Buying a telescope for my other half PLEASE HELP!!!

[C7tsj]

I am looking at the 200P for myself as an upgrade so if you buy this (or the 150P), your husband is unlikely to get bored with it anytime soon. Biggest complaint when a newbie buys a scope is that it is of poor quality and shows no interesting view. The 150P or the 200P would avoid this.

If you genuinely want a tripod, the 150 / 200 can be mounted to one. It is going to cost you an extra few hundred for a decent tripod though, as noted earlier.

Best of luck with your choice and final word of advice. Please don't just plump for a telescope from Jessops or somewhere like Amazon. Been there, done that.

Mark

[Floater]

I'm not quite comfortable about responding to your question, because I consider myself to be a learner. But ...

When I got my 150P Skyliner Dobsonian I was amazed. Amazed at how big it was compared to what I had expected - and amazed at what a wonderful sight it was after I'd put it all together! So I think it would be best if you could get 'up close and personal' with a telescope just to experience first-hand what the animal is.

Binoculars ARE a good thing but, as SGL member Sandraj pointed out so sensibly in response to a similar 'help me' thread, that's not what you think your man wants. He wants a telescope.

If you have made up your mind that only the classic 'scope on a tripod' will bring the wow factor into your prezzy, then I shall leave it to the more experienced here to try and advise you.

However, two things I would ask you to mind: the Dob does give more 'bang for the buck', and - definitely - do not go near Jessops or any other High Street store. You have read the above advice and your head will be buzzing but if you talk to someone at FLO they really can help.

One last thing. Keep us up to date, please? We love to watch as the story unfolds ...

[Ruud]

I'd hope for a Dob if I knew someone was buying me a £300 telescope.

[starryeyed2014]

Would anyone recommend this one http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-eq3-2.html

[JamesF]

I see nothing to fault the 150P as a telescope in itself.  I wouldn't personally suggest a beginner started with an EQ mount though.  It's fine if you're doing the "GOTO" thing, but if you aren't then I think they're an unnecessary pain to use when you have no real experience.  Personally I'd say to get him that mount would be a mistake.  I know it goes against what some others have said, but we can't all agree on everything

The advantage of the dobsonian mount (or even a tripod with an alt-az mount) is that you can just point it at what you want to look at.  The mount moves in the left-right and up-down directions, "just like a cannon" as John Dobson used to say himself.  The EQ mounts don't work like that and the way they do work means that if the scope is pointing *here* and you want it to point *there* it can be far from obvious how you need it to move to make that happen.

I really do understand that you're not keen on the idea of a dob, but the reason people keep suggesting them is that they're dead simple to use and you get a huge amount for your money compared with anything else.  As a beginner that's quite a compelling argument for having one  If you want it to look a certain way then perhaps it's acceptable to sacrifice some usability and performance.  If you're worried about finding somewhere suitable to use a dob, I'd bet there's nothing you're likely to come up against that someone here hasn't already solved one way or another.

James

[starryeyed2014]

O dear I'm so confused with it all now didn't expect it to be so difficult to choose a telescope I really don't want to get him vouchers to pick one as I want to have it as his present the dob to me just looks like it needs to be on a flat surface am I wrong In saying that ? That is why I was looking at a tripod one ??

[Twiggles]

Hi Starryeyed and welcome to the forums. This is a common question that can sometimes offer conflicting answers. If you know what your husband likes to look at that can influence the choice of telescope. Deep space objects (DSO's) won't look like the photographs you see no matter what size or mount you buy, though bigger scopes may show more delicate detail. Planets can benefit from a different approach but more often than not the sky quality in terms of light pollution and 'seeing' (atmospheric disturbances etc) will play a large factor.

My first telescope was on an eq mount and tripod and I don't regret it. If you do wish to get a Newtonian telescope it would be worth also investing in a Cheshire to collimate it (aligning the internal mirrors). Help is at had for this though, plenty of advice on these forums!

