New Telescope

[Corkeyno2]

I've been wanting a new large telescope for a while but did not have the money to buy it. Recently, I remembered that I have a life size replica of a Doctor who tardis that was built years ago. It will definitely go for alot of money! Can anyone tell me the best 14" or 16" telescopes that could be bought under £2500 and don't need collimation? It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Corkeyno2

[jabeoo1]

Unless you go for a smaller scope of a different design you can't be afraid of collimation, even the 'best' newtonian reflector will potentially need some minor adjustments to optimise its performance as its the nature of the design.  I have found that handmade, truss rod dobsonians are very good at holding collimation, it is about rigidity.  A rolled metal tube may be the thing to avoid.  Mine has never needed collimation (2.5 years old) and has been moved around and driven places.  D. Lukehurst is a good telescope builder (as well as other members on this forum).  Visit his site for an idea of what he offers.  2.5 K will get you a 14" standard dob. However it will soon spiral up to 3K for 16" or a higer spec 14".  

I am sure members on here who are good telescope builders will chip in, and may have experience / views that differ from mine.  But personally its handmade truss designs that do a good job. 

[brantuk]

I can recommend the Lightbridge 16" Dob. I've had a lot of fun with mine and it produces very nice views indeed. The only downside is the unwieldy rocker box/turntable which is heavy and a bit flimsy being only laminated wood like Contiboard. I've replaced mine by making one with 13-ply baltic birch - stronger, lighter, and much smaller and easier to handle. But the optics are superb imho and it comes in just under two grand if you shop around (or 12 to 15 hundred second hand depending on age/condition). Collimation is mandatory with all Newtonians though - nothing to worry about though.

Alternatively the SW dobs are nice too - I had the 12" Flextube Goto - but with your budget you could get a 14" no problem. I can recommend either scope really and they're both good to go practically out of the box with easy to assemble instructions. Hth

[laudropb]

You should not fear Collimation. Once mastered it is not difficult to do and is not time consuming.

[Corkeyno2]

12 minutes ago, brantuk said:

I can recommend the Lightbridge 16" Dob. I've had a lot of fun with mine and it produces very nice views indeed. The only downside is the unwieldy rocker box/turntable which is heavy and a bit flimsy being only laminated wood like Contiboard. I've replaced mine by making one with 13-ply baltic birch - stronger, lighter, and much smaller and easier to handle. But the optics are superb imho and it comes in just under two grand if you shop around (or 12 to 15 hundred second hand depending on age/condition). Collimation is mandatory with all Newtonians though - nothing to worry about though.

Alternatively the SW dobs are nice too - I had the 12" Flextube Goto - but with your budget you could get a 14" no problem. I can recommend either scope really and they're both good to go practically out of the box with easy to assemble instructions. Hth

Thanks alot for the advice!

[Corkeyno2]

9 minutes ago, laudropb said:

You should not fear Collimation. Once mastered it is not difficult to do and is not time consuming.

Thanks so much.

[ronin]

Large aperture means a Newtonian and that means collimation, also it is a general rule that the faster the newtonian the better the collimation has to be maintained, and a large aperture scope tends to be fast. Consider a 16" f/8 meaans a focal length of 128" (just over 10ft) so that would means anything remotely high in Alt is too high to look into the eyepiece. Fast newtonians need a coma corrector usually and may also require the purchase of good eyepieces.

What scope have you at present?

Have you car and drive? Assume you do as you asked about Hatfield Forest. Put a better location in for where you are, there may be an option I can think of.

More concerning is: Will a 14" or 16" actually deliver what you expect.

[Corkeyno2]

14 hours ago, jabeoo1 said:

Unless you go for a smaller scope of a different design you can't be afraid of collimation, even the 'best' newtonian reflector will potentially need some minor adjustments to optimise its performance as its the nature of the design.  I have found that handmade, truss rod dobsonians are very good at holding collimation, it is about rigidity.  A rolled metal tube may be the thing to avoid.  Mine has never needed collimation (2.5 years old) and has been moved around and driven places.  D. Lukehurst is a good telescope builder (as well as other members on this forum).  Visit his site for an idea of what he offers.  2.5 K will get you a 14" standard dob. However it will soon spiral up to 3K for 16" or a higer spec 14".  

I am sure members on here who are good telescope builders will chip in, and may have experience / views that differ from mine.  But personally its handmade truss designs that do a good job. 

Thanks

 

13 hours ago, Corkeyno2 said:

Thanks so much.

[Corkeyno2]

43 minutes ago, ronin said:

Large aperture means a Newtonian and that means collimation, also it is a general rule that the faster the newtonian the better the collimation has to be maintained, and a large aperture scope tends to be fast. Consider a 16" f/8 meaans a focal length of 128" (just over 10ft) so that would means anything remotely high in Alt is too high to look into the eyepiece. Fast newtonians need a coma corrector usually and may also require the purchase of good eyepieces.

What scope have you at present?

Have you car and drive? Assume you do as you asked about Hatfield Forest. Put a better location in for where you are, there may be an option I can think of.

More concerning is: Will a 14" or 16" actually deliver what you expect.

 

I currently have a Celestron Nexstar 4SE but wanted a larger aperture. I would still use roughly the same magnification but I just want a sharper image and to be able to see nebulae.