looking at the SkyWatcher 8” Traditional Dobsonian (total noob here)

[Dumbo]

Total noob here first time post and need some friendly advice, 
I'm seriously thinking about getting into star gazing with telescopes and after looking around in various places it seems this is a good one to go for, I can see it's not that portable but still could be manageable with a bag and certainly doable with 2 people. 
I'm wondering what your thoughts are and if perhaps there are other options around this price range £200-300? 
As mentioned I'm a total noob with telescopes, all help and advise would be greatly appreciated.


 

Edited October 24, 2019 by Dumbo

[johninderby]

It’s not a bad scope at all although the Bresser is probably a better buy as you get a lot more for your money. Far better spec and really needs nothing doing in the way of improvements except for replacing the finder but the Skywatcher finder needs replacing as well. Costs more up front but basicly nothing to spend aterwards on mods unlike the Skywatcher. Search 200p dob mods and you’ll see what I mean.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bresser-telescopes/bresser-messier-8-dobsonian-telescope.html

You will find the 200p is pretty common on the second hand market though so if you can get it at the right price would be worth it. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by johninderby

[Dumbo]

Thank you very much john,
it's a little out of my price range I may consider 2nd hand however I'm extremely put off buying second hand unless form a reputable store. 
I could hold out a suppose and wait till  January. I feel like it's not a great idea to rush into anything like this.

[Louis D]

Another option is the GSO/Revelation Deluxe 8"/200p Dobsonian.  I couldn't locate a UK dealer, but there are some within the EU.

[johninderby]

Buying a second hand dob from someone on SGL or Astrobuysell is pretty safe and scopes are usually well looked after. Do stay away from 2nd hand on eBay, Gumtree etc as some of the scopes can be a bit dodgy.

The Skywatchers have been around for ages so lots come up second hand. The Bresser is a lot newer and very rarely seem to come up for sale second hand. 
 

My Bresser 10” dob.

Edited October 24, 2019 by johninderby

[Dumbo]

That looks real nice. 
I'll check out SGL or Astrobuysell and see what there is thank you. 

[banjaxed]

I have the Skywatcher 200P and find it to be a great starter scope. If you are on flat ground from your scopes storage to viewing place you could build or buy a platform trolley which makes it very easy to move around.

Edited October 24, 2019 by banjaxed

[johninderby]

There’s a 200p on ABS.

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=152363

Edited October 24, 2019 by johninderby

[Dumbo]

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

There’s a 200p on ABS.

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=152363

Yeah thanks a lot I saw that, I live in Dorset so the logistics of getting it poses a problem, since it would almost cost me £80 to chippinham.
I have seen one brand new for £280 and that's what I'm considering. It was £260 yesterday amazon, missed that one tho. 
and if I do decide to go for this one I suppose I will need to put aside some money for a finder too.

 

13 minutes ago, banjaxed said:

I have the Skywatcher 200P and find it to be a great starter scope. If you are on flat ground from your scopes storage to viewing place you could build or buy a platform trolley which makes it very easy to move around.

Have you upgraded the finder yet ? 

[johninderby]

Wex Photographic has an open box one at a good price with free delivery.

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/sky-watcher-skyliner-200p-classic-parabolic-dobsonian-telescope-used-1717199/?mkwid=sM2D1wOea_dc&pcrid=310558797769&kword=&match=&plid=&product=1717199&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImKWJxeG15QIVB1XTCh0OvAYlEAQYAiABEgIWwPD_BwE

Edited October 24, 2019 by johninderby

[cletrac1922]

Welcome from Land Down Under

I have the Skywatcher 10" flex scope for over 10 years, and given me endless pleasure

I am also out couple times per month with my club, doing presentations in primary schools, scout groups

Find the flex dob is easy to store and transport

Another little trick, solar viewing

The hard cover has a small detachable cap, and if you sticky tape some baada solar film on under side, can use for solar viewing

Remove the finderscope, or make up a cap for that as well

John

 

 

[Dumbo]

Cool hopefully I can get involved with some kind of club down here.
Thanks for the tip but I think I'll leave the solar viewing for now. ?Maybe when i'm more confident knowing my way around a scope.


So far i think I might settle for a skyliner 200P thanks for the links John it seems like a better option to me to just pay the extra for NIB as it's marginal. 
Has anyone had dealings with Tring before ? They seem pretty good from what I've read.

Edited October 24, 2019 by Dumbo

[Tim]

The 200P is an all time best seller, for good reason

[Dumbo]

1 minute ago, Tim said:

The 200P is an all time best seller, for good reason

It seems so and it's hard to see a decent comparison within the same price range, Plus it's still kind of portable, at least I think it will be for me ( i'm not exactly small)

[johninderby]

Fitting a carry handle to the tube makes it easy to carry one handed. Here’s one I fitted to a 200p I used to have.

[Dumbo]

19 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Fitting a carry handle to the tube makes it easy to carry one handed. Here’s one I fitted to a 200p I used to have.

 

That looks really good as well. I would be worried about doing any major mods like that though, maybe I'll get some straps or a bag. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by Dumbo

[johninderby]

Just now, Dumbo said:

That looks really good as well. I would be worried about doing any major mods like that though maybe I'll get some straps or a bag. 

A pair of tube rings to bolt the handle to would work just fine.

[Dumbo]

I'm glad I did my research and thanks to all of you for all your ideas and help it really is helpful. I'm excited to get more into this as time go'd by.

