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RonBurgundy
sage
Reged: 06/16/09
Posts: 252
Loc: Philadelphia
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Hi... I have been a visual observer since the early 1990's when my father introduced me to astronomy (I was a child at the time). I purchased one of the new LX200 telescopes about 5 months ago in the hope of attaining an instrument of visual capabilities with further growth possible into the realm of astrophotography. I have decided to purchase a Meade field derotator [for the 7"-14" scopes] and I'm curious as to what additional equipment I will need... Money is not an issue at this point... Here is what I currently have:
1) DSI-II (as my planned guiding camera)
2) DSI-III PRO (as my planned imaging camera)
3) Necessary filters for DSI-III PRO
4) F/6.3 Focal Reducer (I'm definitely not going to try F/10 on this telescope anytime soon)
I understand that I will need an OAG (not sure which brand, but I will probably buy it from OPT), and I understand the complications of imaging both planetary and deep sky objects... However, with all of the "T-Adaptors" and such, I am not sure exactly how to use the DSI-II as a guide camera and the DSI-III as my imaging camera. Basically--How exactly should I go about attaching both of the CCDs to my OAG?
I understand that both CCDs must be at prime focus; does this mean that I must have both either connected with an eyepiece connecter or a T-Adapter?
I guess my main question is; how do I connect both the DSI-II and the DSI-III so that they are both at prime focus? Is this possible to use the DSI-II as a guide camera, the DSI-III as an imaging camera, as well as using the Field derotator in the LX200-ACF series of telescopes? I will certainly keep updated in this thread and listen to comments and suggestions. I have also posted this in the "Beginner Imaging Forum," as I believe others enthusiastic about imaging may have some useful advice for me. I also posted here, because you all have experience with the Meade LX-series of telescopes...
Thank you very much in advance for your help...
Most Sincerely,
Kipp Ginsburg
P.S. Once I sort this mess out, which objects should I first try to image? Possibly local "landmark" objects? The moon? Other planetaries? Bright Globs? As I know nothing, I'm asking for all this advice... I'm trying to provide as full a picture as possible. If any other information is needed for a full assessment, I will be happy to inform. This is all of the seemingly relevant information I can think of... Thank you again! 
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Kipp Ginsburg
8" LX200-ACF
Orion 120mm F/5.0 Piggybacked Refractor
Meade UWA Set [4.7mm-30mm]
DSI-II
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Tapio
super member
Reged: 09/24/06
Posts: 157
Loc: Tampere, Finland
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There are several methods for autoguiding:
1. Guide through a separate guidescope
2. Guide through OAG
3. Guide with separate guide chip which is located beside main imaging chip.
Of these the first one is maybe the simplest way (and most used).
Guide with separate guide chip on imaging camera is also simple way, but expensive (SBIG make these cameras).
OAG is the way you have chosen and it means that the light path for guiding is divided by a small prism. So you can have both cameras attached to this OAG device.
Because of the small prism makes sometimes difficult to get a bright enough guide star.
Field derotators are pretty rare nowadays. I'm not sure how reliable they are, or hhow much they cost.
Pro observatories use these but I personally would recommend wedge instead.
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Tapio
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GeorgeDuke
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/24/03
Posts: 1585
Loc: PARADISE! (So.Florida)
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Kipp, since you have not purchased the OAG as yet I would pass on that for now and purchase a refractor for your guide scope.
You can mount it on the LX200 with the DSI-II.
In fact if you get a better ED refractor you can use it for imaging and use the SCT for guiding!
If eventually you get really into imaging you will want to get a good GEM mount or a sturdy wedge as Tapio suggested.
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George
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SkyShed POD XL-3
LX200GPS 203mm f10
StellarVue SV102ED2 Feathertouch Ser#0018
LXD75 GOTO with Orion 16" pier extension
Baader Hyperion 8mm ,13mm, 21mm + FTRs
2" GSO ED barlow, 2" SV Dielectric and Orion Prism Diagonals
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GaryHeath
super member
Reged: 08/13/09
Posts: 118
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If staying with Alt/Az and a derotator you will need to use an OAG.
I have previously posted to the subject of using a derotator, in this forum.
Although more detailed in that post, the upshot of it is; they they 'do' indeed work, but you need to make sure you always use the GOTO function of your LX200 for the derotator to work properly.
If you just slew the scope manually using the N,S,E,W buttons the derotator will stay at the last speed and direction of the last GOTO you did.
Also ....if you use a PC to point your derotator equipped LX200, the derotator will only work properly if after it causes the LX200 to slew, you hear the beep at the end of he slew.
Planetarium programs that just slew your scope to a location and do not mimic the LX200's GOTO, will result in errors with the derotator.
In my earlier post I outlined a way to prove this for yourself so I won't go into that again here.
IMO: This has been a significant reason people get vastly different results when using the derotator.
For future reference ... if you haven't already seen a recent vintage MallinCam in action, I 'strongly' suggest you make a point to see one being used.
I promise you, you will not regret taking the time to do so ..........
Best regards,
Gary
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For equipment see: My Gallery
Edited by GaryHeath (09/28/09 12:58 PM)
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StarmanDan
sage
Reged: 08/27/07
Posts: 391
Loc: China Spring, Texas
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IMHO a field derotator would not have been my first choice for a beginning imager. A much better alternative would have been to get a wedge for the scope. Granted, this would entail learning how to polar align the scope, but imaging would be much easier and give you more flexible options on how to image and guide.
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"Starman" Dan Doyle
Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas
Central Texas Astronomical Society
8" LX200GPS w/ST80 guidescope, Canon 350D+DSI Pro
150mm f/8 Sky Watcher Refractor
10" f/4.5 Homemade Dob
RV-6 Criterion Dynascope
http://darcstar.wordpress.com
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RonBurgundy
sage
Reged: 06/16/09
Posts: 252
Loc: Philadelphia
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Thank you all very much for your input. I fancy the idea of getting a nice wedge and a high-quality refractor as part of my imaging setup. Frankly, though, I'm worried about the time and strength requirements of such a setup. I can't imagine mounting this scope at close to a 50 degree angle without getting a hernia. I also live over an hour away from my observing site (unfortunately, the police have kicked me out of every local park, so I need to cross state lines now), and I worry that time constraints involving precise alignment will seriously cut down on my imaging time. Conversely, I don't want to spend a fortune on the derotator if they have such bad issues; yet GaryHeath's posts show some signs of hope for this option. I never knew this could get so complicated overnight! I suppose the best idea would be for me to do some additional research on the pros/cons of my current options and try to get a more complete understanding of them. I really appreciate the help, thank you!
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Kipp Ginsburg
8" LX200-ACF
Orion 120mm F/5.0 Piggybacked Refractor
Meade UWA Set [4.7mm-30mm]
DSI-II
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quantumac
sage
Reged: 12/17/07
Posts: 385
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Sounds like you might be ready to step up to the "build an observatory" plate.
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Scope: Meade 10" LX200R
Guide/Planetary Camera: Imaging Source DBK41AF02.AS
DSO Camera: QHY8
Guide Hardware: Celestron OAG, Shoestring Astronomy GPUSB
Software: Mac OS X, Starry Night Pro, Nebulosity, PHD Guiding, PixInsight, Astro IIDC. No Windows anything.
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