Starter Telescope

[Kaiser]

Hello,

I am looking to buy my first telescope in order to perform visual observations on celestial objects which is great at Deep Space Objects but if it is still effective at observing planets, even better.

My budget is about £250 but could stretch to £300 if it makes a massive difference spend on the telescope, mount, stand plus any additional eyepieces that are needed. 

As this is my First Telescope I will inevitably require it to be pretty basic to use and set up.

In order to reach the dark skies, it will need to be put in a car and moved so it will also need to be fairly portable....

After looking around a few forums, I have noticed the Sky Watcher Explorer 130M and Explorer 150P and read the reviews, both seem to be like good, simple to use scopes. I'm just wondering is the extra price of the 150P worth it? obviously these are not the only two telescopes i am willing to consider.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated,

Thank you

[floppygoose]

My recommendation, if being used purely for visual, would be the Skywatcher 200P dobsonian, at a cost of approx. £280 from First Light Optics.

Welcome to SGL and good luck with whatever you decide

Phil

[rory]

for simplicity look toward the same aperture on a dobsonian mount (dob) .  the skyliner 150p  at £200  , the base shoves in the boot , the tube on the back seats. however if you can afford the 200p dobsonian  ( £270)  its very popular as it really starts to collect a lot of light  and still transportable . its the same size as the 150 bar the tube diameter.

  the 200p is generally regarded as the best bang for your buck available . 

one point of note though is the dob mount isn't suitable if you plan on getting into astro photography .

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians.html

.

[Sammyb]

Definitely agree with those recommendations bearing in mind you criteria specified in your post.

I think the 200p dob and 200p explorer on the eq mount are probably the two top selling scopes in the uk. The 200p dob would be a good all round performer on both deep sky stuff and planets. These scopes would be significantly better than the 130m

[Paulo83]

If you want it for purely viewing purposes, then stretch your budget to £280 and buy the Skyliner 200P from FLO. You could also add the SkyWatcher ED 2x Barlow for £30. The supplied eyepieces are pretty decent to start with but you will want to upgrade eventually. The BST Starguiders are very good value at £49 per eyepiece. Celestron Xcel-LXs are a good alternative if you can find them second hand. On a tighter budget, branded Plossls should suffice for a beginner.

Good luck with whatever you decide on and welcome to SGL.

[Kaiser]

Thank you for the posts so far, the quick replies are really encouraging and there seems to be a consensus... i am sorry but i dont think i was clear enough on the initial post (will correct now) yes i intend to mostly for visual observations but i would also like to take a few amateur photos with a webcam, as stated earlier in the posts i'm pretty sure dobsonians are unsuitable for this purpose... sorry for the lack of clarity in my initial post but i still appreciate the advice.

[Sammyb]

Webcam imaging of planets and the moon can be done with a dob but you would need a tracking motor which would push up the cost somewhat.

Dobs aren't suitable for Deep space imaging eg nebulas and galaxies etc

[rory]

short exposures are possible  on the moon and brighter planets  , but long exposure requires tracking on an e/q mount as you rightly say. imaging isn't my bag ,so ill butt out now  .

welcome to s.g.l by the way.

[Charic]

kaiser.........Hi, probably the easiest request this Year....................S K Y L I N E R  2 0 0 P  D O B S O N I A N  is your answer. Available at FLO!  or Pulsar Optical. For ease of setup, forget the EQ mounted versions. The Dobsonian mount is simpler. 

EDIT* Astro photography for the planets will require the EQ Mounts. Lunar images are easy on the Dob. Check my Gallery

[rory]

Webcam imaging of planets and the moon can be done with a dob but you would need a tracking motor which would push up the cost somewhat.

Dobs aren't suitable for Deep space imaging eg nebulas and galaxies etc

 ha , beat me to it  sir .

[Sammyb]

Kaiser - the 150p on the eq3/2 would be within your budget and would be ok for imaging of planets and the moon with a webcam if you add an RA motor. The 150p has a parabolic mirror and would be significantly better the 130m which does not.

[Sammyb]

ha , beat me to it  sir .

Sorry Rory

[Kaiser]

Thank you all for these comments, the speed of these responses is really encouraging and i am definitely going to post all my queries on SGL from now on. Due to the mass of support for the 200P, i have to keep into consideration that i will not be able to photograph much more than the moon, not a big issue but it may get a bit bigger later on.

Again, thank you for all this advice.

[Paulo83]

Thank you all for these comments, the speed of these responses is really encouraging and i am definitely going to post all my queries on SGL from now on. Due to the mass of support for the 200P, i have to keep into consideration that i will not be able to photograph much more than the moon, not a big issue but it may get a bit bigger later on.

Again, thank you for all this advice.

Just bear in mind with your original cost of around £280 for the 8" Dob, you will want to add a 2x Barlow lens (£30-40) and 3 or 4 eyepieces (Starguiders £49 each; Celestron Xcel-LX £60+ each, cheaper second hand; branded Plossls £20-30 each), a tool for collimating your scope like a Cheshire (around £30) and a book for getting you started with some good objects (Turn Left At Orion around £15-16 online). Oh, and a red LED torch/headtorch is a must for when you are changing eyepieces in the dark.

Don't feel the need to rush into buying them all at once. Even if you only add one eyepiece/accessory per month, in six months time, your viewing will be much better not only through improved equipment, but also through experience.

[Kaiser]

Just to keep you all up to date. After listening to all your advice I have decided the 200p dob is the best way to go. Thank you all for the advice and I'll let you all know how the observations are going.

Sent from my GT-I8190N using Tapatalk

[BritAngler]

Since you are interested in taking photo's through your scope at some point in the future, my advice is to wait a while and buy the SkyWatcher 200P on an EQ5 mount (cheapest is £419 at the moment). For anything other than the moon you will need motors and tracker which you can add later (£100).

Believe me, no matter what size 'scope you buy, you will always curse not buying a bigger one. And when you do buy a bigger one, you will curse not buying a bigger one still.

Off now to sell my 3-month old baby on ebay, I need a bigger telescope....

[Paulo83]

To be honest, I would save the cash and invest in the 200P Dobsonian. That extra cash can go into upgrading your eyepieces and enjoying the great visuals this scope has to offer. Down the line, you can always change mount and try your hand at astrophotography when you have the experience.

The Dob is easy to set up and easy to use. You won't regret your purchase.

Clear skies!

[rowan46]

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/176799-planet-astrophotography-with-a-manual-dobsonian-tutorial/

[Kaiser]

Thank You for the alternate idea BritAngler but i do not have the funds to extend my budget although it was a good suggestion.

Rowan, that tutorial is very thorough and i will definitely stick to it when i start taking the images, thanks for the link.