supercoolone
member
Reged: 07/25/07
Posts: 45
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I'm currently waiting for my Orion 10 inch EQ Atlas to arrive. I'm planning to take some photos with a Sony Alpha 350...I know there are lots of upgrades (changing bearings and stock saddle), BUT...Does anyone have any astrophotography examples taken on a stock EQ6 they can post ?
Thanks!
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DonR
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/15/06
Posts: 635
Loc: Georgia, USA
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My Atlas is stock, and I use it with an 8" f/4.9 reflector. The 10" will be a little less forgiving due to the weight and size, but I think the Atlas will handle it. I believe there are several people around here using stock EQ6/Atlas mounts for astrophotography. You might get more feedback by posting in the photography forums however.
Here are some of my results.
http://www.pbase.com/dtreed/astrophotos
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Don
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Atlas EQ-G
Orion 8" f/4.9 newtonian
Orion 127mm Mak-Cass
Orion Skyview Pro mount
Orion 80mm guide scope
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Meade DSI
Philips SPC 900 NC webcam
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Grouptele
super member
Reged: 08/11/07
Posts: 171
Loc: Qcy, IL
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Quote:
Does anyone have any astrophotography examples taken on a stock EQ6 they can post ?
Got my EQ-G in March 08, but a combination of bad weather and a busy schedule have left little time to image. Nonetheless, attached pls find a DSO I managed to capture:
> The pn NGC6842 is unimpressive, but I imaged it as a trophy (it is very faint at 8" and suburban skies). It also includes a good star field and shows what the EQ-G does with 50sec, unguided subs taken with a CCD via a C8 at f3.3.
Hope this helps.
Victor
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C8-XLT, G5, AT66
EQ-G
Starshoot color CCD
Canon XS, unmod
SPC900NC webcam
Edited by Grouptele (07/13/08 09:26 PM)
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skyguy55
member
Reged: 09/23/07
Posts: 93
Loc: Vancouver B.C. Canada
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Hi Supercoolone,
I have had my EQ6 Pro about 6 months and the only thing I would recommend is replacing the Vixen style dovetail and saddle with something from AMD, you will not regret it. I have a WO FLT 110mm that I use for imaging and a 80mm Equinox piggybacked on top for guiding.
If you do a good drift alignment, you should be able to go 2 minutes without guiding. In your case with a 10 inch, balancing and wind conditions will play a large part on what you can do in terms of unguided astro photography. If you are planning to do some guided work, choose your guide scope carefully paying close attention to weight.
I have attached a shot of M42 taken with a Canon 350D. This was made from 10 2 minute unguided exposures with the 110mm FLT. It's a great mount and you have chosen well. Good luck with the astro photography it has a huge learning and I'm still stuck at the bottom of it
Gregg 
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skyguy55
member
Reged: 09/23/07
Posts: 93
Loc: Vancouver B.C. Canada
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Supercoolone,
Here is a 1 hour guided exposure using 12 5 minute subs using the William Optics 110mm FLT
Gregg
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dvb
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/18/05
Posts: 1899
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Quote:
Hi Supercoolone,
I have had my EQ6 Pro about 6 months and the only thing I would recommend is replacing the Vixen style dovetail and saddle with something from AMD, you will not regret it. Gregg
Fabulous photos, Gregg! I'm also in Vancouver, and will look forward to seeing your rig at a star party.
For "AMD" you probably meant "ADM". I have those upgrades on my EQ6 Pro, using it with a 10" f/4.7 Newt -- very worthwhile.
I am still using a Vixen dovetail, though, and am contemplating an upgrade to Parallax on a Losmandy plate, if the mount will handle it. I'm using the Losmandy saddle with the Vixen adapter, and and extra Synta dovetail across the top for extra stability. Also, a Wilcox ring.
I haven't used mine for still imaging yet, but was out until the wee hours last night with the Mallincam.
There was some vibration in the breeze that would have required discarding some frames in still photography.
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Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Newt on Matilda
Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Collapsible Dob
Meade 8" SN f/4
Celestron C8 SCT
Celestron C6 SCT
Skywatcher ED100
Skywatcher ED80
EQ6 Pro "Matilda"
AT Voyager
Skymaster 15x70
Mallincam HyperColor Plus
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skyguy55
member
Reged: 09/23/07
Posts: 93
Loc: Vancouver B.C. Canada
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Hi dvb,
Yes ADM, nothing like Googling for dovetails and coming up with processors!! I just started all this in January 08 so there's lots that I'm a little fuzzy on but in February while I was deciding on what equipment to get I decided that maybe one day I would own a Colour Mallincam, very, very nice.
Are you running EQMOD by any chance?
I don't think I'm ready for star parties yet as I haven't managed to find (or even start to look for) a portable power supply. I'm strictly back yard stuff at the moment.
