<https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/99786-scope-advice-first-scope/#comment-984776>
<http://schema.org/text>
"Ok, just my input - mirroring things that have been said previously. Sub £1K mounts will have issues with focal lengths over ~1000mm for decent exposure times (ie what are needed for DSO). Alt-Az are a no go for AP. If you are 100% serious about AP I would say you can get away with less cost than ~3600 initially, however you'd need to accept the limitations as you progressed: 1. Go widefield DSLR+lenses (if you have DSLR). Run with a HEQ5 or better still NEQ6 mount - overkill initially. No scope... use mount to guide short subs. 2. Add fast main scope (newt or refractor). You will need to focus on good optics. Plus the required bits for flattening field etc. Use the mount for short subs. 3. Add guide scope and guide camera to improve accuracy and increase sub times. It is possible to use an HEQ5 with a newt and DSLR if you accept you will not be doing long subs - again limitations. The impact will hit image quality (detail) and lower the number of targets (faint targets require more time to extract details). Also - you will need software to take the DSLR output, stack it and process it. Usually DLSRers connect their DSLR to a laptop and use it to control the DLSR (and mount). The problem is that for AP the priority is the mount (load capacity and accuracy) then everything builds on it. For visual you can get away with a wobbly mount, AP you can't. \n"
<https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/99786-scope-advice-first-scope/?tab=comments#comment-984730>