Stu1smartcookie

All about timing though isnt it ?... @Franklin

its a bit oif a mare as i saw a couple of those mounts come up recently , ce la vie ...

Thanks guys , really good advice on here,  as always ... although not what i wanted to read lol ... might have to rethink my whole strategy here which won't please the seller of the scope  . I have a budget ( like most ) to work with and the scope and mounts suggested put me over that line . Got to be practical and realistic . 

Hi Vlaiv ... i really dont want another EQ mount if i can help it , i prefer the simplicity of Alt-Az for viewing . Its a bit of a void isnt it , not too many options for just putting a scope on a manual mount .

Hi 

I am about to buy a long 100mm refractor, F11,  which i will use on a manual mount . I have two choices in mind , an AZ5 or an AZ4 . 

I have to say that i already have a steel tripod ,3/8" Skywatcher , so the AZ5 mount head will be placed on this ,giving extra stability ( apparently with this tripod the AZ5 can accept upto 9kgs ..,the scope i am getting is around 4kgs )

Or i can buy the AZ4 with steel/aluminium tripod ( with the included steel tripod the mount can take up to 8kgs ) 

The only other  differences i see are that the AZ4 has no slow motion controls , but has useful degree markings on the mount head . oh and i can alter the fitment angle on the AZ5 to help with longer scopes 

So , i am leaning towards an AZ5 , but does anyone else know of any other reason one way or the other . 

Please note that i am set on either of these two mounts .

Stu

12 minutes ago, Steve Clay said:

Az 5 is 3/8 photo thread eq5 is M10. You would need the 3/8 version of the tripod

or an eq5 adapter that fits onto the EQ5 tripod basically covering the Pin 

Agree with above comments ... but , to answer your question about the recessed head of the mount , i bought a long 3/8" threaded bolt and it worked fine ( bolt was sawn down to a usable size ) i then was able to attach a weight to the bolt which gives added stability . It might help you until you get a stronger tripod 

Welcome to SGL , John . Don't forget to point that scope at our moon    its a brilliant watch through a scope . 

5 hours ago, Louis D said:

I bought an ST80 back in 2000 when they first came out.  After having used 8" and 15" Dobs for a few years before it, it was a huge let down.  All sorts of chromatic and spherical aberrations vastly limited contrast and ability to magnify the image.  It didn't even make a decent spotting scope.  Everything looked hazy.  It has sat at the bottom back of the closet unused for the majority of the past 20 years.

13 years later, I thought I'd give small fracs a second try with a 72ED and fell in love with it.  Sharp and color free at low to mid powers, high contrast, and the ability to use 2" eyepieces to get down to binocular level fields of view.  It's a great scope to complement a larger reflector.  However, I would never get a small frac of any quality level first.  Views of planets, planetary nebula, and globular clusters are just so lacking in resolution compared to a decently sized reflector.  The small frac excels at large open clusters and large nebula under dark skies that are out of reach of most large reflectors.  However, are they alone enough to keep a beginner interested?  Yes, you can make out Jupiter's moons and possibly some banding along with Saturn's rings, but not much more.

You can also view the moon and the sun (with a solar filter) fairly well with a small frac.  However, picking out Mercury during the most recent transit was a real challenge with the ST80 compared to the 8" Dob.  I couldn't get off work that day, so I had to bring a scope to work and use it in the parking lot on breaks.  I wasn't comfortable bringing my better gear to work because I work near a high crime area, so the ST80 was my choice for the day since it was stowed in the car between uses.

Basically, I skew heavily toward decently sized reflectors for beginners because they're more likely to keep them hooked on the hobby, but YMMV.

Agree with the ST80 ... to a point .. but , as you said you were using 8" and 15" dobs before it ... Quelle Surprise ?  I also have a 72ED and i find the views of the planets more than good , when using the right magnification . 

But 

I find the whole "getting into astronomy "a confused mess , i will tell you why . Experienced people quite rightly have their own views that are sort after by complete beginners , nothing wrong with that . But the Scope suppliers aim certain scopes at beginners . Most beginners scopes tend to be at the cheaper end of the scale and , lets face it , there are some real dogs out there! i had the misfortune to briefly use a few . Not only were they cheaply constructed , the actual quality of image was poor . If those scopes are intended to enthuse beginners and draw them into the hobby , it won't work ! 

To be honest , Ed Ting has it right ... he ALWAYS suggests either a 150mm or a 200mm Dob as a great starter scope ... and as most of us have found , those scopes tend to stick around under our ownership or get bought again and again ( in my case ) as i realise they truly are scopes for everyone ( unless you live on the 8th floor of an apartment block) 

So , i , on refelection ( no pun intended ) would go along with your reflector selection . 

Now , i wonder what dobs are in stock ... i can see another dent in that credit card coming

Good  selection from Louis , just to add as you mentioned planets a  little 102 Mak  would be lightweight and show good views ( although tbh i would go with the heritage as it offer a bit of everything and of course comes with a mount ) 

5 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Just so long as they don’t open a McDonalds on Mars someday. 🤬🤬🤬

Other Fast Food outlets are available !  ... although catching cows on mars as they take advantage of minimal gravity would make burgers more expensive ... come to think of it god only knows what they would graze on up there . 

49 minutes ago, DaveS said:

And remember, not so long ago emigrating to the antipodes was pretty much regarded as a one-way trip

Agree ... what was an impossible trip or reverse trip is now regarded as normal .. ( regarding other long haul destinations ) . Human nature to explore and create and , yes , to destroy makes the impossible , possible . Only the restraints of finance make things seem unlikely where solar system travel is concerned ... oh and cleaning up the space junk that is circling the planet like a galactic waste paper bin . Maybe we can organise a waste collection , ... every other week of course ! 

