Can I request this telescope on an alt/az mount? I enjoy the EQ on my 6 inch and 90mm but would like the freedom of a point &amp; shoot
943518
you can request anything. and have it in your favorite color as well! (as long as its black).
179134
Sorry John, looked at the links, all took me to the e-mount, not a-mount. good luck.
1116948
Yes it sure can, but you will want to get a correct image diagonal along with your order. The reason i say this is because the diagonal that comes with this causes a mirror image. Terrestrial viewing would be reversed from left to right with the standard star diaganol. This is kinda where all telescope companies get ya. They almost always include a reversed image prism diaganol with the scopes they sell. To point you in the direction for a good diaganol i would say search for "Orion correct image diaganol". Probably gonna set you back another 80 bucks but thats what you would need to see land veiws in the correct orientation. I also suggest gettin a 32mm eyepiece for land viewing. Because the supplied eyepieces are moderate high power and just to much for land viewing. You could also get a good deal by buying the "Astromaster Accesory kit" its what i bought when i ordered mine. This is if you intend on doing astronomy. Bottom line if you are just buying this for land i would not purchase this. Because you will need that correct image diaganol and some lower power eyepieces and your looking at $220 just to get started. It would much more logical if you were only wanting to do land viewing to buy a spotting scope or zoom binoculars. If you went the binocular route i suggest the celestron 10-30x50 upclose binoculars. You can then buy a generic 60" camera tripod and a binocular tripod adaptor for much less than a telescope. I think a tripod will be around $15-$20 and the adaptor is like $8 "Konus". The celestron zoom binos are like 40 bucks so. The binoculars would do well for looking at the moon, jupiter, venus, mars, mercury, and the sun granted you buy two solar filters for them. You can also see a handful of nebulae and brighter galaxies with just a regular pair of 10x50 binos.
941562
The scope itself or optical tube assembly (OTA) is 20 lbs. The dobsonian base is about 40 lbs. It stands maybe short off 5 foot when upright. I dont know how strong your dad is but its quite hefty and ungainly to move in 1 piece. As a rule, you are more likely to use it if it isn't too much of a hassle to bring out in the backyard. But the good thing is you can separate the base from the OTA quite easily, but you'll just have to make 2 trips :) There is also the issue of bending a lot to use the EZ starfinder. Some people readily upgrade to a finder scope that is angled so you don't need to crane your neck or even get down on your knees to align with your target. Its a good beginner scope, but you have to put in the effort, time and money (for upgrades).
938788
Get the xt10, it's a big light gathering bucket, a bit heavy and all manual operation but you'll see more and learn more about where things are in the sky, the cons of the go to 6E seem to much trouble to get to first base viewing. This thing is just aim a view!
1922570
Yes you can but for astrography a motorized mount is almost a necessity. Manual tracking for long exposures is quite a daunting task.
1465775
I don't think so. Orion has the AutoTracker for $199, but it's not always favorably reviewed. Search Jim's Telescopes or JMI for information on other makers of alt az drives. Someone is going to make a good small one soon. Meade already makes a good one for medium size and large Dobsonians. The Dobsonian is probably the most fun you'll have with an astronomical telescope. Period.
598847
Short answer = yes to both questions Long answer = you get the most out of this hobby by doing your research, having lots of patience, asking lots of questions, and most of all enjoying what you do. I own this scope and I love it. My daughter and I have photographed the Orion Nebula from our backyard with terrible light conditions. We used a Canon T5i mounted to the 2x Barlow. I did purchase the Canon T-Ring adaptor to connect my camera to the Barlow. Most nebulae require long exposures and that is the weakness of this telescope. This scope's motor will cause some small blur as it tracks the object in the sky but short exposures (~20sec) work great! Unless you modify the scope, you can not get "Prime Focus" with this scope. You'll need to modify the mirror screws or shorten the tube. (there's online forums about this). Visually, you can see the cloud shapes on Jupiter, detailed craters on the moon, Rings of Saturn, etc.
1758796
FWIW, mine is usable only for general composition purposes. Forget about focusing, or even really seeing what you're shooting with it. I actually put mine away the day it arrived from amazon and didn't touch it again for probably a year, and figured I should have simply returned it. But since then I've come to terms with what it can and can't do, and put it on in the sunshine when I can't see the screen, and use it just for positioning large objects in the composition.
1712228
I put the tube of a 10"f5 in the trunk of a Toyota Corolla, and the mount in the back seat. The XT8 is smaller, but not by much. By the way, I had a look at Virgo galaxies through a club member's XT8. The optics were amazing for a scope of this price. Contrast was excellent. An 8"f6 really hits the "sweet spot" for aperture, portability, performance and price.
1121656
Search for this scope on Amazon That is where I purchased mine. Don't forget the mounts. Awsome scope!
1754909
Sheryle, can you locate the company that you purchased this from on Amazon, if so, contact them as I responded to their inquiry how satisfied I was with this telescope and I did get a response back from them... and I have a positive feeling that they would send what you need to set up your scope. My grandson loves his telescope
2225541
Long exposures with this telescope would be frustratingly difficult. Spend more money and move into the professional series of scopes with massive equatorial mountings and move to a location where light pollution is minimal. Your camera is a good choice, though.
1550022
It is quite easy... I purchased a 2" diagonal that attaches to the scope. Get a threaded one for SCTs. I purchased this one here on Amazon: SCT Quartz Dielectric Diagonal 2" by High Point. The threaded end attaches directly to the scope, and 2" eyepieces mount on the other end. It also came with a 2" to 1.25" adapter. Very easy to use and works perfectly.
162737
You're not really going to find an equatorial mount for this scope. Your best bet with this scope is to get a wedge like this one. Celestron CPC Heavy Duty Wedge (HD Pro) 93664
773581
i would like to know what is the cost for an Adapter for the nikon D800e ?from where can i get it ? i live in saudi arabia , nothing is available here .how good is this telescope in our dusty desert ?
692355
Great lens man, its very stable and fluid; I find it to be incredibly helpful for wides as well as shots in tighter. No buyers regret at all. Get this lens!! It is far more versatile with a full frame for sure. And good luck on your project! Would love to hear about it! Connect with me through facebook at facebook.com/ryan.monolopolus . Take care!!