Buying my first Telescope with a £750 budget (ish)

[Lalonde]

Hi there. I'll post a quick welcome message shortly but I'd just like to ask for some specific advice from you veterans on what I should start out by getting.

I've been reading various forums and websites for the past week, slowly expanding my knowledge from nothing to a little more than nothing

On the whole I think I initially want to stay within the solar system although I'd like to also see some of the bigger/brighter galaxies that seem to be out there.

I currently live on the outskirts of the West Mids connurbation. Looking at light pollution maps it appears I'm living just out of the real bad areas of Birmingham/Dudley etc.. but certainly not in dark skies. So from what I've gathered distant nebula are a no go unless I head off somewhere like the Welsh coast.

Would a Refractor be the best bet here?

So I set myself a budget of spending no more than £750 (although I don't have to spend all that). What I don't want to do however, is buy something cheap and then wish I'd got something better and have to upgrade in a few months. I don't want to be dissapointed and disillusioned although I realise most of the images on this and other websites are from time lapsed imaging and what I see in real time won't bare comparison.

From others comments I'm quite taken by the Sky-watcher brand and have cast an eye over some of their models, with the refractor below catching my eye;

Skywatcher Evostar 150 (EQ5)

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ev150eq5

Would leave me enough left for any other gubbins like eye pieces and filters to be bought either straight away or at a later time.

If I decided to go the Reflector route would this be a good fit? Worth the money?

Skywatcher Explorer 250PX (HEQ5)

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=sw250pxheq5

So those are my initial thoughts. I would welcome any feedback on those models or other alternates and what eye pieces would be worth additional purchases at some point.

[Ant]

I'm a newt' man myself.

So my advice to you would be the second option but have an 8" not a 10" scope.

I think that you will be shocked by the size of these things. I started with a 6 newt and quickly upgraded to an 8".

I would like more, but I think that going to the 10" starts to make things more difficult.

The 8" will give you nice views of the planets. But will also be good enough for most DSO's. Also the HEQ5 will be a nice mount is you decide to get into imaging.

Ant

[geppetto]

Matt

I would also go for the second of your choices.

The mount is the most important part of any astro kit

and that HEQ5 is much much more of a mount than the EQ5.

Also an 8 or 10" reflector is a good all rounder to get into the hobby with.

You wouldn't be disapointed with that setup at all.

Myself and others on here would heartily recommend Steve at First Light Optics

when getting your gear. Give him a shout and he will sort you out 8)

[russ]

I second Ant. Explorer 200 on an HEQ5 for £549. Leave you a couple hundred quid for a few decent eyepieces and other bits.

Russ

[Cloudwatcher]

I prefer the refractor myself but if you go for a newt have look at Ace Cameras.

They are offering the Explorer 200P on the Motorised HEQ5 at £533.

More dosh left over for accessories. You can never have too many accessories!

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

I'd go for this beastie:-

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=200heq5

200mm Newt. on a HEQ5 mount. £530, possibly less a discount?

The refractor is smaller in aperture and is achromatic, which means that the bright stars will have rainbows round them. If you go for the EQ5 mount, you will also need to upgrade that in the future. The HEQ5 is the lowest rung of the imaging mount ladder and will do you for a number of years. To get the best out of the HEQ5 you would need to upgrade it to GOTO which is literally a half hour job.

Captain Chaos

[MikeP]

Matt,

Ant is correct re the difference between 8" and 10" - it doesn't sound much but in effect, everything seems 25% bigger and heavier. My 250PX takes up a fair bit of space and can be awkward to lift onto the mount until you get used to it. Also, I found I needed three counterbalance weights to balance it - which indicates to me you'd need an EQ6 mount.

I spent around £1,300 for scope, mount and (good) eyepieces. Since then, I've probably spent a further £250 on bits and pieces. It really does add up quickly.

Steve at FLO is great to deal with and has a good range and pretty keen prices even before a discount. I'd always look there first.

Mike

[MartinB]

I agree with you 100% Matt, you don't want to buy something cheap and regret not spending a little more. You can always go for more aperture but, as has been said, there are some big practical problems going bigger. You have set yourself a decent budget and with the HEQ5 Skywatcher 8" combination you would have an excellent set up that you won't regret.

[ianmwatson]

Hi mate, I wouldn't buy anything just yet myself, I'd try and find an astronomy club locally and talk to people. They'll be only too pleased to let you have a look through their scopes so you can make your mind up. There may even be a loaner or a scope you can rent a month at a time. I loaned a 10" dob from cambridge astronomical association for a month back in 93 , it helped me decide an 8" reflector was the way to go, it is still a perfectly good scope. Perhaps a dobsonian will suit you, but as you say planets are your preference then an equatorial could be a better choice. Another tip might be to go for a used scope, they are normally well cared for by (eccentric) careful observers.

Finally there are pros and cons for all types of scope, it very much depends on what you want to look at. I think I'd suggest a 6" F8 might be good for planets and occasional deep sky stuff. Dobsonian would be cheaper.

[John]

Finally there are pros and cons for all types of scope, it very much depends on what you want to look at.

