Can I pair the ZWO AM3 or iOptron HEM27 with Celestron 8" EDGE HD or the BRESSER Messier Maksutov 152/1900 OTA?

iOptron HEM27 Strain Wave Mount Equipment Equatorial Mount Buying Advice

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Topic starter

Apr 18, 2023

Hi all, I've been doing astrophotography for a while using my DSLR and a tripod, but considering to purchase a dedicated astro gear. I'm planning to get the iOptron SkyHunter Pro mount to pair it with my DSLR as of now and later upgrade to ZWO AM3 or iOptron HEM27 mount (prioritizing portability). Latter purchase RedCat 51 for wide field and Celestron 8" EDGE HD or the BRESSER Messier Maksutov 152/1900 OTA or any others (please mention the models if you know) for Deep Space paired with Canon DSLR or preferably a Cooled Color Camera, either ASI183MC Pro or ASI2600MC Pro or if ZWO is going to launch any camera that's between the both.

I've budget constraints for the setup because of the extra 18% added tax here in India.

Hello everyone! I've been doing astrophotography with my DSLR and tripod, but I'm considering purchasing dedicated astro gear. My current plan is to get the iOptron SkyHunter Pro mount to pair with my DSLR, and later upgrade to either the ZWO AM3 or iOptron HEM27 mount for portability. I'm also looking to purchase a RedCat 51 for wide field shots, and either a Celestron 8" EDGE HD or BRESSER Messier Maksutov 152/1900 OTA for deep space imaging, paired with a Canon DSLR or preferably a cooled color camera like the ASI183MC Pro or ASI2600MC Pro. I'm also keeping an eye out for any new cameras from ZWO between these two options.

Please guide me.

andrea tasselli

Frequent contributor

Apr 18, 2023

I would think this is not going to be a marriage made in heaven (excuse the pun), both as a coupling a ~2 meter FL telescope to the tiny pixels of either astro-cameras or the arduous task of keep everything going with either mounts. Mind you, it can be done, especially if you are used to the hurdles of guiding at those focal length/ratios. But not the easiest way to go from a tripod-based astrophotography into higher end AP. I'd venture to suggest an easier way such as a the following (hoping it is available in India):

Explore Scientific 152mm David H. Levy Comet Hunter Maksutov-Newtonian (explorescientificusa.com)

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