New scope for £350 - £400

[mrjaffa]

Hey everyone. I posted on here a while ago and was looking at getting the Skywatcher 127 AZ GOTO for about £360.

I currently have a very amateur/cheap scope which is actually broken and I'm pretty sure the wife is going to buy me a new one for my birthday next month.

For this money, would the 127 GOTO still be a good choice or might there be something different now a year on from when I last looked?

I like the idea of a GOTO and I'm just wanting something a little better than I had before. So maybe slightly improved planetary viewing and to see some nebula.

Any thoughts?

[Gino Arcari]

Hi, I have the 127 but I use it with a cg-4..I preffer equatorial mounts because they are better for astrophotograohy and you also learn the sky better and learn where things are for yourself, well, unless yyou got the skyscan version. But yeah, the 127 is great for planetary because of that 1500mm. If you want to view deep sky objects then a newtonion will be better. I also have a 150pds because thats the biggest scope my mount could hold for astrophotography, if you preffer deep sky get either the 150p or 200p (200p obviously lets more light so brighter galaxies etc) but if you want to get into astrophotography I'd get the pds version, you also need a good mount, I'd get an eq3-2 which is skywatchers version of my cg4 (both identical). But if you'd rather planets then I'd get the 127 without hesitating..I've had some amazing views with that scope, hope I've helped:)

[Stu_]

The 127mak is a very capable scope, it preforms well on planetary & lunar viewing as it gives good contrast, but it's not so good on DSOs, as it has a narrow field of view.

The AZ GOTO mount is OK for viewing, but a EQ mount is more stable & better for imaging.

GOTO takes a while to get set-up & you will need a power tank, but when set up correctly, it will take you to the target & track it.

A dob or newt scope, will give you more aperture for your money, but if your main interest is with the planets & the moon, with occasional DSOs, then you can't go wrong with the 127mak, as I'm very happy with mine.

Hope this helps.

[mrjaffa]

Thanks chaps! Now I'm not sure at all. I certainly don't want to be just limited to planetary viewing. Couple of questions.....

What's the difference between 150p and 150pds?

Will the 150p or 200p be good for planets as well as DSO's?

Is there a general difference between eq3-2 and eq5?

On the FLO website, the 150p is £406 and the 200p is only £415. Am I missing something?

Is it possible to go for the 150p or 200p and then in the future add a GOTO to it?

[Alien 13]

Thanks chaps! Now I'm not sure at all. I certainly don't want to be just limited to planetary viewing. Couple of questions.....

What's the difference between 150p and 150pds?

Will the 150p or 200p be good for planets as well as DSO's?

Is there a general difference between eq3-2 and eq5?

On the FLO website, the 150p is £406 and the 200p is only £415. Am I missing something?

Is it possible to go for the 150p or 200p and then in the future add a GOTO to it?

I can answer some of your questions.

The 150 PDS is optimised for imaging and has a dual speed focuser but is still a good visual scope.

The EQ3 and EQ5 are similar but the EQ5 has a greater load capacity.

Adding goto to the EQ3 or EQ5 can be added but is rather expensive with the skywatcher upgrade.

Alan

[Bizibilder]

There is always a conflict in Astronomy between the Planets (including the Moon) and DSO's as they require quite different scopes for the best views.  Planets need focal length in order to get a decent image size - they are really tiny!  Aparture, whilst important for being able to make out fine detail, is not so much an issue as the planets are generally quite bright objects.

DSO's on the other hand need aparture - and lots of it!  They tend to be faint and you need to collect as much light as possible just to see them.  The good thing is that many of them are quite "large" in even a low power/wide field of view eyepiece.  So you need to try and balance these two opposing requirements and keep within budget!!

