Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

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Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#1

Post by flord.lord »


Hi,

I currently have a small 4" tabletop dobsonian and was thinking of upgrading it in the near future. When I do upgrade, I would like to my scope to be able to image the brighter DSOs. I would be happy getting one of SkyWatcher's Astrophoto Reflectors, but the price of a separate GoTo or Tracking EQ mount costs too much, at least for me at this stage.

What caught my eye were the 114mm and 130mm GoTo reflectors, that actually cost less than an AP reflector + EQ mount, like http://skywatcher.com/product/bk-p1145-azgt/ and https://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-got ... -goto.html.

I can't really find any details on the scopes, but my question was whether these shorter scopes could handle short-to-medium length AP exposures with a camera (and T-Ring), due to their "Syn-Scan" mounts?

If not, to be honest I'll probably just stick to viewing and get a scope with a larger aperture.

Thanks :)
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#2

Post by Richard »


These scope used to be BJ scopes but looks like these are normal newts with good primary , I dont do AP so lets wait for the AP experts , they should be ok for short exposures
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#3

Post by Greenman »


Brighter DSO’s may be ok but anything more taxing will need longer exposures and the AZ Mount will rotate the image. I would point you towards a GEM for this as you are likely to end up wanting one. To save money loose the GO-TO. it will save a lot but mean you have to learn to star hop.
Cheers,

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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#4

Post by Harmonious »


Probably not and for two primary reasons. First How it tracks stars and second the design of the scope itself. However it may not be hopeless.

The SynScan uses an Alt-az mount, meaning that it cannot compensate for field rotation. "Field rotation is the apparent rotation of a celestial object in the field of view of a telescope during the course of the night. All objects in the eyepiece field or on the camera’s image will move in arcs. It’s usually either ignored or not noticed for visual observations, but cannot be ignored for photography." "Because of field rotation, no altazimuth mount is suitable for long-exposure astrophotography. Only a properly polar-aligned equatorial mount will eliminate field rotation."

The scope is described as having a parabolic mirror, which is good, because it reduces optical aberrations/coma compared with a spherical mirror. If the measured distance from the main mirror to the secondary mirror is close to 500mm, the scope has possibilities. If it is less or if you see a lens between the secondary mirror and the the eyepiece holder, it is unsuited for any sort of imaging. A lens in the path indicates a Bird-Jones design and these seem inferior optically.

The mount itself was not designed for imaging, tracking will not be smooth or accurate.

However there is hope, something that may work for you. First you can try using a cell phone or hand held camera to capture the eyepiece image (eyepiece projection). You can hold the camera or buy an adapter, https://www.celestron.com/products/digi ... -universal.

A better way is to get a CMOS camera made for astronomy and designed to replace the eyepiece or attach with a T adapter. You can buy a good one with a smaller 1/3 sensor such as the 224 (ZWO, Altair, many others) and use either the free software that comes with the camera or the excellent freeware SharpCap,
https://www.sharpcap.co.uk/. SharpCap (and others) has a live stacking feature that stacks successive short exposures (30s or less) greatly reducing noise, increasing detail and compensating for field rotation.

This sort of video or live imaging is very satisfying, and a nice compromise between being at the eyepiece and working for hours to capture and process long exposures. I did this sort of real time imaging with alt az mounts for several years. It is still my preferred way of enjoying astronomy, watching the image as it improves, frame by frame.

One thing that may be helpful, when you have a camera in mind is to visit AstronomyTools and use the field of view page to see the image scale of various targets in any combination of scope and camera.

Here is an image made with a small sensor astro camera and a modified 50mm finder scope. Unguided, 13 exposures at 15s stacked in SharpCap. The FoV is larger than it would be in the Synscan.

Image

I am not saying that the SynScan 114 is the right choice, only that it may work acceptably with a camera, but acceptably is defined by you.
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#5

Post by flord.lord »


Harmonious wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 4:38 pm Probably not and for two primary reasons. First How it tracks stars and second the design of the scope itself. However it may not be hopeless.