Gregg
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DonR
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/15/06
Posts: 635
Loc: Georgia, USA
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Quote:
If you do a good drift alignment, you should be able to go 2 minutes without guiding.
I think that's a bit unrealistic for a stock Atlas and a 1200mm focal length. Typical periodic error of the Atlas is 15 to 20 arc-seconds peak-to-peak, and with the Sony Alpha 350 on a 10" f/4.7, the resolution is about 0.9 arc-seconds per pixel. Guiding will be mandatory at that focal length for anything over 30 seconds due to PE, regardless of the polar alignment accuracy.
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Don
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Atlas EQ-G
Orion 8" f/4.9 newtonian
Orion 127mm Mak-Cass
Orion Skyview Pro mount
Orion 80mm guide scope
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Meade DSI
Philips SPC 900 NC webcam
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skyguy55
member
Reged: 09/23/07
Posts: 93
Loc: Vancouver B.C. Canada
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Hi Don,
Yes you are quite correct. I was thinking what I had done using my set up. I was speaking of the EQ6 mount in general.
Thanks for the pointing that out.
Gregg
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supercoolone
member
Reged: 07/25/07
Posts: 45
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Everyone, thanks for the input. Am waiting patiently for my Atlas to arrive and test it out - Don, appreciate the info on the Atlas limitations unguided due to PE. I take it that EQMOD on a laptop guiding will be the thing to do. Anyone guide with a Meade LPI? (Its all I've got - now that I blew about 3k for both the Atlas and Sony 350).
Thanks!
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DonR
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/15/06
Posts: 635
Loc: Georgia, USA
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Yes, IMHO EQMOD is the way to go, but it doesn't do guiding. Guiding with PHD should work fine with your setup. I don't have an LPI so someone else can address that question.
I think you would have to go WAY past the Atlas in price or do some extensive rework of the Atlas to get long, unguided exposures at 1200mm focal length, but guiding with PHD is simple and very effective.
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Don
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Atlas EQ-G
Orion 8" f/4.9 newtonian
Orion 127mm Mak-Cass
Orion Skyview Pro mount
Orion 80mm guide scope
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Meade DSI
Philips SPC 900 NC webcam
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skyguy55
member
Reged: 09/23/07
Posts: 93
Loc: Vancouver B.C. Canada
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Most people that that talk about the Meade LPI for guiding say that it is not sensitive enough so most go on to purchase a used DSI colour or DSI PRO. I used the DSI PRO with PHD and it works great.
Gregg
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groz
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/14/07
Posts: 540
Loc: Duncan, BC
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Attached is a shot taken with a skywatcher 127mm mak (1500mm focal length) riding atop my EQ6-Pro, which is mounted side by side with a Short Tube 80 using the dual saddle adapter from Kens Rings. Guiding with PHD thru the serial port to the hand controller, and celestron ascom driver, using a dsi pro in the ST-80 as the guide setup. 6 minutes, single raw exposure with the Canon 300D, cropped to the target at full size, no processing other than cropping and jpeg for display here.
The stars are about as round as round gets. Am I happy with my EQ6 for astrophotography ? Absolutely, I'd have to spend a ton of money more than I spent, to get performance beyond what I get out of this setup, and I'm very confident I can upgrade on the tubes considerably before I have to look at a beefier mount.
Edited by groz (07/14/08 04:34 PM)
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Mert
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/31/05
Posts: 975
Loc: Spain, Pamplona
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Quote:
Quote:
If you do a good drift alignment, you should be able to go 2 minutes without guiding.
I think that's a bit unrealistic for a stock Atlas and a 1200mm focal length. Typical periodic error of the Atlas is 15 to 20 arc-seconds peak-to-peak, and with the Sony Alpha 350 on a 10" f/4.7, the resolution is about 0.9 arc-seconds per pixel. Guiding will be mandatory at that focal length for anything over 30 seconds due to PE, regardless of the polar alignment accuracy.
Hi Don,
DO I interpret correctly that you refer
to imaging wihtout using VS-PEC ( in case
of using EQMOD ) ??
If so, typical residual PE would be around
+4 -4 seconds I believe.
Then using PHD on top of this will get you
around +1/-1 seconds average, which is way
below my average seeing over here :-(
Regards,
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Mert
42º49"N 1º38"W
3" Unitron refractor
6" F12 SW Maksutov,CS2-S
EQ6 + EQMOD 
Webcam with 1.25" nosepiece
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yg1968
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/26/04
Posts: 1714
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Groz, nice image. But you should consider processing the image in Photoshop. You could reduce the noise in the image and make more stars come out by using curves and levels.
