dob v Eq mount

[newbie kev]

Hi ,I am new to this game and was hoping for a bit of advice about what scope to finally get, moneys tight and have decided between the skywatcher explorer 150p or the 200p skyliner dob mounted unit, It would be mostly used for planetary work and then deep sky with maybe photography at a much later date. Any advice would be grateful

[Carbon Brush]

Hi Kev.

Mounts are a contentious issue. I'm not a dob person and have always used EQ. So my views are biassed that way.

A dob lets you go out and view in the shortest time. You can slew around the sky to different objects very quickly.

The EQ mount makes it easier to follow objects using the RA knob (or eventually motor) only. So the object stays put (or is easy to recover) while you change eyepiece, filter, etc. Useful for planetary viewing.

The EQ needs to be reasonably level and north for the above idea to work. But literally throwing down the mount the right way round is generally OK. If you get to photography then alignment is more important, but you are also looking at a decent motor drive or goto.

The EQ is bit more effort to balance. But once you learn, it is quick.

If you are on a budget, generally the dob mount will get you more scope for the money. The dob being a simpler, lower cost, mount.

Can you get to have a go with either mount type? I'm thinking someone nearby or an astro club? Failing that, visit a shop. But in the daylight pointing at the deiling isn't the same.

[stevetynant]

The 200p is perhaps one of the most popular scopes amongst us newbies on the forum - its a great mix of aperture and portability - set up is about two minutes max - it really is that easy. Its a lot of scope for relatively little money

You can get some basic planetory photo shots but if your thinking DSOs its not the right mount. Having said that - A/P is a very expensive hobby anyway so if you look at it as a long term plan then you could get an EQ6 or HEQ5 at a later date and mount your scope on either of these- the mounts which I'm told are the most important thing in AP start at @ £700 so you can see what sort of price range we're talking about.

Best of luck with your hunting and welcome to the forum

[stevetynant]

Good advice from David above- you'll have noted I am pro Dob bias - there is no right or wrong answer in this- you pays your money and takes your chance :0)

[newbie kev]

thanks for the advice, the photography bit is not crucial as of yet, and as you say i can always change the mount at a later date. I think i will go for the dob mount , It seems to be the the the most appropriate for my beginners needs (star hoping), now cant wait for the darn thing.

[stevetynant]

I'm sure you won't be disappointed Kev it really is a nice scope

[Catweazel]

If you are just starting out, I would recommend the 200P Dob, just for the £/apperture ratio. It will be easy to use and you will get to see a lot with it.

AP is another matter, and for the most part, a very expensive avenue to go down. One alternative is a 150P on a EQ5 mount, which would have less aperture than the 200P, but would let you do some basic AP (you could certainly get some nice planetary shots using a webcam). But long term, you would probably want a sturdier mount for DSO AP with a DSLR or CCD, and you are then looking at big £.

[newbie kev]

I think that maybe i will look at other peoples photos, just stick with having fun for a while just getting used to whats out there, live long and prosper cheers

[Carbon Brush]

It is very easy to spend a full evening taking a set of really rubbish photos and miss what you went out there to look at.

I made the mistake of trying to get into photography too early. Learning about my scopes and enjoying the sky has (in my experience) given much more enjoyment.

A good way to look at photogrpahy is to start easy.

DSLR with standard lens for wide sky shots gives pleasing results for little effort.

DSLR or webcam through scope to moon is easy.

After that you can start getting more serious. But it is very easy fall into a bottomless money and time pit. Looking at mount performance you spend hundreds or more. Guiding means more expense. Camera cooling helps get the last from every pixel. Better camera for lower noise. Filters to pass only the wavelengths you want. Computer processing. The limits are your wallet and the number of hours in the day. You can spend all night grabbing images then all day processing them.