Shopping list

[Guest Steve]

Hi All,

Playing fantasy shopping basket with my £2k budget for my initial setup.

My aim is to get the C9.25 with the CG-5GT mount. I expect I'll upgrade no an NEQ6 later, but I think it will do for now.

I want to do some initial photography with my Canon 450D, and do as much as possible from my polluted back garden, hence the filter.

(If I decide to go into photography more I plan to get a smallish refractor for deep sky work, and I'm assuming I could use the C9.25 as the autoguider???)

Is this everything I'd need for an initial starting point? e.g. I guess I'd maybe need a torch and 12V battery for the mount etc. But how big is the etc list?

Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated.

Celestron C9.25-SGT XLT GOTO £1,365.00

Hyperion Zoom & Hyperion Zoom Barlow 2.25x: £239.00

T Rings Canon EOS (AF): £19.00

Baader Neodymium Filter 2": £85.00

Celestron f6.3 Focal Reducer £119.00

Baader AstroSolar Safety Film ND 5.0 £22.00

William Optics 2" Dielectric Diagonal with SCT Adaptor £115.00

Subtotal: £1,964.00

Thanks

Steve

[Daz Type-R]

Not an imager my self but do you not need a auto shutter for your dslr? Otherwise pushing the button will produce wobble?

[Guest Steve]

Ah - ahead of you there - I'm currently top bidder on a Canon RC-1 remote on eBay right now. 1 day 6 hours to go....

I've also read you can put a black card in front of the scope, start the exposure and then whip the card away when everything has settled down.

Cheers

[Guest Steve]

Hmm, a little confused over the 1.25" vs 2" eye pieces. So the C9.25 comes with a 1.25" visual back. Is it possible to get a 2" VB? or should I use an adapter?

My understanding is that 2" is more sturdy for photography. Is it really necessary or will 1/25" be OK???

[Doc]

Hmm, a little confused over the 1.25" vs 2" eye pieces. So the C9.25 comes with a 1.25" visual back. Is it possible to get a 2" VB? or should I use an adapter?

My understanding is that 2" is more sturdy for photography. Is it really necessary or will 1/25" be OK???

if you want the biggest FOV go for a 2" VB, the 1.25" cuts of some of the light path.

[Daz Type-R]

Not sure about more sturdy, the next sentance will sound really obvious but an 2"ep allows more light in than a 1.25" so is basically better for all astro stuff, visual and photographic!

[Guest Steve]

Obvious is good! Everything I know is theoretical at the moment, so I could easily have made school-boy assumptions.

Having done some more reading I guess I just connect the 2" diagonal I've selected above straight to the OTA using the "SCT Connector Adaptor Included." And leave the supplied 1.25" adapter in the box. Sound reasonable?

[Brantuk]

The scope comes with a 1.25" visual back attached to the 2" rear aperture and a 1.25" diagonal. Seems daft I know especially as the scope is optimised for 2" accessories.

You can replace it with a 2" visual back to allow attachment of 2" accessories, however, the diagonal you are getting has an Sct adaptor to fit the thread on the 2" rear aperture. So if you only intend to attach the 2" diagonal then you're fine - anything else you'll need a 2" VB.

The Hyperion zoom is a 1.25" accessory and the diagonal comes with a 2" to 1.25" adaptor so you can use it no problem. However I got the 2" Baader Zoom adaptor because tightening the diagonals brass locking ring in 1.25" mode is very fiddly in the dark - you have to get fingers between the top of the diag and bottom of zoom - and there ain't a lot of room.

[red dwalf]

Also consider the meade or antares 6.3 focal reducers, just as good as the celestron version but the antares especially is alot cheaper.

Also you can use a 3.3 reducer for imaging with a ccd. The 6.3 reducers can be used visually.

[red dwalf]

i`ve got one Pat, both the 6.3 and 3.3, the 6.3 does work visually with the scope giving a slightly bigger field of view and also makes the scope faster when imaging, the 3.3 is not so good for visual but makes the scope very fast for imaging.

you can borrow it if you want to give it a try, no worries

Edited April 21, 2012 by red dwalf

[red dwalf]

the 9.25 is a lovely scope, i had to settle for a 8" but they are so versitile it would take alot for me to change it now, i`ve been getting more and more it imaging over the last year so have, and are still building up a collection of equipment so haven`t given it as much of a test as i should have, but i did use it at SGL7 a few weeks ago and needed to change the set up on the imaging equipment so i could get focus, even with the massive focus of the sct`s the camera was still a few millimeters away from focus, now got an adapter on order to reduce the camera and filter wheel length by up to 1.5 inches which should now work fine. i hope !

if you want to try out the 3.3 your more than welcome to come round and pick it up