For fun - what scope or setup would you buy with £800.

[Chris]

11 hours ago, John said:

Ok, if I was adding something new to my current gear I might spend £800 on a used Celestron Edge 8 SCT optical tube to use on my Skytee II mount. This plugs the gap between my 130mm frac and my 12" dob. An alternative would be an 8" F/6 Orion Optics 1/10th wave PV optical tube to use on the same mount.

 

I can highly recommend the Edge HD800 SCT, John. I often bang on about how much a loved the optics of the one I once had. Really very sharp for an SCT, and lovely to see really sharp stars right to the edge. Especially suited to hyperwide EP's I found  

When I sold the contents of my obsy towards the house move, I did vow to own another Edge HD down the line, so this is certainly something to ponder for me too!

I've never owned an OO scope, but hear good things about the actual scopes rather than coms with OO.

[Mr niall]

1 hour ago, RobertI said:

I did mean 'AZ'...... it was late!!  The Sky Prodigy 70 does look incredibly good value, Jessops are also selling for £279 so I reckon it could be worth it for the mount alone and put the Heritage 130 on it! 

I started with this mount, it was fairly dreadful. There was so much play in the head it was almost unusable, tried to take it apart to tighten up but didn't get anywhere - was handy for getting you in the right area but for fine focussing and cruising about I found it quite frustrating.

[Chris]

10 hours ago, Louis D said:

Since you only have reflectors now and in the future, get an ED refractor to see what all the fuss is about with them.  I love my little AT72ED (~3" objective) that I picked up used for $200 a couple of years ago.  You could get a Skywatcher Evostar 100ED DS-Pro Outfit (~4" objective) and a 2" dielectric diagonal on that budget.  There's something magical about pinpoint stars with no black holes in them from the obstruction or spikes from a spider.  Planets look engagingly sharp compared to obstructed views.  It won't replace your 6" dob, it will complement it.

I was looking at ED's namely the new WO61 to go on my EQ3 to complement my 6" dob, but aperture is a concern, i.e. the Dob is very good on planets and fair on deep sky, and the WO61 would be good as it would fit in my eyepiece case so a super portable scope for just scanning star fields and quick looks at the Moon etc. Also good for DSO imaging with my DLSR with it's fast focal ratio, short focal length, and large 42mm image circle. 

The above two scopes have very different focal lengths and focal ratios, but having owned a couple of Celestron ED100's in the past I honestly think it would be too similar to mt 6" f/8 Newt. The Newt being f/8 and 1200mm FL, and the ED100 being f/9 and 900mm, and the Newt has a very small central obstruction so the contrast is high, not quite ED contrast but close. 

Having said this, if I didn't have the 150p f/8 Dob, I would be very tempted by an ED100, they are very nice scopes   

............

There is one important thing I've neglected to mention when it comes to what I would want in an £800 setup - Despite absolutely loving the aesthetics of long scopes and being a big fan of long focus refactors, my 3x5 scope storage shed is an issue. I only seem to use the scopes that are fully setup ready to go, and I can carry out my shed in one go and just plonk down. I did have a Vixen 80mm f/11.4 refractor setup on my EQ3 but it didn't fit in the shed at all well due to the tripod height needed for a long frac, and tube length of a long frac, so it ended up just sitting in it's box on the third floor of our house safely out of reach of the kids (of which two out of three are at the destroying stage of their development )

I think I would like quite a compact setup, either a short ED, Mak, or SCT for me to use it rather than me just admire it's looks. 

[Chris]

10 hours ago, nightfisher said:

Knowing what i do from experience i would be thinking a Maksutov on a goto mount, but this is a bit of an unfair question because we would need to know what the light pollution is like, would it be for observing and or imaging, would it be used from home or taken to a darker site

Hi Jules,

Light pollution moderate I would say - some street lights nearby, and occasionally the neighbours security light comes on for s bit when say a cat walks by. I've never seen the cores of M51 with a scope here, which gives some idea. Having said this, I'm on the edge of town, and my garden backs directly onto a small wood, and there is country side adjacent to our street so it could be much worse.

I think I would prefer a scope that can handle both visual with a bit of DSO imaging thrown in but nothing serious, just 60-120 second unguided subs type imaging. 