Darn good point made there - that's why we tend to end up with more than one scope eventually

There are some which do a pretty good all round job though and I don't think you would go far wrong with an 8 inch Newtonian on an HEQ5 mount. If you catch a dose of "aperture fever" you can always upgrade the optical tube for something bigger or a different design eg: refractor, schmidt cassegrain etc - the mount will cope with them all.

John

[Lalonde]

Wow, thanks for all the responses chaps. Very interesting stuff.

I'm all but decided on the £530 model, but will be buying myself a pair of decent binoculars first to get a feel of the sky. Your right ianmwatson, I should check out my local group. I think Birmingham has a largish one that's been going 50 odd years. Will certainly check them out prior to purchase.

I've just downloaded Stellarium and have had a quick play. What a superb (FREE :shock: ) program - viva la internet !!!

We'll assume I'll be going down the above route in the next couple of months. If I did, what kind of filters should be first on my shopping list?

From what I understand the moon needs to be viewed through one as does the sun obviously and from what I can gather different nebula respond better with different filters?

How effective are these light pollution filters for planets and the bright/big galaxies / nebula? Is this Baader Neodymium filter I hear mentioned worth investing in?

Probably the most confusing in terms of how much to spend for the quality of scope i'll have, are eye pieces.

With boxsets of £99 to £500+ I'm a bit out of my depth. To be honest I will undoubtedly hold back on any silly priced eyepieces just yet but am tempted with something like this initially;

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=revelationepset

It appears to have sizes that don't come with the scope and some colour filters.

Anyway thanks again for the info so far.

[FLO]

Here are two links that might help:

http://stargazerslounge.co.uk/index.php?topic=10026.msg106916#msg106916

http://stargazerslounge.co.uk/index.php?topic=12463.msg128845#msg128845

The Baader Neodymium has just been updated with 'Phantom' coatings(?!) and IR block.

[John]

My advice would be to get the scope and one or two extra eyepieces (or a good barlow lens) then stop for a while, catch your breath, and use what you have got for a couple of months or so to see where the hobby seems to be taking you. With the exception of a solar filter (an 8inch newtonian is not the best instrument for that IMHO), other accessories are optional from there on in so you can take some time deciding which ones move you where you want to go. You don't NEED filters to look at the moon, planets, nebulae, galaxies etc.

John

[Andrew*]

I'll make yet another vote for the 200/HEQ5 - a very versatile scope at a silly price.

Additional eyepieces are (almost) essential. The Revelation set you have mentioned will do you very well. Once you've tried that you may want to consider a high power (4 to 6mm) orthoscopic or even a 3-6mm Nagler zoom (very posh) for sharp planetary images. Maybe a barlow too.

Filters are not essential, but UHC-S and Neodymium are said to be useful in skies suffering from LP, especially viewing nebulae. Consider these later.

I'll have to recommend FLO too. Excellent service, fantastic prices, and an additional 10% discount to SGL members. Buying second hand can also be worthwhile, since astronomers tend to be good at keeping their kit clean!

My shopping list for you would go like this:

Celestron 15x70 binoculars - £70

Skywatcher 200/HEQ5 - £530

Revelation EP set - £99

Total - only £629 with discount, excluding postage

Plenty of space to add a power pack for the HEQ5, a collimation tool, a red/white torch, a planisphere... you name it.

Andrew

[Whippy]

Just as another option to confuse you even more. The Celestron C8N-GT is another 8" Newtonian on what's essentially an EQ5 mount with GOTO for about £600. On the plus side is you've got GOTO so faint objects are easily within your reach. On the negative side is that the EQ5 mount is noisy (as people at the weekend's star party will testify to) and apparently it won't track objects as well as an HEQ5. So if you're planning on getting into imaging, then take it into account.

But as Ian has said, if you can get to a local astronomy club meeting, talk to people there and maybe even have a look through one or two. £750 is a few quid in most people's books and you don't want to spend that cash and then decide that what you've got isn't for you.

[ianmwatson]

I agree, £750 is plenty to get you going. I have a little tip regarding eyepieces however, buy the best quality you can afford. Scopes up to around F5 or F6 are sensitive and they will expose poor quality eyepieces, F10 cassegrains are quit forgiving on the other hand. When I first started out all I had was quality 25mm, 9mm & 4mm orthoscopics. Nowadays there are many options, baader hyperions and the baader genuine ortho are very good value/quality and if you don't want to go second hand then Steve at FLO has the 10% off for stargazers.

I think you just need to take your time and visit your local club, learn about the gear and get what's best for your particular observing habits. Good luck

[barkis]

Hi. Matt. It can be a bit of a minefield treading through all of the info coming your way. You won't get any bad advice on SGL, but you will get a varied crop of suggestions. In th end, you will make your own decision, and the suggestion about allying yourself to an astro society is a good one, mostly because you will get opportunities to sample different types of instrument. The most important thing that will emerge from the group thing, is talking a lot with the members about their interests and there particular niche in a very varied hobby.

From all this you will develop a feeling of what area of astronomy really appeals to you the most, and once you have determined that, the path towards choosing the tool for the job will be an easier decision for you.

Take your time, the worst that can happen, is your piggy bank get a lot larger, and then your wife takes it off you to buy another car.

Good luck, and enjoy SGL.

Ron.