Cant make up my mind

[robemoor]

Hi Folks, Im a newbee here, so be take it easy:)

I'm in the process of buying a telescope - it was going to be a Celestron NexStar 6SE which going to cost me around €900 -

The reason I was going to buy this scope is that it looked like the complete package for me - I wanted a scope that I could take pictures with observe the planets, DSO, and control from my pc/laptop and the goto feature I liked aswell because it would make me look at other object that I probaly would not have seen.

But just before I clicked on checkout, my attention was drawn to the Skywatcher range of telescope which seemed to have the same features as the celestron but with a bigger mirror and costing less money.

I'm not sure what to but now any advice - do I go for one of the skywatchers?

my preference's for the telescope are:

1. be able to view planets, DSO, Nebula, Galaxys

2. be able to attach a webcam to take some astrophotos, moon, juipter..

3. to be able to remote control from a laptop

4. to have a goto feature.

thanks in advance for any help you can offer me, I have been wanting to but a scope since I was a kid - and its finally gonna happen

[LukeSkywatcher]

Celestron 8 SE.

[robemoor]

Celestron 8 SE.

Hi Paul, was originally goin for that scope, but from what I have read on the net it says that unless Im living in a desert there is not much difference in visuals? and that the Celestron 6 SE is way more portable, also Im thinking the 8se is a little out of range : (

any thoughts?

[rowan46]

If I was looking to do some basic photography of dso's it wouldn't be using an sct unless I was using fastar this seems a better package same apparture better mount and a little cheaper

First Light Optics - Celestron C6-N GT (GOTO)

[Dunkster]

The mount of the 6SE is the same as the 8SE, and the OTA of the 8 is only fractionally heavier, so overall there's hardly any difference. Obviously, the 8 has more light collecting ability (+44%) but costs more.

It really depends what is most important to you from your list... you could get a decent sized Dob for that money, but different size and shape for sure (you should see one in the flesh before you buy)

[robemoor]

If I was looking to do some basic photography of dso's it wouldn't be using an sct unless I was using fastar this seems a better package same apparture better mount and a little cheaper

First Light Optics - Celestron C6-N GT (GOTO)

thanks a million for the quick reply - so you think the celestron c6-n-gt is a better option than the nexstar se6, why is it cheaper what would I be loseing out on

[robemoor]

The mount of the 6SE is the same as the 8SE, and the OTA of the 8 is only fractionally heavier, so overall there's hardly any difference. Obviously, the 8 has more light collecting ability (+44%) but costs more.

It really depends what is most important to you from your list... you could get a decent sized Dob for that money, but different size and shape for sure (you should see one in the flesh before you buy)

thanks for the reply, its hard to see one in flesh as I live in the west of ireland : ) , online viewing is my only resourse.

difference in size and shape would not be a problem if it could do what I have in the list any Dob in particular that you would recommend?

[LukeSkywatcher]

Hi Paul, was originally goin for that scope, but from what I have read on the net it says that unless Im living in a desert there is not much difference in visuals? and that the Celestron 6 SE is way more portable, also Im thinking the 8se is a little out of range : (

any thoughts?

There is not much difference between the 6se and the 8se..................cost wise.

So 8" is the way to go.

[rowan46]

thanks a million for the quick reply - so you think the celestron c6-n-gt is a better option than the nexstar se6, why is it cheaper what would I be loseing out on

The only thing you are losing is portability and ease of setup. For visual the se series are great scopes but they don't make the best imaging set ups. The cg5gt is the absolute minimum mount for imaging dso's providing you don't use a big scope on it

[robemoor]

The only thing you are losing is portability and ease of setup. For visual the se series are great scopes but they don't make the best imaging set ups. The cg5gt is the absolute minimum mount for imaging dso's providing you don't use a big scope on it

you would make a great salesman think Im gonna go with this scope

: )

Celestron C6-N GT (GOTO) you have saved me a bit of money!!

surely the ease of setup cant be much different? and this scope can be remotely controlled from a laptop?

thanks you so much for the advice

[robemoor]

There is not much difference between the 6se and the 8se..................cost wise.

So 8" is the way to go.

thanks Paul, I was all for the 6se / 8se until rowan46 showed me a link to the celestron C6-N GT , it seems to do the same job at a lesser price? what do you think?

[Dunkster]

My numbers were out - the 8 gathers upto 78% more light!

Dobs are bigger and a bit heavier and equally unsuitable for imaging.

The C6 NGT is an equatorial mount, so different to setup. I have no experience of these. I expect it would be more or less the same amount of effort once you've got the hang of it. From a software point of view, very similar to the SE though.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Your wallet is your own. I am no expert. .................the C6 looks to be a good one.

But fot a couple hudered quid.....................you cant go wrong with a 200mm Dob.

[robemoor]

thanks a million lads for all the help, so here is what I have gathered from all yer help

moneywise if I could afford it id prob go with the NexStar 8SE

I know I know I keep changing my mind : )

So I'm left with Celestron NexStar 6SE Vs Celestron C6-N GT

It looks like they both perform the same and will be able to do what I need them for.

the Celestron C6-N GT is bigger & not as portable, but is less expensive

the NexStar 6SE is more portable, but a bit more expensive

so am I making sence/progress : )

I'm glad I joined this fourm, have being googleing scopes for a couple of weeks and in the last hour I've got more solid info, thanks again ye have been a great help

[robemoor]

Your wallet is your own. I am no expert. .................the C6 looks to be a good one.

But fot a couple hudered quid.....................you cant go wrong with a 200mm Dob.

can this scope do all these Paul?

