Recommended telescopes for £350-£400

[Boyleyuk]

HI all,

I've always wanted to buy a decent telescope and explore the wonders of the universe and want to start with something basic and with goto capabilities.

I have a max budget of £400 and have currently shortlisted the following 2 scopes:

Meade ETX90

SKYMAX-127 SupaTrakTM AUTO

Ideally I would like to see Jupiter and Saturn with a bit of detail and would like to be able to take pictures with my dslr

Any advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated

regards

Dave

[BuzzBomb]

In these instances, a larger apature would be better. I'd go for the SW 127.

[Ags]

I have a similar scope, the NexStar 4SE. The SkyMax 127 is better as it just as portable but it has more aperture, so it should show more detail on planets. Even with the 4SE I have seen amazing details on Saturn and Jupiter, and even on Mars, which is a tough target. The 4SE has a 'wedge' which means the mount can be tilted to align with the pole star. This enables you to use the mount as a (not very good) platform for imaging the stars with a camera and lenses up to maybe 150mm. I have managed exposures of 1 minute at 135mm focal length, and exposures over 3 minutes at 50mm (these figures also depend on which part of the sky you are pointing the camera at). The Skymax 127 has a slightly worse mount (flimsier legs) and it does not have a wedge so you cannot use the mount to track the stars without star trails appearing pretty soon.

I would avoid the ETX 90 - more money for less aperture.

[Capricorn]

Any particular reason for the 2 specified?

Curious really.

The ETX is a goto, the 127 sounds like it has motors but not a goto.

If a goto were wanted then add £40 and get the 127 in goto livery.

Technically both are Maks and so will have a long focal length and a narrow field of view.

Most will say the 127, it's bigger, however with the many electronic and motor failures of Skywatcher posted I personally would consider the ETX. OK I have 3 of them and I know them pretty well sp it is familiar ground for me also. One is about 12 years old and going well.

Both are on Alt/Az mounts, so webcam imaging is OK, long exposure DSO is not.

Owning to the narrow field of view both will be a pig to align, you will need a 32 or 40mm eyepiece and also need to take care when doing it. If you rush it and cut corners you will do it twice at least.

Both will show Jupiter and Saturn. Saturn will need about 120x and both should do it, the 127 will deliver it easier.

[LukeSkywatcher]

In these instances, a larger apature would be better. I'd go for the SW 127.

Agreed. While it is a single fork mount, it wont beideal for imaging, but you should be able to get results that you may be happy with and the larger aperture will help.

I'd go for the 127.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The 4SE has a 'wedge' which means the mount can be tilted to align with the pole star.

Does it? I have the 8SE and the wedge is an optional extra.

Damn............i feel cheated.

I would like a wedge for my 8se

[Ags]

Aligning the wedge with Polaris is not easy... I just point the north leg of the tripod at polaris and trust the force. I am always thinking of buying gear and now fancy a Vixen Polarie as a step up from the 4SE. It would also be much more portable and easy to set up, and great for camping. But I think I have a full year of playing with the 4SE wedge ahead of me. With faster lenses and a UHC filter, I might be able to get something worthwhile.

[onesmallstep]

Hi and welcome to SGL

+1 for the 127 as the extra aperture will allow you see more objects. If you get the SynScan goto system you have the best of both worlds - goto and aperture.

http://www.firstligh...an-az-goto.html

HTH!

[umadog]

You should keep in mind that taking good photos is far from straightforward. As a first scope it's a good idea to buy it with visual observing in mind.

[JamesM]

I agree with umadog that for the budget, astro photography would be best left on the back burner for a while. If you feel the need to image the planets then I would suggest employing the services of a webcam which can take a great number of frames in a very short time from which you will be able to select the best, stack them on top of each other to create a final composite image. Its the easiest way of getting round tracking issues and the problems created by trying to image through a lot of atmosphere that moving all over the place. Better still (....and whilst you are at the research stage) why not get a copy of Steve Richards "Making Every Photon Count" (FLO £19.95) which you can see here. It is a very comprehensive guide to all you need to know about imaging and will certainly help you decide what kit to get later on.

Clear skies

James

[Boyleyuk]

Thanks for all your advice guys its appreciated