Imaging with a vanilla skywatcher 200p or pds?

Hi

I notice that there are lots of fantastic images taken with the 200p and 200pds.

How many of you have taken images without modifying the original OTA?

I'd like to avoid spending loads of extra cash on a better focusser costing nearly as much as the scope!

There must surely be some good photos from using the unmodified scope, on astrobin?

Please give me some positive words, and point me to your images if you have taken them with the basic scope.

Thanks

Mark

I originally started without Mods and was entering AP via the EAA-gate.
The 200PDS produces good images from scratch, but it depends really on personal taste.
however, since improving, tuning and fiddeling with your Scope is fun and so, at least, you can have fun with it during the endless cloudy nights. And the PDS is pretty easy to tune. There is little you can dammage and the outcome of tunings like inserting an Main mirror ring, is very easy to see.
hope that was of help and you could get some Impressions

CS!
Jens

I did start out with the 200PDS as well. I am on my second season.
You can absolutely image with the vanilla PDS, but as @Jens Leuteritz mentions, fiddling with the equipment is half the fun.

Get going and see where it ends - and remember to have fun along the way.
Enjoy the ride into space 🤪

Jens Leuteritz:
I originally started without Mods and was entering AP via the EAA-gate.
The 200PDS produces good images from scratch, but it depends really on personal taste.
however, since improving, tuning and fiddeling with your Scope is fun and so, at least, you can have fun with it during the endless cloudy nights. And the PDS is pretty easy to tune. There is little you can dammage and the outcome of tunings like inserting an Main mirror ring, is very easy to see.
hope that was of help and you could get some Impressions

CS!
Jens

Thanks Jens,

Do you think starting with EEA is a good path to take?

Mark

Christian Bennich:
I did start out with the 200PDS as well. I am on my second season.
You can absolutely image with the vanilla PDS, but as @Jens Leuteritz mentions, fiddling with the equipment is half the fun.

Get going and see where it ends - and remember to have fun along the way.
Enjoy the ride into space 🤪

Thanks Christian,
That gives me some confidence.
I'll give it a go and see what I can do without spending lots to upgrade. 👍

I've got some examples on my page! I have the Quattro 200p and it's an excellent scope. I have since added the CMC Backyard Universe spider and a Baader diamond steeltrack focuser but I haven't tried it yet. The pictures on my page are taken with an ASI1600MM.

I´m using a Skywatcher PDS 150/750, a MAK 125/1500, an ED Apo 72/432 and the SKywatcher 200PDS. The Skywatcher 200PDS became my main scope for the last 2 years. The only thing that was changed is a main mirror ring. To me it is great at deep sky, sun, moon and, using a Barlow Lens, at planets.
Results can be seen on my page here in Astrobin.

Of course you can take great images with the stock ota , but there is simple tweaks with minimal outlay , just use it and enjoy , but if you want to do the simple tweaks then , flock the inside of Ota , blacken the inside of the focus tube , fit an apeture mask over the primary mirror to stop reflections, use a black shower cad over the end of Ota to stop light leakage into primary and check centre spot is actually in the centre mine was out 6mm , blacken the edge of secondary mirror, upgrade the primary mirror springs, those I would say are the minimum upgrades that are most cost effective and will improve your images .

Dave

@Astroplantfish
indeed EAA is a good way to start. For me I originally didn't wanted to do AP but only enhanced stargazing, I wanted to "see" more. But then I got caught by the bug of wanting more and more details and depth.
EAA is great to learn about the technical stuff as well. And a good approach to things like SNR, imaging time, stacking, platesolving, finding focus, manage your mount, Polar Alignment etc. But on the same time it is more easy going than AP (at least for me). Thing is: many tell you you should not start AP with 1000mm focal length and things related to that. But honestly, I didn't care so much about that since the scope was allready there. And it worked. 1000mm is a nice focal length and in my opinion a nice allround sweetspot for many kinds of objects.
there is a nice EAA-forum with tons of knowledge over on Cloudynights. I learned everything on EAA there.
let us know how you progress and how things are going. Good to see some PDS-fellows here

CS
jens

Reinhold Schandl:
I´m using a Skywatcher PDS 150/750, a MAK 125/1500, an ED Apo 72/432 and the SKywatcher 200PDS. The Skywatcher 200PDS became my main scope for the last 2 years. The only thing that was changed is a main mirror ring. To me it is great at deep sky, sun, moon and, using a Barlow Lens, at planets.
Results can be seen on my page here in Astrobin.

Hi Reinhold, some wonderful images! 👍
I did notice something interesting things, there was no coma in the corners, but you didn't state a coma corrector was used.

How did you get the stars to be perfectly round?

