Skywatcher Heritage 130P or somthing just a little bit pricier?

[mitchelln]

LOL, I do like these threads. Starting point is a 130P and end up with a 200P on an EQ5 Same happened to me. Started by asking about the 150P and ended up with a 300P with a lot of discussion about weight in between!

[ianpwilliams]

Yes, it's one of things where unfortunately there is literally no limit on the budget, so your only limits end up being what you can afford with a clear conscience, and what you can actually manage to carry!

Having no car I will be using the back yard, but the stairs could be tricky. There are little landings in between flights though. I really want that 200!

[Charic]

As for the weights, the Skywatcher 'Skyliner' 8"  weighs 9Kg for the telescope section and 12Kg for the base. They can be lifted as one (21Kg) or separately, takes up 53cm floor space and stands 130cm tall (assembled) OTA tube length 112cm capped with dust cover. All measurements rounded up! 

F=1200 A=200 f/6 

£249.99 & £279.oo are the cheapest inc delivery in UK?

Best for visual use only as this 8" (200P) is Dobsonian mounted. Might get expensive or unwieldy if trying to convert to a GoTo or tracking mount. 

On its own, its a great telescope. The only recommend is an 8mm BST Starguider EP to to use instead of the 10mm supplied lens. Forget everything else. You can use the eyepiece dust cap to aid collimation.

[ianpwilliams]

Sorry it's an Explorer 200P on an EQ5 mount, not a dob

[happy-kat]

The awkward element to carry probably is the eq mount and weights.

Is there a weight difference between the eq5 and eq3-2 which I think is what you are effectively deciding between with the 200p or 150p.

[Charic]

ianpwilliams........no worries. I`d only wished you lived nearer. You could play with the EQ mounts on my Celestron. After one night you would choose a Dobsonian for visual work! However for astro photography you need EQ mounts, and some sort of motor/tracking system.

[ianpwilliams]

And I wish I lived nearer telescope shop (the only thing close to that in my town is a camera repair shop, and they only have the 130P on display). And I will want to do some photography, so it has to be an EQ. Although I would be tempted to buy a Dob later purely for visual.

[ianpwilliams]

I'm still reading about how the 150P can struggle on its EQ3-2 mount when you start adding a camera etc, and how the 200P can struggle on its EQ5 mount when you do the same (it seems that these scopes were designed to be used on their mounts, without anything else attached). Taking into account the fact that I'm going to want to attach a camera and motors eventually and take some images, and seeing as there's no way I could afford to buy a 200P OTA with an HEQ5 mount (£882 total), would it be beyond ridiculous for me to sacrifice the extra 2" aperture and buy a 150P OTA and an EQ5 mount (which would be £421 total), rather than buying the 200P with its stock EQ5 mount for £415? At least then I would hopefully have good stability even when there were a camera, motors, focusers etc attached.

[happy-kat]

All I ever read is the importance of the mount, maybe there are some real life users of the 200p with camera and stuff on eq5 who can comment on whether wobbles are annoying. What is the weight difference between the two ota might give you the figure for what extras could go on the 150p on the eq5 before being the same weight as the 200. There is the member here who did use the 200p on the eq5 and has a blog I gather charting his imaging experience with the set up. Not the blog but a recent post by this member.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/210146-qm-departs-from-his-beloved-eq5/?fromsearch=1

[ianpwilliams]

Good idea, I've just asked on that thread. To be fair I'm sure it is possible to get decent images on both scopes when used with their own mounts, although many people seem to use laptops and software to help, which I really want to keep away from, not least because a laptop would be yet another expense! In fact I know it's possible, because these images tell me so (these three were done with the 150P on its EQ3-2 mount):

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/132888-starter-scope-for-astrophotography/?p=1324114

So the impression I get is that it IS possible to do it with the stock mounts, but that you just need to put more time and effort into it if you don't have a better mount than whatever mount comes with your scope.

[happy-kat]

Interesting to read his blog.

[ianpwilliams]

Yes it does sound like he has had a lot of success with the 200P on the EQ5. But I also wonder if part of that success is down to the AstroEQ etc

[ianpwilliams]

There's an HEQ5 mount available on the Astro Buy and Sell website for £450 (which I'm sure will go very quickly). That plus the 200P OTA for £252 would come to £692, less than a new HEQ5 on its own.

[ianpwilliams]

So another set of options would be:

1 - 150P on a second hand EQ5

2 - 200P on a second hand HEQ5

3 - 150P on its EQ3-2 mount for visual sessions, and an 80mm OTA (also used on the EQ3-2 mount) for imaging

The factors would be:

1 - what could I carry up and down stairs (I'm guessing the 200P with HEQ5 would be two trips, and hopefully the rest would be one trip ie scope + mount

2 - what could I keep set up on its mount at all times ie the 150P on the EQ5 mount, and none of the other options

[happy-kat]

Can you carry the larger eq mounts with the weights attached?

