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Skywatcher 200p GoTo v.s Celestron Nexstar 6 SE Advice!

EnigmaXXIII

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EnigmaXXIII

EnigmaXXIII

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Hi all,

For a couple of years now I've been saving up to buy a new Telescope, yet am in need of some advice from the fantastic Astronomy Shed community. I'm the proud owner of a Skywatcher 8" Newtonian Reflector Dobsonian, but am looking to upgrade to something computerised. I've been down the HEQ5 route before and honestly didn't like it that much. I know with time I'll probably learn to love it, but currently I'm a big fan of the Alt-Azimuth style mounting system.

After a lot of research I have come up with two options, but would like to hear your thoughts and views before I decide. Obviously, I am completely open to other options, so please feel free to suggest some AZ scopes! I'm looking at the £800 mark.

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Option One: Skywatcher (Skyliner) 200p Flex-Tube SynScan GOTO Dobsonian: £814.99

http://www.rotherval...nian_d5137.html

Option Two: Celestron Nexstar 6 SE Telescope: £819.00

http://www.rotherval...cope_d3688.html

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I'm quite interested in Jupiter and other planets, but would also love to get some views of M42. I'm also quite interested in Astrophotography and would like to know the pros and cons of each regarding that. I am completely aware of the Astrophotographical restrictions when using an AZ mount as opposed to an Equatorial mount, nevertheless, I am going to attempt it!

Anyway, your thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated,

Thanks in advance,

John.

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Chris

Chris

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Hi Enigma, welcome to Stargazers Lounge:) Out the two options I would go for the goto dob for the following reasons: its got more aperture, its f/ratio makes it more of an allrounder in my opinion (f6 vs f10 its cheaper and easier to Barlow up then it is to reduce down) and finally I've not heard brilliant things regarding the stability of the 6SE mount.

Oh yeah, one more thing, the Goto 200p Dob is only 760 pounds from FLO:) I think the 6SE price is still 819.

If you can't get on with the HEQ5 then maybe DSO imaging isn't for you. This said both the above scopes will perform well with webcam imaging of the planets as the accurate EQ tracking isn't reguired for this.

hth

Chris

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EnigmaXXIII

EnigmaXXIII

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Hi Enigma, welcome to Stargazers Lounge:) Out the two options I would go for the goto dob for the following reasons: its got more aperture, its f/ratio makes it more of an allrounder in my opinion (f6 vs f10 its cheaper and easier to Barlow up then it is to reduce down) and finally I've not heard brilliant things regarding the stability of the 6SE mount.

Oh yeah, one more thing, the Goto 200p Dob is only 760 pounds from FLO:) I think the 6SE price is still 819.

If you can't get on with the HEQ5 then maybe DSO imaging isn't for you. This said both the above scopes will perform well with webcam imaging of the planets as the accurate EQ tracking isn't reguired for this.

hth

Chris

Hi Chis,

Thanks for the reply. Nice find on FLO, didn't even think to look there. I know that for now long-exposure DSO imaging isn't practical. Though, with my current manually operated Dobsonain I've actually got some pretty decent images of M42. I'm sure that with a GoTo AZ system I'll be able to improve from my current capabilities. EQ mounts at the moment just aren't for me. I reckon for the next few years I'll be plenty happy with another AZ... It's just deciding which system to go with.

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Dunkster

Dunkster

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Welcome to SGL!

That's a 127mm maksutov cassegrain not a 150mm Schmidt cassegrain! The extra aperture counts for faint objects and the SE mount is much more stable.

While we're on the subject of aperture... it wins! The synscan 200p would win hands down in most circumstances. Against the more expensive 8SE it might be more or less the same. There are pros and cons to the respective designs. The 6SE/8SE are very portable due to compactness and light weight, but their closed tube design makes them a bit of a dew magnet in our lovely moist climate.

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EnigmaXXIII

EnigmaXXIII

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Welcome to SGL!

That's a 127mm maksutov cassegrain not a 150mm Schmidt cassegrain! The extra aperture counts for faint objects and the SE mount is much more stable.

While we're on the subject of aperture... it wins! The synscan 200p would win hands down in most circumstances. Against the more expensive 8SE it might be more or less the same. There are pros and cons to the respective designs. The 6SE/8SE are very portable due to compactness and light weight, but their closed tube design makes them a bit of a dew magnet in our lovely moist climate.