Reinhold Schandl:
I´m using a Skywatcher PDS 150/750, a MAK 125/1500, an ED Apo 72/432 and the SKywatcher 200PDS. The Skywatcher 200PDS became my main scope for the last 2 years. The only thing that was changed is a main mirror ring. To me it is great at deep sky, sun, moon and, using a Barlow Lens, at planets.
Results can be seen on my page here in Astrobin.

Hi Reinhold, some wonderful images! 👍
I did notice something interesting things, there was no coma in the corners, but you didn't state a coma corrector was used.

How did you get the stars to be perfectly round?

Cc used is displayed in accessories used on image details , what I will say is don’t buy a baader mk3 there is better

Dave B:
Reinhold Schandl:
I´m using a Skywatcher PDS 150/750, a MAK 125/1500, an ED Apo 72/432 and the SKywatcher 200PDS. The Skywatcher 200PDS became my main scope for the last 2 years. The only thing that was changed is a main mirror ring. To me it is great at deep sky, sun, moon and, using a Barlow Lens, at planets.
Results can be seen on my page here in Astrobin.

Hi Reinhold, some wonderful images! 👍
I did notice something interesting things, there was no coma in the corners, but you didn't state a coma corrector was used.

How did you get the stars to be perfectly round?

Cc used is displayed in accessories used on image details , what I will say is don’t buy a baader mk3 there is better

Hi, I looked, and not stated as used. I wonder if it because the region of interest was inside the non coma part of the image.

Dave B:
Reinhold Schandl:
I´m using a Skywatcher PDS 150/750, a MAK 125/1500, an ED Apo 72/432 and the SKywatcher 200PDS. The Skywatcher 200PDS became my main scope for the last 2 years. The only thing that was changed is a main mirror ring. To me it is great at deep sky, sun, moon and, using a Barlow Lens, at planets.
Results can be seen on my page here in Astrobin.

Hi Reinhold, some wonderful images! 👍
I did notice something interesting things, there was no coma in the corners, but you didn't state a coma corrector was used.

How did you get the stars to be perfectly round?

Cc used is displayed in accessories used on image details , what I will say is don’t buy a baader mk3 there is better

Hi, I looked, and not stated as used. I wonder if it because the region of interest was inside the non coma part of the image.

On one of his images it lists it as a Pál Gyulai GPU CC.

Hi Dave, yes, I´m using the GPU CC, which is designed by Pal Gyulai and I am absolutely satisfied with that CC. I´m using it at both of my Newtonians (150PDS and 200PDS) for many years and he is just perfectly doing his job.

Reinhold,
which kind of image train are you using with the 200PDS and the GPU?
I have excactly 55mm backfocus with my imagetrain but it seems that I would have to go a little bit more inwards with the Backfocus. But that is not possible since all elements are screwed together.

the GPU is good, but a bit fiddeling with the BF it seems at least for me

J

I am using the TS-Optics Newton Coma Corrector https://www.teleskop-express.de/de/astrofotografie-und-fotografie-15/bildfeld-korrektoren-fuer-teleskope-138/ts-optics-newton-koma-korrektor-1-0x-superflat-4-element-2-anschluss-6706, a ZWO OAG, connected to my 7 pce zwo filterwheel, then my Octopi, then Camera.
The Octopi handle tilt and BF adjustments from 3-9 mm. So slightly different from yours.

Orginal version is not enough. In general, we will replace it with a stronger secondary mirror support, primary mirror press ring and primary mirror mask, as well as using mpcc. If you think it is too heavy, you can also replace the structure with carbon fiber material.

Jens Leuteritz:
Reinhold,
which kind of image train are you using with the 200PDS and the GPU?
I have excactly 55mm backfocus with my imagetrain but it seems that I would have to go a little bit more inwards with the Backfocus. But that is not possible since all elements are screwed together.

the GPU is good, but a bit fiddeling with the BF it seems at least for me

J

GPU, distancerings, filterwheel, camera. All that pieces are srewed together. I also have that 55mm but I had to go a little bit outwards so I put a 0,5mm Ring of aluminum between two distancerings. I don´t think, that the GPU can be blamed for the troubles with the BF. I also use an APO with a BF of 123mm and I had to play around with tiny alu-rings too.

Thanks for the info Reinhold!

Orginal version is not enough. In general, we will replace it with a stronger secondary mirror support, primary mirror press ring and primary mirror mask, as well as using mpcc. If you think it is too heavy, you can also replace the structure with carbon fiber material.

shenmesaodongxia are you a representative for Skywatcher /synta ?

Hi!

All my pics have been taken with a 200PDS (I like high-res planetary astrophoto)
My 200PDS is no modded, only I used barlow lens, ADC and a IR/UV filter (And a Baader filter for Sun pics)
Some pics of planets like Mars are not the best because I took them when I was starting, but others I consider they're pretty decent for an 8" reflector.

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