[ianpwilliams]

Unfortunately I have no way of knowing. The 200P on an EQ5 mount is apparently 24kg, so a 200P with a HEQ5 mount would be more than that. I would struggle with 24kg up and down stairs I would have thought. But then if I had the 200P, then I would have to carry the scope and the mount down the stairs and up the stairs in two trips, mount then scope. But I don't think that would be a major hassle. The way I see it, the pros and cons would be:

1 - 150P on a second hand EQ5 (probably about £400 + accessories)

Pros

Probably the cheapest option (but still good for DSO according to the Sky at Night Magazine review)

Could probably carry the 150P and EQ5 up and down stairs in one go, and therefore could have it set up permanently

Should be good for visual, and also reasonable for imaging because of the sturdier mount allowing for camera etc weight

Cons

2" less aperture

2 - 200P on a second hand HEQ5 (probably about £700 + accessories)
 

Pros

A great scope, on an excellent mount

Would no doubt be great for visual, and also very good for imaging with the sturdier mount allowing for extra camera etc weight

Cons

Definitely the most expensive - a big investment

Two trips up and down the stairs for each stargazing session (albeit with a lot of sitting down and relaxation in between)

3 - 150P on its EQ3-2 mount for visual sessions, and an 80mm OTA (also used on the EQ3-2 mount) for imaging (probably about £300 + accessories - total guess though)

Pros

Good portability for both scopes, could no doubt carry either scope up and down stairs on the EQ3-2 all at once

Cons

Probably the second-most expensive option, what with needing accessories for two scopes

Two scopes, which means visual or imaging sessions, but not both

One mount sharing two scopes, so could only have one scope on the mount when not in use

[happy-kat]

You can image with 150p as it is f5 given the many superb images from the 130pds it is possible you would like to think.

No need for the ST80 as well as it is smaller aperature and will have CA and is no faster.

Why would you not image with the 150p?

You could ring FLO for a chat perhaps.

Accessories are mostly shared I have 2 scopes but all bits are shared.

Might be interesting

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/200647-deep-sky-photography-with-eq-5-mount/?fromsearch=1

[ianpwilliams]

I've contacted the guy about the HEQ5 Pro mount, and if it's still available then I may find it hard to resist buying it. Then it would be a case of buying an OTA - either the 150P (which I would do well based on what I've seen, especially because it's smaller and therefore easier to control), the 200P (pushing the weight limit, but the benefits are obvious), or even the 200P Dob (there is one thread on here where people have put the 200P Dob on an HEQ5 mount, and with great success.

[ianpwilliams]

Damn, looks like I missed out on that particular HEQ5.

While I remember, does anyone know of any good asrtonomy audiobooks that you can listen to while stargazing (for once I get started)? I've borrowed Turn Left at Orion from the library (I'll buy it later), and something like that would be great. Or maybe something which could describe the galaxies etc that you're looking at, with amazing facts etc.

[purdo]

This is a great thread, I'm in the same dilemma.  I've been looking on the forum for weeks trying to decide on a scope. Cannot wait to see what you eventually decide on and your reviews after purchase.

Mary

[ianpwilliams]

Yes I'm learning all the time with this thread! I certainly didn't know my P's and (E)Q's when I started!

The fact is it's only gone on for so long because I want to have my cake and eat it i.e. do visual, and some photography. If I only ever wanted to do visual I would have bought an Explorer 150P, 200P, or 200P Dob ages ago, but with photography as well, it does seem that you need an EQ mount that is better than the one that comes with the scope.

The thread title seems a bit daft now, as I've gone from a Heritage 130P (which I'm sure still gives some great views) to 150P on an HEQ5 mount for several hundred. Astronomy is a dangerous game it seems

[purdo]

I'm the same, certainly a learning curve.  I think I have made up my mind on one, then I read something else.  I'm veering towards the 200p EQ5 for £415 but the jury is still out. As I had initially wanted a goto mount..........

[ianpwilliams]

It's definitely the Explorer 150P or 200P for me, the only question as ever is the mount (ie default or next one up).

As for GOTO, I'm not interested in that personally. I think it would be more fun and challenging trying to find objects myself, and it would no doubt give me a sense of achievement when I found things too.

[purdo]

Yes, it would be definitely more challenging but as you said an achievement.  Anyway, the Goto is £300 more expensive. As for the mount, the EQ5 gets a fairly good review and I have  Canon DSLR which I think would be ok weightwise. But before any purchase I'll be double checking everything as this forum is great for throwing up questions I would never of thought of asking.

[ianpwilliams]

I'm now leaning towards the 150PDS on an EQ5 mount. The 150 because although some people say that you CAN do photography on a 200P with EQ5 mount, you really need the HEQ5 mount as a minimum otherwise I reckon you'll always be on the verge of shaking and wobbling (same goes for 150P on EQ3-2 mount - apparently the EQ5 is quite a bit better than the EQ3-2). And I'm now considering the PDS rather than the P. I was initially put off by the fact that the PDS is specifically designed with photography in mind, and therefore I assumed that a PDS would be no good for visual, But it seems that actually the PDS is very similar to the equivalent P when it comes to visual (and is only £50 more), and the focuser can actually help visual as well as helping photography, at least according to this thread:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/206073-150p-or-150pds/