Re: [APML] Best Scope and mount for $2000 was Scope Question

[Rob Miracle <rwm@photo-miracles.com>]

At 03:36 PM 3/7/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>>Is there a better scope choice for taking nice shots of nebulas, clusters 
>>like Pleides, tracking a comet here or there?  I'm willing to sell the 
>>Nextar 8 and put that money towards a different scope since I don't have 
>>a lot invested in "parts" yet.
>
>
>That's a tough one. This is the $64 question. Or in your case, the $2k 
>question.  This is what everyone wants to know, what's the best scope / 
>mount combo for that kind of price range.
>
>You get a lot for your money with the SCTs, but personally, IMHO, I think 
>those are really made at that price ratio for visual work, and not 
>astrophotography. The vertical fork is great for stability, but once you 
>put it on a wedge, that's a completely different ball game.

Viewing is really not that important.   I've oooohhhed and aaahhhed at the 
great nebula in Orion.  But after that, whats to see?   Planets are just 
fuzz balls and while moon shots are cool, about the only other real use is 
stellar photography or deep sky objects.

Now I've got plenty of camera gear since thats how I make my living.   I've 
got fast glass (80-200 F2.8, 85/1.4 and I will probably get a 300/2.8 soon) 
and a host of Nikon bodies to use.

In theory, a 300/2.8 with a 1.4X TC would give me a 420mm F4 which should 
have significantly more light gathering than say a 2000mm F10 SCT.   This 
is great for wide field work, I just need something to track with.

But for deep sky work, and shooting a few galaxies here and there would be 
cool, the 8" from what I've read should be a good sized scope.   Of all the 
scopes, other than a refractor, its the best when dealing with camera's 
attached.   I still have trouble understanding why a scope with a GOTO 
computer that supposed to be able to track cant track without an Equatorial 
mount.   If it can point to object A in the sky, it should be able to point 
to it in the sky 5 minutes from now.

Any way enough grumbling about what my scope's not....

I know I can do AP work if I add the Equatorial mount, a spliter/viewfinder 
thingy, and some more precise eye pieces for getting a good alignment.   I 
would expect to be able to do that for about $500.  But if I can sell the 
big scope for something more practical for what I'm doing and use that 
$1500 (+/- some cash) then I would be better off, and more likely to pick 
up, and drive.


Thanks,
Rob
--
Rob Miracle
Photographic Miracles
203 Carpenter Brook Dr.
Apex, NC 27502
http://www.photo-miracles.com


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