Advice on beginner setup | Astrobiscuit | Page 1

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 1:11 AM

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So lately I've been getting into astrophotography with an extremely cheap Amazon tripod and a Canon R50 with a 100-400mm f5.6-8 zoom lens (I bought all this stuff to take product pictures of the stuff I make & wildlife photography, but I sorta stumbled backwards into astronomy with this and it's really fun!)

I'm currently making a star tracker from 3d printed parts and a bunch of electronics, but it will have a very low max load (3kg) and in all honesty probably won't be functional

I'm wanting to photograph galaxies and nebulae, so I'm looking for advice on a more professional setup, e.g a new mount + an OTA. I have around £1000 to spend at the most, but I'm open to endless amounts of DIY & used components!

Any recommendations would be hugely appreciated on where to get started with this stuff!

I've been looking at a 6" Newtonian, along with a used EQ5 and bashing out motorisation with onstep on it with some NEMA 17s I have lying around

meager juniper Sep 30, 2023, 6:44 AM

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I would get a EQ5 and onstep it, then get a 130pds and put that on there.

EQ5 - £329 new
Onstep - £150
130pds - £239
= £718.

The reason i’m not going any higher, is because the EQ5 mount has a max payload of 6.5kg for imaging, and the tube, with cameras, guide scopes etc on it, will weigh approx 6.2kg.

An alternative route:

You could get a used HEQ5 and put a small refractor on it.

HEQ5 - £1039 (new) £600 (used)
Types of telescopes to pick:
Evoguide 50ed - £200 (new)
SVBony 503 70ed - £369 (new)
SW Evolux 62ed - £325

Since the HEQ5 has a much higher payload, you could, later down the line, upgrade to a bigger beefier peace of kit, without the worry if your mount can handle it or not.

Remember these are my recommendations so take them for a grain of salt. Hope this helps.

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@autumn tendon

deft thunder Sep 30, 2023, 9:52 AM

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meager juniper I would get a EQ5 and onstep it, then get a 130pds and put that on there. EQ5 ...

All good though the eq5 can definitely take a 6 inch especially if it has nema 17 motors

meager juniper Sep 30, 2023, 9:58 AM

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deft thunder All good though the eq5 can definitely take a 6 inch especially if it has nema 1...

na i wouldn’t go for it, 130pds all the way.

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 10:15 AM

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meager juniper na i wouldn’t go for it, 130pds all the way.

Hmm, I might wait around then for a heq5, I saw a good deal on an eq5 non motorised for 200 about 30 minutes from where I live which is what inspired that thought

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 5:04 PM

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Would you guys recommend going with a HEQ5 or a NEQ6 for around £600?

deft thunder Sep 30, 2023, 5:09 PM

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Neq6 definitely

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 5:09 PM

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Is the big difference just the payload capacity?

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Guy selling the NEQ6 is unsure about shipping which is fair, and the guy selling the HEQ5 is super dodgy haha

deft thunder Sep 30, 2023, 5:11 PM

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Neq6 has more worm gear teeth on RA I'm pretty sure

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Also payload

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And I think it uses different motors too

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 5:12 PM

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aren't belts better than worm gear?

deft thunder Sep 30, 2023, 5:13 PM

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They are

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Oh wait the heq 5 is modded??

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 5:13 PM

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oh yah

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heq5 has belts

deft thunder Sep 30, 2023, 5:14 PM

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It's better if you are only putting like 10kgs on it

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Even heq5 with belts doesn't perform well at it's max weight limit

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 5:15 PM

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tbh i don't think i'll be pushing too far with it, if i'm spending 600 on mount i'm buying it so i have room for upgrade

deft thunder Sep 30, 2023, 5:15 PM

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I would personally go for the neq6 if it's the same price

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 5:15 PM

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would probs start off with the 6" i was thinking

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HEQ5 is 400 for mount only, NEQ6 is 600 total so

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they come out to around the same ish

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would probably be able to get a tripod for under 200 since the official is only like £150 but not sure

deft thunder Sep 30, 2023, 5:17 PM

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Yeah I'd get the neq6 and mod it a few years later down the line when needed

autumn tendon Sep 30, 2023, 5:18 PM

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huge thanks for the advice ❤️

#Advice on beginner setup