Advice on a new Telescope

[Jaxxxxx]

I have been looking around at various reviews on different Telescopes including recommendations to others on this forum and own personal preference to what I think I might want (which is possibly very wrong ).

Truth be told I am not 100% sure what is best for me at the moment being a beginner.

I do like the idea of a Dob mount which is simple, fast and easy to get set up but will nudging drive me insane?? Accuracy and the technical side of a decent Equatorial also appeals to me if I can manage to get one set up right!!! So I am looking at the following so far...

Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5

This scope seems to have all the features and recommendations that I believe will take me from beginner to at least intermediate over the coming years and should stand up to upgrades in the future if need be such as GoTo??? It also has the EQ5 mount as mentioned above suits my needs for a bit of tech and can anyone tell me how good this mount is?

Orion SkyQuest XT8 IntelliScope

I like this scope alot and I don't think I feel the need for the XT10 as I need things to remain some what portable. I know there are alot of manufacturers basically producing clones of this style scope so would anyone recommend another make which is possibly better than the Orion for the same price point or cheaper?

Dobs in general seem to get my excited simply with its no faff approach however I am concerned about level ground such as going to a dark sky location and standing in a field with a mount that is struggling to be leveled!!! What is the adjustment like on a dob?

Thanks for the help!

EDIT: What are your views on using a range of Tele vue plossls with both these scopes and a power mate

[John]

If you think you may be interested in imaging at some point in the future, the equatorially mounted scope is the way to go. GOTO can be added later but is a £290 add on. It's less expensive to get GOTO at the outset I think, if you are sure you want that feature.

The Orion XT's are the same as the Skywatcher Skyliner dobsonians (same manufacturer). The Intelliscope system is a sort of GOTO system where you push the scope to the position directed by the controller. Skywatcher don't have an equivalent of that but they do have a GOTO version of the 8" dobsonian if you have the £'s for it - around £775. The manual version of the Skyliner 8" (the Skyliner 200P) is around £270 - thats a big difference !

Generally Skywatcher scopes are less expensive in the UK than their Orion equivalents.

A dobsonian base has 3 simple feet on the bottom but you can add blocks to them to level them if needed.

Tele Vue Plossls are a well made plossl eyepiece that should work pretty well with the above scopes but there are other less expensive options such as the GSO plossls which will either match the Tele Vues or get pretty close, for less £'s.

[Jaxxxxx]

Many thanks for that excellent response. Thats very interesting about Skywatcher being the same manufacturer as Orion as it stops me paying out more for effectively the same product with a different name on the side.

So the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P is the same as the Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic effectively which is around £75 - £100 more expensive depending on where its purchased.

My issue is do I spend out on a computer system both as you pointed out have their own take on it being IntelliScope or GoTo and yet the SkyQuest being around £545 and the Skyliner with a GoTo being £775 thats an complete turn around on the manual versions!! How does IntelliScope compare to the GoTo of Skywatcher?

I have to say I have sort of fallen into the whole love for TV marketing and the awesome green on black

[Jaxxxxx]

The more I think about it the more a Dob seems like maybe the wrong option as I would be limited if I decide to do some imaging as you suggested. It would mean either buying another Telescope with an EQ where as I could just get the EQ now as I cant really see any disadvantages accept the setup time which I know will get faster and easier each time.

How does the potential viewing of both these scopes compare against each other any major differences that could set them apart! My first priority at the moment is great views through the eyepieces!!

[malc-c]

Best advice would be to go and visit one of the larger telescope retailers such as Rother Valley Optics, and see the scopes in the flesh. You can then compare both types of scope (Dob vs EQ) and see the goto versions in action. Only then will you be able to make up your own mind if the goto is worth the extra initial outlay.

For visual use the 200P on an EQ5 is quite portable and will give you excellent views, even from a light polluted town. However if you feel that imaging may be a thing you want to get involved in, then you may wish to consider the HEQ5 / 200P as an option. Yes the cost bumps up a lot, but it's not as costly as upgrading the mount a few months after your purchased it... Even so you can get decent planetary images with the 200P on an EQ5 with a barlow and webcam

[John]

I can't really comment on the GOTO systems as I've not used them personally. I expect they both work well enough if the instructions are followed though both will have some annoyances too.

The views through the equatorially mounted 8" and the dobsonian 8" will be pretty much the same although the dobsonian version has a focal ratio of F/6 which makes collimation (keeping the mirrors aligned with each other) a little simpler. Not much in it though, to be honest.

The equatorial mount will take a bit more getting used to but, with the addition of motor drives, does hold more potential for imaging if thats something that appeals to you in the future. A motor on the right ascension axis will enable the scope to track the movement of the stars / planets which can make for a more comfortable viewing experience.

