Bit the bullet

[mangrovedutch (Dutch)]

G'day All, Bit the bullet today and spend more than I originally planned , but hey you get that. Like Leeroy in the previous post, "what scope to buy?" has been on my brain constantly for the last 3-4 weeks (this rain is driving me mad). I had finally come to the conclusion that it was going to be a Celestron 8" on an EQ5 mount for Astrophotography with my 550D, countless hours frying my brain on the net searching for information, and having spoken to quite a few different people, including Mark (mch62) on this forum- thank you for giving me some good advice mate, you could have had me for $3k, but instead made me think a little harder .
Anyway, out of Sirius Optics I walked today, with scope and mount - A Skywatcher ED120 refractor on HEQ5 mount with the 5,10,15,28 and 40mm eyepieces, a Barlow 2X and T adapter and ring to suit Canon EOS . What happened? I was led to believe that Cassegrain scopes were the Ducks nuts for photography, and my bigger is better attitude , had me convinced until the real question came up and the answer was simple. I am a novice at this and my primary objective is Astrophotography - both Planets and deep space, secondary was entertaining my kids. At the end of the day, I have exactly what I need, with a 5 year warranty on the OTA and mount to boot.
So, in short, @#&% off rain, watch out SAS - here I come . My original 100 questions have transformed into 1000 questions. A hearty thank you to many that have helped me in my quest, in particular Mark (mch62), Steve (SteveInNZ) and Baz (ASIGN Observatory). I am officially a Space Cadet, and so keen to get going. Now I just have to work out how to use it all .

Regards, Dutch

[andrew2008]

Congrats on the new scope. You're just lucky i didn't have the money to buy it earlier in the week when eyeing it off It's a great package.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Congrats! I think you've made the right choice to start with a refractor. It'll be easier to get into the hobby than an SCT. There's no collimation issues and it's portable.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Great news Dutch, enjoy.

Oh and thanks for sharing the blame for all the rain, that's a load off my mind.

[mangrovedutch (Dutch)]

Originally Posted by andrew2008

Congrats on the new scope. You're just lucky i didn't have the money to buy it earlier in the week when eyeing it off It's a great package.

G'day Andrew, Geez mate, I'm sorry.......NOT . This setup saved me from insanity. No more research on scopes and mounts, just a casual cruise checking out different filters and accessories, and education on the night skies. This is going to be a blast .

Paul, you are welcome mate , I hope you are safe from flooding out your way.

Regards, Dutch

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Thank Dutch, yes I'm up nice and high, but haven't been able to get out since Friday morning.

I did notice on the bom this morning that we might, just might get some clear weather this weekend. fingers crossed

[renormalised (Carl)]

Good choice of scope...bad choice of action...don't bite bullets, that can be dangerous!!!

[Keshdogga (Casey)]

Great to hear Dutch! The feeling of owning my first imaging setup is still fresh in my mind so i know how awesome it feels =D Looking forward to seeing some spectacular images from you in the future.

[that_guy (Tony)]

ohhhh.. nice! another SAS member Jan meeting this weekend so WHOOO! might see you there

[mangrovedutch (Dutch)]

Originally Posted by that_guy

ohhhh.. nice! another SAS member Jan meeting this weekend so WHOOO! might see you there

G'day Tony, I'll be there. I can't wait to get into it, this is going to be a frustrating but rewarding journey, I suspect.
Casey, Mate, you couldn't wipe the smile off my face, even today when I returned to Sirius to buy a power pack (I've been reading all about Celestrons and most use AA batteries, I got home and couldn't figure out where to put the batteries ), Ron said to me "You are still smiling!" I've been looking forward to this for a long time, just need some clear skies.

Regards, Dutch