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So … right now I'm shooting with a Celestron EdgeHD 8" with Hyperstar on a Skywatcher AZ-EQ6, with the ZWO ASI 1600MM-C and 1600MC-C. Between all the nuts and bolts, breaking things, and changing my mind I spend quite a bit of money on the whole thing. I enjoy the hobby, so I don't mind. However, we've had months of only clouds… and haven't touched most of the stuff. Apart from fighting with a new USB 3.0 hub because I want to try the short-exposure lucky imaging technique for DSOs. Recently, however, I became aware of the Officina Stellare Veloce RH 200, which seems to be the perfect OTA for me. It's relatively light, fast like the Hyperstar, much sharper, better thermodynamics which is good for that quick set-up&go of my mobile set-up … but man that price tag. I can afford it, but do I really want to… it doesn't make any sense in The Netherlands. But I want it so bad  How do you combat this ever need for the-next-thing consumerism, while keeping your wallet in check  ?
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Hi Joel! I know what you mean. If I would like to, I could have bought a ton of equipment so far. But as you've said: Do I really want to...? For myself I've decided to go unusual ways besides the mainstream. My main goal is to explore new ways of how to create satisfying astrophotos without investing too much money. I'm an engineer of optoelectronics, so I'm always investigating new ideas both on the electronical side and the optical side. It's some kind of ATM, only focused on the camera equipment ;) CS, Andreas |
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Hi Joel, you are certainly not alone in this  It's fun to expand ones kit and to open up new possibilities. That being said, I am currently trying to reconcile what I can realistically accomplish given the sky/weather conditions where I live (northern Germany) with my general goals in the hobby (quality deep sky photos at shorter focal lengths, for now) and how that relates to the equipment I got. Before each purchase I ask myself: Have I exhausted what I can do with my kit and is my kit right now limiting me rather than other factors (my skills, weather etc etc). In other words, how much will I gain buy upgrading a specific component versus how much that will cost me and how often I get to use it. The scaling factor here is your disposable income (after tax, food and spouses/kids ;)).Specifically relating to the Volece - I haven't used one, but I hear that collimation is a bitch on such a fast optics. Unless you have an observatory for permanent installation, I personally wouldn't consider such a system. My F4 Newtonian almost drove me bonkers (mobile setup). Nothing worse than spending half your session checking collimation and afterwards having egg-shaped stars in post-processing... The 8" Edge is a really capable scope and the ASI a pretty good camera (am looking into getting one myself). Have you considered buying into something like Deep Sky West or some other remote observatory? That's what I would do, personally, if I had a well-rounded setup and more cash to spend. Looking at the proce for the Veloce, you'd get a few years of membership in DSW and > 100 clear skies a year at optimum conditions. CS, Marc |
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Money is one thing but one cannot buy good weather. Traveling remains an option. Also a permanent observatory in your backyard will allow saving valuable astrotime. You also can buy time on remote observatories, but then lot of fun is lost ;-) Living at ~50N I'm confronted with the same problems, but I still enjoy the hobby. And enjoyment is a thing, nobody can buy with money . clear skies |
