Down to 2 options!

[Jandy100]

Following advise from members here, taking my time (bearing in mind how light the nights are), and visiting my local Astronomical society (of which I am now a proud member), I am now very close to making my purchase of my first telescope.

I have learnt that Astronmy as a hobby is more gratifying to learn the night skies than opting for the Go To Technology available and eating into my £500 budget, and that the mount is equally as important as the scope.

After many weeks of studying trying out various scopes through the AS, and listening to advise given I am now down to two which I believe ticks all the boxes for a novice like myself.

The final 2 are the Celestron Omni XLT 127 SCT Reflector Telescope & the Sky-Watcher Skymax-127 (EQ3-2) Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope.

I would interested on members thoughts, comments or advice these 2 options?

Thanks for your time.

Andy

[Revs]

I can tell you I was very happy with my 127 Mak and I would say it would be the safer bet. I can't speak for the 127 SCT specifically, but I think it's fair the say Mak optics in general have more consistent quality. I read a lot about SCT's varying quality.

Prolly best to find a couple of people with 127 SCT's and see what they think

[slimfb]

will be interesting what your decision is, i'm in similar situation, although it feels like i change my mind everyday

[rowan46]

I have a nexstar 5 its the same ota as the omni and I like the views. The best part of both tubes is their portability the worst part of both is their apparture. If portability is the main criteria then either will suit. For me if I had the money and didn't need the portability I would go for something with more apparture. Photography is obviously not something you are interested in, else you would be getting different ota's. You're sure a 200p dob wouldn't suit you better?

[John]

Here is a decent review of a 127mm maksutov-cassegrain (branded Orion but the same as the Skywatcher) and a Celestron C5 schmidt-cassegrain:

Orion 127 Mak Cass Vs. Celestron C5 SCT - Shootout

[swampy]

Another excellent thread - this is the pont of debate I too had reached

[crazyjedi]

Those little MAK's are very popular. I went for a 150 Newt (a few years back) and haven't looked back but looking at the threads over the last year the MAK is very well thought of. I am very much with you on the idea of learning the sky for yourself rather than rely on a GoTo mount. I've been doing just that for a few years. There can be the odd night of frustration but the sense of achievement when find the hidden gems of the night sky is fantastic.

Happy viewing

[Jandy100]

Many thanks for the replies. I "believe" my preferred option is the 127 MAK although I have concerns with the tripod being aluminium rather than stainless steel so could be "fragile". Being in Milton Keynes there are very few specialist telescope retailers in the area. the closest being Sherwoods on Warwickshire.

The MAK will give me what I need for planetary & lunar observing. However, for DSO observing I know that I may need to look into an alternative reflector scope in the future.

The Astronomical society I am a member of have been very influencial with the advice given and strongly recommended I went for a Maksutov-Cassegrain rather than a Reflector due to portability. Living in Milton Keynes LP does come into play, but not too much distant away are plenty of locations to go to without the level of LP to observe. Portability is definately one of major factors to be considered with my 1st scope.

As so many people share on this forum there isn't a "fits all purposes" telescope on the market & each one has it's pro's & cons. From posts on this forum I am of the opinion that a MAK "should" be a great beginner scope but I should consider a reflector in the future as a 2nd scope for the DSO observing.

Thanks again.

Andy

[Telrad]

Optically they are the same scope I understand. Celestron and Skywatcher are owned by Synta - the same company now

[Revs]

The SW is a Mak, the Cel is an SCT

[Rwetherell]

I've recently bought the Celestron 127 Mak from Sherwoods. I'm not overly sure that the guy selling me the 'scope had all his oars in the water, but he was pleasant enough...

Like you, I did my research by joining the local astronomical club and reading this forum. Whilst my 'scope has the goto mount so will differ slightly to what you're proposing, I'm really happy with it and whilst the weather hasn't been great over the last couple of weeks, because of it's portability I know I can 'throw' it in the back of the car in the next couple of weeks and take it up to north Wales without any problems and hopefully get to use it properly *touches wood*.

I'm obviously biased, but I know which one I'd go for...

Rich

[Mountain View]

Hi, so many looking for their first 'proper scope'.......yes its where I am too and yes changing my mind with each day that comes.

Meade 105 second hand has been an attraction but others say that this is an older model and celestron nexstar 4se is the way to go.

Are Meade scopes really that unreliable? I see it mentioned in a lot of forums.

I'm trying to stick with the 'grab'n go' concept so it will probably be a mak I think

Best wishes anyway

[Telrad]

The SW is a Mak, the Cel is an SCT

Apologies, my mistake I would certainly opt for the SW then on that basis

[Jandy100]

I had an intersting chat with the chairman of Milton Keynes Astronomical Society who has been excellent with regards to explanations & guidance of what I should look for & consider.

He has strongly recommended Maksutov Cassegrains due to their portability & less maintenance over Reflectors, but no wanting to repetetive the Reflectors would be better for DSO observing due to their wider field of view & lower focal ratio.

Has anyone esle has issues with DSO observing using a MAK or SCT telescope? Are there any tips for improving observations?

[philhas]

You can learn the night sky with Goto so I wouldn't completely dismiss the technology especially when coupled to a laptop and it will get you nearer to those harder to find targets. With regards to DSO's the one thing that remains constant is that you can't beat a big light bucket so that puts you back to larger aperture reflectors, yes you need to collimate them however this isn't difficult and is part of the fun of this hobby. The problem is everyone has different advice so go with what best suits you and your budget and I am sure you will get plenty of enjoyment.

[crazyjedi]

You can learn the night sky with Goto so I wouldn't completely dismiss the technology especially when coupled to a laptop and it will get you nearer to those harder to find targets. With regards to DSO's the one thing that remains constant is that you can't beat a big light bucket so that puts you back to larger aperture reflectors, yes you need to collimate them however this isn't difficult and is part of the fun of this hobby. The problem is everyone has different advice so go with what best suits you and your budget and I am sure you will get plenty of enjoyment.

I'm certainly not going to dismiss the GoTo systems and will one day (funds permitting) invest in one. I'm just a bit keen to learn the old school ways.

Everything you've said is totally true, where DSO's are concerned - aperture is everything.

My dream is a 10 inch newt on a guided scope stable enough for good imaging with a good camera and lap top. It's good to have dreams