Which telescope to buy

[farunj]

Hi there,

I am thinking of getting a new telescope now. I have shortlisted 3 telescope:

Celestron C8-NGT

Skywatcher 200p

Orion sky view pro 8" equatorial reflector.

Which one of these 3 would be the best one to buy? I am going to try to do some imaging with it but will mainly be doing some observing as I have a fair bit of LP in my area. I live in India so LP is a bit of a problem.

Thanks for the help,

Varun

[crazyjedi]

The answer may depend on your budget. I have the SkyWatcher 150p and can vouch for the build quality and optics of SW but I'm sure that the Orion will be just as good to. You could get a Light Pollution filter or UHC filter to help fight the light pollution :-)

[crazyjedi]

I should add that the C8 is a very well regarded scope. I don't think you'll go far wrong which ever of the three you choose :-)

[farunj]

Ha ha!! That's comforting!! Well the c-8 seems pretty attractive but my heart says 200p. However the local dealer I contacted doesn't have it in stock. He has the other 2. I also want to use the scope for imaging hence want something thats stable.

[Carbon Brush]

All good scopes, as said in earlier posts.

If you want to get into imaging, the mount choice is probably more of an issue than the scope.

I don't know what mounts you are being offered as an 'India' package.

In the UK, the SW200P is often offered with an EQ5 size mount. A bit on the edge for imaging but fine for visual.

Really with an 8" scope you are looking for HEQ5 size and updwards.

[ollypenrice]

For long exposure imaging don't go for the long focal length SCT. It needs very accurate guiding. The HEQ5 with the 200P will give you the best results. Be aware that you cannot cut corners on the mount if you want to image. It is by far the most important bit of the setup.

Olly

http://ollypenrice.smugmug.com/Other/Best-of-Les-Granges/22435624_WLMPTM#!i=1793644788&k=r8HTK72

[crazyjedi]

Yeah the SCT won't be great for imaging (maybe planets are ok) but if you really want to go for imaging (do you have much experience with telescopes yet?) as stated above the mount is going to cost. Also someting to consider is what you'll be using to take the images. if you plan on using a DSLR many Newts don't have enough back travel to reach focus. The newer SkyWatcher 200P DS is designed with astrophotography in mind and are able to reach focus with a DSLR.

If you really want a stable imaging platform with an 8 inch scope a driven EQ5 is the minimum you want. (maybe an EQ6 with GoTo for longer exposure).

The problem is that the cost will start mounting ££££££

How muh do you want to spend??

[farunj]

Thanks for all the replies folks. I am willing to spend as much as 600£ on a good setup. I already have a 5" scope on an AZ mount. So do not have much experience with EQ mounts. I want something bigger than a 5" scope so was hoping for an 8" scope.

[Cornelius Varley]

For long exposure imaging don't go for the long focal length SCT. It needs very accurate guiding. The HEQ5 with the 200P will give you the best results. Be aware that you cannot cut corners on the mount if you want to image. It is by far the most important bit of the setup.

Olly

http://ollypenrice.s...44788&k=r8HTK72

All three are Newtonian reflectors and probably all share the same optics.

Peter

[crazyjedi]

SkyWatcher and Celestron are made by a Chinese company called Synta if I'm not mistaken so they'll probably be almost identical optically I reckon

[farunj]

All three are Newtonian reflectors and probably all share the same optics.

Peter

So then the skywatcher 200p and the celestron c8 are pretty much the same scopes?

[crazyjedi]

Their optics will be near identical though their outward appearance may differ.

They are both good scopes too

[Artdemole]

Have read on some sites that CELESTRON has some plastic fittings and SKYWATCHER has metal hence the difference in price...

[crazyjedi]

Have read on some sites that CELESTRON has some plastic fittings and SKYWATCHER has metal hence the difference in price...

I don't know about the C-8 but my brother-in-law has a Celestron 114mm newt that has all plastic fittings and looks very cheap next to my SW 150.

I would have thought that the C-8 would be have metal fittings like the SW's. I have only seen the C-8 in pictures so it is hard to tell and the sales blurb simply says "the two inch focuser" so it may not be a proper crayford style fitting at all.

Let's hope that someone on here actually has or has had a C-8 so that we can get some facts eh

[ollypenrice]

So then the skywatcher 200p and the celestron c8 are pretty much the same scopes?

Sorry, my mistake. I misread the Celestron model number. No, only the C8 is an SCT. Old age!!

Thanks,

Olly

[farunj]

Thanks for the replies guys. From the picture the celestron one looks like it has metal fittings. Will ask the dealer to know for sure though and then decide!