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groz
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/14/07
Posts: 540
Loc: Duncan, BC
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Quote:
Groz, nice image. But you should consider processing the image in Photoshop. You could reduce the noise in the image and make more stars come out by using curves and levels.
Yes, but, the whole point of posting a raw unprocessed image section is so folks can see what comes out of the camera on that mount, with NO photoshop magic hiding any errors...
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DonR
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/15/06
Posts: 635
Loc: Georgia, USA
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Quote:
Hi Don,
DO I interpret correctly that you refer
to imaging wihtout using VS-PEC ( in case
of using EQMOD ) ??
If so, typical residual PE would be around
+4 -4 seconds I believe.
Then using PHD on top of this will get you
around +1/-1 seconds average, which is way
below my average seeing over here :-(
Yes, Mert, that's correct. Plus or minus 4 arc-seconds is 8 arc-seconds peak to peak, which is the figure that really matters. That's too much for my imaging setup, so PHD would still be necessary - and PHD can get me to the vicinity of 2 arc-seconds peak-to-peak all by itself, so I don't bother with PEC control through EQMOD.
As I'm sure you know, Mert, the tracking errors of a typical Atlas have some irregular components, which is why EQMOD PEC can't completely eliminate them. If PHD starts to apply a PE correction and simultaneously EMOD kicks in with its own correction, that can't make PHD's job any easier. Perhaps if I got my Atlas hypertuned to smooth out and minimize the tracking errors then EQMOD PEC might be enough by itself, which would definitely be worthwhile.
Last time I checked there was still considerable debate in the EQMOD group on Yahoo about the advisability of using EQMOD PEC control along with autoguiding - I guess if your imaging setup is right on the brink of being usable with PHD it might be worthwhile, but mine isn't at that point. But I think the real beneficiaries of EQMOD PEC are those imagers whose lower resolution optical trains let them do unguided long exposures with EQMOD.
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Don
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Atlas EQ-G
Orion 8" f/4.9 newtonian
Orion 127mm Mak-Cass
Orion Skyview Pro mount
Orion 80mm guide scope
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Meade DSI
Philips SPC 900 NC webcam
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supercoolone
member
Reged: 07/25/07
Posts: 45
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I posted this is the "atlas makes funny noises post". I got my EQ-G yesterday night, hooked it up today (they sure make those AC adapters with short cables).
Bad news. The noise is terrible when the declination axis moves - the RA axis sounds a tad better. I think its supposed to sound like a whir, dentist drill like...but I think grinding is bad. Hopefully Orion will help out.
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Nebhunter
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/04/03
Posts: 999
Loc: Frostbite Falls
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Looks to me like a backyard guy with a limited view? Good work Gregg. Keep at it.
I've about had it with the Eq6. Don't get me wrong. A good basic mount. My new Tec 140 with the Pentax 67 plus the light Orion guide scope has put it over the top for photography. A bit too much weight, and the torque from the Tec. I also need 3 large counter weights to balance this load. My rule of thumb for the Eq6 is:
Max: 2 counter weights. Once both are near the the end of the shaft - you are at the practical limit for photography.
Starting the process - again - looking for a new mount.
Igor
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Handle me with Care - The Traveling Wilburys.
TEC 140 "Katyusha" - Tec field flattener. Equinox 80 -
Atlas EQ6 SynScan GPS ADM conversion. ST-4 guider.
PENTAX 67 - 400 EDif - 300 - 200 - 135 - 90 lenses.
OM-1 300 Tamron - Konica 35-100 Varifocal STI Pro Stiletto.
http://nightfly.zoomshare.com/
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mtb.daily
member
Reged: 09/19/07
Posts: 93
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Ok 'supercoolone'; check my first image with the EQ6 (identical to the Atlas but white)
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=low&Number=1910589&fpart=&PHPSESSID=
Jerry
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Scopes: Celestron C11, WO Megrez 80 Super APO Trip, WO ZS 66SD APO
Mount: SkyWatcher EQ6 Pro GPS
EP: TeleVue Panoptic(35, 22) and PowerMates(4x, 2x)
Cameras: ST2000XM-CFW9-Astrodon TruBalance, Canon 20D, SPC900NC
Other: Hutech 2" LPS, Optic NEXTGen WideField 0.5x
Marble Lake Observatory
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dvb
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/18/05
Posts: 1899
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http://www.nightskyimages.co.uk/
Check out this link to a fellow who is taking superb images with a Skywatcher 10" Newt on an EQ6
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Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Newt on Matilda
Skywatcher 10" f/4.7 Collapsible Dob
Meade 8" SN f/4
Celestron C8 SCT
Celestron C6 SCT
Skywatcher ED100
Skywatcher ED80
EQ6 Pro "Matilda"
AT Voyager
Skymaster 15x70
Mallincam HyperColor Plus
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