Buying a used telescope.

[JesperF]

Hi!

I hope i'm posting this in a relevant section. I'm new.

I have only owned a cheap telescope since I was a kid, but recently I started using it more and more.

Now i'm looking for a telescope of better quality. To save some money I started looking for used telescopes and found three. I was hoping to get some help with if the prices is reasonable, and witch might be the best choice.

1.Vixen ED 103S APO - 1575$

 

Includes:

Sphinx S x W med Starbok

Hal 130 tripod

Powertank 7 Ah, 12v DC

And some boxes and filters.

2.Explorer-150PDS - 1312$

 

Includes:

Eq-5 Pro SynScan GO-TO

Neximage Solar System Imager

Powertank: Celstron 7Ah

3.AFP07 EVOSTAR-80 ED DS-PRO - 892$

 

[dannybgoode]

#2 seems expensive.  I picked up the same OTA for around $100 second hand and you can get and EQ5 mount second hand for $400-600 I would have thought.  It is also the only reflector telescope out of the 3.  Nice scope - don't get me wrong but for that kind of money I would be expecting a 200 or 250 diameter mirror.

The other two are more reasonably priced (depending on condition of course) but are refractors and the 80ED is OK for visual use but it depends on what you want to be viewing.  

What is your interest - lunar, planets, double stars and the like or nebula, clusters and galaxies?  This will drive your choice as to what type of telescope to get and folk here will be better placed to help guide your choice.

[emadmoussa]

Welcome to SGL. 

Personally, unless you know the sky well, I'd steer clear of the Goto system. It might be high maintenance for a beginner - not sure how experienced you are.  

The question remains, what are your main observing interests? Planest? Deep sky objects such as galaxies and nebulae? Or star clusters and double stars? 

Answering the question will bring you closer to deciding which type of scope is more useful for you. 

That is said, if you're after star clusters and doubles, the Vixen you mention will be great. It also works great on the less fain galaxies and nebulae.  You'll probably need a larger aperture than 4" to see faint objects. Of course, your area's level of light pollution would determine that. A small refractor under dark skies can show you wonders. 

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

It would be better to decide what you want and then look for a used example.   What you go for should depend very much on what your style of observing is (manual learn sky or GoTo) and whether you want to do imaging (planets or deep space).  How portable does it need to be?

As a rule of thumb, a clean, working used scope setup typically sells for 2/3 the price of a new one.  Included accessories increase the value. So you could figure out for yourself whether the items you cite represent good value.  (Scopes are often significantly cheaper in the US than in the UK).

[Klitwo]

2 hours ago, JesperF said:

Hi!

I hope i'm posting this in a relevant section. I'm new.

I have only owned a cheap telescope since I was a kid, but recently I started using it more and more.

Now i'm looking for a telescope of better quality. To save some money I started looking for used telescopes and found three. I was hoping to get some help with if the prices is reasonable, and witch might be the best choice.

1.Vixen ED 103S APO - 1575$

 

Includes:

Sphinx S x W med Starbok

Hal 130 tripod

Powertank 7 Ah, 12v DC

And some boxes and filters.

2.Explorer-150PDS - 1312$

 

Includes:

Eq-5 Pro SynScan GO-TO

Neximage Solar System Imager

Powertank: Celstron 7Ah

3.AFP07 EVOSTAR-80 ED DS-PRO - 892$

 

If it all possible...try before you buy.....

Klitwo

[JesperF]

Thanks for your answers!

I was just thinking that I could get a better telescope by buying a used one, and then use it for what it's good for. But maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

Might be better to buy a new one so I have warranty.

This is the one I have now :

konus konusmotor-130 telescope

https://www.amazon.com/Konus-KonusMotor-Reflector-Telescope-Electronic/dp/B000ZBW4MG

If I want a better planet observing telescope, do you have any suggestions? I haven't really gotten the hang of all the different factors and how they effect each other and how that makes it better in specific areas.

[carastro]

Much depends on what you want to do with it and whether you would like GOTO.  

Second hand scopes are often well looked after and are normally sold for around 2/3 the new price.

What are your interests, and are you eventually planning to do astrophotography or visual.  

Carole 

[rwilkey]

Hi there JesperF, the Vixen ED 103S APO would be my choice, good s/h price for a top of the range scope.  As Emad says, steer clear of GOTO scopes. they only bring frustration.  Good Luck!

[Cosmic Geoff]

47 minutes ago, JesperF said:

 

If I want a better planet observing telescope, do you have any suggestions? I haven't really gotten the hang of all the different factors and how they effect each other and how that makes it better in specific areas.

Ask 10 amateur astronomers this question and you will get 10 different answers.  There are whole threads devoted to this topic.  The only unanimous opinion is that short-focus achromatic refractors are not well suited to planetary observation.

What budget?  Is convenience of use a priority?  Do you want to add general observing to the mix, or not? Do you want to add planetary astrophotography?  How far will you have to carry or transport it?  

[JesperF]

23 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Ask 10 amateur astronomers this question and you will get 10 different answers.  There are whole threads devoted to this topic.  The only unanimous opinion is that short-focus achromatic refractors are not well suited to planetary observation.

What budget?  Is convenience of use a priority?  Do you want to add general observing to the mix, or not? Do you want to add planetary astrophotography?  How far will you have to carry or transport it?  

My budget is about 1700$ 

Convenience of use, you mean how easy it is to find the object I want to look at, like a goto? Not a priority.

General observing, like looking at more than just planets? In the case, yes that would be great.

I don't have a camera other then the one on my phone, so it's not something I'm thinking on at the moment.

I will use it mostly outside of my house and maybe drive some where with even less light pollution, there are only a couple of streetlights where I live.

[Cosmic Geoff]

1 minute ago, JesperF said:

My budget is about 1700$ 

Convenience of use, you mean how easy it is to find the object I want to look at, like a goto? Not a priority.

General observing, like looking at more than just planets? In the case, yes that would be great.

I don't have a camera other then the one on my phone, so it's not something I'm thinking on at the moment.

I will use it mostly outside of my house and maybe drive some where with even less light pollution, there are only a couple of streetlights where I live.

$1700 should get you something useful regardless of what you opt for.   I assume you will go for an aperture greater than 130mm, with a long focal ratio.

A long-focus Newtonian would give you the most performance for your buck.

But:  you could afford a SCT, which would give a decent aperture, and also offer a convenient observing position, and be relatively compact and light weight.

For general observing I recommend an alt-azimuth GoTo mount. It will also track planets and find the faint ones for you.

Most options will be transportable.

You probably don't need an equatorial mount, (unless you don't have GoTo), and equatorial mounts take longer to set up.  I note that your Kronus has a motor, so you may not like an un-powered mount (Dobsonian etc).

Maksutovs will be on the small side, but there is a 180mm Mak designed for planetary observing and imaging.

Refractors could be expensive in the larger sizes, particularly if you choose an APO.

[Alan64]

There is the option of a 127mm Maksutov.  It would have quite a long focal-length, generally the longest of all other designs per millimeter of aperture, therefore go-to is almost essential for ease in aiming it.  Otherwise, upon a manual mount, you could add a 8x50 or 9x50 finderscope as a "seeing-eye dog" for it...

Go-to... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az-gti.html

Manual... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az5-deluxe.html

The Maksutov-Cassegrain has been described as "refractor like", in image sharpness and contrast, and the only one among all the types of reflector telescopes so compared.