Finally made my shortlist

[WiKi_KiKi]

Hello! I've done plenty of research and asking many questions (too many!) and I have finally came to a shortlist.

I have some questions about some of them, and if you own the scope itself it will probably be easier for you to answer them. (FLO support wont answer my ticket after 6 days).

1st choice: Dobsonian 200p

Reasons for:

- Good aperture for excellent detail and looking at DSO's

- Will go well with the astronomy book I got today (Turn Left at Orion after many recommendations for it)

- Seems like an excellent scope for the price

Reasons against:

- Seems really big and heavy.

Questions:

- How physically tall is the telescope when on the ground?

- How much does the telescope weigh?

- Is it transportable in terms of getting it up and down stairs and into and out of a car?

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2nd choice: Skywatcher 200p EQ5

Reasons for:

- Similar to the dob, good aperture for DSO's and detail

- Also go well with the book

- Seems to have a stable mount

- Seems easier to transport

Reasons against:

- It's more money than the dob, especially when you are getting less(?)

-

Questions:

- How heavy is this scope?

- Is this easier to transport and setup?

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3rd choice: Skywatcher 130p GoTo

Reasons for

- It has GoTo for ease of use

- Easy to transport

- Seems light

- Not a bad price

Reasons against:

- Bad aperture when compared

- Would be a waste of money for the book

- Focal length isnt brilliant

Questions:

- Is this worth it?

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I also want to go into astrophotography - so I was thinking about getting this little product when I am used to the telescope.

Questions

- Would this work on all 3 of the telescopes?

- Would this give me good images?

- It says RGB, so will I get colour images?

Thanks for your time! Sorry for such (another) long post!

Cheers,

Scott

[Daniel-K]

the 200p is manageable i could pick mine up in one and move it. the thing i didnt like about the eq mounts is i found them a pain to set up and use manually with out goto but depends if you want to get into AP later on i would go with the wq mount and add motors ann the goto upgrade and it brakes down into bits

[Mr Moff]

I just recently went through the same decision as you with the 200p Dob or the 200p eq5.

I went with the 200p eq5 mostly because it looked easier to simply turn a knob to track planets ect.

The scope itself is not heavy at all,it's the mount that is the heavy part.

I haven't taken mine out in the car yet but it should be easy enough to transport.Its easy to setup.

The Dob is probably the easiest to store though.

Whichever one you go for I'm sure you'll be over the moon.(sorry for the pun)

Danny.

[huggiebear]

I've for the SW200P dob and to be honest its not that heavy. i'm a small guy (5ft3") and it comes standing upright in the base below my shoulders.

Its quite easy to transport. I have a Celica and am able to get the base in the boot and the OTA in the back seat quite easily. Also easy to carry in and out of the garden. I chose this over the SW200P EQ5 due to the ease of use. I can put it outside and start viewing straight away (although i do leave it half an hour to cool down)

[huggiebear]

Sorry didn't read all of your post. If you want to get into AP then you will need a scope that tracks the object especially for DSOs.

[DOBBY]

Choices 1 & 3 are no good for long exposure A/P as they are both on Alt/Az mounts..but you can get away with a bit of web-camming.

Choice 2 is on an EQ mount...but with no tracking..again it's back to the webcam.

there is a lot more 'faffing' about to set up the Eq5 compared to the dob (levelling...aligning...etc)

For me.. all are easily liftable & transportable...owner of newt & dob

[symesie04]

Dimensions and tube weight for 200p below

TELESCOPE SUPPLIERS - SKY-WATCHER TELESCOPE

[Carl M]

200P on an EQ5 would serve as an ok start to get into imaging, maybe you should think about adding basic dual axis motors to it and a cheaper webcam to start imaging at some point instead of going straight in for an imaging source CCD? It would be easier to track planets if you have the motors added, also the dual axis motors would allow you to start doing some deep space photography as you will have the motors to track at sidereal rate assuming you have a DSLR already?

I would scrap the 130p Goto to be honest, you are paying mainly for the electronics there and not the actual scope.

[WiKi_KiKi]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Alot are in favor for the Dob, and this is my personal favorite.. I can add so much to it with better eyepieces, and accessories for the Dob rather than get the 200P EQ5.

I mean, why should I pay £400 for a telescope and then another £250 for the A/P equipment. It all becomes very expensive, to I think I'll take the Dobsonian.

I'm glad I came to the forum, because I would of gone for the 130P which was a very overpriced telescope for what you get... you pay for the electronics, as Carl said.

Cheers everyone!

...just a shame that First Light Optics is out of stock on the website for this product. Anyone know where I can get this telescope on another trusted/reliable website and for round about the same price?

Thanks!

Scott

[Mr Moff]

Getting hold of the 200p Dob is hard.I ordered the Dob twice from different shops that showed them as being in stock but they weren't.I almost went for the 250p because of it.This is what made me jump in for the eq5 because I just couldn't wait any longer.

There must be a lot of people waiting for the 200p Dob by now.Im sure it will be worth the wait though.

Danny.

[Carl M]

Wise choice I think, dobs are great. No need to align them or anything, just plop it down outside and you are ready to go. Don't get me wrong about the 130P, I'm sure its an ok scope in itself but for the same price you can get a scope which is significantly bigger and one that requires no setup time. Remember that aperture is king if you are going to go for visual observing and the 200P gives great views of DSO's as well as planets.

You may want to check out this thread regarding stock of the 200P http://stargazerslounge.com/sponsor-announcements-offers/181651-shortage-telescopes.html

[paul schofield]

The 200p Dob is not that heavy. I find it can be moved quite easily in one piece. It can also be moved easily tube then mount. It takes up less room than a EQ mount. Obviously not the choice for AP, but in the price range AP is pretty much out of the question. So for visual I would say you cant beat the 200P Dob.