Have you chosen a scope on looks alone?

[ollypenrice]

I couldn't care less about looks and am quite likely to be put off a scope by suspecting that too much effort has gone into making it pretty. I always look at WO scopes with suspicion for this reason. Their 'Ferrari Edition' struck me as lamentable.

So no, I don't buy on looks but I do like things to be well made, over engineered and not self consciously styled. If it's well built it will look great. Takahashi, TeleVue, TEC, Vixen and more...

Olly

[nicoscy]

I doubt anybody buys a scope based on looks alone - if they know anything about amateur astronomy in the first place.

But looks never hurt, like everything in life like choosing your home, your clothes, your car, your watch or whatever. 

Vision lets us appreciate a beautiful sunset, a painting and generally appreciate beauty around us. 

When form, quality and function combine then the result is harmonious.

So, never on looks alone, but always on a weighted combination of all factors involved.

[scarp15]

Understated is probably how I would consider my own approach to owning and using something. When I purchased a black Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike back in the early days of mountain bike technology, it could best be described as looking understated. Yet the geometry was highly responsive and provided me with countless years of adventure both on and off road until it was eventually stolen (ironically in a place called Byker) and I switched to road and touring bikes.

There is nothing wrong with some subtle bling (my former flextube had a lovely subtle sparkly coated paint finish on the upper and lower tubes). However understated can quietly conceal something that is very capable in terms of function and performance, I think that this applies to my current scope set up, it can be the unseen that is beautiful.

[Liquid360]

I find it fascinating that we're all here because we share a passion. How can anybody here take take this thread so seriously? Picking a scope because of aesthetics? A scope is aesthetically pleasing when it capable of amazing things. I'm fairly certain that if AP starting making pink mounts pink, over time, would come to be stunning.... okay maybe a bad example, but I'm confident you get the point. All I'm saying is lighten up [emoji51]

[Liquid360]

Gah I gotta be more careful! Typos are brutal when you can't edit.

[nicoscy]

I find it fascinating that we're all here because we share a passion. How can anybody here take take this thread so seriously? Picking a scope because of aesthetics? A scope is aesthetically pleasing when it capable of amazing things. I'm fairly certain that if AP starting making pink mounts pink, over time, would come to be stunning.... okay maybe a bad example, but I'm confident you get the point. All I'm saying is lighten up [emoji51]

Nobody is arguing with anybody else. We are all sharing our opinion in a civilised manner each in their own way...    

Infinite diversity in infinite combinations ...

[Liquid360]

Are you saying that I should lighten up after I said lighten up? [emoji6]

[Moonshane]

I do like my dobs but accept that refractors look very 'pretty'. I buy mainly on the following factors (roughly in order but sometimes they move about):

Budget - can I afford it? - with money I have, can save or can raise through sales

Aperture - will it give me enough aperture for the expected purpose

Observing comfort - will I end every session needing a chiropractor using the mount I have? Can I get a suitable mount?

Purpose - does it match the purpose I am buying it for? my most recent purchases have been almost exclusively for white light solar. My next purchase will be for Ha solar.

Is it white? - I do think white telescopes look best so maybe looks matter after all.

Whilst I seem to have nurtured a somewhat playful 'aversion' to refractors this is purely as I felt they did not suit my purpose at the time. A recent increase in solar observing means that I have realised that a good achro refractor is better (with a Lunt Wedge) than even my 6" f11 with solar film. Therefore I bought a 80mm f11 Vixen (white of course). I have also just sold my 6" f5 newtonian as this was mainly used for Solar with film at my school and I have bought a 102mm f11 frac(not white unfortunately) for use at school with the children and my Lunt wedge. I considered this a safer option in the circumstances. The addition of a pillar extension to my tripod makes this a more back friendly set-up.

So, do looks come into it? Yes, sort of but they matter less than other things in the end. Condition rather than looks matters if you are likely to consider selling in the future.

[Liquid360]

Ps. I utilized the winking emojicon to denote a sense of playfulness.

[nicoscy]

Being relatively new to this forum I find the discussions here quite relaxed actually compared to other forums.

It's a nice place to hang out.

[JamesF]

Surely anyone who has bought a WO scope has to answer "yes"?  (ducks and runs for cover

I don't care what they look like if they work well.  There's certainly a pleasure in using something that looks beautiful, but for me that comes well after being capable of doing the job for which I'm paying the money.

James

[JamesF]

I'm fairly certain that if AP starting making pink mounts pink, over time, would come to be stunning.... 

Nothing wrong with pink, I say.  Pink is a proper man's colour.

