Lampertron

Hi Scitmon, Thanks for your quick reply. I sort of guessed money pit bit looking at some of the things that are available. All things being considered, and keeping in mind my hard budget of around £600, what will allow me to get reasonable results and help me build confidence before stepping up to spending the sort of money for the EvoStar 80? Mike

Hi Everyone! Great forum and very help, but the gear lust is almost overwhelming! I and looking for a first time telescope and have about £600 to spend. This is going to be a new hobby so ideally I would like something that would allow me to observe and photograph the planets and the if possible some DSOs like the M41 and the Crab. My DSLR is a Cannon 5DMK3, which I am wondering might be a too heavy for this at 800g, but I could/would consider buying a dedicated camera a little later when I am more confident. So in summary, what would you suggest as a good starting scope and mount, but also has the ability to grow with, so that I don't feel I have to replace or upgrade immediately. Having looked on First Light Optics, I have seen the following.... Sky-Watcher Explorer 150PL EQ3 PRO GOTO https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150pl-eq-3-pro-goto.html Sky-Watcher Explorer 150P-DS EQ3 PRO GOTO https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-ds-eq3-2-eq3-pro-goto.html Celestron NexStar 4SE https://www.firstlightoptics.com/se-series/celestron-nexstar-4se.html Celestron 22096 NexStar 102 SLT Computerised Telescope https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-22096-NexStar-Computerised-Telescope/dp/B0007UQNN6 Celestron Nexstar 5 SLT https://www.firstlightoptics.com/slt-series/celestron-nexstar-5-slt.html What would you suggest based on these choices? Thank you in advance