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Hi guys, I have a question. I have an 8" dob and am going to make a filter using solar film. Is it worth making one for the full 8" aperture or will the off axis aperture stop be better for it. I don't know how much more detail will be gained from using the full aperture so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Adam

I do have some binos as well and they definitely get used. I do like you and check out my star hope first, then if I struggle to find the object with the scope I will go back to binos to try again.

Yeah I didn't mean go up 10mm at a time, more than I'll start off small and then jump up in size as and when I can. Really nice scopes btw. Hopefully one day for me haha

When does the upgrading ever end though. That's the trouble.

Yeah it'll definitely have to be a doublet. Triplet is outside my budget, plus my wife may just bury me under the patio if I spend too much. I was thinking f4.5 seems way too fast, even with ED glass, glad to have my suspicions confirmed.

Yeah, there are a handful of f6 80mm lurking about. I'm tempted to go for a 70 ish mm doublet and then at a later date I could possibly upgrade to 80, 90, 100.

That's my thinking. I'm on my feet for around 12 hrs a day and don't get back from work till half 10 at night so I haven't always got the energy to take my dob out. It'd be nice to have something I can take out, look for an hour and carry back in in one go, nice and easy.

Well I mean something in the 450 odd pounds region. Of course I'm not going to get an ES or Tak 80mm for that sort of money but svbony, skywatcher etc are all around that price point depending on where you look.

An 80ed is probably my upper limit. Of course if I find one 2nd hand all the better.

Tbh I am hoping to get a refractor as they don't require collimating, among other things. Plus it is getting a little on the large side for me as my small setup. Thanks anyway Adam

Thanks for the detailed reply. 1.25" isn't a complete deal breaker as most of my EPs are that size. I only have 1 2" and I don't think it'd work well with such a fast scope anyway.

Yeah, it's easy to carry outside, but it takes time to cool down. Plus I can barely fit it in my car so am looking for something smaller and lighter as you say. Plus collimating it is a pain every time I go out with it.

I'm by no means a perfectionist as I've only used cheap refractors and reflectors up to now so a bit of CA won't bother me but might have a look if my local observatory has a few different variants to try before I make a definite decision

I'm just looking for something much easier to take out, when I haven't got as long, than my 8" (with cool down etc). That's why I was thinking of the 70mm ed, 80 is a little bit out of my price range unless I find a decent deal 2nd hand (which I am still looking at) but fingers crossed. If not I will probably go with the 100.

I'm hoping to do some white light solar observing as well so that's good news. I'm not expecting something outstanding tbh on the moon or planets with such a short focal length. Just enough so I can actually see some slight detail. Thanks for the help, looks like this scope is definitely in the running. Adam

Neither is practical. My garden isn't flat enough for wheels and I wouldn't want to leave anything outside I cared about losing. Stopping it down might be a good idea. Thanks

That's always the problem isn't it. Something will be 50 more than a different one, but an even better one will be a little more than that and suddenly you have to sell a couple of children just to pay the mortgage. Thanks for the advice. Did you ever try the xs on the moon or moderate power on the planets.

It does but I've heard online from a new people that bresser don't give details of what type of glass they used, hence the hesitancy.

Hi guys, I have an 8" dob but am in the process of looking for a nice grab and go scope. The problem is my budget is quite limited. The obvious choice would be an st80. Then I saw the st102 is not that much more expensive. I've had a look around and seen some others that might fit the bill. So there's the bresser ar102xs. Nice and small, easy to mount, some lovely wide field views. The problem is its focal ratio is so fast. Has anyone used this and is the chromatic aberration as bad as I imagine. Plus there doesn't seem to be any info on what Ed glass is used, which seems quite suspect. Then there's the st102 which doesn't have any ed glass but slightly longer focal ratio which might balance it out. Again its small and an easy grab and go. Or would it be better to get something for a similar price with proper ed like a skywatcher 70mm. Obviously it has a smaller objective lens but again will offer nice wide field views and should suffer less from CA due to the better lens. If anyone can help me with this it'd be greatly appreciated. Adam

Thanks for the replies. I'm wary of buying 2nd hand off ebay or similar sites as I've been bitten before buying 2nd hand. I got some but they were out of collimation or alignment and the screws to adjust were rounded off so they were pretty much useless. I will have to see if there are any I can go and look through first before buying. Thanks for the replies, Adam

Hi guys, first time posting on here. I've searched to see if anyone has already asked this question but couldn't find anything. I have a pair of cheap 10x50s already and enjoy them but am looking to get some 7x50s now for a slightly wider fov. I have a very limited budget of £50. I've seen the celestron cometron which seem respectable. Does anyone have any experience with these binoculars or any advice on other binoculars in a similar price range that might be a better choice. Thanks, Adam