Everyone will have their own views but I think one of the best compromises is something like a 200mm aparture and a focal length of around 1 meter.  The Skywatcher 200P fits the bill and can be bought with either a Dobsonian mount or an Equatorial (EQ5 type) mount.  The Dobsonian is simpler and cheaper but you will need to manually "nudge" it to keep an object in view - easy to do but can be tricky for a beginner.  The EQ type mount is trickier to set up and align but has the advantage of being able to follow an object by rotating one axis only.  If you buy the basic mount this can be motorised in the future so you can keep an object in view for some considerable time without any adjustment at all.

Scopes like the 200P come with a couple of eyepieces which are best described as adequate and a Barlow lens that effectively doubles the focal length of the scope allowing better views of the planets.

You may want to factor in the price of a finder - for visual work the Telrad is a favourite and allow you to "star-hop" around the sky to find your chosen target.

I've deliberately not mentioned magnification - it is not that important as such, a scope with a decently long focal length gives a larger image of your chosen target than a short focal length.  The eyepiece you use magnifies that image into your eye.  It is usually the atmosphere that limits the "magnification" that you can use on any night.  200x (achievable with the 200P as bought) may only be useable on a few night of the year when the "seeing" allows it.  For DSO's 40x  (or less!) is often more than adequate.

Specialists in their own fields may disagree with the above   - I have simply tried to explain in a few words the basic choices and options.

[mrjaffa]

I can answer some of your questions.

The 150 PDS is optimised for imaging and has a dual speed focuser but is still a good visual scope.

The EQ3 and EQ5 are similar but the EQ5 has a greater load capacity.

Adding goto to the EQ3 or EQ5 can be added but is rather expensive with the skywatcher upgrade.

Alan

Thanks! Does seem a shame it's so expensive to add a finder.

[mrjaffa]

There is always a conflict in Astronomy between the Planets (including the Moon) and DSO's as they require quite different scopes for the best views. Planets need focal length in order to get a decent image size - they are really tiny! Aparture, whilst important for being able to make out fine detail, is not so much an issue as the planets are generally quite bright objects.

DSO's on the other hand need aparture - and lots of it! They tend to be faint and you need to collect as much light as possible just to see them. The good thing is that many of them are quite "large" in even a low power/wide field of view eyepiece. So you need to try and balance these two opposing requirements and keep within budget!!

Everyone will have their own views but I think one of the best compromises is something like a 200mm aparture and a focal length of around 1 meter. The Skywatcher 200P fits the bill and can be bought with either a Dobsonian mount or an Equatorial (EQ5 type) mount. The Dobsonian is simpler and cheaper but you will need to manually "nudge" it to keep an object in view - easy to do but can be tricky for a beginner. The EQ type mount is trickier to set up and align but has the advantage of being able to follow an object by rotating one axis only. If you buy the basic mount this can be motorised in the future so you can keep an object in view for some considerable time without any adjustment at all.

Scopes like the 200P come with a couple of eyepieces which are best described as adequate and a Barlow lens that effectively doubles the focal length of the scope allowing better views of the planets.

You may want to factor in the price of a finder - for visual work the Telrad is a favourite and allow you to "star-hop" around the sky to find your chosen target.

I've deliberately not mentioned magnification - it is not that important as such, a scope with a decently long focal length gives a larger image of your chosen target than a short focal length. The eyepiece you use magnifies that image into your eye. It is usually the atmosphere that limits the "magnification" that you can use on any night. 200x (achievable with the 200P as bought) may only be useable on a few night of the year when the "seeing" allows it. For DSO's 40x (or less!) is often more than adequate.

Specialists in their own fields may disagree with the above - I have simply tried to explain in a few words the basic choices and options.

Great reply! Thanks! The beginner scope I have now (broken for the last year) has an eq mount and I do remember struggling to polar align it, but that's something I could certainly enjoy trying to do again.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-200p-eq5.html

You say I would need to add a finder. This bad boy includes one right? I would definitely want the EQ mount over a Dob. And why is that one only a few pound more than the 150p?

[Gino Arcari]

it comes with the finder scope but not the polar align scope, its not that much difference in weight because they're hollow. that scope will be great. 

