Stu1smartcookie

The one i'm looking at is from another forum member so , yep , you are right . A 2" focuser is paramount as far as i'm concerned .

Vlaiv many thanks for that detailed post ... its clear that scopes like this still have a place , If i'm honest i actually like the look of the scope ... its impressive and neat ... whether it beats my omni xlt 127 on views its another matter . The shorter wide field scopes are attractive to me also , because of that wider field of view ... but , i am still looking at the evostar and thinking .... maybe ... whether Mrs Stu sees it that way is another matter lol One thing you mentioned was the use of wide EP's ... the widest i have is still only 25mm . I've read time and time that good quality EP's are so important ( i suppose its a no brainer ) but its something that i have neglected !! As for the photography side of things ... i use a driven CG4 ( stainless steel tripod) which is very stable ... I took an image of M45 the other night with the XLT 127 and a canon 100d .. i was really surprised how good it was , especially as M45 was only just clearing our roof . At least with the evostar , looking at your FOV picture i could get targets fully into view . I don't know ... its all a bit of a minefield ... lol . Great isnt't it

Yes i've heard of quality issues with SW ... but they are good generally . I (along with others) had an issue with the dedicated SW flattener which was well documented . Looking at the bresser again ... its almost £ 100 more than the SW ! ... got to sort out my book of excuses to my long suffering wife as to why i NEED this ... er , NOW ...lol

The bresser is in stock at one of the suppliers but its a lot more expensive than the SW ... have to say though , the quality of bresser is generally better than SW ( disclaimer = IMO). An ED is the way to go for imaging ... ive owned WO scopes that are superb . The little sw 72ed is not bad , but i am more visual than imaging and would prefer the additional apperture .

Thanks for the answer ... i have to say i was expecting it to be quite similar , hence the post in the first place . I like the look of the Bresser 120/635 and the startravel 120T ... good aperture for a refractor . It seems i am destined along that path . I want a refractor rather than a reflector for portability .

Hi , I am seriously looking at buying an Evostar 102 f10 refractor ... the thing is ... i don't know why ? let me explain . I currently only own one scope ... a fairly small SCT (127mm ) which i absolutely love and gives great albeit quite small views of the planets and moon .. and works quite well for photography of the brighter stuff in the sky . So , what would i gain with this 102mm ? Will i be able to see more Deep sky stuff ? I presume it may have a wider field of view than the SCT but by how much ? Will the Views of the planets be sharper ? Will CA be a problem , ( i know its an issue with shorter achromats) What i dont want to do is buy a scope and then realise iv'e bought something too similar to what i already have (viewing wise) . Of course the refractor will have an advantage of being ready to use a lot quicker than my SCT regarding cooling down , so thats one plus point ! Also , There must be a market out there for these scopes ... but people tend to go for the more expensive Apochromats now .. Has the Achromat had its day ? ... personally i hope not Any thoughts would be most welcome . Stu

Hi Joe ... the 6 or 8 will give you better views for sure than the 4 . Although they are generally considered still to be planetary and luna scopes ( the 8 is more of an all rounder due to its size) . Are you sold just on imaging and viewing planets ? i only ask because a decent size reflector could be an option on an EQ mount ( which would really need to be driven for imaging ) The advantages would be a distinctly shorter cool down time and a scope that really will deliver on both planets and DSO's . I am looking at a nextstar 100mm .. i love Maks and SCT's and their compactness makes them so portable . Do you view from your garden or do you need to travel to a site to use the scope ? If you have to travel then the 6 or 8se are good choices . I think Amazon are doing a deal where you can buy the 6se and pay interest free over 5 months ! As Fifesskies mentioned , scopes are in short supply at present . Stu

And the rest of us too! What fascinates me , and what i was talking to non astronomers at work about today , is the sheer vastness of equipment , and the fact that someone with the least expensive set up can participate visually in our wonderful hobby , on equal terms with someone who has the biggest scope and best eye pieces . A good pair of binoculars indeed our own eyes used at a dark site will be more satisfying viewing than a large scope in a heavy light polluted garden . There are no real rights and wrongs . Yes there are scopes that cater for various aspects of astronomy better than others but at the end of the day , as long as you are looking up , you are participating in what is the most fascinating hobby in our world , er and out of this world , if you get my drift .

Fair point about the amount you can "see" through imaging , but , there is still loads to see in the sky with your eyes through a telescope and not a camera . Of course a lot of people are put off imaging because of the processing and the higher cost of a decent imaging rig . There is a place for both in astronomy ... maybe the OP might go down that route in the future but learning the night sky and learning to see objects in it is priceless imo .

yes you are right ... i should have said from my own experience of storing the scope indoors .

