SteveJR73

I decided that instead of a big chunk of money on something that may not suit me, I am getting something a bit cheaper, but after speaking to a couple of people, I’m fairly sure it is the right choice. I will buy extras for it, such as eyepieces and filters. When I have got to grips with the scope and am fairly confident with it, I may consider upgrading. Below is the link to the scope I chose. 
 

thank you to everyone that commented, your input was valuable and much appreciated. 
 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-skymax-102s-az-pronto.html

7 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

My first 'proper' scope 20 years ago was an 8" reflector, as it happens, on EQ mount.
Since then many scopes have come and gone (well more come than gone😄).
However, there has always been an 8" or similar size reflector in there somewhere.
Provided you don't have a bad back and have to carry the scope down flights of stairs, an 8" dob is a good choice.
Forget about photos until you have got a better feel for what you enjoy seeing. You can easily spend a night chasing an image and actually see nothing.

HTH, David.

I must admit, I’m quickly realising that astrophotography will have to wait. I need to get used to the basics before chasing those “perfect” images. 

6 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

You can't be certain of that until you have bought it and tried using it for a while.  What you can do is to have some defined goals and ensure that what you buy will fulfil them e.g.

Can you carry/transport the thing from the storage place to the observing place?

Will you practically be able to snap anything other than the moon with an unpowered scope/mount?

Will the light pollution at your site prevent you seeing anything faint and fuzzy?

@Cosmic Geoff Thank you for the reply, I’ll be using it in my garden, there is a little light pollution but I live right on the edge of town and my garden faces quite an amount of open countryside, about. 2-3 miles from the next town. At the moment, I want something to view what is currently in the night sky facing SE, Jupiter, Saturn, the moon, Orion etc…I also need it to be able to hold an adaptor for my phone so I can try and capture images. I’ve seen an adaptor that somebody in the previous reply sent a link to. I just need recommendations of a scope that may be suitable for a beginner with those requirements. 

6 minutes ago, RT65CB-SWL said:

Hi @SteveJR73 and welcome to SGL. 

Question: What do you mainly like to observe/view? - The reason I ask is, that no ‘scope does everything. One of the most popular ‘scopes is an 8inch/200mm Dobsonian. Apart from collimating the mirrors from time to time, there is very little maintenance. Just place it on a level surface and you are practically good to go. If you have not seen or read this already, then I would have a look here... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html

If like me and you enjoy the Moon or planets, then a catadioptric [i.e. Maksutov or SCT]. They have a few downsides and can be more expensive. 

With regard to smartphone imaging, then I would recommend this... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/celestron-nexyz-3-axis-universal-smartphone-adapter.html or this one... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/celestron-nexyz-dx-3-axis-universal-smartphone-adapter-kit-81057.html

 

7 minutes ago, RT65CB-SWL said:

Hi @SteveJR73 and welcome to SGL. 

Question: What do you mainly like to observe/view? - The reason I ask is, that no ‘scope does everything. One of the most popular ‘scopes is an 8inch/200mm Dobsonian. Apart from collimating the mirrors from time to time, there is very little maintenance. Just place it on a level surface and you are practically good to go. If you have not seen or read this already, then I would have a look here... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html

If like me and you enjoy the Moon or planets, then a catadioptric [i.e. Maksutov or SCT]. They have a few downsides and can be more expensive. 

With regard to smartphone imaging, then I would recommend this... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/celestron-nexyz-3-axis-universal-smartphone-adapter.html or this one... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/celestron-nexyz-dx-3-axis-universal-smartphone-adapter-kit-81057.html

 

7 minutes ago, RT65CB-SWL said:

Hi @SteveJR73 and welcome to SGL. 

Question: What do you mainly like to observe/view? - The reason I ask is, that no ‘scope does everything. One of the most popular ‘scopes is an 8inch/200mm Dobsonian. Apart from collimating the mirrors from time to time, there is very little maintenance. Just place it on a level surface and you are practically good to go. If you have not seen or read this already, then I would have a look here... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html

If like me and you enjoy the Moon or planets, then a catadioptric [i.e. Maksutov or SCT]. They have a few downsides and can be more expensive. 

With regard to smartphone imaging, then I would recommend this... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/celestron-nexyz-3-axis-universal-smartphone-adapter.html or this one... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/celestron-nexyz-dx-3-axis-universal-smartphone-adapter-kit-81057.html

 

Thank you for your reply @RT65CB-SWL, I love to observe, the moon, planets….anything I can see basically. The amount of equipment out there is staggering, and I need to be certain that what I get is going to be right for me and also within my budget. 

Apart from looking through my brothers telescope 35-40 years ago, I have no experience with telescopes. I spend quite a bit of time observing the night sky but now, I want to see with more detail. At the moment, I get a good view of Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, Orion, weather permitting of course,  but I want to see closer and deeper. 
 

I have a budget of £500gbp to £750gbp, I want something that I can attach my mobile phone to, to get photographs. I don’t need anything that tracks objects as I’m sure that adds to the cost, I can find things with an app I use. 
 

there are so many choices out there it’s confusing. I’d love advice on a good set up based on my needs set out earlier. Any help is greatly appreciated.