Amateur Astrophotography
Skywatcher Skymax Maksutov-Cassegrain f = 1500mm / D=127mm F12 SynScan AZ GOTO
Skywatcher Skyhawk Newtonian f= 500mm (450mm) / D=114mm F4
Skywatcher Explorer 130PDS Newtonian, f=650mm / D=130mm F5 with Skywatcher Mount EQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo
My main purpose is to observe and take some pictures of the moon and the planets (Mars, Jupiter and Saturn). My choice: Skywatcher Maksutov-Cassegrain D = 127mm / f = 1500mm SynScan AZ GOTO. It is my opinion that this is the simplest/cheapest telescope to accomplish my goals. See sections 3-6 to enjoy nice pictures of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon.
For deep space I got a Skywatcher SkyHawk Newtonian. Aperture 114mm, focal length 500mm, F4.4 with a wonderful parabolic mirror. This telescope is very light and I used it so succesfully with the alt-az GOTO mount of the Maksutov (section 8).
After a couple of years I got a new, equatorial mount: Skywatcher EQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo. Later on I got a new Newtonian: the Skywatcher Explorer 130PDS, which is very convenient for astrophotography (section 9).
In section 7, I had fun using SVBony achromatic finder SV106, with 60mm aperture and 240mm focal length. Having a short focal length is helpful to get pictures of big objects with a planetary camera. Then I used this finder as a telescope to get images of the Orion Nebula.
Finally, I am writing all this to make a kind of diary to keep my ideas and progress in order and to not forget some stuff I learn. I will be happy if this web page is also helpful to someone else.