Best Telescope for up to £270

[lighty89]

What telescope would be the best in this price range?

Want the best magnification etc possible...

Looking myself the Skywatcher 200p Dob looks a good bet?

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

It's certainly a good scope and you get some good aperture for your cash. So long as you don't intend on imaging it's a good all-rounder.

[lighty89]

I do intend on imaging occasionally, I have seen a mount that can be mounted to any telescope as long as it is a 1.25" eyepiece. Would this work?

Also says there is a direct SLR mount? (Not that I have an SLR lol)

[great_bear]

The problem isn't so much the mounting of the camera onto the telescope, but the mounting of the telescope onto a sturdy enough tripod to take suitable images.

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

The dobsonian mount won't be able to track the targets in the sky (at least not very well), which you need for imaging since you'l be doing VERY long exposures. You really need a sturdy equatorial mount with motors to do imaging. It requires a very hefty investment of thousands of pounds to be honest.

[onesmallstep]

That's a very specific budget you've set!!! The Skyliner 8" dob certainly fits that bill.

[umadog]

Taking good images is an involved process which requires significant effort and forward planning. It can also involve significant amounts of cash. If you're serious about imaging, then you can certainly start small and fairly cheap and work your way up if interest holds. If you're committed to it then it's certainly possible to take some nice shots. Those beautiful images you see in magazines are within reach of gear you can buy but that gear will cost thousands and you need to know how to use it. Don't think that people are trying to put you off imaging, it's just that you need to know what you're getting into. Also, scopes that are good for imaging are not so good at visual observing. You need to choose what your priorities are.

Visual astronomy, on the other hand, is quick and relatively cheap to get into. With 300 quid you can get a good-sized scope which will show you hundreds of objects. However, you need to be aware that what you see will not look like the photos. No colour and details require effort to make out.

You ask about magnification. Realistically, a scope will max out at 20 x to 30 x per inch of aperture. However, the sky conditions often prohibit magnifications more than about 200x. So on most nights you won't be going beyond this regardless of aperture.

[lighty89]

Other than the 200p Dob what would people recommend?

[John]

Other than the 200p Dob what would people recommend?

I don't think there is anything that delivers more visual performance per £ spent than the 200P Dobsonian - other than a used 250PX perhaps

[umadog]

Other than the 200p Dob what would people recommend?

Recommend for what? You have told us very little about your goals, experience, where you'll be using it, etc, etc.

[lighty89]

Looking at planets mainly, to get some nice views etc... Star clusters perhaps.

[twotter]

I've got a 200P dob and it's a cracking telescope for visual use. Big enough to gather sufficient light to allow me to see all the DSOs I want...I had a great view of the Ring Nebula and Dumbbell Nebula last night. It has given me great views of the Moon, and a number of planets, including Jupiter, Saturn and, one wonderful night, Mars too.

It's simple and intuitive to use, holds collimation well and doesn't need expensive eyepieces to give a decent view.

I'm planning to put tube rings and a dovetail on my OTA, then pop it onto an equatorial mount, to enjoy the goto experience. I like the look of the new Meade LX80

[great_bear]

Looking at planets mainly, to get some nice views etc... Star clusters perhaps.

8 inch is really the breakpoint at which you start to see surface detail on the planets clearly (other than simply seeing the two stripes across Jupiter).

Naturally there are "classic" planetary scopes smaller than this, but they're really instruments from an era where larger scopes weren't a practical (affordable) proposition for amateurs. Those days are gone.

If however, the 200P is simply too big - physically - to fit into your lifestyle, then you might want to consider the Sky-Watcher 130P SupaTrak here <click> and buy a £36 "4mm TMB Designed" eyepiece to go with it.

I'm still very fond of the 130P SupaTrak and use it a lot.

[umadog]

Looking at planets mainly, to get some nice views etc... Star clusters perhaps.

That's rather brief, but I don't see how you can go wrong with an 8" Dob, assuming that you're happy to learn your way around the night sky.

[Baz6170]

I agree with everyone who's replied to this thread re the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dob - I'm currently using a Celestron NexStar 4SE (a 'go-to' scope, only 4" aperture) to help me learn the skies, but now I've gained a bit of knowledge about where objects are in the sky, I'm aiming to get a 200P myself so that I can see DSO's properly, and get more details in planets etc. From my recent research, the 200P really does look like the most capable scope for that kind of money.

[lighty89]

Judging by what's been said on here I'll be more than happy to go with the 200P Dob. I want to see planets in a bit more detail, and the moon, and some of these DSO's... Not been able to see them with the scope I currently have. In tersms of imaging... Its not the main use which I want it, but I would like to just stick my digital camera in the eyepiece and get a quick shot occasionally, nothing spectacular though.

[Odd Dob]

If you get a dob now, you can always buy a sturdy equatorial mount later on and attach the scope using some mounting rings and a dovetail plate if you still want to develop the imaging side of things.

(personally I prefer equatorial mounts even for visual work, but they're complicated things, and using a newtonian on an EQ is even more complicated again )

[great_bear]

Should you feel the need for serious imaging in future, you can always buy a big equatorial mount for the 200P at that time.

rgds,

Jeremy.

EDIT: Oooh - exact thoughts at the same time as the previous poster!

[Odd Dob]

Spooky!

[lighty89]

Thanks, just waiting on some contact from FLO now to see if you can do me a deal or something!

[Orion_the_Hunter]

I also recommend the 200p Dob.

Also, IMO leave imaging for now; just learn the Sky and enjoy visual Astronomy. Imaging requires an Equatorial mount, a suitable one would smash your budget.

[JamesM]

I would definitely go for the 200P and as others have said above, the best value scope out there. Now you mentioned your priority interest as being planets, well there is nothing stopping you imaging them or the moon in fact with a webcam. As the objects are bright they don't need any timed exposure because a webcam can take plenty of 'frames' instantaneously. You then get hold of 'registax' which is a piece of free software and stack on top of each other the best of the frames you have collected to help construct a composite image which will reveal quite a bit of detail and help satisfy your urges to get started in imaging.

So in fact you can observe anything in the sky and perform limited imaging on planets and the moon but NOT of deep sky objects (DSO's). They are too faint, too far away which will require longer exposures which will ultimately necessitate very accurate tracking and that means at least an HEQ5 mount.

James

[johnkirkpatrick]

I had one and Jupiter was stunning with it, clear bands and the GRS was easily seen. I even saw the moons crossing the planets surface creating a shadow many times.. Its a fantastic scope mate. Saturn was lovely too with a clear cassini division

[Smeghead]

how about a TAL-1 ?

about £200 and good optics

really impressed with the views i have seen through a friends.

[Quatermass]

I had your problem of what to get and wanted to do imaging got a skywatcher 200p and an EQ5 mount and have never regreted it love mine to bits ideal for both and a great telescope and mount for the price. All images in my blog were using this kit with first just my mobile phone camera and video then an slr camera. I got a single axis motor second hand for 40 quid later on. Great scope great price.

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