[Jaxxxxx]

Best advice would be to go and visit one of the larger telescope retailers such as Rother Valley Optics, and see the scopes in the flesh

Dangerous!! Sounds like a very fast way to spend a lot of cash fast sounds like fun!!

With regards to motor drives I assume this is different to the computers such as GoTo? Are tye motors an adjustable speed motorised mount vs manual slow motion I am guessing? When you say tracks motion of object is that simply by the motors moving the mount at the speed of the objects moving in the night sky following the polar alignment set up!

What is the price of the Motors optional extra to the EQ5?

So many options my head hurts

[John]

Your guesses are correct re: a motorised v's a GOTO mount. A dual axis drive kit for an EQ5 costs around £90.

[Dave Dubya]

Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5

This scope seems to have all the features and recommendations that I believe will take me from beginner to at least intermediate over the coming years and should stand up to upgrades in the future if need be such as GoTo??? It also has the EQ5 mount as mentioned above suits my needs for a bit of tech and can anyone tell me how good this mount is?

I could be wrong but I don't think the standard EQ5 mount can be upgraded to GOTO - only the HEQ5 and EQ6 can be.

[twotter]

I could be wrong but I don't think the standard EQ5 mount can be upgraded to GOTO - only the HEQ5 and EQ6 can be.

£290 from FLO

First Light Optics - SynScan PRO GOTO Version 3 Upgrade Kit for EQ5

[malc-c]

The EQ5 pro goto mount is £486. The basic EQ5 un-driven is £229. As stated the Goto upgrade is £290, so if you purchased the mount and then shortly after upgraded to full goto the total outlay will be £519, a difference of £33. The other option is to buy the "syntrek" equivalent which is a dual motor drive with a non-goto handset for £90 , giving you a driven mount for £319. The 200P OTA is £275, so this would make the total outlay £594 for a basic non-goto 200P/EQ5 driven set up.

Applying the same to the goto, the cost would be £794. The cost of the 200P/EQ5 pro goto is £761 from FLO - the same saving of £33.

There is a way of modifying the basic £90 dual axis drive so it can be connected to a computer and thus using software running on the PC to get full goto, but that would invalidate the warranty on the drive kit... but this would be the cheapest way of getting what is IMO a decent setup.

[Dave Dubya]

£290 from FLO

First Light Optics - SynScan PRO GOTO Version 3 Upgrade Kit for EQ5

I did say "I could be wrong..."

[Jaxxxxx]

I have to say I am swaying towards the Skywatcher 200P OTA with EQ5 Deluxe Adding the Dual Axis drives for the cost of £594!

However the fact I don't currently have a DSLR and doubt I will be imaging soon (don't hold me to that!!!) the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P or the Orion equivalent dob is appealing to save some ££ and spend out on more eyepieces and filters! Such a hard decision

[Sarah]

I have to say I am swaying towards the Skywatcher 200P OTA with EQ5 Deluxe Adding the Dual Axis drives for the cost of £594!

However the fact I don't currently have a DSLR and doubt I will be imaging soon (don't hold me to that!!!) the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P or the Orion equivalent dob is appealing to save some ££ and spend out on more eyepieces and filters! Such a hard decision

As you doubt you will be imaging soon, if it were me, I would go for the skywatcher skyliner 200p dob. As previously mentioned by malc-c, for imaging you really want an HEQ5 as a minimum, particularly with a 200mm reflector. You can always consider adding tube rings to mount the scope on a sturdy EQ mount in the future if you do want to go down the imaging route later on.

[twotter]

I did say "I could be wrong..."

Sorry Dave, I think I spend too much time drooling over FLOs website for my own good

[brantuk]

The EQ5's (or Celestron CG5's) are pretty much a standard for the smaller lighter scopes. 8" is a borderline scope in terms of size and weight and the mount will make a big difference when you come to imaging.

The EQ5/CG5 will be fine with a 200P for visual observing. For imaging my preference would be an HEQ5 for the extra weight and stability. The 200P is small enough to be highly portable and big enough to give very decent views. But in the wind it will vibrate a bit on a lighter mount.

The dobsonian mount is essentially a rocker box on a turntable, giving you up/down and left/right movement. EQ mounts can be pointed at the NCP (northern celestial pole - not the car park) lining them up with th axis of the Earth. This enables tracking in a single plane (RA or right ascension). This is essential for dso photography and is not possible with a dob.

If budget forces decision on mounts, then my preference for imaging would be the HEQ5 first, or Celestron CG5 GT Goto second. The CG5 has 2" tripod legs (making it a bit heavier and more stable than the standard EQ5), better bearings, more sophisticated software, and larger object database - but it is a spot noisier when slewing both axes.

Hope that helps