[Louis D]

3 hours ago, Dumbo said:

Yeah thanks a lot I saw that, I live in Dorset so the logistics of getting it poses a problem, since it would almost cost me £80 to chippinham.

Unless I'm missing something or google maps is amiss, it's only 60 miles from Dorset to Chippenham.  I've driven 250 miles one way to pick up Dobs.  60 miles is about what my spouse used to commute each day each way.  Do you lack a car?  Ask if the seller would be willing to meet half-way.  Perhaps the seller would be willing to make the 120 mile round trip if you paid for gas money and treated them to dinner.

[Rob Sellent]

@Dumbo,

The Dob will offer you 8" of aperture, so in terms of resolution should resolve more detail than any other scope within this price range. It will give you low-power rich field viewing and with reasonable dark skies you'll be able to view galaxies, nebulae, globulars, and so on. It will also train you in the relatively simple art of collimation which will stand you in good stead as a general astronomer.

You will get more than sufficient magnification on objects (limited like all the other scopes on atmospheric conditions and aperture), it comes with a good solid mount so you don't need to buy one. Like a refractor it isn't susceptible to dew formation, so dew shields and heater strips become unnecessary as they would be for Maks and SCTS, but unlike achromatic refractors, you won't get chromatic aberation. Furthemore, it won't take as long to cooldown as a Mak or SCT and on good nights of seeing should give really nice contrasty views on planets. If this weren't enough inch for inch, it's also the cheapest option of any scope type 😀. 

There are a couple of downsides to the Dob. Some folk find collimation annoying but to be honest, it's really no more than a little tweak of the mirror every session. Some folk don't like diffraction spikes when viewing bright objects and with a focal ratio of f5/f6 these scopes are quite demanding on eyepieces, so you will probably have to spend a little more on quality eyepieces as you progress in this hobby than you would if you had a longer focal ratio scope.

Inch for inch, then, Dobs are cheaper than Refractors, Maks or SCTS and because you can afford more aperture for less, you're getting more resolution, brighter images and the possibility of going deeper and seeing more.

For a first time, all round, general purpose scope to help you enjoy the wonders of the night sky, I really don't think you can go wrong with an 8" dob or if expenses allow, a 10" Dob .

Moving on....

Along with the Dob, you will probably find it useful to budget in a collimation tool and a sky atlas. If the scope doesn't come with a finder, a RACI will be a good move. These will show the image as they are in the atlas, so you're not having to do mental gymnastics at 2am in the morning. For Dobs, it's also useful to have something like a Rigel which helps you get the scope in the right area of the sky before turning to the RACI. 

Finally, regarding eyepieces. For general usage, I feel to start out you really don't need more than 2 eyepieces and a decent Barlow. In an 8" f6, something around 12mm and 18mm plus a x2 Barlow will give you magnifications of 67x, 100x, 134x and 200x. At some stage you might want a lower power around 30x to 40x but for most nights, you won't need any more power than 200x.

Another interesting alternative is to look into zoom eyepieces. It may not be the best quality option for a given budget, but it is probably the most practical. The 8-24mm range is enough to give you an idea of your preferred DSO, lunar and planetary presentation and what your average sky conditions will support. It will also help you hone in on what you want from an eyepiece before you look into building a more pricey collection. 

Hope that helps a little

Oh, and welcome to SGL I look forward to meeting you on the boards and please, let us know how you get along and if you have any questions, don't hesitate in asking for assistance  

Edited October 25, 2019 by Rob Sellent

[banjaxed]

11 hours ago, Dumbo said:

 

 

Have you upgraded the finder yet ? 

It already had a telrad fitted when I brought it but have since added a RACI finder purely for my comfort.

Edited October 25, 2019 by banjaxed

[fiestazetecmk2]

200p is great scope.have no intention of selling mine .haven't seen much that would persuade me to change.if you want to photograph then yes I'd change.if I was thinking of did change it would be to larger  dobsonion.enjoy your 200p.you'll get fabulous views .

Edited October 25, 2019 by fiestazetecmk2
More info

[Ricochet]

14 hours ago, Dumbo said:

Has anyone had dealings with Tring before ? They seem pretty good from what I've read.

They've always been very good when I've used them, both in the shop and online. I've had a couple of issues with equipment failing and they were very quick to sort replacements. 

[fiestazetecmk2]

Yes bought mine from them .fast delivery. And very helpful. 

[Dumbo]

11 hours ago, Rob Sellent said:

Hope that helps a little

Oh, and welcome to SGL I look forward to meeting you on the boards and please, let us know how you get along and if you have any questions, don't hesitate in asking for assistance  

Thank you so much Rob, I really appreciate all of this information and how detailed you've been.

I'm very surprised and pleased with the response and support form everybody so thank you all, what a great place and thanks for all the pictures.
I decided to go ahead with the purchase despite the fact we are about to have a months worth of rain in 2 days and or snow (cant seem to make their mind up) so I'll doubt i will get any action out of it anytime too soon. 
I had read that collimation can be a draw back for some folks but I'm used to fiddling with intricate things, I'm hoping it should be about the same fiddlyness as doing the truss in a guitar so I'm fairly confident.
It comes with 2 eyepieces I think x48 and x120 I guess this will do me for the time being and I'm hoping it will be supplied with some kind of collimation tool, I will see. 
Perhaps when there is a sale on I will think about upgrading the eyepiece and rangefinder.
Should be here on Monday I'm very excited, I shall let you all know and no doubt I'll have some more questions.