1. be able to view planets, DSO, Nebula, Galaxys

2. be able to attach a webcam to take some astrophotos, moon, juipter..

3. to be able to remote control from a laptop

4. to have a goto feature.

[rowan46]

8" gives a much better visual instrument but if you want to image with it you are going to need an eq6 ideally. I have seen some nice pics guided with an ed80 and finder guider on the cg5gt even with the 150 on this mount some short subs are possible the f5 is faster than an sct but being a fast scope you will need to spend a little more on eyepieces as it is not as forgiving as an f10 scope but these mounts have a good reputation as a budget photography mount. Not as good as the heq5 or eq6 but for small scopes they do produce acceptable photos. maybe not pic of the week but pretty good nonetheless

[robemoor]

8" gives a much better visual instrument but if you want to image with it you are going to need an eq6 ideally. I have seen some nice pics guided with an ed80 and finder guider on the cg5gt even with the 150 on this mount some short subs are possible the f5 is faster than an sct but being a fast scope you will need to spend a little more on eyepieces as it is not as forgiving as an f10 scope but these mounts have a good reputation as a budget photography mount. Not as good as the heq5 or eq6 but for small scopes they do produce acceptable photos. maybe not pic of the week but pretty good nonetheless

thanks for all that info Rowan46 but you have lost me, too many buzz word I dont know : ( ed80, cg5gt, f5 is faster, sct, f10, heq5, eq6 Id be lying if I said I understand

[Quatermass]

Have a read of my blog and see if that helps you decide on a sky watcher easy to follow start from day one and see what can be done

Sent from my GT-S5670 using Tapatalk

[rowan46]

thanks for all that info Rowan46 but you have lost me, too many buzz word I dont know : ( ed80, cg5gt, f5 is faster, sct, f10, heq5, eq6 Id be lying if I said I understand

sorry f numbers refer to its focal ratio the lower the better for imaging. Ed 80 is a type of refractor many use for imaging

cg5gt refers to the mount and heq5 and eq6 are considered the minimum mounts suitable for good imaging. the cg5gt is inferior to both the heq5 and eq6 for imaging but it can produce decent images with a little care and luck

[robemoor]

Have a read of my blog and see if that helps you decide on a sky watcher easy to follow start from day one and see what can be done

Sent from my GT-S5670 using Tapatalk

Quatermass all I can say is WOW WOW WOW thats exactly what Im looking for - those images are topclass - Im very jealous!! gonna have a good read through you blog form the begining - how much in total did it cost to take these pictures - eg the scope, camera, eyepices? - I have all the software

[brantuk]

ED80 = 80mm aperture refractor with Extra Dispersion objective lens (good for imaging).

CG5GT = Celestron mid range "goto" mount and tripod with stability enough for imaging with smaller scopes. (I had one, they're very good value).

SCT= Schmitt Cassegraine Telescope - essentially a short tube reflector achieving long focal length by folding the light up/down the tube 3 times. Good planetary scopes.

HEQ5= Skywatcher heavier duty mount/tripod version of the EQ5 - roughly equivalent to the CG5GT (imho).

NEQ6=largest mount/tripod of the Skywatcher range - heaviest duty - I have one it's really very good.

f5/f10 - the focal ratio of a scope is it's focal length divided by it's aperture size. Short focal ratios (eg f-5) lend themselves nicely to long exposure imaging because they gather light quicker and are hence considered "fast" and they reduce the exposure time required. The converse is true for higher focal ratios (eg f-10).

[robemoor]

sorry f numbers refer to its focal ratio the lower the better for imaging. Ed 80 is a type of refractor many use for imaging

cg5gt refers to the mount and heq5 and eq6 are considered the minimum mounts suitable for good imaging. the cg5gt is inferior to both the heq5 and eq6 for imaging but it can produce decent images with a little care and luck

thanks a million Rowan46, thanks for shareing the knowledge, gonna wait a few more days before I purchase anything have a few scopes to consider now : )

[andrew63]

I think thats a wise decision! There is so much information to take on board. For what it worth, I think your first thought on a 6SE is a sound choice. It's a great piece of equipment to learn your way around with. An equatorial mount such as the C6 is a more complex setup and much less portable. With the weather we have you can be frustratingly limited to clear nights!

Whatever you decide on good luck!

andrew

[Starhoparfa]

Just thinking about the (distant) future but GOTO scopes that can be controlled by a laptop look interesting. Can this be done via bluetooth so you could give all of your commands from indoors and then use all your outdoor time for observing?

[Quatermass]

Quatermass all I can say is WOW WOW WOW thats exactly what Im looking for - those images are topclass - Im very jealous!! gonna have a good read through you blog form the begining - how much in total did it cost to take these pictures - eg the scope, camera, eyepices? - I have all the software

Glad that helped you out mmm how much to take those pictures well let me see,,

The cost of my sky watcher 200p and eq5 mount when new was 395.00 pounds

Add to that a second hand RA motor drive that was 40 quid and a second hand Canon 350d from flea bay that cost me 130.00 total cost for that lot was 565.00

However I started off with just the eq5 and skywatcher telescope and used my Nokie mobile phones video camera strapped on to the lens with a rubber band. I took vids of the moon and planets with that and stacked them in the free software registax to get my first images which was great fun. So that was about a year ago.

If you want my RA axis drive you can have it for 40 quid as I am upgrading to the dual axis drive this month. It has served me well for the last year and needs to go to a good home now.

All those images in my photos are unguided and were taken over a year so that was a big learning curve especially with processing the images which takes a while to learn.

Hope that helps and looking forward to seeing you posting more images on here for us to enjoy.

QM