Paul_Sussex

I think the neighbours might have something to say though! 😄

I was originally (before starting this thread) thinking about a Dobsonian - best bang for your money - but my garden isn't best placed for using one. But I am pretty much decided on a 5"-6" reflector. I've been concentrating on Skywatchers, just because there seems to be more discussion about them, but are there any other comparable makes I should be looking at - Celestron, Bresser, etc. How do they compare?

Very popular, but most of the threads seem to concentrate on imaging. For visual, would the 150P be a better start? I could always upgrade to a Crayford dual speed at a later date if it was an issue.

Spiralling in like a vulture, I'm almost decided now on a mid-size reflector. Bear in mind this will be primarily for visual observation. FLO currently list the explorer 150P and 130PDS for about the same price The 130 has only 75% f the area, but comes with a 1.25/2" dual speed focuser. How does that balance against the loss in aperture? Many people seem happy with, for example, the Onesky/AWB 5" tube. (As these are both showing in stock with FLO, I'm tempted to grab one or the other now then sit there stroking it until I can pick up a mount to suit 🥴 )

Yes, seemed suspiciously cheap to me. I wondered if anyone had come across them before. I had originally planned to get some sort of starter telescope, but was put off the idea. But have plenty of time to look at options and hopefully get a look at some different ones in use before I take the plunge.

That's one of the set-ups I've been looking at. And had the offer of a very nice NexStar 4SE from someone in the local club, but sadly no spare cash at the moment. Skies are (slightly) better where I am - supposedly Bortle 4 - and the South Downs are 20 minutes or so away. I'm hoping to get by manually to start with - have my copy of Turn Left At Orion ordered! 🙂

Definitely...that's why I was a bit dubious about it.

I am waiting until August because I don't have cash to spare - that is when I retire and have a modest lump sum to "invest" in a telescope, among other things. In the meantime, I have joined a local club and will aim to try out as many different combinations as possible. And speaking of limited budgets, has anyone come across Dorr Danubia telescopes? Saw this - Dorr Danubia Sirius 150 Newtonian Reflector Telescope - Best Price at Bristol Cameras - but £280 sounds too good to be true? (And probably is?)

Won't be pulling the trigger until August, so plenty of time to change my mind so many times. Meantime, according to the BAA - "A classic beginners’ telescope is the 150mm f/8 reflector. You can get the Sky-Watcher Explorer-150PL tube [...] and put it on a better mounting than it’s normally sold with. Again, I recommend that you use the EQ-5, then you’re spending [less] in total before adding any motors. This is a much better-value package in terms of what it will show you than the 100ED refractor, but rather less portable. It is as good for planets as the 100ED, and better for deep-sky objects. This is my top recommendation for most beginners: as the late Sir Patrick Moore might have said, it’s a telescope with which you can go a very long way."

65 and 2/3 and just getting started...🤩

I'm now wondering if I had "target fixation" on the SkyMax? I know there's no one size fits all for telescopes, but I do want something that has a fairly wide application and that I won't outgrow, or at least not too quickly. Going solely on new costs, a SkyMax 127 on either an AZ5 or EQ3-2 mount and an upgraded tripod would be about £620-630. But I could get a reflector OTA - 130P-DS, 150P or 150PL - and an EQ5 mount for £535-545. Any of which would be okay-ish for planetary observation and better for DSO's. And with better potential in the future? Oh dear...round and round we go...🤔

Interestingly, I came across this thread - https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/757499-skymax-127-opinions/ - at Cloudy Nights. In particular the last post by BlueTrane2028: “I have an update regarding my personal 127mm Mak. I made a Mak to SCT adapter on my 3D printer and tried it with the 2" SCT diagonal I've been using on my C8. I'm certain that vignetting is there but my eyes weren't offended by it, when using my current lowest and widest eyepiece, a 40mm 68* by Explore. Also looked great with my 20 and 30mm 82* eyepieces. With the 40mm, it fit the Pleiades, and it didn't seem like a waste of time. It. Fit. The. Pleiades. That's a BIG target for a Mak. Suddenly, this telescope is infinitely more useful to me. I paid for a metal version of the adapter immediately, will retire the plastic one when the metal arrives. This is an especially interesting development, as I detect noticeable vignetting with my 82* 30mm in my 8" Dob. Don't know what magic is going on with this Mak, but it can realistically be a go anywhere lightweight go-to scope for me now.” Any opinions on this? All the parts mentioned are available from FLO, and if they make the 127 more of an all-rounder...?

I did a quick search, but could only find a couple of threads about the Open University's OpenLearn courses. They are now offering a free 24 week astronomy course - Astronomy with an online telescope - OpenLearn - Open University - including on-line use of the 17" COAST telescope on Teneriffe. You seem to get an awful lot. I shall definitely be signing up for this!

By the look of it, the downside of the SynScan AZ would seem to be that you can't change out the tripod. But I wouldn't be too worried initially by the payload limit on either that or the AZ5. If I wanted to attach a camera, for instance, at a later date I could sell on the tripod and mount and look out for something like a secondhand EQ35 or EQ5 Pro Go-To mount. But that's for the future. Based on current prices (and hoping they don't go up too much over the next four months) I could stretch to a 127 AZ GOTO and a powertank. This would get me going and I could look at further options at a later date. So that's looking like a favourite. And I have a clothes peg ready and waiting! 😀

I can't believe I totally overlooked the SynScan AZ GOTO mount. Seems to have much of the functionality of the AZ-GTi, an included handset, a sturdier tripod and with a 127MAK less than an AZ5. I'd still have to add a PowerTank, but currently from FLO that would add up to £551, which I could push my budget to. Any thoughts on this mount?

