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Pages: 1 Danzup77 professor emeritus Reged: 09/12/11 Lunt LS80 PT       #5476296 - 10/18/12 03:04 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hey all, very close to pulling the trigger on the Lunt LS80 PT 1800 with internal DS and FT focuser . I have been saving for about a year (including last years tax refund) and have a couple simple (hopefully) questions. 1: Whats a good mount to put it on that fairly cheap? Not looking for go to or anything like that. Just a sturdy mount that I can observe and do some AP with. I have 2 Celestron SE GOTO mounts but unless im missing something its not going on that lol. 2: Shoud I wait? What are the odds of something like this having holiday sales seeing its a somewhat specialized scope? I'd rather pay full than sacrifice the exact piece that I want. 3: I have and use a Nikon D90 for my (futile) attemts at night AP but are there specific cameras I should use or consider for solar AP? The only reason I ask is that I saw a post earlier that was talking about the chamelion and now it has me thinking lol. Thanks for your time everyone. Post Extras:       frolinmod Pooh-Bah Reged: 08/06/10 Re: Lunt LS80 PT [Re: Danzup77]       #5476332 - 10/18/12 04:04 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Excellent choice! 1. An EQ5 class mount is sufficient. Even a used LXD55, LXD75 or an Orion Skyview Pro would be fine. The SE mount is a bit flimsy to entrust your nice new $5511 solar scope to. I actually use an Orion Atlas EQ-G with mine, but that's way overkill. 2. Zero reason to wait. Zero likelihood of a sale. High likelihood of a price increase for 2013. Call around to all the Lunt dealers. If none has one in stock right now, then you might as well get in the queue as soon as you can. Our sponsor here will give you a small discount as will OPT or CameraBug. Personally, I'd order direct from Lunt. Just pick up the phone and call their sales number. 3. Forget your Nikon and any other color camera. You want a mono camera. Something like a mono Imaging Source DMK41 or DMK51. There are better faster larger chipped cameras, but they're more expensive. Point Grey Chameleon 1.3 MP Mono USB 2.0 at just $375 is certainly one choice. You'll also want to pick up an Antares 1.25" 0.5x Focal Reducer (Agena Astro has them in stock) and an OWL Astronomy reducer to C thread adapter (it's a shorty which is what you need when using a reducer) for full disk imaging. Food for thought: The LS100THa/B1800/PT ($4997) is less expensive than the LS80THa/B1800/PT/FT/DSII ($4016+$1495). But the LS100 is a little heavier so definitely needs a good mount. Your CGEM would be perfect. The LS100 comes stock with the Feather Touch focuser, so the /FT is implied there. But it doesn't come with a Lunt zoom eyepiece, so expect to have to purchase one if you go that route. Better yet, regardless of which scope you decide on, also purchase a Baader Hyperion 8-24mm Click-Stop Zoom Mark III. It's a better eyepiece. Oops, you already have one. Good deal. Post Extras:       steveward53 professor emeritus Reged: 05/14/12 Loc: Newmarket,UK Re: Lunt LS80 PT [Re: Danzup77]       #5476334 - 10/18/12 04:08 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If I was in the position to purchase such a fine ( and expensive ) scope I would not skimp on the mount to put it on. I would suggest a sturdy EQ mount , HEQ5 , to enable you to get the most from the new toy , especially if you are thinking of photography. Steve. Post Extras:       Danzup77 professor emeritus Reged: 09/12/11 Re: Lunt LS80 PT [Re: steveward53]       #5476360 - 10/18/12 04:44 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Depends really; If I'm going upwards of $1000 I will just throw it on my CGEM and rest my 8" OTA while I use it. I was shooting for $500-ish for the LS80 mount. Dont need the $ spent in GoTo tech. I will surely check it out though, Im game thanks! Post Extras:       frolinmod Pooh-Bah Reged: 08/06/10 Re: Lunt LS80 PT [Re: Danzup77]       #5476361 - 10/18/12 04:48 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Right, absolutely no need for GOTO or even a DEC axis drive actually. Just RA. Solar rate is nice. Put it on your CGEM. Perfect. Post Extras:       Zamboni professor emeritus Reged: 01/03/05 Loc: Colorado Springs Re: Lunt LS80 PT [Re: frolinmod]       #5476464 - 10/18/12 07:29 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   A fellow member of my club uses his on two possible mounts depending on his mood; either an Orion SVP or a CGEM. The SVP is certainly steady, but the CGEM is ROCK EFFING SOLID and works well for imaging with the LS80. Just stick it on your CGEM. Edited by Zamboni (10/18/12 07:29 AM) Post Extras:       George9 super member Reged: 12/11/04 Re: Lunt LS80 PT [Re: Zamboni]       #5476513 - 10/18/12 08:15 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have the identical scope and am very happy. One option is to use your existing mounts as your main and imaging mounts, but buy an extra portable mount. I chose the LS80 over the LS100 because, based on the mount, I knew I would use the LS80 50-100 times per year, but the LS100 10-20 times per year. I use a light Bogen tripod and a Manfrotto geared head. It is a little overwhelmed, especially with the binoviewer, but with the LS80 in a TeleVue 85 case, I can literally carry everything (scope, mount, tripod, binoviewer) over one shoulder. My heavy-duty mount is an AP600E. George Post Extras:       Danzup77 professor emeritus Reged: 09/12/11 Re: Lunt LS80 PT [Re: George9]       #5479371 - 10/19/12 07:38 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Good info all, thanks! Post Extras:       Pages: 1

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