cajen2

Yes, it was a phone booking.

Really? They didn't mention it when I booked...

Now booked: pitch 5. Come and say hello! Clive

Personally, I prefer the one with the stars, but there again, I always do!

I'll be there (though not booked yet).

The Nagler image is nothing to write home about for the price of the EP.....

Interesting, though it has to be said that SaN magazine is not the most critical of reviewers.. I've heard that EOF aberrations are rather pronounced at focal ratios shorter than about F/7, though I've never used one myself.

All true but surely it behoves all of us to find out a basic minimum of information before shelling out the well-earned.... I remember taking months of researching before starting up a reef aquarium (mind you, that's a hobby which is even more expensive than astronomy!).

If you don't mind a little trek up to Yate (I don't know whereabouts in N. Somerset you are), you'd very welcome to try any or all of mine. I don't know if you're going to Astrocamp but I'll be there too with my EP case!

Welcome. How did you manage to get banned from Astromart? Your link is 'unavailable'.

I have the 6.5, 9, 12.5 and 17.5mm Morphs. They are far and away the best EPs I've ever bought, so like several others, I've stopped lusting after more expensive alternatives. The various TV ranges disqualify themselves for me because of either price, FOV or eye relief problems. I find the Morphs completely 'transparent' 😆 in the sense that they don't hinder my eye in any way and have no discernable aberrations. I also own a couple of Pentax XWs (5 and 14mm) and while they're very good, the Morphs have an x factor I can't explain. I also have the Celestron Ultima Edge 30mm, which is just as good. So I've gone from an inveterate EP purchaser to zero buys of late.

Hi Paul and a warm welcome to SGL. Yes, any queries, just ask. We have a motto here: there's no such thing as a stupid question. 😛

And no doubt a reasonable price because it doesn't have the word "astro" in its name! 😛

As I said, the 114p Virtuoso is right at the top of his budget (£259) and is a tracking mount.

Ah, ok. Cheers.

It depends whether you want to stick to your budget or push it.....certainly the Virtuoso 114p is a capable little scope with a proper parabolic mirror. The mount will give you tracking and you can upgrade it later to full go-to by getting a hand controller for it. And only £9 over budget.... Don't forget to have a little bit aside to upgrade the eyepieces - that'll make a huge difference to the views.

I have the Baader CB, bought when my main scope was an 8" dob, obviously not for CA but because I'd heard it was good on planets, particularly Jupiter and Mars. It turned out to make a difference, if only a subtle one: slightly more detail was there. I'm looking forward to trying it on Jupiter through my Starfield 102ED (all I need is a night of clear skies!). Again, not to reduce CA as I've never detected any through the SF, but to see if it has the same subtle improvement.

Never had the SW but I thoroughly recommend the SL. Has all the accessories you need and that az bearing is a beaut.

Very wise. It takes time to reach good conclusions.

Very wise. It takes time to reach good conclusions.

I use Nice. I use a chimenea cover for the same thing - better specced than most astronomy covers and a fraction of the price!

Excellent.

It's the standard az bearing for the StellaLyra dob range. I had the 8" dob and I loved the bearing. If possible, have a knob to alter stiction or lock it.

Identical to @bosun21. Same 102 scope, same WO 2" dialectric diagonal, same Baader Clicklock 2-1.25". All great. Who is copying whom (or if it's just an amazing coincidence), I have no idea! 😉

As above, it all depends on what you want from your scope. I've had an 8" dobsonian and it was excellent but not exactly easily portable. If you have health/mobility issues or small storage space or lots of stairs to negotiate, avoid a dob, but if not, it'll get you excellent views for your money. You also want tracking, so a reflector on a tripod or an EQ platform would be needed. If you like the option of a 127 Mak, consider the Bresser version: I'm told it's excellent or perhaps a 150 Mak.