I may get away with an old Kindle Fire, but if not a new tablet is a must - I don't think my existing mobile will be up to it...

Well...got out with a local club last night at a (fairly) dark sky site. Great views after the clouds cleared. Saw imaging of the Orion nebula and viewed the crescent moon through a 102mm Celestron NexStar. And plenty of helpful advice. Need to have a look through a few more telescopes, but I was impressed with the Celestron for what I'm after. Hopefully a 127 would be more of the same. Will certainly be on the lookout for secondhand gear, but also keeping an eye on new prices, in case nothing comes up.

Many thanks for all the replies. I am tempted by the AZ-GTi - currently only £20 more than the AZ5 bundle at FLO, although I'd have to budget for a tablet as well as a power pack? Or maybe I should go for the AZ5 to start with and save for a better mount later? Decisions, decisions...! @ScouseSpaceCadet - what tripods are those. I keep reading that's the weak point on a lot of "budget" mounts.

Malc-c - Yes, I knew it wasn't a MAK, but I was more interested to see that older (and second-hand) telescopes can still be in useable condition. Once I pass the magic 50 posts I'll be all over the classifieds...in the meantime, must...resist...impulse...buys...! 🤐

In my (yet another) "telescope for a new starter" thread - - after much going round in circles, I'm pretty much decided on a SkyMax-127. Various packages are within my budget of around £500, but I'm undecided as to the best mount to get. I'm looking at primarily visual observation of planets. Eventually I might move on/up perhaps to doubles and the brighter DSO's, but possibly trying out some very basic astrophotography, just to get a taster The mounts offered as a package at the moment all have pros and cons - AZ-GTi - Looks like a nice ready to go set-up, but would have to budget for a tablet and battery pack/powertank. The 127 is approaching the mount's maximum payload and appears to be a different spec to the bare OTA. AZ5 - Basic Alt/Az mount. Could perhaps add an AZ-GTi in the future - is this a 3/8"? I think the OTA with this can take a wider range of extras? Can't find the reference for this at the moment. EQ3-2 - Budget Equatorial mount. Could add a RA drive but the tripod might be a bit weak. So additional budget for tripod at some point? The SkyMax/AZ5 combination looks the most straightforward in terms of not needing any extras to start with, but does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks for the info. It's starting to make sense, but I've obviously got a long way to go. And I'll certainly be considering used options as well.

Also, regarding Malc-c's comment - "...and I dare say there will be those with long focal length refractors or MAKs that have used reducers and taken stunning images of DSO's..." - I'm guessing this can be used to produce a shorter focal length? Does this degrade the image at all? Not something I'd be looking at immediately, but this would seem to make the MAK a more flexible choice?

Think I've got my head round that now. So the Skymax 127 is quoted as f/11.8. But apparently has a "virtual" aperture of 118mm, which would make it an f/12.7? Or does it go by the quoted figure? In the meantime, I must try and get some more posts up - I really want to get into the sales section. I was really interested to come across this Youtube article about a 40 year old C5!

After a lot of help, both here and from PM's, I am narrowing down some options. I'd never looked at Maks because I always thought of them as more professional (and expensive) telescopes, but that's obviously not, or no longer the case. A 102 would come very close to my original choice - £249 on an AZ Pronto mount or £449 on an AZ-GTi - while a 127 might be better long term - £495 on an AZ5. I could buy either of the alt/az versions and get an AZ-GTi at a later date, but maximum load might be an issue - workable with the 127/AZ5 but marginal with the 102/AZ Pronto? The other issue is tripods - nearly every review I've come across considered the packaged tripods borderline. I could buy a separate OTA and FLO's steel alt/az mount by pushing the budget a bit. Going to Geoff's list above - Portability - how far do you have to carry it? Weight (you can look up the spec) The above in various combinations are 5.75-12.3kg. Assembly time - this can vary vastly, from carry it outside and start using it, to over half an hour with a complex setup. Grab and go for the alt/az 102 with some cool down, about 30 minutes cool down for the 127. Visual or imaging? If you have a clear idea that's good. For visual, you can avoid equatorial mounts unless you particularly want a manual mount that rotates about one axis, or tracks with an electric motor. An alt-azimuth GoTo will track on both axes. GoTo or manual? GoTo can save you a lot of observing time, once setup, but some people prefer the old-fashioned approach. For both the above, primarily visual, at least to start with. Possibly with an AZ-GTi in the future. Manual or equatorial GoTo? For visual the alt-az GoTo is much less bother to set up, and you can also image with it - you'd be surprised what is possible. You only need an equatorial GoTo for the more challenging long-exposure imaging. Manual, in spite of my original posting. Dobsonian design - vey popular because of low cost and simplicity - but GoTo versions are no longer cheap, and none of the Dobs are well suited for any sort of imaging. Not a Dobsonian, in spite of the advantages. My garden has very high sight lines because of fencing and surrounding buildings. Focal ratio - be aware that different telescope designs have different focal ratios, which have a bearing on what they are best suited for. Hmmmm...there you have me. I understand Maks are generally high(er) focal ratio (or am I confusing focal ratio and focal length?) and better for planetary observation. On the other hand, some reviews have had reasonable results with the 127 on brighter DSO's? Which does push me towards the larger aperture. Starting to think that the 127 AZ5 combo might be the one? PS - Edited to add, I've just seen the SW steel tripod for £129 as well - another option. PPS - An AZ-GTi purchase will also have to budget for a tablet - I don't think my current mobile phone will work with the app?