Skywatchers 200p or Mak 127.

[RumplySimon]

Hi all,

This is a which do people think would be best for me question. I've tried a few different scopes over the past years but not quite got it right yet.

So, for moon, solar system, and some the other easier to find objects.

Ease of use.

Dslr & webcam connectivity.

And overall enjoyment.

Which one of the two would fit the bill, or should I be looking at something else?

 

Thanks for any replies.

[John]

In the interests of getting the full picture of the options you are considering, what mount would you use the 127 mak on ?

 

[RumplySimon]

Probably the GoTo John, or should I be looking at an EQ something?

[John]

A 127mm mak-cassegrain on an EQ or GOTO mount and a 200P dobsonian are very different types of scope

If you are going to stick to easy to find objects then GOTO is less important. The 200P dobsonian will produce much better views of deep sky objects and slightly better views of the moon and planets as well so, of those two options, the dob ticks the ease of use and overall enjoyment boxes more I feel. They are not much good for imaging though.

 

 

[laudropb]

I have both of these scopes and I find that I use the Dob more often than the Mak for much the same reasons as John has given in his reply. I use the Dob on an equatorial platform and the Mak is on a super track mount because I enjoy sketching targets. Having said all that my ED 120 frac is now my most used scope.

 

 

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

I have the 127mm Mak on a GoTo mount, and a 200mm Newtonian on a manual equatorial mount. I still use the 127mm Mak regularly, but I soon replaced the 200mm Newtonian with a more expensive but easier to use 200mm GoTo outfit. I don't do astrophotography, only visual. I look at planets (when there are any in range) but mostly deeper sky objects.

[Dave In Vermont]

I have a 200mm Newtonian-refector, which is what the Dobsonian is - just differently mounted. For going out into deep-space, it's the scope of choice for DSO's such as extended nebulae, faint galaxies, etc.

And I have a 150mm Maksutov, which is just a bit larger than the 127mm Maksutov you are considering. But if I were to have one telescope for now, I wouldn't hesitate to get the 200mm Dob. Simple reason being that a 200mm Newtonian can do most everything, where as the 127mm Mak cannot "see" as deep out in space as the 200mm. However.....

If I were only interested in seeing the planets & Moon of our solar-system in very sharp detail at high magnification - I'd go for the Maksutov. My signature below shows I have 5 telescopes and 2 binoculars (and a metric ton of peripherals ). And this as my tastes for what's out there varies to such a degree that I pick & choose which telescope to use based on the current interest. But this didn't happen overnight. It's taken a few decades to amass (and afford) my collection.

So if you're going to start somewhere - the 200mm Dob would win hands-down if it were I who was starting out. And you know something - i did start-out somewhere, and it was a 200mm Newt that I went for. And I still have the loyal beast not ten-feet from my perch where I'm writing from.

Happy Hunting!

Dave

[John]

In some ways these are the sorts of scopes the complement each other - you can make an argument for owning both a mak-cass and a dob. Whether you can get said argument past your other half, if you have one, is another matter of course

[RumplySimon]

LOL, the other half is not a problem, John we've just moved house and I've let her buy pretty much everthing she want's.

So I can spend what I want, but I'm setting a personal maximum limit of approx. £500, but thats for scope (new or used) plus additional things depending on the scope I buy.

I think the Mak might suit me better though, plus I've just seen the 127 AZ GTi WiFi mount version.... with app control, now that sounds right up my street.

Don't forget I'm only a beginner casual observer, I love the moon, it completely captivates me, and I am determind to get a nice picture of Saturn at some point (somehow)

[John]

If you like teccie stuff then a simple dob may not be for you. It will outperform the 127 mak but if you like the tech that might not be enough. Personally I prefer as little tech as possible but thats just me 

[ronin]

12 hours ago, RumplySimon said:

So, for moon, solar system, and some the other easier to find objects.

Ease of use.

Dslr & webcam connectivity.

And overall enjoyment.