Something quite mobile would be better - I'm more likely to use it from home as I can move it about to get around the obstructions, plus get it in/out my small shed without hurting my back or the scope. I could also take a portable setup to my club which has slightly darker skies out in a little Suffolk village

 

What would you get ontop of your Goto Mak if you had 800 smackers Jules? and don't say a drone     

[Daniel-K]

15 hours ago, RobertI said:

Interesting poser Chris! I think I would go for something that minimises my setup and searching time and maximises my observing time. So I'd probably go for a goto eq mount with onboard battery, possibly wireless and with Starsense. I think an Evo mount with Starsense would probably blow the budget, perhaps the new Skywatcher Az5 GTi (or whatever it's called!) with Starsense for a lighter weight scope. 

i have to agree with this, given how little clear and observable nights we get in the uk.   

[estwing]

£800?...pay for two weeks in a bungalow on the Isle of Skye.....and get 5 mates to come with you

[Chris]

9 hours ago, Moonshane said:

I only buy used so if I didn't have them I'd get a used eq5  with motors and a used ed120. 

As I have those I would probably sell my 102mm  f7  ed and possibly one other scope and put those funds with your funds and save a bit more to buy a 100mm Tak. 

Hi Shane, an ED120 on a motor driven EQ5 is a wonderful setup both optically and aesthetically if you ask me, the kind of setup that just looks right, and of course it tracks at high powers which is a great feature to have  

I'm trying to be honest with myself, and my tripod mounted scopes are getting shorter and shorter as a result lol. My last frac was my recently sold 80mm f/11 mounted on my EQ3. Despite it being the type of setup I tend to like and enjoy, I ended up keeping the OTA on the third floor of our house out of harms way, as it was quite a game leaving it setup and trying to wangle it all back into a 3x5 tool shed. Because I couldn't simply grab the whole thing and plonk it down like I do with my 6" Dob, the frac just didn't get used late at night when all the kids are in bed, it's just easier to grab the Dob or my binos. 

Now I could just keep the Dob, but it doesn't do tracking, goto, widefield, imaging, and I have 800 quid to spend on my only hobby  

As for the Tak100, yes it does feel like you need to club together to buy one doesn't it lol. This is why I set my sights on the dinky Tak 60 or Tak 76 at most, but then the WO61 has just come out at a fraction of the cost with similar glass and fit and finish. An ED80 might work setup on the EQ3 though, it's mainly getting long tubes in and out the anti tardis that's the problem  

[Stub Mandrel]

I'd chuck in an extra £50 and get a WO61 and an EQ5 Pro Synscan Goto.

Do you hear me Santa?

[Chris]

8 hours ago, YKSE said:

If I were you, I'd be trying to locate a USED 5" to 7" MN from Intes Micro, a scope type you've not looked through yet? buying used should ensured that you have miminum loss in pounds

That's a thought, I've not looked through an Intes Micro but heard very good things. it does rule out any AP though, and not the 7" due to mounting and maybe cooling issues.

Food for thought  

[nightfisher]

1 hour ago, Lockie said:

Hi Jules,

Light pollution moderate I would say - some street lights nearby, and occasionally the neighbours security light comes on for s bit when say a cat walks by. I've never seen the cores of M51 with a scope here, which gives some idea. Having said this, I'm on the edge of town, and my garden backs directly onto a small wood, and there is country side adjacent to our street so it could be much worse.

I think I would prefer a scope that can handle both visual with a bit of DSO imaging thrown in but nothing serious, just 60-120 second unguided subs type imaging. 

Something quite mobile would be better - I'm more likely to use it from home as I can move it about to get around the obstructions, plus get it in/out my small shed without hurting my back or the scope. I could also take a portable setup to my club which has slightly darker skies out in a little Suffolk village

 

What would you get ontop of your Goto Mak if you had 800 smackers Jules? and don't say a drone     

800 smackers........hmm DJI Mavic pro............oh you said no drones drat.

Right so AZ Goto mount, 127 Maksutov and with the change i would look at either Bresser 102 F5 or a small say 70mm ED frac for deep sky imaging and widefield, you then have Luna and planetary plus double stars globs and planetary nebs covered with the Mak and widefield plus imaging dealt with on the 70mm ED, job done 

[Chris]

8 hours ago, alanjgreen said:

I would get a used cpc800. Great scope, solid as a rock mount and future proof 8". Not too big to carry either. No money left for eyepieces though, but at least at f10 you won't need expensive ones.

i used to own one and it was a great scope. With aperture fever I moved on to a c11 but I always intended to drop back to one of these when my back fails...

