10" Dob vs 10" Newt + EQ6 GEM? Pros & Cons?

[johngwheeler]

I've been thinking about getting a larger reflector and had been considering a 10" Dobsonian. However, and opportunity to get a used 10" Newtonian on an EQ6 Goto mount has come up, and I'm looking at this.

The OTA seems to be pretty much identical, so the choice is really down to the mount.

I'm used to a GEM (Celestron AVX) with my 6" Maksutov, but I've never used one with a large Newtonian. I'm aware it will be a bit awkward at times (although the OTA has "slip rings" to allow tube rotation). The EQ6 will also be a lot heavier than a Dobsonian base, and will certainly require 2 trips for the mount alone (tripod/head + counterweights).

The main advantage of the GEM is the GoTo and tracking capability, which not only makes observation easy (especially in my light-polluted home location), and also opens the door to astrophotography. I can also use the GEM for other 'scopes.

The cost of the OTA + EQ6 (used) would be a couple of hundred dollars less than the cost of a GoTo Dob such as the Orion XT10g. The used scope also includes 4 EPs, a laser collimator and some camera adapters.

So my choices are:
1) New 10" manual Dob
2) A New GoTo 10" Dob for about twice the price of the manual Dob
3) The used Newt+EQ6 Goto GEM for a bit less than the GoTo Dob.

What would make most sense for mostly visual use, and mostly at home?

I'm tending towards #3 because of the more "serious" GoTo mount that can used for other scopes, but am cautious about the size & weight of the whole setup.

[NGC 1502]

Always a tough call giving advice, what suits me may not be good for you.

If go-to is esential to you, that rules out a basic Dob, but of course go-to Dobs are available, but you get field rotation for imaging unless you get an EQ platform.

Set up is real fast for a basic Dob, an EQ takes much longer especially if you want a precise polar alignment, unless an observatory could be in your future ?

You have mentioned that the tube can be rotated when using a Newt on an EQ, but it's a bit of a hassle if you are switching objects often, much less of a problem for extended viewing of a single object.

If you can see the various options first hand if poss ( dealer or astronomy club ) that would help a lot with size & weight etc.

In the end only you can weigh up your priorities and the plus & minus factors to find an outfit to suit yourself.

Good luck in your choice, Ed.

[carastro]

If you would like GOTO and later on get into astrophotography, the NEQ6/Newt combi seems the best option (it's cheaper too), especially if the OTA has slip rings.

Carole 

[Hobbes]

I'm biased as option #3 matches my current setup.

I've suffered from a bad back for many years and my Newt/EQ6 mount with rotating rings allows me to get the eyepiece into the perfect position to observe comfortably and I can certainly recommend it for that reason.

It does take a while to set up (20 mins) and I have just brought a secondhand SkyTee2 as a grab and go mount.

[John]

I watched (and helped) newcomers to the hobby struggling with equatorially mounted scopes the other night at an outreach event. It would be a dobsonian every time for me for visual observing. Quick to set up, less to lug around, simple to use, most performance per £ spent.

A 10" newtonian on a dobsonian mount is quite compact and easy to manage. On an equatorial mount the same optical tube becomes a much larger and heavier proposition. Eyepiece and finder scope positions can get awkward to reach as well.

At the same event above I had my 4.7" refractor on a simple alt-azimuth mount. The other folks seemed amazed that I could actually do astronomy with it and that the eyepiece and finder were always positioned conveniently.