The SynScan uses an Alt-az mount, meaning that it cannot compensate for field rotation. "Field rotation is the apparent rotation of a celestial object in the field of view of a telescope during the course of the night. All objects in the eyepiece field or on the camera’s image will move in arcs. It’s usually either ignored or not noticed for visual observations, but cannot be ignored for photography." "Because of field rotation, no altazimuth mount is suitable for long-exposure astrophotography. Only a properly polar-aligned equatorial mount will eliminate field rotation."

The scope is described as having a parabolic mirror, which is good, because it reduces optical aberrations/coma compared with a spherical mirror. If the measured distance from the main mirror to the secondary mirror is close to 500mm, the scope has possibilities. If it is less or if you see a lens between the secondary mirror and the the eyepiece holder, it is unsuited for any sort of imaging. A lens in the path indicates a Bird-Jones design and these seem inferior optically.

The mount itself was not designed for imaging, tracking will not be smooth or accurate.

However there is hope, something that may work for you. First you can try using a cell phone or hand held camera to capture the eyepiece image (eyepiece projection). You can hold the camera or buy an adapter, https://www.celestron.com/products/digi ... -universal.

A better way is to get a CMOS camera made for astronomy and designed to replace the eyepiece or attach with a T adapter. You can buy a good one with a smaller 1/3 sensor such as the 224 (ZWO, Altair, many others) and use either the free software that comes with the camera or the excellent freeware SharpCap,
https://www.sharpcap.co.uk/. SharpCap (and others) has a live stacking feature that stacks successive short exposures (30s or less) greatly reducing noise, increasing detail and compensating for field rotation.

This sort of video or live imaging is very satisfying, and a nice compromise between being at the eyepiece and working for hours to capture and process long exposures. I did this sort of real time imaging with alt az mounts for several years. It is still my preferred way of enjoying astronomy, watching the image as it improves, frame by frame.

One thing that may be helpful, when you have a camera in mind is to visit AstronomyTools and use the field of view page to see the image scale of various targets in any combination of scope and camera.

Here is an image made with a small sensor astro camera and a modified 50mm finder scope. Unguided, 13 exposures at 15s stacked in SharpCap. The FoV is larger than it would be in the Synscan.

Image

I am not saying that the SynScan 114 is the right choice, only that it may work acceptably with a camera, but acceptably is defined by you.
Ah. So one of those small cameras would be better than a DSLR, or will I be able to use the DSLR?

As I side question, how bright/faint of an object can I image acceptably before the altaz mount shows rotation?
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#6

Post by KingClinton »


[mention]flord.lord[/mention]

Some pics as promised.
You can see that the green plate is somewhat narrower than the housing. Once tightened up it sits nice and tight and does not move.
I use it like this all the time, if you want you could by the correct dovetail and replace the old one, pretty simple job.
IMG_20200710_162403_1.jpg

IMG_20200710_162756.jpg
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#7

Post by Star Dad »


If you are truly interested in AP then you must get the best mount you can afford in the equatorial line. I struggled with a mount that was too lightweight for my scope and finally bought the Atlas which has solved all my problems. AP is NOT cheap and will suck every ducket you have, if allowed to. My suggestion is think about what you want for an AP scope - be it refractor, reflector. Plan ahead on the weight to buy a good mount. The rule of thumb is the mount should be rated for twice the weight of your scope and camera. Figure 2 pounds (1Kg) for the camera. Price out the mount based on that weight plus the scope. Reflectors are the (relatively) cheaper way to go - but they have their problems (I happen to love mine) and quirks you have to get used like collimation. But even so my scope cost $300 and the mount was $1200 when I bought them (several years apart). Don't go cheap on the mount - you will regret it. You need something that won't vibrate in the wind - and reflectors are notorious for their large "sail" area. You need something that can track on it's own well, but will also be computer driven - ie using a guiding program such as PHD2. So that's usually a laptop. You may need a coma corrector. I used a regular Canon camera for a couple of years before upgrading to a dedicated CMOS.

