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Help deciding on a telescope

S41-1iL

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S41-1iL

S41-1iL

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Hello I'm new to the forums and need some help on deciding which telescope to buy.

I would like a computerised goto telescope an found 3 which I like.

The first one is the skywatcher 130p but can't seem to find any uk based sellers.

Then there's the celestron nexstar 130 or the skyprodigy 130. I really like the skyprodigy and want to know of there's much of a difference between the both of them. This may sound stupid but I wanted to know if the skyprodigy would be able to align itself in a clear sky with no visible stars? Would it wok like that or would there have to be stars?

Also is there any dobsonian goto telescope and are they better than Newtonian scopes?

Thanks.

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Pigz

Pigz

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first light optics (the fourms sponser look at the top or links below) is deffintly the cheapest UK supplyer trust me ive just brought one as of Monday!!!! anyway i actually got the 130p Synscan GOTO at 274 including delivery and it will probably be delivered direct from the distrbuter (Optical Vision Ltd and dont deal to public by the way) links for the GOTO page for Skywatcher: First Light Optics - AZ GOTO

i must say the 130 is a great scope and ive had it on a EQ2 mount but im getting into it again so ive just ordered this again so to speak and its a great scope deffintly recomend!!

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malc-c

malc-c

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Welcome to the forum.

Reading up on the sky-prodigy it appears that it uses it's on board camera to work out where it is and this there is no need to do the normal two or three star alignment procedure, however I've never seen this in reality, it is reviewed in the February issue of Astronomy Now. The drawback is that it retails for around £800, and for that amount you could get a 200P (8") reflector on a computerised goto EQ5 mount (First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5 GOTO )

As for the other scopes, have a look at Firtslight Optics First Light Optics - Reflectors

or

RotherValley Optics

Telescopes | Rother Valley Optics

Hope that helps

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rowan46

rowan46

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the scope on the sky progidy is essentially the same as the one on the skywatcher synscan you are paying a lot of money for a more sophisticated electronics package. this is cheaper than the sky prodigy bigger mount bigger scope and cheaper and the goto works fine it needs a little more input but it ticks all your boxes and is strong enough to put a camera on the end

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

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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Also is there any dobsonian goto telescope and are they better than Newtonian scopes?

Thanks.

Hi,

This question has already been answered above but can I suggest another item for you?

It's the same 130P but in Flextube/Dobsonian format. Much cheaper too: First Light Optics - Skywatcher Heritage 130p Flextube

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roymattblack

roymattblack

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I have the Skywatcher 130 and I'm a newbie.

It's bl--dy amazing!

Dead simple to set up - and I know nothing!

After about 3-5 minutes, I'm just watching the built-in sky tour.

It's great.

I'd highly recommend it, even though I paid over the odds from Sneezums in Bury st Edmunds - £325 - but the service was amazing, helpful, and I saw the scope in the shop - not via post.

My advice?

GET ONE!

Roy.

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renne

renne

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Hi All. Like so many I to am about to buy my first telescope. I want to see the moon and planets at high detail, but also DSO etc.. in time. I've been looking forward to buying the Skywatcher Skymax 127 SupaTrak but have just been looking at the Orion Skyquest Xt8i Intelliscope Dobsonian Telescope. I'm not sure what to expect from each telescope in terms of what I will see in the field of view. Also I like the idea of auto tracking (Skywatcher) and the idea of goto (Dobsonian). I have £400 max to spend and need someone to tell me what to buy.

Cheers.

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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My advice for that budget and requirements is a Skywatcher 200P Dobsonian, plus a couple of nice eyepieces - possibly the excellent Revelation/Celestron Plossl set.

Sent from my mobile using TapaTalk (so please excuse bad grammar & spelling!) :-)

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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Good point Tiddles. Still, they're night and day compared to the Skywatcher set.

I wonder if the OP has a budget for the Baader Clickstop with 200P. That should make a great combo!

Sent from my mobile using TapaTalk (so please excuse bad grammar & spelling!) :-)

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brucen

brucen

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Although I have nothing to compare it with I have no regrets in having decided on the Skywatcher. With the aid of Stellarium (free software package) it is easy to set up - even if you know very little about the night sky - and is just as easy to use. Only slight downside is that the supplied eyepieces are not brilliant but I think that applies to most starter scopes from what I have read.