Another nice site to check is www.astro-baby.com, plenty of advice and guides there. In one review she talks of how when buying a telescope and in a similar state of confusion was told "if your spending more than an hour a day reading telescope reviews your doing it wrong - make a decision and accept it might be the wrong one".

You know your husband better than we do and if he can handle the technical side of an eq mount etc. Stick to a good astro supplier such as FLO, and consider the accessories (Cheshire, extra eyepieces etc) if you want to purchase those at the same time.

Good luck!

[happy-kat]

This is the AZ4 version

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-explorer-150p-az4-mount.html

[starryeyed2014]

What is the mount like on the dobsonian ?

[JamesF]

The dob doesn't need to be on a flat surface particularly.  How "not flat" is the place where you'd expect he might use it?

James

[saurabh dh]

hi, there are tradeoff for each of the choices, get the beginner a portable telescope in which he doesnt have to fiddle with the optics

[starryeyed2014]

Well I'm just thinking that if he takes it out is it just something that he keeps it on his lap it's not a telescope to just be kept indoors on the table by the window ?

[JamesF]

The 200P dob would stand on the ground.  It's about a metre high and the base is about 50cm across.  It's probably most comfortable to use sitting beside it on a low chair or stool (I know some people pick up used drumming stools and the like from ebay because they're adjustable for height).  As long as they're steady it doesn't really matter that much if the ground is a little uneven or even slightly sloping.

James

[starryeyed2014]

Ok I see this is certainly interesting and very difficult the sky at night recommends this one for a beginner but it's completely different to what everyone here is recommending http://m.skyatnightmagazine.com/yourfirstscope

[JamesF]

I think it's a fair comment that buying a telescope for someone else without their knowledge is really quite tough, especially when you don't have much knowledge about them yourself.

As it happens, my wife bought me my first telescope as a surprise Christmas present.  I still have it and I still use it.  I can't see that I'd ever be likely to part with it.  But it's nothing like what I'd have bought for myself at the time

James

[JamesF]

Ok I see this is certainly interesting and very difficult the sky at night recommends this one for a beginner but it's completely different to what everyone here is recommending http://m.skyatnightmagazine.com/yourfirstscope

I'm not really sure they're recommending one type over any other there, to be honest.  The details do seem to be biased towards a newt on a tripod perhaps, but that's possibly because it's more complex to set up.  The instructions for setting up a dob would probably be "stick it on the ground.  point it at the sky.  look through the eyepiece"

James

[saurabh dh]

have alook at this  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/skywatcher-skymax-102-eq2.html 

[JamesF]

have alook at this  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/skywatcher-skymax-102-eq2.html

I like the little Maks, but why on earth is it sold on such a daft mount?  There's no way to polar align it and since there isn't you might as well have it on an alt-az.  But unless you don't have space for it or you need a small light scope for some other reason I still think the 200P is a better choice.  I think my 127 Mak is a lovely thing, but if someone said to me "should I get the 127 Mak or 200P dob for visual use?" I'd find it hard not to recommend the 200P every time.

James

[JamesF]

For what it's worth there's another thread at the moment asking "Any negative points about the 8" dob?" (the 200P, basically).  The general theme seems to be "It's very good even if it's not perfect.  The only real problem with it is that it's not a 12" dob (or a 16" dob etc.)" ...

James

[Alien 13]

I actually think that your original choices where not far off the mark the 150P EQ3 combo is a great starting set up that opens up lots of avenues for future additions/upgrades.

I personally have never been a dob fan the thought of watching an image go whizzing through the field of view or disappear every time you turn away for a minute/nip inside for a cuppa fills me with dread, the EQ mount can be upgraded with a single axis motor to keep an object in the FOV for many mins.

Alan

[Larkspeed]

I have noticed from reading through this thread that one of the main reasons you want a tripod is in case you have to move it around.

Now i'm curious do you mean move it around as in into and out of the house/car to go viewing or do you mean move it around while viewing.

if you mean the former moving a dobsonian to your viewing location is not that hard and the 200p should not be that heavy.

