First scope for serious beginner

[Dreadz]

I think I will be purchasing the 200 myself tomorrow. Am not due my big payout for a while yet but my Christmas overtime pay is burning a hole in my pocket and jupiter is taunting me every clear night.

Am like a kid myself at the moment. Cant wait to get a decent scope to start properly looking at the skies

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[Astro Imp]

You won't be disappointed with your choice.

Good luck and enjoy.

[Dreadz]

Do i need to buy a collimator along with the scope. My finger is twitching over the buy button but it just occured to me will I need one to setup my scope or is it likely to be shipped already assembled and collimated and if so how likely is it that its ride with a courier will leave it in need of collimation?

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[TractionMan]

It's a good idea to get a collimation tool such as a cheshire EP when you're going to order the scope anyway. Soon or later you'll need it.

[Dreadz]

Thought as much. Thanks

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[HumptyMoo]

I recently took in a stray 8" SW 200p dob and can tell you I am totally chuffed with it. I really struggled to press "buy now" and reloaded SGL forums many times before doing so as I took in more and more about what each spec actually mean't in real terms. Overall though, over and over again, the opinion is "you really can't go wrong with it" <--- I'm very much in this camp.

I have yet to take it to dark skies, can't wait, but even so the views I get in the back yard are more than I hoped they would be. Despite my neighbour refusing to switch off her 400billion watt halogen flood lamp in her back garden, honestly, when that light goes on I swear I can hear the substation down the road humming...

Anyway make sure you check whatever you decide on fully before committing, if I hadn't you-tubed it and prepared for the actual size I think my thoughts of "8inch scope" would have been very, very, different

Whatever you do though, enjoy!

[Moox]

Snap with HumptyMoo, I went round and round the houses looking at loads of different options but settled on the 200 dob and have to say I'm well chuffed with it. I can recommend the BST Explorer EPs that everyone goes on about as a good first upgrade but the 25mm stock EP is fine (can't comment on the 10mm as haven't used it). You'll love it and the number of wows will be growing every time you use it.

[LouisJB]

Dreadz - it's a good idea to get a dob first. There's a lot to learn even just visually and it will give you years of fun. I doubt you'd be disappointed with the view from a 200 8" but if you can a dob is where you can go bigger, get a 10" or 12" and you'll be wowed.

Come back to AP later, you'd spend more than the dob probably just on the mount, then there's the OTA, the guiding, the camera, the software...

In the mean time, hook up a webcam to your dob and try imaging the planets. Also, you'll be amazed by the Moon, which you can capture with a DSRL. So you have options, just don't expect to be able to take an image of M33 or M101 with your dob, so long as you know that from the start you won't be disappointed. 

Most people on here end up with several different setups. The dob will cure your visual requirements, later you can add a second setup for AP if you still want to.

[todd8137]

With scopes in general which ever one you think you want,you should always ge the biggest one you can move about

Pat

[Dreadz]

Part of the reason I haven't clicked "buy" is that I keep questioning whether I'll regret not going for the 250px. I now know thanks to the advice I've received on here thats it's not just as simple as having a bigger mirror. The faster 250px will be less forgiving on EPs and collimation but can't help thinking that if i go for the 200p I'd always have a voice in my head saying "should've bought bigger"

The agony of choice!

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[todd8137]

Go for the 250p upgrades are expensive but were does it end ?

Pat

[Dreadz]

Thats my thinking too. I can uograde EPs one by one for much less than upgrading scope from 8 to 10inch

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[umadog]

Truly, either the 8" or the 10" will be a great scope. You'll be happy with either one and they're more alike than different. How about this to help you: If you stay in the hobby then you'll certainly end up with more than one scope a few years down the line. Question is, what scope? If you think in the future you may want to go bigger, then an 8" now would make sense. Later down the line you buy a 12" or 14" and you'll keep the 8" as a more portable alternative. You likely won't want a larger scope as your only scope. Conversely, if you think you want to do AP down the line, then get a 10" now and spend cash later on smaller scope with a good mount. Remember that there's little compelling reason to upgrade from 8" to 10" or from 10" to 12". From 8" to 12", yes, or from 6" to 10" yes.

[LouisJB]

(16" truss-tube dob? go on, you know you want to )

[Avocette]

Intuitively you could think that when we are talking about a 200p or a 250px that it's just a size thing. My experience suggests that Sky-Watcher has been modifying the specifications of its products over the years, and that there are other subtle differences between these models. Some of this is 'value engineering' such as possibly reducing the amount of metal in tube end castings, and fitting O rings and countersunk collimation screws rather than springs and knurled knobs. Some changes seem to be a bit random. For instance in the handbook which applies to the 150p, 200p and the 250px Dobs, it says that scopes with pyrex mirrors (i.e. the 250px) a single 2" eyepiece is supplied rather than the 10mm and 25mm 1.25" eyepieces. This doesn't seem to be true. What the handbook doesn't say is what type of eyepieces will come with which scope. In practice the 200p seems to come with 'Super' MA eyepieces whereas the 250px may come with the SW Plossl eyepieces.

My preference would be the 250px if, like one I have seen, it comes with springs and knurled knobs on the primary mirror, and with quite decent Plossl eyepieces.

[Dreadz]

(16" truss-tube dob? go on, you know you want to )

you're right I do want to, just cant afford to