Hmmm ... 30mins to an hour maybe ... but it really depends on a lot of factors . I had two consecutive nights where my SCT had no problems on the first night but the second night was a pain as it dewed up a few times . A dew shield is a must , a heated shield is probably better although i've never used one. ( i store my scope indoors so there is always going to be a longer cool down time . I sometimes wonder why there isn't a retractable dew shield on these scopes in the first place , but i'm sure someone will tell me . A 150mm reflector is a good size and will show crisp images ( as long as its well collimated ) . Check out DIY Astro on YouTube ... he has tested a table top 150mm Dob . DSO's will be grey smudges but the thrill is seeing those smudges with your own eyes ! .. I'm afraid you will need a really large scope to see any colour ..ie a large Dobsonian . A refractor is a great scope for a quick set up . You can pay an awful lot of money for a really top refractor ( ED glass etc) or you can go down the achromat route and forgive the obvious false colour that you will inevitably see surrounding the brighter objects ie bright planets and the moon . Whatever you choose you will be happy . But i admit its all a bit of a minefield ... i reckon i have bought and tried 20 scopes and i still don't know what is best for me ( don't tell the wife)!!, the thing is , its a hobby that lasts a lifetime ... even when its cloudy outside there are books to read and YouTube Vlogs to watch . And of course there is SGL

Was watching a YouTube vid last night from Astronomy & Nature (who used to have their business about 100 yards from where i work ) . He had about a dozen of the mounts , without the tubes . Its reminding me of Only Fools And Horses when Del buys the Russian VCR's ... ( which were seemingly built for tank warfare ..." no bits of plastic to fall off ") lol The video was a few years ago , sadly , so i doubt he has any spare parts for the mounts .

Hi Mark , I have a dual mains socket outside ... not sure if the motor even works ,as the scope has been standing idle for some time .. Hopefully going to view it at the weekend

Why are they so “cheap “ they are made to such a high standard so I am surprised they don’t command higher prices .

Seems to be an enthusiasts scope for sure .. because of its focal length I’m assuming it’s best for planetary and lunar ... but hopefully good enough for some deep sky stuff .

The more I read the more I am interested in this scope . In no way am I confident enough to overhaul the mount or scope and to be honest it may not be in the best condition although I suspect it’s been well looked after , but the fact that it’s such a robust scope with great history is enough to make me at least give it a go.

Yea I also read that the collimation holds very well on these scopes .. you know I was actually looking for a portable GOTO mount before I saw this !!!! Crazy how this hobby consumes us and makes us do irrational things . For £80 .. as long as it’s still for sale , I can’t go far wrong .

Thanks Peter and Dave for the replies .. I am on YouTube lol , looking at Tal stuff .. there are a couple of Russian videos but that’s ok ( my wife is Russian ) looking at the photo it all seems complete .. one thing I did read was that it plugs directly into the mains .. Ie AC .. not that it’s a problem as I would be using it from the garden .. much too heavy to move the mount any distance .. I will upload a couple of photos

I am going through a " what can i buy that is out of the ordinary " phase ( which seems to happen far too frequently for my long suffering wife's liking ! I have come across a Russian made Tal 2M ... i say its a Tal 2M , the seller said it was 1200 long and has a 6" mirror , but i can only go on the one photo which was displayed on the listing . I remember watching a VLog from " Astro Biscuit" who was very keen to acquire one of these scopes as they are built like a tank and , although i think they have a spherical mirror, produce tack sharp views . Astro Biscuit bought the wrong scope ( the short tube version ) but i wonder if anyone else on here has any knowledge of these scopes . The mount looks a complete beast ! I am going to view the scope at the weekend .. but any tips on what to look out for in this model would be much appreciated . By the way , the price is ... £80 !!! which i think is amazing ... but i am prepared to be shot down in flames if others disagree Any thoughts on this , most welcome .

Hi Phil ... I have had 3 Az-GTi mounts and 2 of them have been superb , the other one had problems and i was able to return it . Its a mount that can be set up in next to no time and has a payload of 5kgs . Also you may want to look into the 150i Newtonian , on the star discovery mount . It uses the same app as the AZ-GTi . With that scope you would also bypass the issue of collimation , due to the fact that the primary mirror is "fixed " in place . With a 150mm Mirror you will be able to see an awful lot and will be more of an all rounder than the admittedly superb 127 Mak . Just a note of caution , I have a 127 celestron SCT , and on damp nights the plate gets very misty , so , if you are going down the Mak route , invest in a dew shield .

I "second " Johns post regarding the Bresser scopes ... they , in my experience are a cut above the skywatcher ones ... i briefly used a breser 127/L . A really nice scope .

Great , this was a good read ... the 127 Mak is indeed a great scope ... i have an Omni 127 xlt (SCT) and it gives brilliant views . These small scopes are so versatile and can be set up so quickly .

This is a great time to be into astronomy, don’t you think ?

So , tonight I got to use my new motor drives on the CG4 mount with my little Omni XLT 127 .. my target was Mars . I’ve never had any real success in viewing the planet let alone imaging it . I used a QHY colour camera , but I noticed that the image came out without colour , not great for a planet with so much colour . Anyway I edited the photo and the colour was there , just had to bring it out a little . For me this was a mini triumph .. just wanted to share it with you .

I am particularly heartened to read that ! It gives me hope that i actually can achieve a 6 scope haul lol