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200 pound budget!!

tincrusher

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tincrusher

tincrusher

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Hi guys

iv'e got a £200 or (just over if i can sweet talk the wife :rolleyes: )  to buy my first scope, and was after some advice on whats available.

The SW seems like a good make from the limited research iv'e done, also was wondering if upgrades would be possiable farther down the line, for this price range.

I.E  cams, motors, e.t.c  

thanks in advance and be gentle complete neewwb here.

cheers 

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Zuben Elgenubi

Zuben Elgenubi

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In terms of getting the maximum aperture for your budget it is tough to beat a dobsonian mounted reflector e.g.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

This is a very capable telescope - £200 can buy a great instrument that will serve you well for many years. Reflectors are good all-rounders but as Charic says, do you have any particular requirements that might influence the advice you are given?

A great piece of advice is to go to a local astro society observing meeting. You will be able to see and look through a variety of different types of scope.

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Quillz

Quillz

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I'd second Zuben on the dobsonians. I've just bought a Skywatcher Skyliner 200p and am very happy with it. Easy to set up and use. I spent about 3 months reading up on what's what and, bang for buck / pop for pennies, dobs seem to be it.

I did read somewhere that the 150p was a bit pants compared to the 130p and 200p - something to do with the optics iirc. I can't remember where I read it and it way have referred to the Explorer (eq mounted) version.

Search engines are your friend here. Take your time and read lots of reviews and articles etc.

Good luck!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

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JamesF

JamesF

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With a budget of £200 I'd say stick with visual astronomy and look to see what's available on the second hand market.  A Skywatcher 200P dob might just scrape in under £200 second hand if you're lucky, or a 150P should leave you with a bit of cash in hand for other bits and pieces.  I think you'd struggle to find much to compare at that kind of price.

James

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tincrusher

tincrusher

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cheers for the advice guys and the link didnt know that site exsited, going to do more research on the DOBS not really looked into those.Maybe this deserves its own thread but what are the pros and cons of the DOBS its somthing i bypassed, just looked at the tripods, i know i will get better vaule for money with a DOBS but at what expense! 

sorry to ask such a obvious question to the majority of you, but i think id get a more honest answer here rather than the sales guy pitch 

thanks again 

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LouisJB

LouisJB

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You mention motors, if you want something motor driven then you could consider the 130P on EQ2 and add a motor later (between about £35 - £60) when you require it. This would give you simple tracking ability. Anything is upgradable, it's just a matter of how much of the original setup you retain :) It's quite possible over time everything will be replaced  or upgraded, this is normal - but you have to start somewhere.

If you want the best visual experience for the £ then a second-hand dob is going to be the way to go. Basically a dob gives you the biggest aperture per £  as you're really paying for the tube and the mount is a very simple mount that you move manually (some people even make their own).

200mm (8") is a great starting point for visual observation. Just remember, dobs are really visual (although you could image the Moon and planets with a web-cam) and EQ mounts are more suited to tracking and ultimately imaging - but here on in it's a slippery slope and gets increasingly expensive... :)

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Charic

Charic

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tincrusher........The principle advantage of the Dobsonian mount is its ease of use, cheap to build, and effectively less space to store compared the the spread-out legs of a tripod. EQ mounts on the other hand are more specified, cost more to construct, sometimes more than the telescope. They have to be rock-steady for astrophotography, and at the same time be able to track the objects your photographing. Two seperate mounting systems, but the same telescope. The Dob mount will be the cheapest.

EDIT* remember a Dob/ Dobsonian is just a mount, nothing more The telescope can be exactly the same specification, just mounted  differently. No disrespect to LouisJB  (  a dob gives you the biggest aperture per £ ) but a Dob does'nt  do anything for the aperture.  

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Luke

Luke

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Three year old second hand 200P dob here at Telescope Outlet with a 12-month warranty for £200:

http://telescopeoutlet.co.uk/index.php/sky-watcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian-telescope.html

Or for £79 more, a brand spanking new one from FLO (though best to check stock using the check stock button at FLO):

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

(The 200P would be my choice for an observing scope with a budget of around £300).

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Charic

Charic

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LouisJB....... I re-read, and maybe misread / misunderstood your post #10 (  Basically a dob gives you the biggest aperture per £  as you're really paying for the tube  )  Were both saying the same thing,  almost. Although some folk do believe that a Dobsonian and a Newtonian are two different scopes, with the Dobs have bigger apertures? I obviously never took in what I highlighted in green! 

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Nigele2

Nigele2

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Just to offer an alternative to consider.  I bought a secondhand refractor 700/60.  £40 incl P&P.  Advantages:  Easy set up, great for moon and planets, can use it indoors through double glazing and get great lunar view, can use it in the day, and it is smaller and easy to move around and store.  And £100 spent on two EPs really transforms it.  Even with a £50 filter to block unwanted village lighting still under £200.

As can be seen below I then bought a secondhand reflector with GOTO and Webcam £170  incl P&P.  But again new better EPs transformed it but with a collimator would put the budget well over £200. 

So looking back on what I have if I started again with £200 I'd take the refractor, 2 better EPs, and a filter.  

Beware - I've only been going just over a month but already had great fun.  Just my slightly different perspective.   Not saying the info above is not great stuff.  

But whatever you do be prepared for the bug to bite :grin:    

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tincrusher

tincrusher

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I think i gotta result here.

after telling the wife i was going off to buy a scope, she says..... why dont you ask my brother if hes selling he's he never uses it!!!!!

so i rings him he says he wants £80 and its a SW 300!!!! i  ask if its on a tripod and he says yea.... i know he's got mixed up as he says he cost he's wife £300 pund new, so my best guess its a 130 not the 300 but heyyy i think thats a result by any standard !!!! i pick it up tomorrow - watch this space lol  :cheesy:

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Naemeth

Naemeth

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Three year old second hand 200P dob here at Telescope Outlet with a 12-month warranty for £200:

http://telescopeoutlet.co.uk/index.php/sky-watcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian-telescope.html

Or for £79 more, a brand spanking new one from FLO (though best to check stock using the check stock button at FLO):

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

(The 200P would be my choice for an observing scope with a budget of around £300).

If you're getting that one, it comes with no eyepieces. But if you're getting that one and you'd like, tincrusher, PM me your address and I'll send you the eyepieces it would come with (free of charge) :).

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