Bresser messier 5inch

[AstroNebulee]

Hi

I currently have a celestron cometron 76mm scope and want to upgrade to a better scope, I like the dobsonian types as ease of use, I've seen the Bresser Messier 5inch dobsonian reasonably priced on some websites, just like your thoughts on this scope or would a celestron astromaster 130eq be better, I know it's not dobsonian but like the comparison of the two, my budget is just limited to the price of the Bresser 

Edited May 23, 2020 by LeeHore7

[Louis D]

From what I understand, they're pretty decent scopes.  Don't forget to budget for a sturdy tripod to mount it on top of.  I'm pretty sure they have a 3/8" tripod socket on the bottom for this purpose.

[AstroNebulee]

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

From what I understand, they're pretty decent scopes.  Don't forget to budget for a sturdy tripod to mount it on top of.  I'm pretty sure they have a 3/8" tripod socket on the bottom for this purpose.

Hi Louis 

The Bresser is a dobsonian mount so wouldn't need a tripod but I see they have a dovetail rail if needed to be mounted on a tripod. I would use the Bresser for some astrophotography using my celestron Nexyz smartphone adapter, hence the dobsonian mount for steadier images as I understand on tripods you get more shake. There aren't many reviews firvthe bresser hence askjbgbin the forum. They are German so I would of thought they were solidly built and good quality. 

[Girders]

Hi Lee,  I came very close to buying the Bresser as my first scope a couple of years back but like you couldn't find much info/reviews on them.  In the end I found an offer on a Heritage 114p Virtuouso mini dobsonian for around the same price that also gave me tracking (and the ability to add GoTo later using a skywatcher wifi module for another £50).  I figured that was worth trading for the smaller aperture.  

Like your Cometron 76mm, the 5" Bresser is a "tabletop" scope so would need to sit on a stable garden table etc (as otherwise you would need to be lying/crouching on the ground as the eyepiece will only be around 70cm off the ground).  I think what Louis was suggesting was that you may be able to mount the entire scope - dobsonian base included - on a solid photographic tripod.    I had a quick look at the specs but couldn't see any confirmation of being able to mount the whole set up on a tripod, but it is a common feature on the Skywatcher equivalents.  Are there reasons you are looking at the tabletop size or would a 'full height' dobsonian be an option - Skywatcher Skyliner 150 is around the same price as the Bresser.

My basic understanding is that any dobsonian is going to be of limited use for astrophotography as without tracking you'd be limited to short exposures - so no galaxies etc. 

Sorry - can't comment on the astromaster at all.

 

[Louis D]

6 hours ago, LeeHore7 said:

Hi Louis 

The Bresser is a dobsonian mount so wouldn't need a tripod but I see they have a dovetail rail if needed to be mounted on a tripod. I would use the Bresser for some astrophotography using my celestron Nexyz smartphone adapter, hence the dobsonian mount for steadier images as I understand on tripods you get more shake. There aren't many reviews firvthe bresser hence askjbgbin the forum. They are German so I would of thought they were solidly built and good quality. 

1. The Bresser is a tabletop Dob, and as such will need to be put on a table or tripod to be usable by anyone but a small child.

2. Bresser is the European marketing group for the Chinese company JOC that is known as Explore Scientific in the US.  There is nothing German made about them.

3. I couldn't find a picture of the Bresser in relation to full sized Dobs, but here's one that shows the slightly smaller Orion Starblast 4.5 next to some other telescopes for scale.

4. Here's a tripod mounted version of the Orion 4.5".

[AstroNebulee]

 

Hi Girders and Louis 

I just thought the Bresser would be a good choice but like you say I've looked at the skyliner 150 and one I'm pondering with the choices of upgrades. Yes there's no tracking with the dobs but was thinking about the shake that occurs with some tripod mounted scopes, are there any 130mm scopes on tripods in a reasonable price range that have limited shake for astrophotography you can recommend, I will continue my research as a birthday soon and put money towards the upgrade. Thanks again you two firvyourvhelp it's very much appreciated and a great forum where you don't get judged on the questions you ask. 😁

11 hours ago, Louis D said:

From what I understand, they're pretty decent scopes.  Don't forget to budget for a sturdy tripod to mount it on top of.  I'm pretty sure they have a 3/8" tripod socket on the bottom for this purpose.

Hi Louis 

The Bresser is a dobsonian mount so wouldn't need a tripod but I see they have a dovetail rail if needed to be mounted on a tripod. I would use the Bresser for some astrophotography using my celestron Nexyz smartphone adapter, hence the dobsonian mount for steadier images as I understand on tripods you get more shake. There aren't many reviews firvthe bresser hence askjbgbin the forum. They are German so I would of thought they were solidly built and good quality. 

[John]

Just to be sure, is this the Bresser scope that you are thinking of ?:

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/bresser-messier-5-dobsonian.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0eLLi6bK6QIVze3tCh1CowobEAQYBCABEgI0YvD_BwE