Worth the extra money!

[popeye85]

Hi there!

I am just getting started and I have myy eye on the Skywatcher 127 with supatrakor the Celestron 127 goto ( heard both are very similar) however I have seen the Celeston Nexstar 5 and am wondering what peoples view's are on it an in particular weather or not it is worth the extra money(nearly double) and why is it sold of so much more than the others?

p.s is it possible to get the CN5 ( or indeed the 127) without the go-to but still tracks?

Thanks for your help!

[ronin]

No idea what "supatrakor" is, I am assuming that it is tracking only.

Personally I suggest the goto, reason being that the field of view from a Mak will be fairly narrow and you will have to find the objects, it is not as easy as made out, and the wider your field the better. A goto should when well aligned put the object in view with a 30-32mm plossl. The chance of you getting something in view is less.

The 127 comes in goto form from Skywatcher also.

Part of the reason is also that you probably want to see things rather then spend 5 minutes everything locating them.

The Celestrons tend to be considered better then the Skywatchers, but there are tales of much wailing and tearing of hair with either option. They require data and that HAS to be correct and in the right order. Skywatchyer and Celestron are both owned by Synta, so to an extent are somewhat similar, not identical however.

There will be a club near you, if possible get along and look at what is used. That is a fairly good indication of "useful" equipment. One club I visited the equipment was 80% goto Mak's or SCT's in the 5 and 6 inch range, working on the basis that the people there had a fair bit of experience it showed that these were the popular and most selected scopes.

[Flyingfuzz]

I decided on a Skywatcher Star Discovery 150p goto. Maks are great for viewing planets, the moon and for Astor photography because of their narrow field of view. The Skywatcher is mounted on their new goto mount that allows you to move the scope without losing alignments or even use it manually.

[popeye85]

nice one cheers-still not sure where the extra money goes for the CE 5?

[popeye85]

Cheers flyingfuzz. I wasn't aware about the discovery 150 but looking at it then it may be the boy for me! What's your opionon about it? Pros cons etc?(I wouldn't mind looking at a few Dao's-hours is it for that? ) Would you recommend any additional Ep's or do the ones provided suffice? Sorry for all the questions but just want to make sure I'm making the correct choice!

[popeye85]

Cheers flyingfuzz. I wasn't aware about the discovery 150 but looking at it then it may be the boy for me! What's your opionon about it? Pros cons etc?(I wouldn't mind looking at a few Dso's-how is it for that? ) Would you recommend any additional Ep's or do the ones provided suffice? Sorry for all the questions but just want to make sure I'm making the correct choice!

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi 'popeye85' and welcome to SGL.

Before parting with your money, may I ask two questions...

1. What is your budget?

2. What do you intend to look at?

Personally I would go for a 'Dob' over the 'Mak' or 'SCT' if you are interested in DSO's. Also a 'Dob' if you want to 'point & go'. If lunar or planetary then a 'Mak' or 'SCT'.

[brantuk]

Yup - I second PhilipR's suggestion - decide what you want to do with a scope first, then state a budget, then you'll get a lot of "more appropriate" answers. A dso observing scope is different to planetary scope or an imaging scope, in both aperture and size and type.

Buying a scope is a bit like buying a car - no point picking a small car for shopping and then taking it on a motorway cruise expecting to have a smooth and comfortable ride.

Bear in mind that choosing goto electronics is expensive and will cost you in scope type and aperture. There are also different types of mounts for different purposes - so thorough research is the best way forward. Hope that helps and welcome to SGL

[popeye85]

I was looking at the sky watcher 127 (think that's standard for first timers!) But flyingfuzz's post got me looking into the skywatcher discovery 150 and I am starting to think that is the one for me! As for what I want to look at my answer I'm afraid is that since I an brand new i don't really know what I want so with that in mind I think I can only get what I think is best and hope for great results! Although I am living in Edinburgh I spend a lot of time up on the Isle of skye and on the north Yorkshire moors so portability is a factor which is one reason I discounted a dobs scope. I have a budget of £500 so getting the 150 will still allow me to get extras e.g a couple EP's