So have I scared you off? So you may be thinking and asking why do it if it's so expensive? I guess it's the thrill of processing the images and seeing with your own eyes and knowing you took the photo of something out there. For me it's also the possibility of discovering something new - either to me or the world. Realistically I live in an area where it is cloudy 88% of the evenings. So I don't get to do as much as I like, but that only whets my appetite.

Before deciding though do ask questions here. I am a reflector nut, but we have folks with refractors and cheap and expensive gear. Lots of opinions. You may get too many - but you will be able to make an informed decision and that is what matters IMHO. Good luck!
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#8

Post by flord.lord »


Star Dad wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2020 4:14 pm If you are truly interested in AP then you must get the best mount you can afford in the equatorial line. I struggled with a mount that was too lightweight for my scope and finally bought the Atlas which has solved all my problems. AP is NOT cheap and will suck every ducket you have, if allowed to. My suggestion is think about what you want for an AP scope - be it refractor, reflector. Plan ahead on the weight to buy a good mount. The rule of thumb is the mount should be rated for twice the weight of your scope and camera. Figure 2 pounds (1Kg) for the camera. Price out the mount based on that weight plus the scope. Reflectors are the (relatively) cheaper way to go - but they have their problems (I happen to love mine) and quirks you have to get used like collimation. But even so my scope cost $300 and the mount was $1200 when I bought them (several years apart). Don't go cheap on the mount - you will regret it. You need something that won't vibrate in the wind - and reflectors are notorious for their large "sail" area. You need something that can track on it's own well, but will also be computer driven - ie using a guiding program such as PHD2. So that's usually a laptop. You may need a coma corrector. I used a regular Canon camera for a couple of years before upgrading to a dedicated CMOS.

So have I scared you off? So you may be thinking and asking why do it if it's so expensive? I guess it's the thrill of processing the images and seeing with your own eyes and knowing you took the photo of something out there. For me it's also the possibility of discovering something new - either to me or the world. Realistically I live in an area where it is cloudy 88% of the evenings. So I don't get to do as much as I like, but that only whets my appetite.

Before deciding though do ask questions here. I am a reflector nut, but we have folks with refractors and cheap and expensive gear. Lots of opinions. You may get too many - but you will be able to make an informed decision and that is what matters IMHO. Good luck!
[mention]Star Dad[/mention]
Thanks a lot. On further reflection, I think I'll leave off any proper AP, at least for a year or two until I'm 100% sure I want to. As you say, it's a lot of money, and I'll be probably invest the money into a larger observing scope. Now I need to decide on goto Vs no goto in Bortle 8... :?
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#9

Post by flord.lord »


KingClinton wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2020 2:38 pm @flord.lord

Some pics as promised.
You can see that the green plate is somewhat narrower than the housing. Once tightened up it sits nice and tight and does not move.
I use it like this all the time, if you want you could by the correct dovetail and replace the old one, pretty simple job.

Image



Image
[mention]KingClinton[/mention]

Nice! Thanks for that. Though the green bar in your picture looks slightly longer than the one on the scope I'm planning to buy; doesn't look as long as a medium bar, even though it's green. I also can't see the middle holes, just the screws on the edge (pic in the other thread)
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#10

Post by Harmonious »


h. So one of those small cameras would be better than a DSLR, or will I be able to use the DSLR?

As I side question, how bright/faint of an object can I image acceptably before the altaz mount shows rotation?
A DSLR might be just fine. But it may have some drawbacks. Weight and if you plan to use it in place of an eyepiece, it may not reach focus. Some DSLRs have deeply recessed sensors and on some scopes even with the focuser fully racked in, the sensor may be too far out to reach the focal plane. However I do not use a DSLR or a Newtonian and others may have a practical answer. One advantage to a purpose built astronomy camera is that the sensor is normally recessed no more than 17.5mm where as some DSLRs may have up to 55mm. Vignetting might also be a problem with a full frame or 4/3 DSLR because the sensor is larger than the fully illuminated image circle. Vignetting can be ignored or cropped or flatted out.

