Newbie to telescopes

[Intruder Trike]

Hi,

Looking for lots of advice for the following,

Going to purchase a telescope, max £500 - I am looking for the best possible one for a newbie like myself.

Will need tripod with it and it will be set up for garden use.

Best possible magnification etc?

I wish to gaze at the Moon, Saturn , Mars etc - also would like to be able to attach my DSLR Canon camera to take pictures from the telescope.

Complete novice!

[jeremy1]

Hi. The Skywatcher 200 Newtonian is a fantastic scope and would do all that you need and more, but for photos you would need synscan motorised mount and that does push the budget up. There are smaller scopes available with goto already as a package, and being of 150 to 130 size would be easier for transportation if you so desire.

[fredster]

Hi. The Skywatcher 200 Newtonian is a fantastic scope and would do all that you need and more, but for photos you would need synscan motorised mount and that does push the budget up. There are smaller scopes available with goto already as a package, and being of 150 to 130 size would be easier for transportation if you so desire.

Skywatcher Explorer 200P on EQ5 would be the obvious choice for that budget and requirements. The basic setup is £415 from First Light Optics and you could add the dual axis drives to make it £500. That would be sufficient to get you started with the imaging using the Canon. And the 200P can do all types of visual astronomy very well. You'll need a few extras that will bump the price though, such a simple collimation device, a red light, star map (Turn Left at Orion is brill). But all those will only add an extra £50.

The supplied eyepieces and barlow are plenty fine to get you started. Plus there are some really good value eyepiece options available now when you are ready to expand the set.

[Velvet]

Would second the Skywatcher 200 and the EQ to start with. great set up. For imaging though I would advise an HEQ5 or NEQ6 but they are pricey. I had weight issues with the EQ5 for imaging. The OTA on the mount does not leave a lot of scope/payload left to add other stuff and the DSLR does weight quite a bit never mind finders, telrad EP's etc.etc. But if that is your budget you will not go far wrong as a starter

velvet

[fredster]

Would second the Skywatcher 200 and the EQ to start with. great set up. For imaging though I would advise an HEQ5 or NEQ6 but they are pricey. I had weight issues with the EQ5 for imaging. The OTA on the mount does not leave a lot of scope/payload left to add other stuff and the DSLR does weight quite a bit never mind finders, telrad EP's etc.etc. But if that is your budget you will not go far wrong as a starter

velvet

Rather than image through the 200P it maybe a good idea to view the EQ5 as a camera platform for widefield imaging using the Canon body and a camera lens. Or perhaps lookout for a Startravel 80 or 102 at a later date and use that to start off imaging. The ST80/102 can be used as a guidescope later.

[Velvet]

Rather than image through the 200P it maybe a good idea to view the EQ5 as a camera platform for widefield imaging using the Canon body and a camera lens. Or perhaps lookout for a Startravel 80 or 102 at a later date and use that to start off imaging. The ST80/102 can be used as a guidescope later.

Exactly what i did to start, my first DSO image posted here was with the DSLR straight onto the mount and no OTA, it was widefield of M31 and turned out quite good

Velvet

[66mikeg]

By all accounts the SW200p with a camera is stretching the weight for an eq5 but should be ok for photographing moon and planets,but the SW200p is a cracking scope for visual and the eq5 if motorised would make a great mount for widefield photography using the camera

[Demo johnny]

When you start getting into the budgets for AP it is expensive. if you go for a SW200p budget for a collimation tool £20-£50 if I am honest I have had more fun with my Meade ETX105 pe than i did with my SW150p which I bolted on my d700 for a few great snaps of the moon it was only on eq3-2 and was totally fine. I am going to bolt my d700 to the 105 for some widefield stuff with my normal lens kit. GOTO can take a bit of the frustration out of the learning curve, you can pop out and see quite a lot in an hour of viewing. So you maybe want to look at SW127, Meade 125 (£625) as goto options.

[Intruder Trike]

Hi all,

Thanks for the info - priceless!

Now if I plunge for the Skywatcher 200p and EQ5.

- How or what do I need to get it motorised?

Is this solely for the canon DSLR or for the Telescope?

What else will I need to get started, do I receive a sky map with the telescope?

And if I went down the telescopes with a built in sky map - the auto finding type what would you recommend?

Sorry for all the questions, but complete novice!

[66mikeg]

Skywatcher 200p EQ5 £415 from FLO dual axis motor kit for EQ5 £92 from FLO basic eyepieces and a barlow to which your camera can be attached are included, but you would also need a cheshire collimator and an adapter for your camera say another £50 for the two. This would be fine for photography of the moon and planets but not accurate or steady enough for photography of galaxies etc although fine for visual observing of these. Best advice find a local astronomy club and see what they use and what you would see using various 'scopes.

[Demo johnny]

Now if I plunge for the Skywatcher 200p and EQ5.

A solid starting position get to know the skies and will be able to see plenty, you can bolt your camera on with a T ring and do some lunar shots to satisfy your curiosity for AP. I would not get too hung up on imaging as you will need to jump up to a HEQ5 or NEQ6 if you want to get serious about it. If you can stretch to a eq5 synscan then this will give you goto and tracking but all the advice you read is get the best mount you can in the beginning so the HE5 and NEQ6 is what they mean. I would either bight the bullet and get the HEQ5 or just take the standard EQ5 to allow you to get out there and do it. No point modding the EQ5 if it is not going to be up to that needed for AP. Its newbie tax buy now then realise not what you need if your serious end up buying what you really need and take a hit on original outlay even if you can sell it second hand.