Now if you mean the latter then I am afraid you are mistaken, if you think you will need to move it around the garden when viewing then you definitely don't want anything on an EQ tripod mount as you would have to go through the polar alignment procedure every time it gets moved even if it's only a few inches.

I own a scope on an EQ mount and there is nothing more frustrating than viewing from your back garden and deciding hey lets look at XX and realizing next doors tree is in the way, it's just not worth the hassle to move the scope in that instance.

So that said even though I don't own a DOB I wish I did and I would recommend that route.

[D4N]

For all of its flaws I found my EQ2 very easy to set up for visual work. I would just take it where I wanted, line up RA roughly North then make sure the tripod was level. For visual observing this is fine and means you are only making the odd adjustment to the Dec fine control to keep the target centred. I would even move it a bit and just re-sight Polaris then carry on.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jnb]

I like the little Maks, but why on earth is it sold on such a daft mount?  There's no way to polar align it and since there isn't you might as well have it on an alt-az.  But unless you don't have space for it or you need a small light scope for some other reason I still think the 200P is a better choice.  I think my 127 Mak is a lovely thing, but if someone said to me "should I get the 127 Mak or 200P dob for visual use?" I'd find it hard not to recommend the 200P every time.

James

You can polar align an equatorial very easily. Just put the scope to a declimation of 90° and point it roughly at polaris. That's certainly good enough for visual use and what I used to do . For more accuracy spin the mount through RA to confirm the scope is at 90° declination and then use the scope itself at a low magnification for polar alignment. My only objection to equatorials is that at the bottom of price range they can be a little flimsy I've certainly never had any great problems using them and never met anyone who with a bit of explanation has found them at all difficult (at most I showed someone a globe and the scope side by side at which point it's obvious what is happening.

Personally at that budget I would go with the Evostar 90 on an EQ3. If you want more aperture I would go for the 150P on a dob (200p is in budget but doesn't leave a lot for better eyepieces etc.)

[Robp]

I have read through the whole thread starryeyed2014 and I'm sure you are finding out by now that each person (beginner or veteran) will have a different opinion on which telescope would be best .

Instead of everyone throwing out suggestions, I think it would be best to help you to decide instead.

So here are the facts we have so far (feel free to add anything else I missed):

You have a budget of up to £300.

You would prefer a telescope on a tripod.

So lets address those two points first.

£300 is a perfectly fine budget for a beginner telescope. My first scope was a gift and it cost £100 (don't ask how much we have all spent since the first scope ).

A telescope on a tripod has some good points and bad points. you have a choice (as pointed out already) between a Dobsonian or a tripod mounted telescope.

Firstly, you will pay more for a tripod and telescope combination, so to keep to your budget you need to make a sacrifice and this will be on the telescope. a £300 dobsonian will have a better scope than a tripod/scope combo of the same price.

You can see what I mean by comparing the Dob and tripod versions of the same aperture telescope:

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

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

Now a Dobsonian I can't really comment much on as I haven't owned one. Generally they will be more beginner friendly as they are easier to move, setup and use.

An Equatorial mount on the other hand is harder to move, setup and use, but once you get used to it then its all fine and dandy. I went for the Equatorial mount as when I tested both types of scope I found it better to use (in my opinion) and I wanted to get into imaging at some point.

One thing that would really help us all out is if you could explain what sort of things you think your partner will like to observe as different types of scopes are better at different things.

would they prefer observing the moon and planets or deep space objects?

Would they be interested in imaging in the future and if so what?

Another thing I would suggest is looking on youtube for a dobsonian setup and an Equatorial mount setup so you can see the difference for yourself.

[glynnlondon]

Hi starryeyed2014 these videos may be of help , they will give an idea of scale and ease of use hopefully.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCcQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrV_2nl8VHwg&ei=LqcaVLi9Cq2w7Aa214CwBw&usg=AFQjCNEXnVXqd4jpSJ7BKbO3rR94cIgdzg

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbDY8extsWH8&ei=gqYaVOjyL-fC7AamloC4CQ&usg=AFQjCNHsDTrkP2eBTDVhoCcqtz6CMejLRA

good luck with your choice.