I upgraded ... big time

[astroNikon]

Okay. Not my cameras. But my telescope.

I originally used years ago a Meade 90etx which has a 3.5 inch diameter mirror and weights about 8 lbs
I then sold that and bought a 125etx which has a 5 inch mirror and weights about 15 pounds.

Well I've about gone as far as I could with that scope. With a dslr on it the weight is too much for the gearing and stuff even if counter balanced. So I mostly used it as a fixed lens when taking photos. So to not get any star/planet movement you need to be at 0.6 seconds otherwise you start seeing elongation.

Well I got wind of a great deal on a scope which was completely refurbished with the latest software, etc. for a great deal. I've looked at 8inch scopes which are great for portability (thought much larger than my 125etx) and good for astrophotography as the motor and gearing are much better. I also looked at a 12 inch scope which for all practical purposes is bigger than me and not really good for dragging up from the basement to outside, unless I install an escalator.

So I opted for this great condition 10" SCT scope. The guy who sells and refurbishes parts for 10 inchers gave me a better camera mount for the back of the scope so I can look through an eyepiece and have the camera mounted. He also gave me a piggy back mount - where you can affix a camera on top of the scope. So I can have both my cameras attached if I want..... lol but probably too much weight.

Anyways, here a photo of before and after. My old scope on the right, and the new one on the left.

So now I just have to figure out how to use it.

 

[Overread]

Ohh that looks huge and like it will be a lot of fun for astro photography!

 

[astroNikon]

Ohh that looks huge and like it will be a lot of fun for astro photography!

Oh yeah, the scope and mount is about 65 pounds I think excluding the tripod.

Can't wait to get it outside and play around with it. This morning was so clear but I hadn't even turned it on yet and see how to use the controllers and add the other stuff that came with it. I used it at the seller's place and everything worked great without all the attachments

 

[sscarmack]

Now that looks impressive, even though I have no idea what it means lol.

But it's kind of like when I walk around with my Tamzooka now and everyone goes "wow that's a big camera" lol.


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[astroNikon]

well it's all about gathering more light, which larger scopes do.
It's also about the motor and drive system being able to handle additional accessories, which the new scope can do. The old scope could barely slew itself much less adding a big dSLR to it.

One of the reasons people like larger aperture UWA lenses for astrophotography. The same thing except multiplied by alot. Plus it can slew and follow things. The accuracy is better with a "wedge" but this setup is good for high accuracy (it has HPP - High Point Precicion setup) up to a 30 second exposure. If I add a wedge ($400+) then it's good for long exposures which is great for deep, deep sky stuff. And with the d600's low light ability that has certainly impressed me so far, it should be a good match once I figure out what I'm doing.

Either way, it should be fun

 

[D-B-J]

well it's all about gathering more light, which larger scopes do.
It's also about the motor and drive system being able to handle additional accessories, which the new scope can do. The old scope could barely slew itself much less adding a big dSLR to it.

One of the reasons people like larger aperture UWA lenses for astrophotography. The same thing except multiplied by alot. Plus it can slew and follow things. The accuracy is better with a "wedge" but this setup is good for high accuracy (it has HPP - High Point Precicion setup) up to a 30 second exposure. If I add a wedge ($400+) then it's good for long exposures which is great for deep, deep sky stuff. And with the d600's low light ability that has certainly impressed me so far, it should be a good match once I figure out what I'm doing.

Either way, it should be fun

I'm excited to see results with that setup [emoji106]


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[robbins.photo]

You paid money.. and it was for something other than a camera. Or a lens.

Ok, going to need a minute to wrap my head around that one.

Lol.. seriously though, congrats.

 

[astroNikon]

You paid money.. and it was for something other than a camera. Or a lens.

Ok, going to need a minute to wrap my head around that one.

Lol.. seriously though, congrats.

You can consider it a really really BIG lens. You can attach a camera to it so it looks like a lens

 

[astroNikon]

like this

 

[Overread]

only with a lens instead of a knife

 

[D-B-J]

like this

Makes your camera look tiny!


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[robbins.photo]

You can consider it a really really BIG lens. You can attach a camera to it so it looks like a lens

Ok, see so now that makes sense. Whew.

Lol

 

[Mashburn]

Congratulations. Post some pictures

 

[hamlet]

Alright, getting back to basics. That's what photography is all about: having insanely large lenses that dwarf your camera a 100 times over.

 

[Desi]

Awesome!!