Thanks for that info! I was just curious is all, as they seemed quite similar at first glance. There are a ton of pros, and equally a load of cons for both types of scope. It's just hard to decide which is more suitable.

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E621Keith

E621Keith

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I'm a complete fool and yes, I did. I forgot to edit it whilst copying it over, and now I can't find the button to edit the posting.

The SGL edit button has a time limit. I think it disappear 10 minutes after posting.

I've just been looking though the FLO website and have found this scope by Skywatcher - http://www.firstligh...an-az-goto.html

It's quite similar to the 6SE (I think), but a heck of a lot cheaper... Any thoughts?

The C6SE is much better than the 127 SLT/Alt-az GT. The SCT has larger aperture, but the most important thing is the mount. A C6 on the large SE mount is rock solid, while the 127 riding on the SLT/AZ GT is really wobbly. The SE mount comes with a solid all metal steel tripod, while the SLT/AZ GT has a lot of flimsy plastic components.

200p GT dob vs C6 SE will be a close one. The 6SE is compact, so I'd go for the 6SE if you need to carry your scope a lot and have limited storage space (e.g living in a flat or shared house). Otherwise, the 200p GT dob will give you brighter view.

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tingting44

tingting44

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hi m8 and welcome to SGL, may i ask why an EQ is not for you? i currently have a AZ GOTO and i bladdy hate it :( maybe because my thing is DSO imaging which i didnt know before i got my 1st scope lol SW 130p AZGOTO, with out a doubt i cant wait to get rid of this flipping AZ and get a nice EQ GOTO mount, what could you not get on with regarding the EQ? be nice to hear as im reading up a lot with EQ's buddy :) wish i had your funds at the moment :( ill probably be able to afford a new setup in about a year or 2 :(

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EnigmaXXIII

EnigmaXXIII

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hi m8 and welcome to SGL, may i ask why an EQ is not for you? i currently have a AZ GOTO and i bladdy hate it :( maybe because my thing is DSO imaging which i didnt know before i got my 1st scope lol SW 130p AZGOTO, with out a doubt i cant wait to get rid of this flipping AZ and get a nice EQ GOTO mount, what could you not get on with regarding the EQ? be nice to hear as im reading up a lot with EQ's buddy :) wish i had your funds at the moment :( ill probably be able to afford a new setup in about a year or 2 :(

Hey!

The only reason why I have my funds is because I've been saving up for the last two years! :)

I tried an HEQ5 mount last year, however, I was sent a faulty model and I had a hell of a hard time taking it back to the store. I eventually did, but it was still an annoying experience. That's not the reason why I don't want one just yet though. As I had it for a couple of days I could play about a little, however, I soon found out that the damn thing is heavy! It would be too much to carry down three flights of stairs almost on a nightly basis. Not only that, but I would have to leave either my OTA or the mount outside, alone for a while whilst I fetch the other pieces. For me, at the current time it just isn't practical at all.

I love the ease of the AZ systems too and for what I need for the foreseeable future, I think it'll be plenty sufficient! :)

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tingting44

tingting44

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ah sorry to hear you had troubles and had to return it mate :( ahh i see yes that would not really be practical for you then mate, forget leaving any of your gear it will be gone when you get back :( im a bit different 95%-99% probably i only use my scope in my garden, its not the greatest place as i have a great big lamp post hovering over my garden :( last year one of my neighbours actually shot it out as they have an air rifle lol needless to say i was over the moon!! it was pitch black and could not even see my hand in front of my face lol but within 3 days they had come out and repaired it so not soo good now :( saying that tho i have spotted all my planets and DSO's with my AZ from my garden with the street lamp so not all bad :)

well good luck buddy, are you leaning to a certain choice yet as of AZ scopes? i have to say i like the look of the 200p flex tube! :) i swear someone was selling one of those here in the sales section the other day, but collection if i can remember from some where up north :(

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EnigmaXXIII

EnigmaXXIII

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That's exactly my worry. A friend of mine was preparing for a garden party and had borrowed some tables from work, as he was inside taking stuff in from unloading the car someone pinched one of the tables! The audacity of people these days is astonishing.

I was actually leaning toward the 200p, however, someone has just interjected on another website and has given me some very good reasons to get the C6SE. To be honest, I reckon there will be a lot of backward and forward. Both have pros and both have cons. I just need to decide what system I ultimately want to get, and which I'll get most use out of.

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