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Thanks for the replies. It's actually a tripod from a throw-away jessops (arghh) scope that I had from years ago. The scope of course is rubbish but the tripod is surprisingly solid (much better stability than an eq2 tripod but that's not saying much). I think the redsnapper mount will do the trick. Thanks again.

I have a spare tripod that used to belong to a telescope mount system. Is there a way to turn this tripod into a plain camera mount by somehow using an adapter? At the moment the tripod just has a large hole at the top where the telescope mount is attached via the usual large bolt. Is there an adapter that I can affix to that bolt that will convert it to a small bolt of the size that will thread into the much smaller hole at the base of a DSLR camera? Thanks for any suggestions.

I've done quite a lot of research on the bigger dobsonians, and it appears none of them have recessed castors or other systems to make transport easy. I also wonder why the bigger scopes still have what looks like cheap wood chip bases with even cheaper melamine veneer. Are there any made with sturdier but light aluminium or stronger material bases?

I get back pain (a lot) when stooping. I've got my refractor and reflector set up so I either sit down or am able to twist the tube to cut down on awkward positions. I did try a couple of dobs at a recent star party and they were very very good. One had a finder that was angled like the eyepiece and that helped a lot when searching.

Excellent simile and imagary!

Thanks to you Steve, I'm a cusp away from ordering the Ringed Orion Short Tube at that German price, but....I wonder whether the longer FL one without the rings is a better scope for all round watching. Ah...decisions decisions....then again...that 8 incher looks rather attractive too.......resist, resist!!

Yes we can't keep crossing like this. Thanks for that link. I'll investigate the German one and yes a much better price. Thanks!

Post crossed again !! I think the grey/black Orion one looks nicer, and I believe their bases/mounts are textured and a bit stonger as against the SW wood chip and melamine mount.

Oops not quite right. The classic Orion 6 inch is long and without rings. It's the shorter one that does have rings.

Orion US Star Blaster 6 inch with rings (both long and short FL versions) are £309 here http://www.scsastro.co.uk/catalogue/orion-skyquest-xt6-classic.htm The Skywatcher 6 inch Dob, sold more commonly in the UK and with out rings is much less: £210 here: http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-sky-watcher-skyliner-150-dobsonian-telescope/p10564 So the US Orion version is much more expensive, and they are both the "classic 150p" scopes. There might be some variation at other shops but I can't find the Orion for less than £299.

Steve, my last message just crossed with your new one! Yes I understand all that. I actually like the US Orion scopes (especially the solid tube ones rather than the flextube SW ones), as the construction looks very robust. I don't know whether they are similar optically though. I also mentioned the UK Orion's addon rings but they are very expensive and I'd probably swallow the US Orion's package price instead, though I'm inclined to get a cheap and cheerful small Dob for now just to see if I can cope with all that "pushing and shoving!"

Yes Steve I'm aware that Orion UK is different from Orion US. I was referring to Orion US dobsonians called Star Blasters. We also discussed the UK Orion's addon mounts and rings which fit any dobsonian scopes from 150mm up to around 400mm. The US Orion's Star Blaster 6 comes with rings already attached and the mount afixed to the rings, so you can rotate that scope to get a more comfortable angle of viewing, whereas most other makes of Dobs (whether UK or US supplied) generally come with a fixed eyepiece position because the tube cannot be rotated.

....An Orion Star Blast Dobsonian costs around $299 in the US which is roughly £190. The cheapest price in the UK I can find is £299 which is $470 !!! That's a difference of £110 or $170. Allowing for the sales tax difference (5% US and 20% UK) there is still a big margin. As always, UK prices are routinely higher for almost everything than US equivalents, and it cannot be explained by "import duties" or just tax since it is a global market. In the case of astro accessories the UK market is scandalously over-priced, but enthusiasts don't seem to mind forking out ridiculous amounts for a tiny little bit of plastic (T ring for example).

Yup, that's the kind of thing. But of course these very simple bits of hard plastic and mounts are outrageously overpriced and add between £165 and a whopping £500+ to the cost of the scope, and they do not supply rings/mounts for smaller dobs. The (US not UK) Orion shops and associated suppliers here do sell smaller Dobs with rings already attached - example: http://www.scsastro.co.uk/catalogue/orion-starblast-6-telescope.htm But they are at a huge premium over equivalent sized Dobs from Skywatcher, though in this case it is probably not the rings themselves that add to the price but Orion (US) scopes being generally more expensive for reasons stated in my first post.

Thanks for that. I'll investigate for object or dirt on the lens. Odd that it looks like a perfect, in focus, bubble though.