ST120 or EVOSTAR 120

[Stars Fall]

Thanks John, I always admired the skywatcher ED120 in your space gazing arsenal , but it is way over my budget to start on immediately, the only think left now to consider is the clearance of the evostar OTA for walking short distances (~1 mile), public transport and the low position of the eyepiece on the AZ4 while observing.

Hi and thank you Catweazel, I wish I can have the evostar and not worry about the portability, I am sure you will enjoy using it on that EQ5 and yes indeed (optically speaking) it is the versatile scope among the two.

Hi and thanks SiriusB, the points you have made are pretty much my current picture and sums all my concerns, I think I am trying to convince my self that i can carry the evostar with AZ4 mount around without a car:o, it is just so much better to have the evostar over the st120 but i guess in the same way it is so much better to have an 8" inch scope over the two of them!!

It really boils down to portability considerations, the evostar is not heavy its just looooong, the AZ4 will be my choice to go with both telescopes.

At least I can safely say, I understand why stargazers have more than one scope or maybe 4 of them at one time; there is nothing as an ideal telescope and probably never will be

Anyway guys I already wasted so much of your time, I will keep you posted and thanks for all the valuable support.

Clear Skies

Hasanain

[Caldwell 14]

Second that, just about sums it all up.

I think you are a little confused. The 2 120mm scopes will capture the same amount of light. The ST scope will show wider field of view than the Evostar because of it's shorter focal length. High magnification is not really needed for DSO's - low to medium power is whats mostly used and occasionally it's nice to have a wide angle of view for the larger DSO's like the Andromeda galaxy, Veil nebula etc.

The ST120 will show a lot of false colour on bright stars, planets and the moon, to the extent where it's not a very effective scope for viewing these objects at high power. It is designed as a low to medium power wide field scope.

The Evostar can use higher power on the planets and the moon more effectively and will show DSO's just as well. You can still get a field of view of 2.8 true degrees from an Evostar using a 2" 40mm eyepiece, which is pretty wide. I'd go for the Evostar - it's a more versatile scope.

[jonathan]

Had you considered a good quality 80mm instead of larger scope? You will see some really nice stuff through it, and you could just about manage with an EQ1 or equivalent AZ mount. I have the ST80, it is surprising just how much can be seen through it; yes, you will see more through an ST120 but at a high portability price (mainly due to the mount required to make the extra detail viewable - can't see anything if it's vibrating all the time!)

If you're talking about 2" eyepieces and wide field, these weigh a substantial amount too and may necessitate an extra case, you would need strong legs and three arms to carry all of them at once! The higher quality 80mm short-tube refractors can negate a lot of the CA that the cheaper ones suffer from, this comes at a price, but you tend to get very worth-while extras as standard such as the dual-speed Crayford focuser and a good 2" diagonal (with matching 1.25" adaptor).

I've always liked the look of the Skywatcher Evostar 80-ED DS Pro Outfit, not sure if this is in your budget but you could probably get away with this on an EQ2 or AZ equivalent, though I reckon at least one mount up would be preferable. I am considering the Equinox Pro 80 or 100 APO as a portable option for myself, but as a first-scope purchase you would have to factor in a diagonal and eyepieces as it doesn't come with those (I already have these from my existing set up).

I know how heavy the ST80 is and the EQ1 it comes with.. I would not want to carry it in cases or bags more than half a mile. I imagine you could probably pack the scope and eyepieces in a backpack and carry the mount with both arms in a suitable large bag.

[steve_bham]

I have the ST120 version and a great scope for widefield work and a quick peek at the planets. Best thing is short size as it fits in a large rucksack, so you won't have a problem lugging it around.

For the price it's a great scope, that you can do some serious work with.

[Orange Haze]

Hi Hasanain. I took delivery of my ST120 on a AZ3 last week, due to typical bank holiday weather I haven't been able to get as much use as I'd like, however:

I find it very easy to transport, pick up and running when the cloud broke. I managed to get views of Jupiter with it's moons, Venus, Saturn and the rather full moon. I was warned about CA on the planets, but being honest, it was nowhere near as bad as I feared. I still got amazing views. I intend on buying a Semi APO filter to reduce the CA which by all accounts does a very decent job.

The field of view is amazing and I managed to pick out M42 with ease. The mount to me is all very new but I find it easy to use and as I say, lightweight.

I will add a new lens and a Barlow in short order. Very early days but I have been really impressed so far. I too was tempted by the Evostar 120. In the end budget made my mind up for me but no regrets!

Lee