best first telescope powerful and portable ish?

[nephilim]

I agree with Sparkyjon the mount will be unsuitable for AP although you'd get away with a webcam for lunar imaging.

Steve

[rob1]

ok what if i buy the the optical tube assembly http://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/skywatcher-skymax-127-ota.html and then buy a mount separate, im not to bothered about the go-to as i really enjoy finding my own way around the sky, the only problem is i have no idea about mounts or astro photography at the moment i just want something a bit future proofed for when my interests take me further, is this a good idea?

[rowan46]

I would suggest a good ed refractor and an alt az. the scope will not give you the range of a larger scope but it will give you more than binoculars and it will be portable. The advantage of getting a decent refractor is that when you are mobile enough to go imaging you then have a scope that you can use.

[sparkyjon]

could do that mate and buy a vixen porta: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/vixen-mini-porta.html or heavy one:http://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/vixen-porta-ii-mount.html or an az3:http://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/skywatcher-az3-alt-az-mount.html or az4:http://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/skywatcher-az4-alt-az-mount.html ..

although the goto kit isnt really bad for observing and they definitely hold their price for when you ever upgrade people go mad for them on ebay,,

[nephilim]

ok what if i buy the the optical tube assembly http://www.firstligh...ax-127-ota.html and then buy a mount separate, im not to bothered about the go-to as i really enjoy finding my own way around the sky, the only problem is i have no idea about mounts or astro photography at the moment i just want something a bit future proofed for when my interests take me further, is this a good idea?

Ah, if you've no transport & you want a futureproof mount i'm afraid your going to struggle, that minimum mount is the HEQ5 which is a much heavier beast than the EQ5 i'm afraid. Any thoughts u may have about AP must IMO start with buying this http://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html its a sort of AP bible here & will tell u everything you need to know about AP from the very start ( and save you alot of money by advising you what NOT to buy)& one thing you will find out is that portable (on foot) and AP are two words that dont mix well at all

Steve

[rowan46]

To be honest Nephilim has pretty much hit it on the head. If you need portable and a scope for imaging the first thing you need is a car. wide field imaging is possible and portable but once you put a scope into the equation you need a fairly hefty mount.

[rob1]

Ahhh ok guess ill rule astro photography out until my situation changes ( either I get a car or move to somewhere else lol) that makes my current decision easier think ill be going for the skywatcher skymax 127 az go-to can you still use these mounts manually (without using the motors in the mount, like if I wanted to move the scope around by hand) ? Sorry if that's a stupid question

[rowan46]

Ahhh ok guess ill rule astro photography out until my situation changes ( either I get a car or move to somewhere else lol) that makes my current decision easier think ill be going for the skywatcher skymax 127 az go-to can you still use these mounts manually (without using the motors in the mount, like if I wanted to move the scope around by hand) ? Sorry if that's a stupid question

No you can't the mount has to be powered to move there are no clutches in it .

[RT65CB-SWL]

I would definately recommend a Maksutov or SCT.

If you go Maksutov then maybe Meade ETX 90/105/125. The optics are perfect but the motors on the goto let them down. I have an ETX105 on a TeleOptic GiroI have not tried other ones, but I read the Skywatcher's are good.

If you go SCT the the Celestron C5 or C6. I also have a C6 and views of Jupiter an Moon definately a "wow!" for a small aperture scope. I have only had it about six months so not yet to try anything else due to work the dare I mention it, the weather an cloud. I read reviews on other forums about the C6 and they seem to think the C6 was the better performer than either the C5 or C8 so I went for the C6. This also gets mounted on the Giro.

TAL refractors are recomended as are some smaller ones, ie ED80 and some clones. If funds permit , a TeleVue Pronto (70mm), TV-76 (76mm) or TV-85 (85mm) are highly recomended, and if you can find one, a TeleVue Ranger...

Some advantages about are refractors:-

1. no collimation.

2. no or very little cool down time.

3. great for planets

4. the TeleVue scopes as I mentioned above. You can just about get away with these as cabin baggage if you fly economy class. Be nice to check-in agent.

[steve_bham]

I second everything that has been said regarding a mak or cat, i have to travel to my site so a dob would be out the question, and if i brought one wouldnt be used. The best scope is one that you we use often. mak / cat are nice and compact so no problem lugging them about.

[nicks90]

just had a quick look and there are plenty of nice bags that would fit a tripod and medium sized refractor telescope in - http://www.djkit.com/arriba-cases/arriba-as171-speaker-stand-bag.html - its designed to fit 2 large speaker tripods in, so should be fine for a 1m long scope and an AZ3

the bags go for about £30 - leaving you plenty of change for something like a skywatcher evostar 120mm and AZ3 mount/tripod and a couple of additional ep's.

[sparkyjon]

this comes up loads and for some reason i keep recommending it even though i have never had one , but i love the concept.

the etx 80 refractor back pack observatory..

[naxos10]

If you want to try a little AP with a portable scope then the Nexstar 4SE has the wedge and the tripod is sturdier than the Skywatcher 127. Another one to look at would be the Celestron 127 SLT which was recommended to me along with the 4SE as good for portability.

I keep looking at other options but keep coming back to these two, although I like the look of the Celestron 102 SLT but I am not sure how this one performs?