[mrjaffa]

it comes with the finder scope but not the polar align scope, its not that much difference in weight because they're hollow. that scope will be great.

Sorry, I don't understand. Does that mean I won't be able to polar align it?

[Bizibilder]

You can easily polar align the scope without the polar scope (a small scope that fits inside the polar axis).  This attachment simply makes accurate polar alignment easier and quicker to do.  For visual work setting the altitude to the same angle as your latitude (nearest degree or so) and pointing the mount North by compass is quite good enough to allow you to keep an object in the field of view for a few minutes.

Perfect polar alignment - as needed for long exposure photography - is another matter entirely!

The finder that comes with the scope is adequate - the Telrad again is something that can make life easier.

[Gino Arcari]

basically, if you just want to use it for visual, you won't need one 

[mrjaffa]

Ah right. Thanks guys. I'm definitely glad I came back on here. I was ready to tell the wife to get me the 127 but think the 200p is now my first choice.

[Gino Arcari]

I bet you're Glad you finally know what you're getting haha, let us know how you get on with it once you get it:)

[Jesterowl]

Am in a similar position myself trying to pick between the 200P with Eq mount or dob mount.

Was going to save the cash and get the dob but then i thought to myself its wrong to have zero balance on the credit card for so long  so its looking more like the EQ and sooner rather than later  

[mrjaffa]

Am in a similar position myself trying to pick between the 200P with Eq mount or dob mount.

Was going to save the cash and get the dob but then i thought to myself its wrong to have zero balance on the credit card for so long so its looking more like the EQ and sooner rather than later

Great stuff! Will this be your first?

[Jesterowl]

Great stuff! Will this be your first?

nope its the second one  

Bought a SW130P autotrack for the current mrs Jesterowl on her birthday last year.

I seem to have developed a mild case of aperture fever already and have just ordered the aforementioned SW200P with EQ5 mount about 1/2 an hour ago. A used (opened box) for £375 with free postage (hope the 200 cures it as anything bigger would be a bit more than will be handy to transport 

[mrjaffa]

£375? Brand new on FLO for £415 buddy.

[Jesterowl]

I did look at the one from FLO but it would have been £435 including postage

The text in the description says "Goods have been inspected by manufacturer, scope replaced"  am guessing its a return or something like that 

[mrjaffa]

Ah right. Didn't check the postage on FLO. That's a [removed word].

[mrjaffa]

Wife ordered the scope and I'm now in full possession of the 200p with EQ5 mount. Early birthday present.... So Gino, you offered your assistance. So here goes. Two things I'm struggling with. The altitude t bolts. Struggling to get to grips with them and I can't seem to get it lower than 30 degrees. But firstly. The azimuth adjustment knobs don't seem to do anything. I have them tightened but I still seem to be able to turn the scope left to right, is this right? Surely it shouldn't turn if those knobs are locked. And so when I un tighten them, it does nothing different. Any ideas?

[mrjaffa]

Aha! The instructions are pretty poor that come with it. It assumes you already know a lot I think. I just read some other threads and noticed I hadn't put the mount on correctly. There's the bit that sticks up from the tripod which sits between the azimuth knobs. Done that now. And getting the hang of the t bolts ;-)

[mrjaffa]

Hey guys. Need some help. Away for the weekend with the scope. First time using it. Trying to align the finder scope. I'm looking at some sheep a good 600 metres away. It's in focus in the finder scope but I just can not get them in focus in the eye piece. I should be able to right? I'm using the super 25. I did notice that the branches in the foreground could be focused, some 100 metres away. What am I missing. Remember I'm a noob ;-)

[ronin]

Check the focuser for a 2" adaptor.

From other posts that has to come out.

What you describe is the eyepiece being too far back.

Don't worry 80% of people with a 200P do exactly this.

Slightly worrying is that the first thing you go to look at is sheep. :grin:

[mrjaffa]

Ha! Don't worry ;-) ...... Not sure what u mean tho. Trying to upload a pic of how I have it set up. Can u see it?