14 minutes ago, Ags said:

We don't need megawatt mobile phones,

We don't need powerful cars or balistic missiles or bananas or telescopes that are shipped half way round the world ! 

Its a bit rich commenting on what we don't need when , without " what we don't need" ie space telescopes and rockets that have actually enhanced technology in development of science and life saving tech in hospitals . i'm sorry but this "clean energy " thing is a complete non starter imo . The wind "didn't blow enough" in the UK last month .. we would all have been in a blackout if we were reliant on wind .  

Sorry , on my soap box ... honestly nothing personal  

Actually the more I look at it the more I like it 

8 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Stu, is that predictive text for stable , or will Mrs smartcookie need to be worried ? 🙂

Heather

Lol What a flirt I am lol , just edited ... Heather

9 hours ago, going-supernova said:

Using a tripod is the setup I have settled on (I had a tripod already for my camera).  I find it gives me the ideal height and portability 

Reckon that looks good... Tell me is it nice and stable on that tripod?

A lovely surprise  delivered today instead of Monday , thank you @Dean Hale

Unfortunately Dean you forgot to take the clouds out of the box 🤣

Just now, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

however those cheaper units like BSTs don't spoil the observing experience at all.

just seen an 8mm up for sale . I have just purchased an EP from another SGL member ( Baader 17mm ) so when it arrives i expect to hide my sub par poor EPs in a drawer lol

wow ... yep , just like here lol 

6 minutes ago, Louis D said:

However, I still love driving the G8 on evenings and weekends on good roads,

Louis i can see you have no idea about the poor state of UK roads lol 🤣

22 minutes ago, Louis D said:

It's a matter of ignorance is bliss.  I literally had no idea what I was missing in clarity of view with poorly corrected eyepieces until I looked through premium eyepieces at star parties.  Same thing with coma correctors and field flatteners.  Once you've identified what eyepiece (and optical chain) flaws look like, you can't unsee them.

It's similar to cars.  Until you've driven a high performance sedan or sports car, you really have no idea what you're missing driving an econobox.  That visceral experience is intoxicating and addictive, just like viewing through high end eyepieces and telescopes.

hmmm not sure i like the analogy with cars ... my last 5 have been 3 x BMW and 2X Nissan ... i think the nissans take it for comfort 🤣

1 hour ago, Ricochet said:

If it is still available there is a 24mm ES68 going for all of £60 on ABS. Not quite a 24 Panoptic, but most of the difference is in the size and weight of the eyepiece rather than the optical quality. 

Thank you , i will take a look . 

38 minutes ago, Louis D said:

My son just graduated college (with a minor in Russian no less) and furnished his new apartment in San Antonio entirely from Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for under $500.  It's all vintage to antique stuff, so very well built.  He just borrowed my Chevy Astro van for 2 months to haul everything.  Hopefully, Russia has similar places for classifieds.  With the money saved, you might be able to afford some nicer eyepieces.

Louis ... lol... we will have an architect from St Petersburg for starters ...in Russia you just buy the floor space and design the interior right down to the size of each room so every flat can be different . The way i'm going we will just live in the floor space 🤣 ... but at least i will have my scopes there .

24 minutes ago, HiveIndustries said:

You can, you just don't know you can. It's almost like coffee tasting, you really need to taste them side by side to understand when you're new. If you had a cheap Plossl and a nice say TV Ethos and someone pointing out what you're seeing and why you'd definitely at least see the difference and can discern if it matters to you. I'm a super newb and any authority I speak from only comes from recent past 6-12 month personal experience.

At least for me it's a very personal opinion. I don't mind having a cheap 1.25" 40mm Plossl on my scope and have a much nicer 17mm and 26mm with quality barlow because that's where I spend my time really observing. I'll get a nicer, wider EP some day off in the future (after a 13mm, though!). Someone else might really want that Nagler 31mm on the same scope because they value a more wider view for what they're doing.

 

Hey ... lol ... i've got a new flat in Russia to design and furnish !!!! if i spend spend spend on expensive EP's i will be living in the box my next scope is delivered in ! 🤣

31 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

My first decent eyepiece was a TV Panoptic 24.

 

It’s expensive. But when researching it was an eyepiece that kept cropping up as a staple in many peoples collections. It has been proven over time as a consistently useful and high performing eyepiece that hits just the right balance between AFOV, TFOV, size and weight, and it’s built to last a lifetime.

 

Might be outside your budget but they come up used for a reasonable sum, and you are pretty much guaranteed that you’ll find it useful and keep using it. 

Yep a little bit more than i am willing to pay , but ,of course quality costs ... not sure my older eyes can discern minute details that lend themselves to top of the range EP's though .

Firstly , What a great gift you will be giving , whatever scope your sister receives will make her happy i am sure . I was  definitely in the 100mm refractor camp on this one as travel is the key here . 

BUT 

Of course aperture is king when it comes to scopes but , reality has to play a big part in what we buy and more importantly what we use and how often its used  . A refractor will be a really fast set up, and easy to transport ... of course an 8" Dob would be more beneficial under a dark sky ( think about all that lovely aperture  ). The choice will come down to practicality . The dob would require collimation each time its moved in the car to site . ( but to be honest that is  not a problemas it takes only 2 minutes, but factor in a collimation tool to the price ).