Yet another "What scope?" thread...

[ubermick]

So I'm pondering the question of what telescope to snag as my (technically) "first" scope. Lot of the recommendations I've seen have been for scopes for sale in the UK tho, and I'm stuck across the pond in the colonies.

I have a bit of a habit of diving head first into hobbies, as I've done with mountain biking, brewing, and the like, and the missus has warned me, under pain of death (by nagging) to not do the same here. She has a small modicum of interest in the hobby, and she knows that I've had a history with stargazing, but money is tight, and she holds the purse strings. So my budget has been set at about $600 US for the scope (I do have a wee bit of cash stashed away that could stretch that a little bit, but had earmarked that for an eyepiece or two.)

I'd ideally like to add a goto feature down the road to this scope (obviously would love one now, but would prefer the budget spent on more light collecting up front), as I'd like to get into astrophotography eventually. Not with a deep space CCD or anything like that - I do have a DSLR tho, but was thinking more HD webcam based? But the desire to have that goto feature with tracking rules out a Dobsonian. (Or does it?)

Portability would be nice, since my back garden is surrounded by trees giving me a restricted view of the sky, and the light pollution is fairly severe here around San Francisco. The local club has meetings at the summit of a nearby mountain, so chances are I'd be doing a lot of my viewing with them.

The scope that looks like a nice fit would be the Skywatcher 200P with the EQ5 mount, but alas, impossible to get here in Yankeeland. Also, if memory serves, folks seem to be leery about the EQ5 mount, with it being considered a bit lightweight?

The closest American equivalent (in my price range) seems to be the Orion Skyview Pro 8", but some folks on another forum (not as friendly as this one, haha) immediately said "NO!" when it came to the mount. I know Celestron has the C8-NGT that already has the goto feature installed for about a grand, but that takes it out of the immediate budget (unless I keep my hands in my pocket, and save away until the Autumn).

Any thoughts lads and lasses?

[John]

I'm going to move this one to the beginners section - it will get more responses there

[DOBBY]

In Europe it's marketed under GSO / Revellation but in the USA it's Zhumell...Zhumell Z8 Deluxe Dobsonian Reflector Telescope - Telescopes at Telescopes @ $399..would get you a decent 'scope..then just source a mount with tracking or go-to when you have the funds

[ubermick]

Cheers for that, Dobby. Is the Zhumell better than the other comparably priced Dobs I've seen, like the Orion?

[JamesM]

The way to go is to choose a dobsonian type scope for now, explore the skies and have fun with it whether that means observing or using a webcam to image planets and the moon. Now if astrophotography seduces you further, by wanting to image deep sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae (...believe me it will!) you can then turn your attention at that time to getting a good accurate equatorial mount (with GOTO) and some mounting rings to transfer your scope from the dobsonion mount on to this new mount. Getting GOTO for a dobsonian is fine (I have no idea of the cost in the U.S) but remember, the dobsonian mount is an Alt-Azimuth style mount that tracks across the sky using tiny little steps. The type of mount is not suitable for DSO work and the GOTO can't be transferred to another mount. When the GOTO is part of an equatorial mount, this setup is more flexible as you can attach a whole host of different types of scope should you wish to change in the future and therefore future proofs your investment in the longer term.

Clear skies

James

[Qualia]

Great solid advice and investigation! Always blows me away the knowledge folk have here. A joy just to read around.

Anyway, I'm sure you're already aware, but Skywatcher and Celestron are basically the same company called Synta. I have no direct experience, but I sense that Celestron is the more upmarket division of the two and judging by the raves they get around Europe, it seems a pity that Skywatcher's OTAs aren't really being sold in the US.

Anyway, just for the record their website can be found here: Celestron Telescopes, Telescope Accessories, Outdoor and Scientific Products by Celestron and you'll be able to find a list of useful US distributors.

If you're looking for an 8", then dobs seem to be the road to go down. Here's a couple of reviews around the $400 mark - leaving you a nice margin for later eyepieces - which you should be able to pick up in your home place:

Zhumell Z8 Dobsonian Telescope - Review

Orion Skyquest Intelliscope XT8 - Review

Focus Scientific

[ubermick]

Cheers for the feedback, lads. So looks like the way forward is probably going to be one of those 8" dobsonians, followed by something like Celestron's CG-5 computerized mount down the road. (CGEM is way too spendy, at least for now).

[ubermick]

Umm, just to throw a pint of petrol on the fire...

If the budget were raised to $1,000-ish? Just got a wee email from work that I'll be getting a likkle bonus at the end of the year (for us that's end of June) so if I keep me hands in my pockets, I might be looking at a Nexstar 8?

[ubermick]

And hooray... I'm a nebula!

*goes back to reading Turn Left at Orion*

[Marki]

8SE is a nice scope. Good aperture and good optics, easy to set up, sort of manageable in physical terms (it'll fit in my little hatchback packed into its boxes with tripod on the backseat). The go-to is ok (I understand that the celestron alignment system is better/easier than some others), but I find the motors quite noisy. Possibly the mount could be a bit more stable for a tube of its size, but vibration dampening pads are supposed to be reasonably effective.

I do like the views this scope gives me, but it is pretty expensive (especially after recent price hikes in the UK, anywhere from £1200 to £1500 now - I guess you can get one for around $1000 in the states?).

[ubermick]

Bit more, it's $1,199 at the minute, but it (apparently) goes on sale from time to time for $999 (which would be nice!).

I'm on the fence with a lot of this stuff, and it's driving me mental. I've had harsh lessons in the past from buying "basic" stuff and having it be a dead end, trying to eventually flog it off and taking a big loss since it wasn't what I wanted. Since then I've subscribed to the ethos of "buy cheap, buy twice" so really trying to suss out something that I'll be happy with for a few years, as opposed to something I'll want to change in a few months. As it stands, I've already decided to hold off on buying something until the summer, when I get that little bonus, and in the meantime connect with the local club to play with their toys for a bit.

[Marki]

Thats a sound approach, ubermick. Get a feel for what feels right for you by seeing what the local club-members have and use. I appreciate what you say about buy cheap, buy twice - so it makes sense to have a good idea what you can get for the cash .

Telescope preferences can be a pretty personal thing - some people rave about dobsonians, or newts or 'fracs, and some people will happily use any and all of them (more of a 'frac fan myself now).

How about a cheapish pair of binoculars to give you some ultimate grab and go capability in the meantime, while you make your decision and wait for your bonus? Oh, and 'grats on making "nebula" ;-)!

[JamesM]

Well there's certainly no rush as, "...the stars aren't going anywhere". As Mark has suggested, I would definitely go along to your local astro club or observing club and hang out with those guys for a couple of observing sessions to see what they're using, take a look through some of the gear to see if it meets your expectations. Taking a closer look at this kit also gives you a better of size and weight along with opportunity to understand more the technical technical considerations like set up times and mirror cool down times, what are the known gripes with some of the kit (Meade fork mounts are very noisy). Lastly, whilst your there, make a note of the eyepieces that people are using because they can make a big difference to the viewing experience. No good looking through an eyepiece with 100 degree field of view believing that it was the scope that gave you that space walk feel.

Clear skies

James