James

[jnb]

I bought a refractor (well actually I bought two) partly because they look right. The rationale is that I do a lot of outreach stuff with Herstmonceux and the wealden astronomical society which means a fair amount of showing scopes to members of the public. With that in mind I went with a refractor because it "looks like a telescope". Ask anyone with no knowledge of aastronomy to draw a telescope and it's a refractor they will draw. Despite that they are perfectly usable and apart from a slow f ratio there's no reason to not use them.

Having said that I am now eyeing up small newtonians to use on the same mount.

[ollypenrice]

If Pink's good enough for the leader of the Giro d'Italia... 

One thing that always amazes me is that some people fuss over marks on eyepiece barrels. Couldn't care less myself!

Olly

[r3i]

Surely anyone who has bought a WO scope has to answer "yes"?  (ducks and runs for cover

Oh dear, here's me currently being seduced by their new new Star 71 APO     What's wrong with WO scopes (apart from perhaps the Ferrari paintwork one) ? 

[IanL]

If it's looks you are after, here's the one for you:  https://flic.kr/p/XyMLb

The ultimate test ought to be if you have enough money for a Takahashi - can you part with the cash for the great optics and still put up with the vomit-coloured institutional green they use?  (OK I guess it is their signature, but really it looks like something out of 1960's medical equipment).
 

Seriously though, performance/price is the deciding factor for me, but that is not to say that aesthetics don't matter at all.  I spend vastly more time looking at my gear than I do looking (or imaging) through it, simply because it's parked in a corner of the lounge and there is nowhere else to keep it for the time being.  Fortunately the black/white motif carries nicely through my Orion ST80, Skywatcher 80ED and NEQ6 so my sensibilities aren't too offended.  (The slightly battered blue LX10 OTA lives in a storage box in the dining room so I don't have to look at it  ).

If you're paying a fair wad of cash for decent kit, why shouldn't some effort have gone in to the design?  Generally speaking, good engineering and good looks go hand in hand anyway.  I guess the problem will come at some point when an accessory or new scope is needed and is only available in a garish colour (dayglo orange or purple for example).

[r3i]

One thing that always amazes me is that some people fuss over marks on eyepiece barrels. Couldn't care less myself!

I would have thought the more barrel marks the better: it implies it gets used a lot and therefore must be good.

[AndrewG]

If Pink's good enough for the leader of the Giro d'Italia... 

One thing that always amazes me is that some people fuss over marks on eyepiece barrels. Couldn't care less myself!

Olly

What about the TAK Olly......  as you once said "it is NHS green";  could they not have picked a slightly more aesthetically pleasing shade?

I do fully agree with your comments and as an Engineer (Mechanical not one of those IT type Engineers) that when designing products my primary focus (no pun intended) is to design the product to achieve the best function possible with the aesthetics then being secondary (I guess the Messu is proof?).

Andy

[Liquid360]

Thrilling to see Contador back in form!! Bet he takes the Giro next year!!!

If Pink's good enough for the leader of the Giro d'Italia...

Olly

[JamesF]

The ultimate test ought to be if you have enough money for a Takahashi - can you part with the cash for the great optics and still put up with the vomit-coloured institutional green they use? 

I'm so glad someone else posted that.  I thought it was just me.

James

[r3i]

The ultimate test ought to be if you have enough money for a Takahashi - can you part with the cash for the great optics and still put up with the vomit-coloured institutional green they use?  (OK I guess it is their signature, but really it looks like something out of 1960's medical equipment).

What about the TAK Olly......  as you once said "it is NHS green";  could they not have picked a slightly more aesthetically pleasing shade?

I'm so glad someone else posted that.  I thought it was just me.

James

Glad to hear that plenty others also think the Tak colour scheme has a retro medical look to it.   Though if you can afford them and make good use of them, it's unlikely the colour is going to be a show stopper.

[JB80]

There are certainly some gorgeous scopes around and if I had the cash I may just lump for a lovely old style refractor.

I know there is that mob that do lovely looking solar scopes too but I can't recall their name.

Ultimately this is my style http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_great_wetherell_refractor_steampunk_telescope_for_wiki.jpg

I'd love to be able to get my hands on something like that.

[Liquid360]

Hey my TAK is white with red Lettering, not institutional green.

[RT65CB-SWL]

When I purchased my TeleVue Ranger, I only had a Manfrotto tripod and video head, so it made sense for me to find a 'scope that could be attached to a 'basic' mount/head, with a 1/4"x20 thread, that was 'lightweight' and easy to transport.

[swamp thing]

I actually prefer the look of Newts to Fracs. Far too many Fracs are over designed trying to become things of beauty. Newts tend to be form following function. I prefer this approach. I like simple designs.

However; I don't like the way many manufacturers of newts on Dob mounts try to sculpt their chipboard. It's chipboard for goodness sake don't draw attention to it. Keep it straight lines and simple. That would look far better IMO.

The simplicity of John Dobsons cardboard tube originals. Beautiful.