How soon field rotation is a problem varies with your latitude and the target position.. You avoid this limit by using software that compensates for rotation and tracking errors by aligning each new frame to the prior frames.

If you use software that captures and stacks in real time, you might capture stars down to mag 17 depending again on scope and camera. But really it isn't a useful measure unless you have an interest in very faint stars.
You might think that you could use it to capture faint companion stars or or planetary moons, but what you would get is a bloated/blown out primary that might completely subsume the companion. Same thing with Jovian moons. Go for the faint ones and the planet becomes a bright blob.

A better measure is nebulae. Frequently the magnitude given is surface brightness, total luminosity spread out over the area of the nebula. The details in the nebula are much fainter. So depending upon conditions you might not "see" much of anything with a Mag 10 object. But normally stacking images will bring out faint detail, that you could never see in the EP and in color of course. Think of M57, the Ring, and how it looks in the EP, stunning the first time you see the little circle. A mag 8.8 target and the central star is Mag 14.8 and with a camera and a 114mm scope you can see it.

I am not suggesting that you should buy a mount or scope that cannot be used for longer exposure/post processing imaging, if you can afford it and you can live with regret if you don't enjoy it, then take the very good advice already given and buy something better. I started with a cheap camera and a poor scope and mount. I could see the potential and I made a better informed decision about upgrading the scope/mount. But it was a long time and more than a couple of scopes and cameras before i decided to switch to first a wedge and later a GEM (actually an iOptron CEM).
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#11

Post by flord.lord »


Harmonious wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2020 8:13 pm
h. So one of those small cameras would be better than a DSLR, or will I be able to use the DSLR?

As I side question, how bright/faint of an object can I image acceptably before the altaz mount shows rotation?
A DSLR might be just fine. But it may have some drawbacks. Weight and if you plan to use it in place of an eyepiece, it may not reach focus. Some DSLRs have deeply recessed sensors and on some scopes even with the focuser fully racked in, the sensor may be too far out to reach the focal plane. However I do not use a DSLR or a Newtonian and others may have a practical answer. One advantage to a purpose built astronomy camera is that the sensor is normally recessed no more than 17.5mm where as some DSLRs may have up to 55mm. Vignetting might also be a problem with a full frame or 4/3 DSLR because the sensor is larger than the fully illuminated image circle. Vignetting can be ignored or cropped or flatted out.

How soon field rotation is a problem varies with your latitude and the target position.. You avoid this limit by using software that compensates for rotation and tracking errors by aligning each new frame to the prior frames.

If you use software that captures and stacks in real time, you might capture stars down to mag 17 depending again on scope and camera. But really it isn't a useful measure unless you have an interest in very faint stars.
You might think that you could use it to capture faint companion stars or or planetary moons, but what you would get is a bloated/blown out primary that might completely subsume the companion. Same thing with Jovian moons. Go for the faint ones and the planet becomes a bright blob.

A better measure is nebulae. Frequently the magnitude given is surface brightness, total luminosity spread out over the area of the nebula. The details in the nebula are much fainter. So depending upon conditions you might not "see" much of anything with a Mag 10 object. But normally stacking images will bring out faint detail, that you could never see in the EP and in color of course. Think of M57, the Ring, and how it looks in the EP, stunning the first time you see the little circle. A mag 8.8 target and the central star is Mag 14.8 and with a camera and a 114mm scope you can see it.

