Are these 80mm APO scopes the same?

[coliea]

I've just bought a pair of Bresser 10x50s to help me aquaint myself with the night sky and plan to add an 80mm APO refractor shortly (looking out the window I don't really need to hurry though).

I thought I'd decided on the Skywatcher Equinox-80 Pro Fluorite http://tinyurl.com/2hronm which I can pick up at FLO for £370, but then....

...I saw this, the FPL-53 ED from Telescope House http://tinyurl.com/2shs26 which seems to my newbie eyes to be exactly the same scope.

Same focal length and ratio, crayford focuser, FPL-53 air-spaced glass, case, etc. So my question is this... are these the same scope, and is there any benefit in buying one over the other? Both FLO and TH seem to be extremely reputable dealers.

Also, when I eventually get an 80mm refractor what eyepieces should be top of my shopping list for lunar and planetary observation? I'd rather pay the money and get really good eyepieces that I can keep for years rather than buy cheap stuff initially and have to replace it next year.

All advice appreciated.

Col

[davemahoney1]

Hi Col.

They are the same scope, there is a Chinese company called, "Synta", who manufacture these for various companies around the world, who rebadge them. Did you know that nearly all FST televisions are rebadged LG screens.

Dave.

[coliea]

Yep - I thought so Dave.

As these 80mm refractors are OTAs I was wondering what my first additional purchases should be? I imagine I would need a couple of eyepieces, a diagonal and maybe a barlow - but there are so many choices.

I would initially like to start with lunar and planetary observation with a little DSO at some stage. I would also like to try my hand at afocal and maybe webcam photography as I already have some decent photographic gear.

Imagine you were starting from scratch with an 80mm OTA, which accessories would you add first? Accessories that would be as useful 5 or 10 years down the line.

Cheers

Col