Accessories or Aperture?

[midge91]

Hello,

Days away from buying first scope(very exciting). I got a little more than expected from Xmas and now currently have a budget of £470. I am currently fixed on SW Skyliner 200p, but with the extra cash would it be worth buying the 250p or is it a waste of £100ish pounds for 2". Also if I buy the 200p I will have a good accessories budget for eps and all the other nice things but with the 250p I will have about £25. Just as a future thought could any of these scopes be fitted with auto/goto. I like the saying 'the scope that is the best is the one that is used most', I have quite a bit of space and also my area is not too light polluted so I think the 200p would be good but I probably could handle the the 250p but might be a bit of a handful.

Thanks,

Midge

[barkis]

The old adage, aperture is king is true, but not always.

You are contemplating an 8" reflector, but swaying towards a 10".

In my humble opinion, and if your budget is as you quoted, then I would go for the 8", and get a couple of quality eyepieces for it.

The increase in resolution between the two instruments will exist, but not to the extent I would change my opinion.

Others will contribute their thoughts too, so don't act on my advice alone.

Good Luck, and welcome to SGL.

Ron.

[Peter Drew]

It's always tempting to go for the larger scope of your options, but being as it is your first scope I think you would be well advised to start with the 200, it's not one of the most popular starter scopes for nothing. As you have space and a decent location, a larger one once you have gained experience would be a natural progression. You may even find after a period of time that your interest has focused on a specific area of astronomy, often photography, which throws up different considerations.

[todd8137]

2 years ago i was faced with this 6.8,10,12" SW reflector i had seen the 6 and 8 and wow i thought they big,i then went to my local club, and they had a battered 12" blue tube reflector. i got the chance to look through it all night ,well i got home and started the normal reviews and was set on the 6" one

after reading a few posts on sgl i ordered the 12" in fact that day i spent about 1300 quid,but i did order a 90mm goto frac as well.

if you want the 8" i would get the 10" you will be kicking your self in a fews months time

eps and all the gadgets can come later the stock eps should get you going and after a few months then start getting the better ones

merry chrismas

keep a eye on the dark side it may tempt you over there

[LukeSkywatcher]

Aperture first...............accessories later.

[Tinker1947]

Aperture first...............accessories later.

This....

[Damo636]

Aperture first...............accessories later.

+2

[stev74]

In Dobsoian form I would recommend the 10inch! For two reasons.... The extra light gathering power for starters and the fact that once you save up some extra cash you can upgrade those EP's but it would cost you a lot more to upgrade your mirror!

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk

[Demonperformer]

The only word of caution I would raise is to make sure you are aware how large the 10" is. I had one a while back and for myself found it to be totally unmanageable - moving it in and out, storage whilst inside - and eventually had to sell it. It is true that aperture is king, but it is also true that the best scope is the one that gets used. If you have seen the 10" and know the size of the beast you will be dealing with, go for it.

[ScubaMike]

Go for the largest aperture you can lift & afford.

[Bart]

Tough one. I think it depends on your personality.

If you find you really love this astronomy lark, you might find that you crave aperture. This will probably happen no matter what size you scope you start with, its all relative. Again, it depends if you're the impatient, greedy type. No offence meant. I personally found that once i understood i enjoyed this, I knew there were bigger, more affordable scopes out there and I knew I had to have it. I wonder how many here stopped at their first scope.

After that it depends on what you can manage - will you be carrying it around, just wheeling it out of the garage etc ? Ease of use is vital.

If you have to think of the hassle of getting the scope out, you've lost.....you should be tingling getting your best inanimate friend out, anticipating the views!

Bart

[dweller25]

I had the 10" Dob and still have the 8" Dob.

The 10" does indeed show more BUT the OTA and the base are considerably heavier than the 8" - in fact too heavy for my badback so I sold it.

The 8" is just right for me and excellent on the planets - whichever scope you go for I would definitely recommend good quality wide field eyepieces as you have to do much less nudging.

[chunky]

ive got an 8 inch it brilliant. and if im still enjoying it i will proberly do the jump to a 12 inch in a year or so.

[Chris H]

I have the 10" and have never regretted it.

[DOBBY]

If you get the 250p...it wont take long to save for any 'extras' if you get the 200p...it will take ages to save for a bigger aperture 'scope

[Charon]

All I say is buy the telescope you know you will use, aperture is nothing if it just gathers dust.

[Moonshane]

I tend to recommend buying used if you can. take someone in the know with you. this reduces cost quite a bit.

the 8" would give good results and be a great scope. also the step from the 8" to the 12" would be a better one if the (visual side of the) hobby really grabs you and you want a bigger scope.

[jasonbirder]

I'd recommend going for the bigger scope...you'll be able to buy accessories "as you go along"

I had the same dilemma on a smaller scale when I bought my 200P...do I get a small scope...mount and EPs or a bigger OTA...

Went for the 200P which busted my budget at the time...its currently on a home made dob and usable...I've since bought a TELRAD finder to add to that...

In the new year I'll be adding a couple of BST Explorer EPs and looking out for a second hand EQ5 Mount as and when funds become available...and eventually maybe a motor and a couple of filters...

So after six months I'll have the bigger scope...EPs a mount and accessories...

Whereas if I'd bought a smaller scope I'd have no-where to go...

Get the Big scope..you'll have the aperture and you can add the extras piecemeal as and when you get the chance...

[sunshine185]

Had an 8" before,due to space I had to store it upstairs, it got to the point where it was too much trouble to keep lugging it up and down the stairs so it didn't get used.now I have another 8"and store it under the stairs so I can wheel it out, over the backdoor step and I am ready to observe. You will see 100% more with an 8" than a 10" that its too big for you to get it to an observing place.

[midge91]

Thanks for all the posts. I am more than likely going to buy the 250p as I have found it at a very good price and can still afford accesories . I am only 14 so I am not sure if it is managable, I will know this when I view it. If I find it unmanagable I can always cut my losses and downgrade.

[Moonshane]

if you are reasonably fit and strong you should be fine if you move the scope in two parts (as I would too).

it's a lot of dream scopes for adults so you are very lucky to have one at 14. I wish you all the best and hope you enjoy it. in Shropshire you should hopefully have decent skies so it will be a great investment.

[sabana]

If you have a shed to keep your scope in outside go for the big one. If you have to bring it down from your bedroom down a flight of stairs or two, squeeze through a kitchen door down a couple of steps, across the patio down some more garden steps maybe, breathe heavily or collapse with exhaustion. Pick yourself up and return for the tube thats up the garden steps across the patio through the kitchen door into the living room up the stairs into the bedroom back down the stairs aceoss the living room squeeze through the kitchen door down the steps don't trip over across the patio down the patio steps acroos the grass and pace mount on ground without a hernia. Now breathe again. Now time to assemble without bending your knees (only kidding). Finally yes finally its mounted and you can look up to the heavens. But wait! The clouds have come! But they weren't their 10 minutes ago. Oh well time to unmount. Thats take off the scope off the mount. Pick up the tube go across the grass up the patio steps. AAARGGGHHHHHH!!!!.............................................

Moral of the story. Buy a shed.