I am not suggesting that you should buy a mount or scope that cannot be used for longer exposure/post processing imaging, if you can afford it and you can live with regret if you don't enjoy it, then take the very good advice already given and buy something better. I started with a cheap camera and a poor scope and mount. I could see the potential and I made a better informed decision about upgrading the scope/mount. But it was a long time and more than a couple of scopes and cameras before i decided to switch to first a wedge and later a GEM (actually an iOptron CEM).
[mention]Harmonious[/mention]

Thanks for that. I will check the specs of my DSLR. If I was to go for an Equatorial mount, how would an EQ2 with motor drive (https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/sk ... r-eq2.html) fare? I've read a fair few posts on forums about it for (very) short exposure DSO AP. I was wondering if I could get a decent shot by stacking these? If not I'll get an altaz.
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#12

Post by Greenman »


To be honest with you the EQ2 will not make the exposure length much longer than an AZ. Before I got my AVX I got 30 secs out of a 102AZ (refractor) or 15secs with my 6SE. The EQ2 will not be easy to polar align. I would stick to your original thoughts rather than go the way of a lesser EQ mount.
Cheers,

Tony.

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AP Refractor: Altair 72EDF Deluxe F6;1x & 0.8 Flatteners; Antares Versascope 60mm finder. ASIAir Pro.Li battery pack for grab & go.

Celestron AVX Mount; X-cel LX eyepieces & Barlows 2x 3x, ZWO 2” Filter holder,

Cameras: main DSO ASI533MC; DSO guide ASI120MM; Planetary ASI224MC; DSLR Canon EOS100 stock.

Filters: Astronomik IR cut; Optolong L-Pro; Optolong L-Enhance.

Binoculars: Celestron 15 x 70.

Latitude: 52.219853
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#13

Post by flord.lord »


Greenman wrote: Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:13 am To be honest with you the EQ2 will not make the exposure length much longer than an AZ. Before I got my AVX I got 30 secs out of a 102AZ (refractor) or 15secs with my 6SE. The EQ2 will not be easy to polar align. I would stick to your original thoughts rather than go the way of a lesser EQ mount.
[mention]Greenman[/mention] Great. I'd rather do mainly visual observing, with casual, short AP, than commit myself to it and get a trashy mount.
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#14

Post by JayTee »


Please read this article, it will answer a lot of your questions.
viewtopic.php?f=94&t=10954

Cheers,
JT
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°

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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#15

Post by ARock »


Greenman wrote: Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:13 am To be honest with you the EQ2 will not make the exposure length much longer than an AZ. Before I got my AVX I got 30 secs out of a 102AZ (refractor) or 15secs with my 6SE. The EQ2 will not be easy to polar align. I would stick to your original thoughts rather than go the way of a lesser EQ mount.
True, the EQ2 will get about 30s shots, but it will not suffer from field rotation as with an Alt Az. And even on an entry level EQ mount with some DIY work you can add RA guiding and get 3-5 min exposures with a DSLR and a 400mm Focal Length refractor. Not easy but possible.

16x30 second exposures using a tracking motor on a $100 mount, a 80/400 scope and a DSLR.
1438

27x120 second exposures with RA guiding on the same mount and scope and a DSLR.
1399

However, an AP mount like the AVX will make it a lot easier.
AR
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#16

Post by flord.lord »


ARock wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 1:16 am
Greenman wrote: Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:13 am To be honest with you the EQ2 will not make the exposure length much longer than an AZ. Before I got my AVX I got 30 secs out of a 102AZ (refractor) or 15secs with my 6SE. The EQ2 will not be easy to polar align. I would stick to your original thoughts rather than go the way of a lesser EQ mount.
True, the EQ2 will get about 30s shots, but it will not suffer from field rotation as with an Alt Az. And even on an entry level EQ mount with some DIY work you can add RA guiding and get 3-5 min exposures with a DSLR and a 400mm Focal Length refractor. Not easy but possible.