I do have a sot spot for the CPC's when I'm window shopping, I'd especially like a CPC800 HD if I had 2.3k spare! When I first erected my little 5x3 shed I wanted to stick a Meade LX90 8" in there, as it looks like the max aperture you could easily pull in and out of such a small space.

1) I'm not sure it would actually fit well?

2) Not the best for DSO AP but good for VA with the right reducer and camera perhaps.

3) I might struggle to find one second hand locally for 800?

Might be a gamble but like the second hand bit in case it doesn't pay off.

 

[Chris]

5 hours ago, pete_l said:

I'm uncertain that an ED80 is good for visual. Its aperture is too small for dim DSOs and its focal length is too short for planetary views

Ah, well you might be surprised Pete. I've had one of my 'nicer' views of Jove with the humble ED80   Not the resolution of say an 8" SCT, but enough detail to be interesting, and the colour and sharpness is outstanding. I remember seeing a beautiful vivid rust orange GRB transiting he Jovian disc with festoons off the main bands, and sharp dots for Jovian Moons. The colours in the belts were quite a rich caramel colour, so honestly not bad at all. Think this was at around 150x with a 5mm SLV EP at the time which is typical mags for UK seeing.

 

[MattJenko]

A surprise 800 for a totally unneeded astro luxury would be the Primaluce Eagle, so I could setup up way quicker and simply attach a battery to a setup and be done with it and not leave my laptop outside

[swamp thing]

2 hours ago, estwing said:

£800?...pay for two weeks in a bungalow on the Isle of Skye.....and get 5 mates to come with you

Can I come too?  

[Alien 13]

I would buy a 90 mm MAK and an EQ3-2 with single axis motor like what I have in my sig, the rest would go on beer 

Alan

[Chris]

5 hours ago, Mr niall said:

An old Questar 3.5, so pretty.

If I couldnt find one then definitely the Orion Optics 140 Mak. That should leave me just enough left over to buy my wife apology flowers.

I don't know if you've ever considered the poor mans Questar, Niall? Namely the Meade ETX90

 I had one of the basic tracking ETX90's back in 2000 when I was studying Astronomy at Hert's. Funnily, I bought the scope because it reminded me of a miniature version of the Uni's LX200 14" & 16" Meade's we used for practicals rather than any other reasoning, but boy was it a little gem of a scope. Let me list it's attributes - it was super portable, you could mount it on either a camera tripod or just plonk it on a widow sill/garden table, bin lid, you name it I tired it. The optics were super sharp (The Moon wowed me and fellow students), and unlike larger Mak's it required very little cooling to perform. I don't even remember dew being as big a problem as with larger compound scopes, but I could be wrong? Also good for daytime viewing too.

This guy compares the Questar with the ETX90, and I think the C90?

   The latest 2016 ETX observer series look good. Detachable tubes, easy align on the Goto, and the time info auto inputted, and ali case and good tripod for the 90 & 125mm Mak versions. It's just debatable whether you need Goto an a small 90mm scope. Then again, I've been looking at a 60mm scope, it's all bigger aperture than our pupils right. 

http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/meade-etx-90-observer-telescope.html

Might tide you over until you get the Questar   

[Chris]

6 hours ago, RobertI said:

I did mean 'AZ'...... it was late!!  The Sky Prodigy 70 does look incredibly good value, Jessops are also selling for £279 so I reckon it could be worth it for the mount alone and put the Heritage 130 on it! 

£219 from Amazon UK with free delivery and no probs returning if not right:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-Skyprodigy-70-Refractor-Telescope/dp/B004I8SHP0

I think the mount is based on the same entry Synta AZ goto's as rest, so you get what you pay for there. I do wonder if the new AZ-GTI will be a bit slack and flimsy? I'm not knockign them though, they are really cheap Goto mounts. 

 

[nightfisher]

It will be interesting to see how this pans out, good luck choosing

[Chris]

6 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Personally, I would definitely not waste any money on anything with goto, but rather focus on the best optics available for £800. I'd definitely go for an ED refractor from the SkyWatcher range. The Equinox 80ED is a jewel, but I think I'd probably lean more towards a 100mm ED or perhaps a second hand 120ED. They offer razor sharp views along with superb wide field and high power capabilities, and never need colimating or recoating. They are a no nonsense multi purpose workhorse that will last a lifetime. 

