RE: [APML] Astrophotography 2004 - Price Shock Horror

["Lane, Jason R" <jason.lane@navy.mil>]

Hi Alan,

I saw in your message below that you use a Taurus Tracker.  I have been considering purchasing one for my setup, and wanted to ask you what your likes and dislikes are about the Taurus Tracker, ease of use (especially with the autoguider), etc., etc.  I own a Meade LX90 8" SCT telescope, so my setup is similar to yours.  I'm asking through APML in case anybody else has some input.

The problem with my current OAG is that I use an ST-4 with flip mirror as an autoguider.  My old trusty Meade OAG and the Lumicon Cass. Easy Guider I bought to replace it are hard to use with it because of the extra length needed to get it parfocal with my camera (OM-1).  Through many sessions of use, I've found that the LX90 likes autoguiding at f/6 or so much more than at f/10, but the distances to camera and to the autoguider just don't work out for the Lumicon at f/6 setup.  The Meade OAG just barely works, but is inherently limited in design.  The Taurus Tracker (or the mini-Tracker) seem like it might be the best solution, but I wanted to get an idea of its pros and cons.

Guiding at f/10 is difficult due to limitations of the fork mount...manual guiding is much more successful but my back and neck can't take much of it anymore.  Hence why I purchased the ST-4 in the 1st place.

Thanks,
Jason

-----Original Message-----
From: astro-photo-bounces@seds.org
[mailto:astro-photo-bounces@seds.org]On Behalf Of Alan Voetsch
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 9:30 PM
To: Discussion of Film Astrophotography
Subject: Re: [APML] Astrophotography 2004 - Price Shock Horror


Hey Chris,

--- Chris Schur <comets133@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I love change, but is this really fair? 

Don't know if it's fair or not, but it is reality. We've all had
decisions to make along our paths, and those (and others) will still be
waiting as we move furhter along the path. 

Bottom reality line: if you want your astro shot published nowadays,
you had better be shooting CCD. If I had a few more bucks and any
computer skills at all, I'd be using one myself. As it is, I believe
one of those Starlight Express SXV-H9s (or whatever it's numbers and
letters are) will be my next major purchase. Probably within the next
year or so (paying off all my credit cards first).

I have truly enjoyed the pitfalls of learning to shoot film using an
LX200, my trusty Taurus Tracker and guiding it with a 201XT. Some ofthe
best times of my life actually.

Man, it is turning into a massively expensive hobby, but look at some
of the products available to us now. Merely dreams a few years ago.
When those pixellated CCD shots from the mid-nineties started looking
like film shots near the end of the decade, I knew the writing was on
the wall. Don't worry all, film will stay alive as long as someone
wants it to stay alive. But this hobby has been invaded by big money,
and the stakes are higher.

What I would like to see is a monthly, or quarterly, magazine devoted
to film AP. Anybody here have any publishing skills? 8-)

Alan



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