16x30 second exposures using a tracking motor on a $100 mount, a 80/400 scope and a DSLR.
1438

27x120 second exposures with RA guiding on the same mount and scope and a DSLR.
1399

However, an AP mount like the AVX will make it a lot easier.
Ok. Well, I'm trying to get a 130/650 scope, and I'll probably buy the mount it comes with, the SkyWatcher AltAz Pronto. I'm assuming I can do little (if any) AP. Though I did watch a video of a guy get a cool pic of the Andromeda galaxy by stacking 300x 2s shots with a phone and binoculars :D
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5.1" SkyWatcher Explorer 130M EQ-2
4" SkyWatcher Heritage 100P Mini Dob

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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#17

Post by Greenman »


ARock wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 1:16 am
Greenman wrote: Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:13 am To be honest with you the EQ2 will not make the exposure length much longer than an AZ. Before I got my AVX I got 30 secs out of a 102AZ (refractor) or 15secs with my 6SE. The EQ2 will not be easy to polar align. I would stick to your original thoughts rather than go the way of a lesser EQ mount.
True, the EQ2 will get about 30s shots, but it will not suffer from field rotation as with an Alt Az. And even on an entry level EQ mount with some DIY work you can add RA guiding and get 3-5 min exposures with a DSLR and a 400mm Focal Length refractor. Not easy but possible.

16x30 second exposures using a tracking motor on a $100 mount, a 80/400 scope and a DSLR.
1438

27x120 second exposures with RA guiding on the same mount and scope and a DSLR.
1399

However, an AP mount like the AVX will make it a lot easier.
True, there are many approaches, this is a bit ambitious for someone who’s not experienced - when you are relatively new to the hobby, alignment and GoTo’s can offer more than enough frustration. Once you are hooked, whatever your original setup you are going to replace it (and your wish list will become exponential). A lot of new people drop by the wayside due to it being ‘too hard’.

All your comments are true, and by the way nice shots. :D
Cheers,

Tony.

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Smart Scope: Dwarf II - Club and outreach work.

AP Refractor: Altair 72EDF Deluxe F6;1x & 0.8 Flatteners; Antares Versascope 60mm finder. ASIAir Pro.Li battery pack for grab & go.

Celestron AVX Mount; X-cel LX eyepieces & Barlows 2x 3x, ZWO 2” Filter holder,

Cameras: main DSO ASI533MC; DSO guide ASI120MM; Planetary ASI224MC; DSLR Canon EOS100 stock.

Filters: Astronomik IR cut; Optolong L-Pro; Optolong L-Enhance.

Binoculars: Celestron 15 x 70.

Latitude: 52.219853
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#18

Post by ARock »


Regarding doing AP with "unsuitable" mounts, here are two interesting theeads....

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/2281 ... challenge/
https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/2790 ... challenge/
AR
Scopes: Zhumell Z8, Meade Adventure 80mm, Bushnell 1300x100 Goto Mak.
Mount: ES EXOS Nano EQ Mount, DIY Arduino+Stepper drives.
AP: 50mm guidescope, AR0130 based guidecam, Canon T3i, UHC filter.
EPs: ES82 18,11,6.7mm, Zhumell 30,9mm FJ Ortho 9mm, assorted plossls, Meade 2x S-F Barlow, DGM NPB filter.
Binos: Celestron Skymaster 15x70 (Albott tripod/monopod), Nikon Naturalist 7x35.
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#19

Post by Lowjiber »


A great forum philosopher (Thefatkitty) once said, "Put you money where your mount is."
John (Urban Astronomer) Apertura AD10 Dob; XLT 150 Dob; XLT 120EQ; Lunt Solar 60 PT/B1200; ES AR102; SW Pro 100ED; 2 SW Pro 80ED's; 90mm Eq; WO Z-61; SW 90mm Virtuso Mak; 2 Orion ST-80's; Quark-C; Cams: Polemaster, ASI120MM-S, ASI174MM & ASI174MM-C
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Re: Would a 114mm SynScan Reflector be good for astrophotography?

#20

Post by Thefatkitty »


Lowjiber wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 5:21 pm A great forum philosopher (Thefatkitty) once said, "Put you money where your mount is."
Actually John, that wasn't me... It used to be in Tom's (ulteriormodem) sig file back on the old forum. I'll go with the great philosopher thing though... :lol:

And here's hoping solar minimum ends soon!
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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