Hmm yeah the Goto debate. Having flitted between not having goto, and having goto, the only way to solve it for me at least is to have both, else I'll just go round in circles of having it, then not having it etc. I will say it needs to be  a  simple quick straight forward goto to be worth it, even if it's to just make use of it's tracking ability  

You're words are wise, if I didn't have the f/8 Newt which kind of fills the role of an ED100 in a weird way, and I'd probably go into a fit of despair if I bashed an expensive ED100 tube trying to get it in and out my micro shed, these things aside I think the ED100 is a great choice. 

 

[Chris]

5 hours ago, RobertI said:

Sorry to jump around on this post, you're right Chris, I think being able to align using SkySafari or similar on a tablet by just tapping your chosen stars would speed up alignment a lot, so perhaps the Starsense is less useful in this setup.....which leaves me enough money for the Evo mount! 

Cool, are you thinking about getting the Evo mount, Rob!? It's great that FLO have chosen to sell it as a mount in it's own right  

[DaveS]

One on these,

epages/www_astrograph_net.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/www_astrograph_net/Products/AGTEC65Q

As a nice addition to my portable imaging arsenal.

[Chris]

4 hours ago, Mr niall said:

I started with this mount, it was fairly dreadful. There was so much play in the head it was almost unusable, tried to take it apart to tighten up but didn't get anywhere - was handy for getting you in the right area but for fine focussing and cruising about I found it quite frustrating.

Yeah, all these variants of Synta AZ goto's are based around the same basic mount which judging from the SLT130 I had is fairly flimsy shall we say. I think the 130p is the max you'd ever want to stick on one, and yes I found the Goto's didn't hit close to centre, but more like at the edge of the 32mm plossl FOV type thing.....but on the flip side it did work, and it was cheap for a scope, mount, and Goto. The Celestron SE range starts to get more stable I found, the 4SE I had was quite nice thinking about it. The Sky prodigy 70 at 200 quid is dirt cheap to include star sense which cost more by itself as an add on for other scopes, so probably good for playing with the tech but not for a serious mount for the long haul.

[spaceboy]

11 hours ago, Moonshane said:

I only buy used so if I didn't have them I'd get a used eq5  with motors and a used ed120. 

As above but if I had to go new then maybe....

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

AND EYEPIECES https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces/bst-starguider-60-18mm-ed-eyepiece.html

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, Lockie said:

I was looking at ED's namely the new WO61 to go on my EQ3 to complement my 6" dob, but aperture is a concern, i.e. the Dob is very good on planets and fair on deep sky, and the WO61 would be good as it would fit in my eyepiece case so a super portable scope for just scanning star fields and quick looks at the Moon etc. Also good for DSO imaging with my DLSR with it's fast focal ratio, short focal length, and large 42mm image circle. 

The above two scopes have very different focal lengths and focal ratios, but having owned a couple of Celestron ED100's in the past I honestly think it would be too similar to mt 6" f/8 Newt. The Newt being f/8 and 1200mm FL, and the ED100 being f/9 and 900mm, and the Newt has a very small central obstruction so the contrast is high, not quite ED contrast but close. 

Having said this, if I didn't have the 150p f/8 Dob, I would be very tempted by an ED100, they are very nice scopes   

............

There is one important thing I've neglected to mention when it comes to what I would want in an £800 setup - Despite absolutely loving the aesthetics of long scopes and being a big fan of long focus refactors, my 3x5 scope storage shed is an issue. I only seem to use the scopes that are fully setup ready to go, and I can carry out my shed in one go and just plonk down. I did have a Vixen 80mm f/11.4 refractor setup on my EQ3 but it didn't fit in the shed at all well due to the tripod height needed for a long frac, and tube length of a long frac, so it ended up just sitting in it's box on the third floor of our house safely out of reach of the kids (of which two out of three are at the destroying stage of their development )

I think I would like quite a compact setup, either a short ED, Mak, or SCT for me to use it rather than me just admire it's looks. 

Well, if you want something compact, you could go with something similar to my grab and go setup to complement my 8" dob.  It's a DSV-2B with a 127 Mak on one side and an AT72ED on the other.  This covers super wide, low power views all the way up to high powered views at the same time on the same target.

[Peter Drew]

I'd nip down to the nearest betting shop and with my winnings I'd buy a 6" Tak.