TheSkySearchers

I can’t thank everyone enough for all of your valuable input!

We all have Astronomy/Astrophotography in common, but we all have different goals and budgets. Unfortunately, my current retirement budget does restrict my astro purchases. I know, AP isn’t the best fit for a tight budget!

When I retired, I planned to try Astrophotography with a modest setup. I knew then that I would have to try to keep costs down and just see what I could do with what I had.

I think that I will stick with my unmodded dslr for now. I will probably have it modified in the future though. I am fortunate to have another dslr to use for daytime photography. Lifepixel has a one year warranty on their conversion service.

A dedicated Astro cam like a asi294 would be phenomenal, but if I do come by a grand to apply to my hobby, it will more than likely go toward a mount upgrade.

Thanks you all,

Jim

Hi Jim,

Thanks for asking the same question I wanted an answer for.

Also, you sound like a bloody nice bloke, refreshing to read well written posts, with such nice manners.

Just thought I’d say!

Thanks

Jon

Hi Jon!

Thanks for your kind words!

Well, I did decide to go for the H-aloha mod for the dslr. It is due to arrive on this coming Thursday.

I am really excited to give it a try. I will post my results and impressions.

Good luck on the mod, Jim. I'm sure it will open up new possibilities for you!

Bob

All right! The nice thing about a DSLR is that you don't need a computer to continually upload images to.

For your scope the AVX should be sufficient. I bought a G11 but due to the heavier weight I am much less tempted to drag it outside than the AVX, let alone take it to star parties. So there's a downside to upgrading unless you have a permanent setup. I'm going to leave my G11 out on the driveway, I just put a hook in the pavers to lock it on to - the only way in which I can actually benefit from the much bigger mount.

SkyHiker wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2019 3:55 pm All right! The nice thing about a DSLR is that you don't need a computer to continually upload images to.

For your scope the AVX should be sufficient. I bought a G11 but due to the heavier weight I am much less tempted to drag it outside than the AVX, let alone take it to star parties. So there's a downside to upgrading unless you have a permanent setup. I'm going to leave my G11 out on the driveway, I just put a hook in the pavers to lock it on to - the only way in which I can actually benefit from the much bigger mount.

Got you there Henk. The AVX has its challenges, but it is fairly light and easy to move inside and outside. Even though the PhD rms error isn’t great, it seems to be good enough (for me).

Seems like the camera has been gone for months. I was trying to keep costs down, so I didn’t expedite anything. Looks like it will be 17 total days for UPS ground and Lifepixel did the mod in a quick 4 days!

Thanks,
Jim