Best way to buy a telescope

[Iain L]

I'm now in the market for a telescope, and i"m going to be avoiding the cheap argos type scopes. What would you recommend, buying a new scope kit so I get everything at once or buy secondhand and maybe take a few months to gather what I need to have a decent set up? I've looked on the buy/sell area and have seen a few things but I can easily confuse myself.

[alanjgreen]

No simple answer until we know more about what you hope to achieve

What's your budget?

are you a beginner?

do you want to view planets/moon or the fainter stuff like galaxies/nebulas?

do you want to move the scope manually or electronic goto system?

[BXRO]

You have already made the right move by ßking the question, consider what you want it for, what your budget is and what your plans are for the future. I'll hazard a guess you will end up with a 200mm Dobson or similar

[rockystar]

second hand telescopes from a dedicated astronomy site are generally kept in pretty good quality and can be picked up at a reasonable discount. Most people here don't have many issues buying used. As above, budget and requirements will help us to help you better . Welcome to the forum

 

[Iain L]

Thanks for the replies, I'm wanting a general purpose scope if there is such a thing, probably aiming for planets and some galaxies. I want to keep the budget to below £200, I could go slightly above this if I buy parts over a few months. I have used reflector telescopes in the past, nothing special, from memory the last telescope I had was some cheap 60/700 but I did get to see a few things. I would be happy for a manual mount over electronic to keep initial cost down. I would also like something I could take away with me when I go off in the caravan. I have seen a skywatcher 130 pds in the for sale area, but I would have to find out where to get the other bits from.

[Timebandit]

The skywatcher 200p is the way to go , great scope. Bit over your £200 new , but in budget second hand.

It has a dob mount, simple up down , side to side to locate and  track objects.

 The 8" aperture will be great for planetary and DSO , just a great "proper" scope for the beginner, but will take you into the intermediate stages

I hope the above hel☺ps

[alanjgreen]

As timebandit says, 200p dobsonian is the way to go with your small budget.

its a great scope and 8" is a good size mirror to reveal the dimmer objects.

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

read the customer reviews on FLO website

they come up second hand around 200 pounds. But make sure you get all the eyepieces etc that came with the new one.

 

the 130mm scope is a bit small for galaxies, ok for planets and the moon tho.

[alanjgreen]

Ian,

there is also a 6" version that is on budget, it will show more than a 130.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

but my advice would be to save for the 8" 

Alan

[Iain L]

Are the dobsonian scopes reasonably portable?

[Charic]

....second hand is a good option if your on a budget, and knowing a little can help when viewing at the owners residence!

Buying new from a reputable, authorized  dealer is the next.

This site is sponsored by First Light Optics https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ as a starting point.
 

[Charic]

4 minutes ago, Iain L said:

Are the dobsonian scopes reasonably portable?

...by car, yes!
The Skywatcher variant can be separated from its base for transportation, laid across the back seats or length-ways in the boot ( seats folded).
Its  portable around the garden in one lift, if your comfortable lifting 27Kgs

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi Iain and welcome to SGL. 

My suggestion would be to join a astronomy club/society. Go to starparties/observing nights and see them in them in action, close up, etc, to give you an idea of size, dimensions, performance, etc, and ask questions with the owners. Some clubs/societies may loan their 'scopes to members for a small monthly rental fee.

[alanjgreen]

The 6" is 1000mm long, the 8" is 1200mm (4ft) long.

you take the tube off the base and transport the two parts.

have a look on YouTube for some vids with people in to see the size.

[Charic]

5 minutes ago, Iain L said:

Are the dobsonian scopes reasonably portable?

A dobsonian scope is a Newtonian scope, mounted on the dobsonian base, just for clarification! 

[Iain L]

7 minutes ago, Charic said:

...by car, yes!
The Skywatcher variant can be separated from its base for transportation, laid across the back seats or length-ways in the boot ( seats folded).
Its  portable around the garden in one lift, if your comfortable lifting 27Kgs

That may be a bit too big for taking away. I'm going to have a look at a few youtube videos. Would they be any good for astrophotography?

[Charic]

The Skyliner is not practical for astrophotography, where tracking is concerned. Snaps of the Moon with DSLR or iPhone will work.

[alanjgreen]

No good for Astro photography and with your budget of 200, Astro photography is out of reach and best forgotten until you have more funds!

here is a review of the 200p 

 

[alanjgreen]

Here's another thread that may be worth a read

 

[Iain L]

The second link is a good read. I'm googling a fair bit now to come up with ideas. I'm going to put portability higher on the list, I can see me getting one of the dobsonian scopes for home use in the future though.

[alanjgreen]

Great. You cannot do too much research

[Charic]

For total portability, ease of use, grab-and-go, consider binoculars, if your intention is to buy a bigger telescope later on!
Not only will this give you more time to consider, more time for funding too!
Binoculars below 10x magnification are easier to hand hold, above 10x consider mounted on a tripod.

[BXRO]

Hi Ian

I have a Skywatcher Explorer 130P on an EQ2 mount that I bought off Gumtree for a shade under £90. Not the world's best scope but good value for money. The only problem now is I've spent more on accessories than on the scope so do be careful cos if it bites you you will be hooked

 

[Linda]

I would think that an 8" Dob is too big to store inside a caravan. Have a look at Maksutovs and SCTs. They are above your budget, but you might find one second hand. They do however need a mount of some kind. An AZ mount in my opinion takes less space, compared to an EQ with the extra counter weights. 

But as mentioned, binoculars are very portable. They can also be put on a mount to make them more stable.

[happy-kat]

You only need a static tripod and a camera with lens to start a journey into Astrophotography, telescopes are not always the best answer. A heritage 130p will fit in your caravan and no doubt at caravan sites you will find a table to set it up on. You can also use an upturned bucket. Equally with a right additional fitment you can use a decent photo tripod so maybe that 130pds might be an option. I'll add the link to the tripod mount adaptor later as you may already own a decent photo tripod.

[Iain L]

I appreciate all the help. All this extra reading is slowly sorting out the ideas in my head. I have a cheap pair of binoculars that I keep in the kitchen to look at the night sky. I'm lucky that there is little light pollution where I live.