Awaiting my ioptron mini tower pro

[JR1]

Just ordered it in time for winter

Been a long time since I was into astronomy and astrophotography

Anyone else have this one.

I do also have an altaz by william optics

[ajohnw]

I have several mounts Jeremy. The best came with a Meade APO refractor. It turns out that astophysics also used it. I also have another APO by WO and am playing with a lightweight Syntra mount from time to time. Biggest problem is the weather and lighting levels around B'ham. Lighting problems are a lot better in Pembrokeshire but it seems to me that weather patterns have worsened after a fashion - less chance of no moon and a clear sky. I also have an old 10in SC. It's interesting to compare that with the APO which is a 5in. I reckon that the old books that mention the gains of refractors over reflectors are correct under many real conditions.

Getting cold under clear winter skies doesn't appeal as much as it used to either.

John
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[JR1]

I have several mounts Jeremy. The best came with a Meade APO refractor. It turns out that astophysics also used it. I also have another APO by WO and am playing with a lightweight Syntra mount from time to time. Biggest problem is the weather and lighting levels around B'ham. Lighting problems are a lot better in Pembrokeshire but it seems to me that weather patterns have worsened after a fashion - less chance of no moon and a clear sky. I also have an old 10in SC. It's interesting to compare that with the APO which is a 5in. I reckon that the old books that mention the gains of refractors over reflectors are correct under many real conditions.

Getting cold under clear winter skies doesn't appeal as much as it used to either.

John
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Havent been into it for years, always enjoyed astronomy, but loathed polar aligning, kneeling in freezing cold weather on wet ground and then it never worked.

I am hoping the modern gps systems are easier, also like you I have lived in urbanish areas, so double annoyance.

The Synta mounts as you know are skywatcher, if you go to the OVL website, this for example

http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/astro...efractors.html

Where Patrick Moore did the reviews, it was in fact me who arranged it as a friend of Patrick and we spent a weekend testing scopes at Farthings

The early Mead apo was a stunning scope why they ever stopped making it I have no idea, but it may have been that it was too good for what they charged.

One of the reason I want the mount is to "mount" the D810 and Siggy 150-600 and see what DS images this will shoot

Lets see your setup please

[ajohnw]

Don't think I can do that easily Jeremy as it's all tucked away. Meade may still have their old 5iin apo set up on their web site.

The Synra mount is this one - I don't hold up much hope but you never know

http://www.skywatcher.com/product.php?cat=4&id=254

I intend to mount it on a Vixen pier as I reckon these are easier to set up. I haven't ever gone into astro photography so alignment hasn't been much of a problem. Just swing the lot around until the drift is acceptable. The pier could well help in this area as it could be set up and positively located allowing it to be put back in place easily. I also have the old GP DX head to go with the pier but the racket the stepping motors make is appalling.

One thing I found that helps a lot with aligning the software especially the meade apo was to use the finder and not the scope itself. The scope shows way too many stars. I believe many people who take shots seriously either have an observatory or a guider of some sort. Some amazing shots can be taken with ordinary camera lenses. I'm told by some one who did a lot the old way on film that zooms to 200mm are ideal but not something I have ever done. Periodically I'm tempted to get a smaller APO, 60mm or so. The WO one is the 110mm mega rez(?? exact name). Something small and light would allow me to go to the local hills to get out of the light. Trouble is the best option would be a Takahashi. I feel these are the only people who really make closely controlled telescopes. My WO was bought be an American dealer for me who told them he would send it back if it didn't perform as adds etc suggest. It took a while to come. I phones WO and they told me they were having trouble finding what I wanted. I'd guess most makes are the same and this is why Takahashi tend to be rather expensive. I feel quality rather than size is the main aspect especially with a camera on the end. Visually too really but that does need aperture.

John
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[JR1]

Its a bit like wanting a Leica, we would all like a Tak but the cost is sheeshhhhhhhhhhhhh

But you get what you pay for

http://www.iankingimaging.com/show_product.php?id=1322

[HaseebM]

Congratulations! That mini-tower pro has received some favourable reviews. I am not much of an Alt / Az person though I do own a Dobsonian. I have an equatorial mount which I use primarily for viewing as well as imaging. Scopes I have plenty including an APM 100ED which I use with 028B Manfrotto and Oberwerk mount.

[JR1]

Congratulations! That mini-tower pro has received some favourable reviews. I am not much of an Alt / Az person though I do own a Dobsonian. I have an equatorial mount which I use primarily for viewing as well as imaging. Scopes I have plenty including an APM 100ED which I use with 028B Manfrotto and Oberwerk mount.

There was a time when I would stay with Patrick Moore ( a much missed friend of mine ) and we would spend hours over gin and tonics talking Astronomy, in fact a couple of my images were in his books, BUT I have never liked the cold, so most of my stuff is Ha.

I do want to get out more at night so I am hoping that at my age the new mount which is really no comparison to a good EQ, will mean I can enjoy.

This is my other scope my son has it now, needs an observatory not suited to in out in out

[HaseebM]

If you want to see some of the equipment, you could visit my webpage where I have uploaded images and also made some reviews.

[ajohnw]

I'm not keen on APM. I bought one of there scopes some time ago a Maksutov. When it arrived it was clearly miss aligned badly. I complained to the UK dealer and the APM answer was read starynights, it's easy to sort out. It very definitely isn't that easy on these scopes. The UK dealer had it back and said he wasn't going to sell their stuff any more and didn't. The problem with buying APO's is that they may not be at their best visually especially the faster ones. I suspect this is why famous make F8 F9's hold their price rather well. I'd probably risk TeleVue and Vixen more than others but there are even catches there. TeleView scopes tend to work better with Teleview eyepieces. Hardly surprising really. Celestron don't make much in the USA any more and no longer make any mention of 1/10 wave at all last time I looked. Meade have been know to put out some dodgy stuff at times.