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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Although I have nothing to compare it with I have no regrets in having decided on the Skywatcher. With the aid of Stellarium (free software package) it is easy to set up - even if you know very little about the night sky - and is just as easy to use. Only slight downside is that the supplied eyepieces are not brilliant but I think that applies to most starter scopes from what I have read.

The Skywatcher telescopes are usually very good out of the box, although it's clear that they make savings on the eyepieces which don't do the mirrors/lenses justice at all.

The standard eyepieces are alright but the quality is substantially improved through the use of higher quality eyepieces.

All the best,

Mike

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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Also I like the idea of auto tracking (Skywatcher) and the idea of goto (Dobsonian). I have £400 max to spend and need someone to tell me what to buy.

Cheers.

If you can stretch your budget just a little bit, get these:

Sky-Watcher 200P Dobsonian: £270

Baader Click-zoom Eyepiece: £169

Total: £449 including P&P (from First Light Optics, or your preferred telescope supplier).

With a budget of <£500, purchasing something with a GOTO or tracking will reduce your budget for the stuff that matters - the optics. You can always add tracking later but there's little point in GOTO'ing something that your scope won't show you.

If you really have to get under £400, choose the:

Revelation Photo-Visual Eyepiece kit (£129) instead of the Baader Click-zoom eyepiece.

Total: £405 including delivery (from FLO again).

All the best,

Mike

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renne

renne

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Thanks for your adive Mike. I assume the image quality is alot better with the 200P. You said that I could add tracking later and my understanding is that ideally this is a must.

Your comments remind me of when I wanted an all-in-one midi-system 25 years ago. My dad said, "You don't want that rubbish son. You should buy separates, bit by bit. 2 months after forcing him to buy me the midi-system I asked him to sell it.

One more thing: Is the Baader zoom better quality than the revelation kit or just more conveinient? Your advice is much appreciated Mike.

Thanks again

Renne

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MikeWilson

MikeWilson

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Thanks for your adive Mike. I assume the image quality is alot better with the 200P. You said that I could add tracking later and my understanding is that ideally this is a must.

Your comments remind me of when I wanted an all-in-one midi-system 25 years ago. My dad said, "You don't want that rubbish son. You should buy separates, bit by bit. 2 months after forcing him to buy me the midi-system I asked him to sell it.

Your dad was right and the analogy is a good one.

I have used numerous 200P's but never owned one. I had owned a 150P (Explorer/EQ mounted version) as well as a Mak 127 (5").

All of the mentioned scopes here are good and none of the 'midi' scopes that you'd find in many high street stores in sight.

More aperture = more light = more resolution & detail = brighter deep sky objects. The 200P then is 77% (need to check this) better than the 150P which in turn is quite a bit better than the 130P. The 200P also has the benefit of being quite long without needing a stack of yellow pages' to stand on. At 1.2 meters of focal length, it does the job on planets as well as deep sky so it is perhaps the best 'all rounder'. If I had the funds spare for a new visual scope this is what I'd buy.

One more thing: Is the Baader zoom better quality than the revelation kit or just more conveinient? Your advice is much appreciated Mike.

Thanks again

Renne

Both, it is better quality and more convenient (for me anyway). You've got more eye relief and a wider field of view as well as a handy clicky-zoom ring. Plus, there's an adapter (available separately) that will let you attach a DSLR to it rigidly without guesswork.

It only goes 8-24mm though. The Revelation kit will take you from 9, 12, 15, 20, 32 (the 32 is lovely) and has a nice quality 2x barlow, coloured filters (including a nice high quality moon filter) and t-thread adaptor. And it's cheaper. They're nice eyepieces but the Click-zoom is better in my opinion. I attended two recent stargazing live events and most eyepieces were Baader Click Zooms.

Of course there are better eyepieces again, ones that are similar to hand grenades in both appearance, weight and cost but deliver 'port hole' like views of the stars.

If you go for the 200P, get the Click Zoom and be happy. If you're going for a Mak 127/NexStar 6SE or something like that, go for the Revelation set.

All the best,

Mike

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daczzr

daczzr

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Ive just bought a skywatcher 130 on an eq2 from scopenskies, very happy and enjoying learning the stars as i couldnt quite stretch to a goto, they have some eyepeice kits not too dissimilar to the revelation kits

ScopeTeknix 10 part eyepiece and accessory kit

Are these any good as i am aware the supplied EP's help keep the costs down

D

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