[ollypenrice]

You complicate things enormously the moment you introduce astrophotography. To advise you on a visual scope would be easy. Go for a Dobsonian, ie a Newtonian reflector on a simple but good mount which cannot, however, do deep sky photography. If you insist on deep sky photography you will only be able to do it to a very rustic standard on a budget equatorial mount and this mount will be poor at AP and also poor visually.

You might have more enjoyment out of a better but non-photographic mount. Taking astrophotos is very complicated, very expensive and is mainly about the mount. It does not bear the slightest resemblance to any kind of daytime photography.

Olly

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

[Intruder Trike]

As I have been an amateur photographer for too many years I care to remember, I now wish to combined this with Deep space Stargazing.

I would like a Telescope that I can do both, my budget was loosely based on £500, but if I need to spend more than this, then my budget will go up.maybe double.......

Its not limitless, what i don't want to do is spend £500 now and then find the system is not good enough in 2 months time....

It will be Stargazing as number one priority, but I would certainly need to add my Canon 650 DSLR to take some shots. Hence I will need a suitable device for the Canon.

So, I am looking for a Telescope with a great magnification, but with a mount [do I need motorised?] with the ability to do photography as a add on.

Which system will be better for my needs?

Ideas please?

[Intruder Trike]

I have found this system as a start up, I would appreciate members thoughts on the positive and negatives before parting with £750?

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-200p-eq5-goto.html

[Baffa]

If you mainly are gonna use it for imaging I think a smaller scope would be a better choice with that mount, will make things easier! Are there any options for like 130P or 150P with that mount? Call or mail FLO and see if they can suggest something.

And before I forget, a coma corrector is also something you might want to consider.

[Intruder Trike]

No, the system /Telescope will be used mainly for viewing, I only shot images that I wish to blow to 12 x 8, so imaging will be second priority.......Viewing will be no.1.

But I would like to photograph, when I see something spectacular, hence I will need something to stick my Canon on to when necessary.

I thought the GOTO would make it faster to view etc....

[paulf]

hi intruder trike, you mention moon, planets but later on 'deep space'. do you envisage photographing globular clusters, galaxies, nebulas?

for purely visual a big dob is a great option, but the merest mention of photography and the decision gets really complicated.

as a fellow newbie (had my scope since May), i'd say don't rush, and follow this forum for a while. And if photography is to be part of the equation then concentrate on the mount first before you even think about the telescope.

HEQ5 syntrek mount would be a good starting point in planning your system.

[Intruder Trike]

Hi,

I am heading for HEQ5 GOTO and possibly a Telescope that will give me - great viewing via the best aperture with the added bonus of being able to take the odd photograph .

[nightfisher]

Hi,

I am heading for HEQ5 GOTO and possibly a Telescope that will give me - great viewing via the best aperture with the added bonus of being able to take the odd photograph .

Heq5 is a much better choice,kinda future proofing the mount, may i suggest doing this in two stages, first get the 200p on the heq5, learn your way around the sky, and on the way take some nice lunar pictures, then as you progress, add a second hand ED 70-80mm refractor for deep sky imaging

[Intruder Trike]

Heq5 is a much better choice,kinda future proofing the mount, may i suggest doing this in two stages, first get the 200p on the heq5, learn your way around the sky, and on the way take some nice lunar pictures, then as you progress, add a second hand ED 70-80mm refractor for deep sky imaging

I thought the bigger the aperture the better viewing of the scope [more light in]?

ED 70 -80 refractor is smaller aperture than the 200?

[John]

I thought the bigger the aperture the better viewing of the scope [more light in]?

ED 70 -80 refractor is smaller aperture than the 200?

It is but aperture is not so important for imaging. The suggestion is to use the larger aperture scope for viewing and the smaller one for imaging. A smaller scope will be held much more steadilly by the HEQ5 mount which is absolutely critical for imaging deep sky objects.

[Intruder Trike]

It is but aperture is not so important for imaging. The suggestion is to use the larger aperture scope for viewing and the smaller one for imaging. A smaller scope will be held much more steadilly by the HEQ5 mount which is absolutely critical for imaging deep sky objects.

Gotta

But I thought by going for the HEQ5 over the EQ5, there wouldn't have been a issue, otherwise no point in going for the HEQ5 to start off with......

[Intruder Trike]

Having a re think now on which mount and which telescope to go for!

[paulf]

When I started out I *thought* I was interested in purely visual, but within a matter of weeks I was getting more of an interest in the photography side of things. If you get the HEQ5 Syntrek or Pro then whatever happens you will have the only mount you'll ever need (unless you get really really serious!). The HEQ5 (Pro and Syntrek) have uprated stepper motors compared to the HEQ5 (standard) and importantly an autoguider port.

[Intruder Trike]

So I am back on track then?

Skywatcher 200p HEQ 5 pro SynScan GOTO, - Now I need to find £1100.

This set up is double the original budget, wow hope its good!

With this setup, what other add - ons will I require?

Are is everything included?

What would you recommend?