Please help me choose a new scope :)

[Diddykong]

Hi all,

I've decided to buy my first telescope. I have started attending my local astronemy club and already have a decent knowledge of the universe and its wonders, I just now need to learn how to find them.

So I thought I would start off with a low-mid budget scope and once I have built up some experience with that I would move upto a nexstar 8inch or something around that level.

So below are a list of my preferences/needs :-

1) Budget - £300-600 (although would be willing to stretch abit higher)

2) Type of viewing - Planets such as jupiter and Saturn but Mainly for DSO.

3) Astrophotography - I would love to be take some DSO pictures and this is my main aim for getting a telescope.

4) Because I'm new to astronemy a GoTo system would be highly adventagous, HOWEVER if the perfect scope doesn't have a GoTo system then I'm happy to learn the stars and self navigate.

So they are my main requirements. Scopes that I have researched that seem to fit the bill are - Nexstar 4SE, Nexstar 127, Skyliner 200P, Meade 125.

So I'm looking for a an all round telescope that is capable of Astrophotography for around £600.

Thank you in advance for any replies

Peter

[fbassett]

Hi Peter

Welcome to SGL, I'm no expert, but from what I understand the most important part of your setup if you want to try Astrophotography is the mount. I think you will find that it will also be the most expensive. A mount that seems to get recommended a lot for AP is the Skywatcher HEQ5. The standard HEQ5 comes in at about £500 and with goto that rises to £750. I use a Celestron CG5 and I am going to give AP a go with that, although I am planning to upgrade to an EQ6 when budget allows. From the reviews I have read the Skyliner 200p seems to be a very capable scope, but I have no idea if it can be used for AP. My celestron 90 SLT is great for planets but not so good for DSO's I use my 150p for that. Hope this has been of some help.

[DOBBY]

as above... start with a sturdy mount..

[umadog]

Welcome!

Firstly, there is no all-round telescope. They all have their specialties. I'd recomend you start off with visual and get to know the sky. AP is expensive, so make that buying decision once you have more experience. You don't want to start off by throwing all your money into a mount and leaving you with only a small telescope, which won't yield satisfying views.

You say you want to learn to find stuff, so just skip the GoTo and put that money into aperture. Your budget will accommodate an 8" Dob and some eyepieces. That seems like the best starter plan to me. We virtually always recomend and 8" Dob here, and there are good reasons for that.

[swamp thing]

Hi

If AP is your goal you may need to expand your budget somewhat, unfortunately this is not a cheap branch of astronomy.

It also has somewhat different requirements than visual.

Many of the AP,s on here recommend starting with the book "Every photon counts" so this would be my starting point if I were you.

For visual, an 8" Dob is a great starting point.

Regards Steve

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Diddykong]

Thank you for the replies, most informative.

I've taken what you have said onboard and found the Skyliner 200P Flex Tube Auto Tracking Dobsonian.

Would this allow me to do some AP? Also is it good for planets and DSO?

[Telrad]

Hi, the Skyliner 200P FlexTube Auto Dob is a v.good scope, but you really need an EQ mount for AP - it is good for DSOs etc though..

[Diddykong]

Could I fit the Skyliner 200P Flex Tube version of the 8inch to an EQ mount? Also which EQ mount would you recommend?

[sabana]

This is the best newtonian 8 inch aperture with the best mount for visual and astrophotgraphy.

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 200P HEQ5 PRO

Perfect for planetary and DSO. But your budget is blown.

Astrophotgraphy is expensive. There are no shortcuts.

[Diddykong]

Hi Sabana thank you for the link.

Would an 8inch or even 10inch work with the Skywatcher EQ5 PRO Synscan GOTO? As that is only £500 and the 8 inch is around £300 so not massively over my budget?

[sabana]

The 10 inch is too heavy for the HEQ5 you need the next model up the HEQ6.

[Diddykong]

What is the difference between the HEQ5 and the EQ5? As First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5 GOTO is only £730.

[Anweniel]

Believe the difference is in the payload capacity (somebody please correct me if im wrong)

[Diddykong]

In what way is Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5 GOTO (First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5 GOTO) different to Skywatcher Explorer 200P HEQ5 PRO (First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 200P HEQ5 PRO) as it's £230 more but the scope is identical.

[umadog]

A good way of getting into AP is with a short-focal length refractor. This has several advantages over a larger Newtonian:

- it's light so the mount doesn't have to be huge

- the short focal length means wider field images are available to you

- the short focal length also means lower magnifications, which means greater tolerance to tracking errors and so nicer images with less work.

Of course the problem is that you sacrifice visual DSO views. The best bet would be to buy both: a small refractor and a Dob. Your observing life will be simpler this way because you won't have haul about a big heavy EQ mount when you just want to do visual. Since you can go for a lighter EQ mount, you will save a little money there.

[Diddykong]

Thanks for all the replies guys and girls, been most helpful.

I think I will be going for the First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5 GOTO

Just spending only £200 over my budget means I can get a scope that should meet all of my initial needs.

What is the difference between the 200p and the 200p DS?

[BruceUK]

The PDS has a dual speed focuser for better precision, but I presume that's something you can upgrade yourself further down the line