is completely windless to run a scope of that size your looking a Losmandy titan as a minimum (yes that is a 8k or so mount).

This age old question comes up time and time again, with some people trying to get everything for half the cost. Eventually you get either frustrated to the point of selling everything and getting out of it, or selling everything you purchased and spending double what you initially spent.

If you are going to be a pure visual man. get a massive dobsonian slip a argo navis and for high power views put a servo cat on it. tracking, aperture, push to. you'll never look back.

If you are going to be a photography man on a budget, get a 8" and slip it up on a eq6 minimum. You can still do a lot of visual work with this setup. you just have to be a little bit nimble or get yourself some rotatable rings. but this setup will allow you to start expanding into astrophotography.

If you have a bit of a budget to work with look at Losmandy G11 or takahashi em200 series of mount and put your 8" on it. far better tracking and the scope will do you untill you want to upgrade your optics in a few years time and at that youll have a lovely 8" dob to roam around while your photography setup is flogging out images for you.

the mount in AP is and i cannot stress this enough the most important piece of kit you will ever purchase... if you cant hold a star in the same spot you might as well swing your telescope from a piece of rope slung around the branch of a tree. the outcome will be about the same.

As it is my 10" is the absolute boarder of the eq6's capacity. i have tuned it to within a wisker of death, upgraded just about everything i can upgrade to the point that its only the head that i bother using most of the time as even the tripod is very flimsy (i often use a Meade 12" LX200R HD field tripod) when your slipping 25kgs+ of load and the 25kg of counter weight.

hope that helps

Brendan

[RobF (Rob)]

+1 what B said Epistle

The 12" is way into the red (and over) for an EQ6 for astrophotography + its so heavy the metal tube can't reliably hold the light path and focuser orientation without significant flexure. Clive (Alchemy) has commented on the woes he encountered with this type of configuration in other threads here if you search.

10" risky, 8" much more manageable for setting up and learning. The scope you can handle is the one you'll be setting up and pulling down all hours of the night too remember (rather than leaving in the cupboard 'cause its all too hard.....)

[epistle]

...and just when you think you've decided excellent advice comes forth and you change your mind. ARGH! What a headache!

I have to conclude that this frustration is the right track because the knowledge and information forthcoming is gold.

The only reason I don't currently own below scope guys is a delay in stock.

THANK you! Seriously.

[Riv39 (Chris)]

Wow what a great thread and right on the money for what I am looking at for my first scope i.e. 8'' reflector with a goto mount (I was toying with 6" but have chsnged my mind).

Can somone explain the difference between the Skywatcher Black Diamond BD-N200 and the SW-600 (200 x 1000P) why is the SW more expensive than the BD?

I also note that there are no detailed specs available on the Skywatcher web site for the SW-600.

[RobF (Rob)]

I think the Black Diamond is the latest colour scheme, but scope specs are identical Chris. I always suggest to people they consider posting a "Wanted" advert here on IIS in the Classifieds. You just never know when someone might be looking to upgrade, giving you typically 30-40% off retails prices.

p.s. not looking to offload anything BTW...

[RobF (Rob)]

Just a warning for people too - backfocus on newts can be problematic. Its rare for people to be able to use their 2" adaptor for photography on these "out of the box".

See also here and related threads......
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=65859

There's multiple options to sort this out, but people need to be aware of this stuff before buying one....

[Riv39 (Chris)]

Thanks for highlighting this issue Rob, I did plan to do photography in the future and will keep this in mind. I still feel the scope represents good value for money from what I am reading. I also get what you suggest about the "wanted" thread although it's always nice to have something new out of the box albeit at the "new" price.

[RobF (Rob)]

Now is certainly a good time to be shopping Chris with the dollar where it is too! Let us all know if do invest in something.....

All the best, R