On mounts I like fork mounts best of all so a 1/2 fork equatorial appeals. No counterweight so less to bounce about. People these days seem to want German style mounts what ever type of scope is on them despite the problems. Compare some with a Vixen GP DX and I wonder why they are so heavy yet still flop about. Choice of materials, tolerances and design I suppose. I'd guess Takahashi mounts are a thing of wonder. There used to be a video about showing them hand sand casting the parts in their factory.

Sky 90's are very popular Jeremy. The smaller scopes are much easier to make while holding the tolerances. Never looked through one but every now and again ..................... It wouldn't surprise me that the make is worth and inch or so. The Old Meade APO's crop up on ebay occasionally. The mount is massive but the castings are fairly thin which keeps the weight down and still gives a lot of rigidity. Asrophysics lapped the worms and used different software. Lapping them is easy given a bit of gumption. I leave well enough alone. The mount for the 6in is even bigger. The tripods are very rigid but need to be to hold a refractor at a sensible height.

John
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[JR1]

What I would like is to be able to leave the scope outside and view from indoors, I am happy to attach a camera to my 80mm apo

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/equi...o-pro-ota.html

Done me well for a few years, I may get the 120, if I like the mount, unlike cameras I am not worried about "makes" with telescopes, Skywatcher are great for what they are.

BUT if the 80 works I am happy to stay with that

Thanks all

[HaseebM]

Hi John, I was referring to APM100 binos. Sorry to hear about your MAK experience. Normally MAK's hold collimation extremely well, much better than a Schmidt-Cassegrain so guess you got a lemon. I thought folks at APM ( Markus ) are quite helpful. I have bought three Refractors, i.e., Explore Scientific, WO Williams and Skywatcher and all of them perform admirably well in my heavily light polluted city. So does the SCT. I had viewed through a iOptron 150mm MAK and also had good views with no collimation issue.

[JR1]

What about this


http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clea...telescope.html

[HaseebM]

What about this


http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clea...telescope.html

Some of the reviews were fun to read.

[ajohnw]

Hi John, I was referring to APM100 binos. Sorry to hear about your MAK experience. Normally MAK's hold collimation extremely well, much better than a Schmidt-Cassegrain so guess you got a lemon. I thought folks at APM ( Markus ) are quite helpful. I have bought three Refractors, i.e., Explore Scientific, WO Williams and Skywatcher and all of them perform admirably well in my heavily light polluted city. So does the SCT. I had viewed through a iOptron 150mm MAK and also had good views with no collimation issue.

Don't think so Haseeb as every one on starynights seem to do it themselves. This was a newtonian type and not even the 2ndry mirror pointed at the eyepiece tube. I had an opportunity to buy a straight 12in Maksutov made but not completely finished by a rather well known UK optician. He had even finally figured the corrector. At the time University sites could be trawled at will and there was a lot of info about. Accuracy and alignment is one if the big problems with this style of scope. SC's have their problems too but not so bad and also are very easy to align. Only problem is that when the 2ndry mirror has been hand figured things are more critical. It really does need to be central as well then not just squared up.

As far as light pollution goes around here I have seen for instance nebulosity in Orion visually but only with an interference type filter which more or less kills the light from low pressure sodium lamps. Trouble is that there are both LED and high pressure ones about now.

John
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[JR1]

It arrived, the quality is amazing, stuff from the USA is always quality



One of my other mounts taking scopes off for the new one

[HaseebM]

Okay John, I will take your word as my experience with MAK's are limited.

Nice set-up Jeremy, like the PST, easy to bring the sun to the eyepiece with the sunfinder.

[ajohnw]

Looks interesting Jeremy.and not too badly priced either. Odd really. I was thinking about mounts a few weeks ago. I suspect it happens ever year around now.

Be interested to here how you get on with drive it from the house. I looked at that several years ago. I'd guess it's easier to set up now.

I still have a cooled colour ccd camera kicking about some where unused but really i should have bought black and white and a filter wheel. The chip is tiny as well which seriously limits use. There were some people on stargazers lounge looking at removing the bayer mask from dslr's. No sure how they got on but there are plenty of older dslr's about. I've often wondered about cooling my old 300D somehow. At base iso it will take long exposures without much noise. So good on some Parks were offering a selection service at one point.

John
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[JR1]

Okay John, I will take your word as my experience with MAK's are limited.

Nice set-up Jeremy, like the PST, easy to bring the sun to the eyepiece with the sunfinder.

Yeah I am happy with it, may go larger one day may not,



Early shot with a D3100

[JR1]

Looks interesting Jeremy.and not too badly priced either. Odd really. I was thinking about mounts a few weeks ago. I suspect it happens ever year around now.

Be interested to here how you get on with drive it from the house. I looked at that several years ago. I'd guess it's easier to set up now.

I still have a cooled colour ccd camera kicking about some where unused but really i should have bought black and white and a filter wheel. The chip is tiny as well which seriously limits use. There were some people on stargazers lounge looking at removing the bayer mask from dslr's. No sure how they got on but there are plenty of older dslr's about. I've often wondered about cooling my old 300D somehow. At base iso it will take long exposures without much noise. So good on some Parks were offering a selection service at one point.

John
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I have a Pixelink PL-a662, that I will be trying with the scope and pst, lost the firewire cable in move so just ordered another.

supposedly, and I am no blasted expert when it comes to these things, you can control the scope via the computer and astro software.

http://scorpionvision.co.uk/catalogu...roscope-camera

[JR1]

It's getting there after 8 hours of finding the parts needed



Amazingly (!) the siggy 150-600 mount fits the scope almost perfectly and the balance with a 2" eyepiece is spot on.