Upgrade advice needed

[Bobby1970]

In the not too distant future i should be getting about £500 or so coming my way and i am thinking of using it to upgrade to a new scope. My current scopes are listed in my signature below.

I have to be honest i have not used my scopes much during the lighter nights mainly due to having to get up quite early for work. But now the nights are drawing in i am really looking forward and itching to get out there again.

Anyway, i am really torn as to what to get. I would probably sell my current scopes as well to perhaps have additional funding towards a new scope.

The options i am considering are as follows.

1. Skywatcher 200 dobsonian GOTO for £700+.

2. Perhaps getting a smaller scope than above but with a GOTO EQ mount.

3. Possibly getting an APO refractor and using it on my existing mount as i am not sure funds will stretch to one of these and an EQ mount.

I have done a bit of astrophotography with my set up, mainly planets and the moon as i know my mount is not really suited to dso's. I can't decide if i really want to go down the EQ mount route and then be able to capture dso's if i want to or just to get the biggest aperture i can get with a GOTO system but be limited to what i can take images of but on the other hand it would be great for visual use also.

So fire away and give me your advice and suggestions please.

Thank you

[Matt Scunthorpe]

First suggestion would be to increase the size of your text.

For that price range, i would personally go for a dob. Whether goto or not is preference. Youd be able to get a bigger one for that money if you didnt get goto though. A dob or an EQ depends on whether you image or not, or want to in the future.

[Bobby1970]

Just trying to find the edit option. lol.

Sorry bout that.

[JohnC]

In the not too distant future i should be getting about £500 or so coming my way and i am thinking of using it to upgrade to a new scope. My current scopes are listed in my signature below.

I have to be honest i have not used my scopes much during the lighter nights mainly due to having to get up quite early for work. But now the nights are drawing in i am really looking forward and itching to get out there again.

Anyway, i am really torn as to what to get. I would probably sell my current scopes as well to perhaps have additional funding towards a new scope.

The options i am considering are as follows.

1. Skywatcher 200 dobsonian GOTO for £700+.

2. Perhaps getting a smaller scope than above but with a GOTO EQ mount.

3. Possibly getting an APO refractor and using it on my existing mount as i am not sure funds will stretch to one of these and an EQ mount.

I have done a bit of astrophotography with my set up, mainly planets and the moon as i know my mount is not really suited to dso's. I can't decide if i really want to go down the EQ mount route and then be able to capture dso's if i want to or just to get the biggest aperture i can get with a GOTO system but be limited to what i can take images of but on the other hand it would be great for visual use also.

So fire away and give me your advice and suggestions please.

Thank you

[JohnC]

Text enlrged for the origanal poster

[Bobby1970]

Thanks John.

[Ganymede12]

If I had that much money the I would get a Skyliner 200P solid tube dobsonian, tube rings, an EQ5 mount, an SLR camera and a few EP's.

Unfortunately I don't have that kind of money. So I will be getting the Dob in late November.

[Bobby1970]

i may get a standard Skywatcher 200 dob just for viewing, then get an EQ3 GOTO mount and keep using it with my current scopes and webcam until funds permit something like an APO to go on it for imaging.

Not too keen on a Skywatcher 200 reflector on an EQ mount due to the space it would take up which would appear to be more than just a standard 200 dob.