Advice on beginner/first telescope

[iamlucky18]

Hi all. I hope everyone is well. I would like some advice on my first telescope. I've asked myself some questions (please see below) and I've narrowed down the choice of scopes to two. However, please feel free to suggest alternatives. Many thanks.

1. What's my budget?

£300, but I am willing to push it to £400.

2. Constraints?

Can't drive to any stargazing parties (epileptic), live in the city so a lot of light pollution.

3. What will I generally be doing?

Mainly observing with potential for astrophotography in the near future (used to do SLR photography).

4. How much storage space do I have?

Got a very small storage room (about 1.2m x 1.2m) where we usually store our towels and some tools.

5. How much weight do I want to carry around?

I'll have to think a bit more about this one. I don't want it to be too heavy due to risk of fits and injury and damage to the scope.

I've narrowed the choice to either the Skywatcher Explorer 130M or Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2 and go for the single axis drive when I take astrophotography. It would be nice to go for the GOTO version but it's just beyond my budget.

[Peco4321]

Hi, for what it's worth I have a 150p  on eq3-2 mount, and here are my thoughts.  I'm a relative newbie to all this, did the research back in March time I think and plumped for 150 and never looked back. I love it. 

The eq mount does take a bit of getting used to but like you, I will be getting motors at some point for some longer exposure AP so the EQ mount will be worth it.  The scope and mount seem really well made, solid and just looks great. 

To set the scene, my set up process sees me carry the tripod and weights from the shed to the garden, put them together and go back to the shed to get the scope and tool box with all the bits in it. So two trips and ready to go when cooled down a bit. The reverse for putting away. 

One thing to bear in mind if you plump for this scope, try and bargain for the RACI finderscope instead of the straight through one.  I'm about to buy on to make things easier, you do get in some odd positions when trying to find objects. 

The scope itself gives great views of lunar, planets and so far I'm finding some DSO's (globular clusters, planetary nebula etc). Still not found many galaxies but that's down to light pollution. 

I have also taken what I consider great images using a t ring and adapter with my canon 1100d of the moon, Jupiter and Saturn and globular clusters, planetary nebula and andromeda Galaxy. No tracking as stated so just short exposures. 

I hope this helps, please feel free to ask any questions. 

Peter. 

[ronin]

A couple of initial thoughts: I presume that astrophotography and portability are the main constraints, I equally assume that "the City" is London, if not give the place in your profile, location is a useful bit of information. If you are in London then go find the Baker St Irregular Astronomers at Regents Park. Seeing equipment in the flesh is a much better way of appreciation things.

Budget is going to be an issue, well for what is passing through my mind. The 130M is not much good for AP, the 150P on an EQ3-2 may be better but you are likely at the weight and size limit for the set up, so adding a DSLR is not going to help. The package is sold for visual and the reality is that AP needs better, and usually visual does not equal AP. Simply do not go buying a visual setup and expect it to transfer over to AP.

Always get a bit concerened when someone says they have done photography the transfer over to AP is not too great a match. Easy way of explaining this is when doing photography did you last take 20 exposures each of 30 seconds of a moving target and then stack all 20 exposure on top of one another to produce (hopefully) a final image. That sort of explains the difference. Just be aware of it, as the 2 are a bit different. In DSLR AP you need to let the sensor cool down between exposures is another one.

I would suggest something like an ED 70mm refractor, and if you can get one a used EQ5, then get the dual motors - don't bother with one motor as the price is ultimately much the same.

Better, in some ways, would be something like the iOptron SmartEQ, they are goto, yes they cost more, but they are smaller and lighter. Big problem is they do not appear used very often, well rarely. A while back there was a deal of the SmartEQ and a WO71mm for beginner imaging - not available any more and way over £300-£400. My reason for this setup is the package was/is small and so you should be able to outfit a trolly bag to hold the equipment and that allows you to get around on public transport. Scope, head, battery, eyepieces, DSLR and accessories etc in the trolly bag, tripod in a cloth bag tied to the trolly bag, and off you go (sort of thing).

If the AP aspect is the primary intention I would almost say get a mount now, not a scope, and use the DSLR for wide field imaging with an 18-35mm lens, except city lights will spoil this. Once you have practised widefield and obtained some results get a scope for the more "normal" DSO images.

Reason for the refractor and EQ5 (or similar) is that down at the SWAF they had a display tent of images taken by the people there and initially many people used the EQ5 and the WO Megrez 72 and they obtained some very good results.

[iamlucky18]

Thanks for the advice guys. Much appreciated.  I like enrolling in Greater Manchester about 10 minutes from the city centre. 

Portability and astrophotography are defo the main constraints and thanks for brining up the differences between AP and SLR photography. I'll do some further research on AP.

[Putaendo Patrick]

Even with motors, the EQ-2 mount will not be ideal for photography.

I also understand that the Skywatcher Explorer 130M, if it has a focal length of 900mm, has a spherical mirror. The shorter Explorer 130P models with a 650mm focal length have parabolic mirrors which are better. Another model, the Explorer 130P-DS is optimised for photography and has a superior dual-speed focuser.

If your priority is visual observing, the larger aperture of the Explorer 150 would be worth the investment. If not, a smaller telescope with a better mount. Another type of telescope which performs well under light pollution conditions is the Maksutov, which is also light and compact for moving, although ultimately it's better to try to find a darker site.

[iPeace]

1 hour ago, iPeace said:

The OP tracked me down and contacted me by PM, so more for the benefit of other readers:

I have this scope and love it. Compact and lightweight with a very nice 2" focuser, very nice build quality, I am sure many would be surprised at how nice the views are.

It must be the ultimate grab-and-go scope, the ultimate travel scope, and the ultimate finder scope all in one. Stick it on any mount, it won't complain, and off you go.

It has never let me down. It gave me my first looks at Jupiter, Mars and Saturn. I regularly use it as a finder, and often have to tear myself away from it to switch to the main scope.

I am by no means a connoisseur of fine optics, so this is all for what it's worth. I have used the TS INED70 alongside a TV85 and a SW ED120 and it only makes me more impressed with what this small APO frac does. It was my first scope, and I honestly feel it should be everyone's first scope. Heresy, of course, because it's not a cheap light bucket, but I will stand up and say that this is the scope guaranteed to keep you in this business; always ready at a moment's notice, take it anywhere, no faff, pure joy to use.

I give you the TS INED70.

 

Just posted this reply elsewhere; consider it a candidate 70mm APO. I have no knowledge of AP but it seems to be suitable for that as well.

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1151_TS-ED-70mm-f-6-Travel-Apochromat-with-carbon-tube-and-2--Crayford-focuser.html