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SCT ?, DOB ? Dunno

Ally8446

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Ally8446

Ally8446

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Hopefully somewhere in the very near future I shall be buying a new scope. I have come to the conclusion that my main interest lies in DSOs. My question is, which type of scope is best suited to viewing DSOs ?

Since buying my first scope a year ago I've really got to grips with the operation of a GE mount, however it still annoys me slightly that one has to rotate the entire O.T.A sometimes in order to get at the ep. That is the reason I may prefer a Dob. Just wanted some input from the vast expanse of experience out there. Please enlighten me peeps. Thank you

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John

John

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...... My question is, which type of scope is best suited to viewing DSOs ?.....

All you have said stacks up to a large aperture dobsonian scope. In terms of aperture per £ spent they are the best you can get and aperture is vital for deep sky objects.

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Ally8446

Ally8446

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Good grief what a quick response. Thank you guys. I think I could stretch my budget to £350 absolute max, but which make ? Orion, Skywatcher etc ? Maybe even a Zhummel but I think that would have to come from the States. Decisions eh !

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John

John

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Good grief what a quick response. Thank you guys. I think I could stretch my budget to £350 absolute max, but which make ? Orion, Skywatcher etc ? Maybe even a Zhummel but I think that would have to come from the States. Decisions eh !

Skywatcher are the best value I think. Good scopes too. Zhumell are the same optics as Meade Lightbridges which are around the same as the Skywatcher ones. Orion Optics in the UK have nice optics but are more expensive than the chinese made ones.

You budget would buy a new Skywatcher 200P dobsonian (about the most popular scope around !) or a used Skywatcher 250PX which gives you a couple of inches more aperture. Both would be a noticeable step up from your current scope.

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tjr

tjr

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You budget would buy a new Skywatcher 200P dobsonian (about the most popular scope around !) or a used Skywatcher 250PX which gives you a couple of inches more aperture. Both would be a noticeable step up from your current scope.

^^^ Don't think you'll get better advise than this. Up to you if you want to go second-hand or not. I would have thought a 250mm SW dob would just about be affordable second-hand at that price.

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swamp thing

swamp thing

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Hi

TBH not sure how many SCT would come in at £350 budget. It would certainly be a lot smaller than any newt (specially a Dob mounted one).

It is true that there are probably as many different DSO,s as there are types of scope which are best to observe them with. Generally a newt is your best option, specially when on a budget. For most objects aperture is your best way of achieving good views.

I spend nearly all my observing time on deep sky observing, I use Dob mounted newts and am very unlikely to change as these are the best tools for the job IMO.

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Luke

Luke

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As far as I know, the GSO dobs in Europe are same/very simliar to Zhummel. At least our 10 inch GSO deluxe looked the same as far as I could see to the Zhummel version, I used Zhummel instructions to help put our GSO together as instructions were missing.

GSO dobs here at Teleskop Service, where we got our GSO, not sure you can get them directly in the UK:

http://www.teleskop-...Telescopes.html

We've had three Skywatcher dobs and one GSO, might just be luck of the draw but from my scopes, I'd say the Skywatchers are a bit better optically, but I love the mechanics on our GSO, it's really smooth to move and can be adjusted to rebalance it.

I would go for the dob, but I guess I would say that, having had four! The best bang for buck for me if you want to view DSOs and aren't looking to do deep sky imaging.

Good luck with the choice!

Good grief what a quick response. Thank you guys. I think I could stretch my budget to £350 absolute max, but which make ? Orion, Skywatcher etc ? Maybe even a Zhummel but I think that would have to come from the States. Decisions eh !

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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comfort when observing is a big issue for me. I like the fact that the eyepiece position does not change with dobs (other than up and down of course). I also like the aperture that dobs allows for the price. dobs all the way for me as a visual astronomer.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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comfort when observing is a big issue for me. I like the fact that the eyepiece position does not change with dobs (other than up and down of course). I also like the aperture that dobs allows for the price. dobs all the way for me as a visual astronomer.

Well the EP position on the 8SE also changes very little, which is great and i'd say it is more portable then any 8" Dob (this is a personal opinion though). The only downside of an 8" SCT compared to an 8" DOB...............is the price. BUT, for me portability far outweighs cost (within reason).

No question................Dobs offer the biggest bang for bucks, but aperture isnt always the winning factor when buying a scope. A perfect scope(IMHO) is a blend of: aperture,portability and cost.

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dtr42

dtr42

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just got my 250 dob definetly the way to go for visual , i have a small box that i sit the dob on as it raises the base by 18 inches making viewing easy and less bendy sore back also get a angle finder [wixiey angle finder and a setting circle and you'll be well in]

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Dellis

Dellis

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Hopefully somewhere in the very near future I shall be buying a new scope. I have come to the conclusion that my main interest lies in DSOs. My question is, which type of scope is best suited to viewing DSOs ?

Since buying my first scope a year ago I've really got to grips with the operation of a GE mount, however it still annoys me slightly that one has to rotate the entire O.T.A sometimes in order to get at the ep. That is the reason I may prefer a Dob. Just wanted some input from the vast expanse of experience out there. Please enlighten me peeps. Thank you

I've owned a CPC1100 and currently own a 12" Dob, a Lightbridge. I'll give you a potted history of how I got to the Dob., I had the CPC1100 but wanted a wider fov so bought myself a 4" refractor on a manual eq5 mount to compliment the CPC. However I enjoyed finding objects myself much more than using GoTo on the CPC so stopped using the CPC and sold it I then found I was missing the light grab of the C11 so bought the Dob and I haven't looked back since. The Dob has almost twice the fov when compared to the C11 and is so much more rewarding to use, I guess it's the thrill of the chase :) So you won't be surprised that my vote is for the Dob and I can't see myself replacing mine with anything other than a bigger Dob. I have a large setting circle on the base of mine and a Wixey so if the hunt proves too much I can resort to push to :)

Go on get yourself a Dob

Dave

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