GrahamCJ

On 05/07/2020 at 17:00, jonathan said:

My advice, regardless of what scope you go for, is to look at the tripod and mount it sits on (unless you go for a dobsonian, that is mostly a visual-only instrument though).  The tripod legs need to be substantial to avoid vibrations, I think in your budget you should be able to find a setup that includes 1.75" tubular steel legs, I can't recommend anything that comes with light-weight square section aluminium legs as they are just not as rigid in my experience.  Bundles usually place a scope on a mount and tripod that is almost at it's carrying capacity for that particular scope, so check the weight of the OTA (Optical Tube Assembly, the scope itself - might need to look at the product specifications without the mount) vs the maximum carrying weight of the mount.  You could mix and match your own mount + OTA to ensure you get something that will be solid and less affected by vibration, this is particularly important for imaging.

As an example, a 150 / 6" reflector should sit quite happily on an EQ3-2 mount with a 1.75" tubular steel legged tripod (Celestron CG-4, if you can find one) for visual use, likewise a 6" SCT should have no trouble at all; there is now a Pro GOTO version of the EQ3-2, however things get more demanding for astrophotography as you'll likely want the HEQ5 Pro once you start adding a camera and wanting finer gearing for precise guiding and needing a steadier mount, all of which eats into a large part of your budget.

You might want to consider starting with a less demanding visual-optimised setup to start with and then look at a more dedicated mount (such as the popular HEQ5 Pro) for astrophotography use later.

Many thanks Jonathan, I am looking around for a good mount in my budget at least then I cam add a suitable OTA later if needed.  G

Excellent advice, I will check it out, thanks for taking the time to reply, all help is much appreciated!

On 04/07/2020 at 09:29, GrahamCJ said:

Good morning and hi to all. I have just joined the site as I have been browsing and was impressed with the guidance of so many on here.  However, I am now more confused than I was a few days ago!  I have abirthday coming up and have between £700 and £900 to spend, definitely no more.  I am looking to get set up with a telescope and extra lenses etc.  I have been using a pair of Celestron binos and have enjoyed that.  I would now like a GOTO telescope.  So far been recommended a Celestron SE6 or Skywatcher skymax 127 az gti wifi.  I am swaying to the skywatcher but have not got a clue about better lenses for the 10mm or anything else really.  Should I go with the skywatcher or consider anything else altogether? Quite fancy moving to astrophotography in the future perhaps with a zwo camera but that will be the future.  Anyone help with guidance for the telescope and starter equipment please? I have a few books etc but as said, I am overwhelmed at the min!

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Excellent thank you NF

Qualia, I only joined today and was looking for advice on what equipment to buy.  Then I ‘bumped’ into this! What an excellent article, it really hit home, I was not sure what to expect from a telescope as I have binos at the min, this has really made me think about being realistic with my expectations! Thank you so much for this!  
still have no clie about what to buy but now realistic as to what it will bring me! Thanks Graham

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer! Much appreciated!  So much to find out!

Good morning and hi to all. I have just joined the site as I have been browsing and was impressed with the guidance of so many on here.  However, I am now more confused than I was a few days ago!  I have abirthday coming up and have between £700 and £900 to spend, definitely no more.  I am looking to get set up with a telescope and extra lenses etc.  I have been using a pair of Celestron binos and have enjoyed that.  I would now like a GOTO telescope.  So far been recommended a Celestron SE6 or Skywatcher skymax 127 az gti wifi.  I am swaying to the skywatcher but have not got a clue about better lenses for the 10mm or anything else really.  Should I go with the skywatcher or consider anything else altogether? Quite fancy moving to astrophotography in the future perhaps with a zwo camera but that will be the future.  Anyone help with guidance for the telescope and starter equipment please? I have a few books etc but as said, I am overwhelmed at the min! Also should mention i do wear specs and getting wrong side of 60 fast! I know that eye relief is a consideration.  Would a 2” eyepiece help?