For the first lot a Mak would (should) do well maybe best. Never actually as good a view through a Mak/SCT as I have had through a decent refractor. Other then Mars a 102/1000 refractor (Bresser type of thing) has always far surpassed everything.

For the second: Ease of use the dobsonian as it is simply wider and so finding thing in a bigger field of view, also no mount (in a way) required so no alignment etc.

For the third: DSLR is not good for either - neither scope are applicable to adding a DSLR for the type of imaging that are usually intended. Webcam would be OK on a Mak for planets, but the reality is 3 planets. How many images of those 3 do you want? Also unless you get sdomething like an 8" or bigger Mars will just be a small red disk, so could be 2 planets. Please consider the mental state of any partner you may have being shown an image of Jupiter for the 42nd time .

Overall enjoyment, really depends on what you actually want. I enjoy my 90mm ED and the 102mm Achro. The 105 goto Mak I have is a bit of a pain and never owned a reflector - never wanted one. But oddly one day I might just build myself one.

Ignore the scope aspect, what mount are you picturing in your mind? The mount is likely bigger, heavier and costs as much or more then the scope, or then a scope. My mount is carried out in 2 pieces, the scope is only one.

Also mention of a DSLR implies long exposure imaging, long being 20-30 seconds and more for each, and that means an equitorial and a driven one preferably with goto. So the idea of a DSLR would/could heavily restrict the mount choice. You almost do not have a choice .

 

[RumplySimon]

Regards the imaging side of things, moon would be the main focus of my attention, then milkyway and wide star trail pictures.

I'm not so nieve to think/want pictures like hubble takes of nebula.

[rotatux]

1 hour ago, ronin said:

DSLR implies long exposure imaging, long being 20-30 seconds and more for each, and that means an equitorial and a driven one

Not necessarily... For that exposure range Alt-Az mounts are fine too, sure not as good/long results as EQ but possible. See the "No EQ DSO Challenge" thread.

Some DSLR *can* be used for planetary video too: I've got a Olympus hybrid (4/3" sensor) and successfully used it to image Jupiter and Saturn with my alt-az Mak (with a barlow).

My thoughts about original question:

* If you want a driven mount to do some video/photo, a 200mm f/5+ scope is going to be less easier to handle than a Mak + Goto alt-az IMO. It's bigger and heavier and will require a higher-range mount (albeit more stable, my SLT mount *is* indeed shaky with the Mak127)

* All motorized mounts need a setup time; Which one you would find easier is a matter of trying one and practice. You should think first about the mount you want, then after your choice is made that will open or close doors about which scopes it can support.

* After setup most mounts are easy to use, maybe EQ a bit less intuitive for manual positionning.

* Had a frac in the past (90/900), visual-image-quality-wise it's blasted by the Mak127. Not to be confused with SCT, that have different formula and optical properties. Can't say for a 200 -- I also had a 300mm/5 and the Mak127 (same focal) gave better but dimmer images.

 

[Mr niall]

2 hours ago, RumplySimon said:

Regards the imaging side of things, moon would be the main focus of my attention, then milkyway and wide star trail pictures.

I'm not so nieve to think/want pictures like hubble takes of nebula.

By far the best stair trail / milkyway pictures Ive seen are without a telescope at all (but as others have said the mount would be the thing...). Moon would be fine through a Mak.

If thats your intention then maybe cross the dob off your list completely. You'll want some sort of tracking mount.

[RumplySimon]

One other thing, I've noticed a EQ5 mounted 200p Newtonian for sale locally £250..

So £485 for WiFi mount Mak, or the above?

 

[nightfisher]

A 200p on an EQ mount will be a pain to use, a right handful, if its windy then it will buffet about.

For taking the kind of images you refer to then the 127 Maksutov will do well, very good on Luna with dslr a webcam would be better for planets and for widefield like milky way then just dslr with a lens mounted on goto mount, on the subject of mounts i have a star discovery and like all the AZ goto mounts the tripod is rather a weak point, a bit wobbly, so i have built a wooden pier mount for my AZ goto to beef things up

[RumplySimon]

I've bought the MAK with WiFi mount, cue the clouds.