The same question for a thousandth time..

[trants1]

Dear all,

I'm new to this pondering the universe stuff and have been devouring forums with intent. And yet i'm still confused. So, for what is probably the thousandth time, which would be more suitable to my needs;

skywatcher explorer 150p

skywatcher explorer 150pl

skyline 200 (dobsonian)

I guess to answer this you need to know my needs. Pretty basic would be the answer. I'd like something as all round as possible seeing as I'm a beginner. I'm a five minute car journey from a good viewing spot, and my garden isn't too light saturated either. So i guess portability isn't an issue (too much).

I have a DSLR (nikon d40) and would like eventually to be able to use it in some capacity with the telescope. Although this would not be an immediate requirement.

my budget is around 300 english pounds sterling. Give or take a few groats.

And i guess that is it.

Thanks in advance for your celestial knowledge.

Chris

[DOBBY]

Hi Chris & welcome to the forum..

£300 will certainly get you going for visual use...or the odd 'snap' with your Nikon...but, for any long exposure photography...you need to start with the mount...you need a sturdy EQ (equatorial) mount with tracking...the book...'Making Every Photon Count' is worth a read before buying any gear.

however... if you're in a rush..a 200 dob will give you good views & you can try webcam stacking or snaps of planets... & at a later date when you have the funds get an HEQ5 Pro mount for it

[marshy123]

welcome trants! I m no kind of expert - I'm pretty new to this lark - but I can report that I have the Skywatcher 130 and for the money I am really pleased with what seems to be a good all-rounder. The 150P on the EQ3-2 mount looks very nice, someone will be along soon with some proper assistance I expect!!!

Until then there are loads of reviews and posts about skywatchers in this price bracket on SGL so you should be able to find out tons. Good luck with your viewing, whichever scope you end up with, this is a really neat passtime/obsession!

Cheers, Chris.

[richbyers]

hey

the 200 dob will give you most light gathering power for money, but you wont be able to do any photography with it, as dobs arent mounted on an eq mount and are moved manually

the 150 and 150 pl- the pl i believe has a greater focal length and is better for planetary viewing, and the non pl is better for deep sky observing

overall id go for the 200 dob for general use, and most value for money

rich

[trants1]

This maybe a slightly silly question. But the Dobsonian mount looks like it just plonks on the ground? Is ths true? And if so, doesn't that make it extremely low and awkward to use?

I'm possibly leaning towards the skyliner 200p simply because it appears you're getting a better scope for your money, with the possibility to upgrade to a EQ mount later.

My only other concern is that you appear with the skyliner to get less in the way of eye-pieces/barlow/magnification etc?

My brain hurts.

But i'm a bit excited.

Chris

[richbyers]

the dob is just that- i have to kneel down to see through my 130p - its a baic constuction of a mirror in a tube , wit a secondary mirror and eyepiece, mounted on a wooded swivel bottom- thats it!!

BUT, you will get more light gathering than the 150mm, youll be able to see more fainter deep sky objects-but you obviously have to keep nudging the scope when viewing at high mags

BUT again, you dont have to worry about setting the mount up, as you dont have any, its a learning curve, but not as big a one as a proper mount- much easier to set up and go

[trants1]

would it still be able to provide reaosnable views of planets then aswell as deep space stuff? At a later date could it be mounted on an EQ and used for photography?

Terrible questions i'm sure.

Chris

[Thirdway]

Dead easy. The Dob sits on the ground. The 200 is around 5 feet high. Most objects you looking at need to be nice and high in the sky so the telescope is usually inclined between fully vertical and 30 degrees. Occasionally lower objects mean its lower, but viewing on the low horizon isn't great. Yes, it can still be a twisty, painful, crouching experience unless you have a adjustable chair, but you get used to it.

It comes with a 10mm and 25mm lenses which are a decent start. Maximum practical magnification is at 6-7mm but viewing has to be very good to get clear images. 25mm is a nice lens for general viewing and DSOs and the 10mm will get you planetary views.

Your going to need to collimated the scope from time to time so a Cheshire long extension tube will be required, plus, without any hesitation I would recommend you get a Telrad or Rigel star finder because the one with the scope is tricky to use and will give you a sore neck and a bad temper.

Photography isn't really possible on his scope. You might be surprised that if you bought a proper guided equatorial mount for your camera plus a lens of around 200mm that you can get beautiful shots of galaxies...no telescope required! I got quite a shock seeing some on this forum.

[trants1]

Actually, i've just seen some to scale images of it. Terrifyingly I own a toyota aygo. Renowned for their compact size. Some how, I don't think the two would get along well....

[richbyers]

would it still be able to provide reaosnable views of planets then aswell as deep space stuff? At a later date could it be mounted on an EQ and used for photography?

Terrible questions i'm sure.

Chris

yes, a dob is a great all round scope- all those you stated will give great views of planets, the 150 non pl and dob are the best for dsos

im not sure about mounting it

[trants1]

Ok, so far i'm looking at a shopping basket thus;

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

First Light Optics - Premium Cheshire Collimating Eyepiece

First Light Optics - Telrad Finder

Would anyhting else be reccomended? And would this collimator be ok? Someone mentioned an extension tube or somethng earlier up?

[Thirdway]

Yes that would be fine. I use the Rigel version of the reticle star finder because it saves a bit of money and has a battery onboard.

You also need some form of star chart. Either iPad/ laptop based, or paper based and you are good to go.You might find a compass useful if your sense of direction isn't great, just a cheap one. For collimating you need an Allen key for the mirror locking screws on the primary. For some reason it doesn't come with the right wrench, I found something to fit but not sure what size it is.