Decent first all rounder telescope?

[DigitalXAK]

Been looking for a decent all rounder that won't break the bank. I have been eyeing up a Skyliner 200P on Dobsonian mount.

I have seen one on an EQ5 mount but that's £469. I can buy a better mount later down the line if needs be, as I'm purely watching atm and won't be taking images.

Budget wise, £500 max at the moment. I know next to nothing about telescopes, accesories and terminology, just what I have seen from videos. Based in the UK.

 

Edit: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

 

this is what I had my eye on

Edited June 9, 2020 by DigitalXAK

[Sunshine]

Hello and welcome, you happen to have picked what is the quintessential beginners telescope, it will not disappoint and will provide you with years of enjoyment.

Also, I highly recommend a book to go with your scope, the beginners bible, titled "Turn Left At Orion" search it out on Amazon. Between that scope and that book, you'll 

be well on your way.

[DigitalXAK]

Nice one cheers, I'll most likely get some barlow leneses like 2x or 3x if it comes with them.

[johninderby]

A 2x barlow is the only one that you would need. The 3x and 5x are of more use for imaging which a dob isn’t suited for except for some simple lunar or planetary images.

Better eyepieces would be my first recomendation. The stock eyepieces aren't very good quality although better than nothing and something to,get started with.

You are going to have to collimate the scope so at the very minimum a collimation cap is needed or a Cheshire eyepiece.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/rigel-aline-collimation-cap.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/astro-essentials-cheshire-collimating-eyepiece.html

And then there are more choices than the Skywatcher 200p dobsonian. The Bresser is better value as you are getting a lot more than the £100.00 difference. The focuser alone on the Bresser is worth the price difference. not to mention the many other things that are upgraded compared to the Skywatcher. The 200p is not a bad beginners scope at all and would be a good first choice but you shoild be aware there are other options. The 200p has been around for many years and has been a favourite but the Bresser is fairly new so not so many around.yet but proving to be very popular.

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/bresser-messier-8--dobsonian-telescope-4716420.html#SID=1739

Normally would recommend FLO but they are out of stock at the moment and Harrison is includung a solar filter as well.

Edited June 9, 2020 by johninderby

[Kyle Allen]

The SkyWatcher Skyliner 200P is probably the best scope for observing for the money by quite some margin. It’s so easy to use (just place it down and start observing), has enough light grasp to show some level of detail on all types of deep sky objects, excellent resolution on the moon and planets, and is easy to transport by car to dark sites.

The supplied eyepieces aren’t brilliant but there’s no need to rush to replace them. Accessories can be added over time and you’ll appreciate the difference that they make more! 😀

[Cosmic Geoff]

IMHO there is no such thing as a first  'all rounder' telescope.   The Skyliner 200p Dobsonian is popular, but it does not have GoTo.

It's best to think of your first telescope outfit as being an experiment in finding out what features are most important to you. Some may value simplicity or portability over outright performance or the ability to locate faint objects in a murky urban sky.

You can get a 200mm Newtonian on a EQ-5 manual mount, but I had that combination and found it very hard to use.  I found the lack of GoTo particularly annoying (after already owning a smaller scope with GoTo).

[Louis D]

If you never use goto, you'll never miss it.  I did add DSCs to my Dob to find Neptune, Uranus, and some planetary nebula that had eluded me.  However, I rarely turn them on.  The only time I've found goto or tracking truly useful is when sharing the view with others.

[Dr Strange]

As noted above there isn't really an "all around" good for imaging good for viewing telescope and mount. I would suggest you start with a telescope you can use for visual then move into imaging if that is your desire. Other key factors are ease of use and size/weight. If it isn't easy to use or if it is too big and too heavy then you will look for reason NOT to use it instead of use it.

As to GOTO vs. star hopping, there are two schools of thought. One is the star hopping crowd. They range in passion and tolerance for anything other than star hopping from "Death before GOTO/Push To! You are not doing astronomy unless you star hop!" to "GOTO is a tool like any other but I would rather star hop". The same applies to GOTO or Push To users. So the first question you have to ask yourself is: Do you enjoy hunting for things more or do you enjoy looking at things or both?" The other factor in play is how bad is your light pollution. If you are in a large town or city then star hopping can be much less rewarding and much more frustrating. It can still be done but it isn't as easy as it is from a dark sky location. 

With your budget and depending on the answer to that compound question there are several options for you.

If it is that you enjoy the hunt then I would suggest a Skywatcher 200p Dobsonian with a Telrad, a right angle corrected image (RACI) finder scope, and a copy of the Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas. The combination of all three will work really well for star hopping. If it the middle or latter part of the question then a excellent option for you that can expand into imaging later on down the road will be the Skywatcher AZ-GTi 130mm Newtonian package. It will come with everything you need to get started and upgrading it to a wedge that turns the mount into a equatorial mount and a small 70-80mm ED refractor for imaging is very budget friendly. 

The Dobsonian package is here:

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

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/finders/telrad-finder-astronomy.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/finders/skywatcher-9x50-right-angled-erecting-finderscope.html

https://www.shopatsky.com/pocket-sky-atlas

The AZ-GTi is a bit more nuanced. It is a fully GOTO setup but it has encoders that will allow you to disengage the clutches and star hop then reengage them and go back to GOTO. Or to just star hop. I would still recommend the Pocket Sky Atlas as a good guide to what is out there each season even if you are not doing star hopping. The package I mention is:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az-gti.html

[Louis D]

18 hours ago, Dr Strange said:

As to GOTO vs. star hopping, there are two schools of thought. One is the star hopping crowd. They range in passion and tolerance for anything other than star hopping from "Death before GOTO/Push To! You are not doing astronomy unless you star hop!" to "GOTO is a tool like any other but I would rather star hop". The same applies to GOTO or Push To users. So the first question you have to ask yourself is: Do you enjoy hunting for things more or do you enjoy looking at things or both?" The other factor in play is how bad is your light pollution. If you are in a large town or city then star hopping can be much less rewarding and much more frustrating. It can still be done but it isn't as easy as it is from a dark sky location. 

Another factor is how many alignment stars can you see at once from a single location at your observing site?  Since my trees have matured in my backyard, I have a pretty narrow wedge to the south that is clear.  I usually try to find one alignment star within that wedge for one star and roughly align on Polaris through the tree branches to my north for the second star and then do several align on objects to refine my alignment from there.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Louis D

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @DigitalXAK and welcome to SGL.

I think you have made the right decision on what you have chosen.

As mentioned elsewhere, forget about a Barlow lens for the time being; (except for the 2x); but concentrate on the eyepieces.  From what I have read here on SGL; (and other forums); these --->https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html are quite good and very popular. An alternative would be a zoom eyepiece. Like regular 'fixed' eyepieces; there are good & bad ones.

Depending on which eye is dominant; then a right angle finder scope or the Telrad or the Rigel would be the most useful add-ons.

Other add-ons to be considered are filters. For lunar observing I would choose a variable polarising filter. For almost everything else the Baader Panetarium Neodymium is popular. I refer to it as the 'Swiss Army knife filter' unless viewing fainter stuff. For solar viewing, a full aperture filter*; (either ready made or DIY - remember to make one for the finder scope or remove it); or keep the end caps on. Also remember to check for defects before each and every use.

 

* I cannot remember whether the end cap has hole in it off-axis, so you could add piece of solar-safety film to that if you wish as an alternative to full aperture.

[Astro Imp]

I started this hobby with a Newtonian on an equatorial mount. Although I had a lot of fun this combination is an exercise in frustration. IMO an equatorial mount is only needed for imaging.
Dr Strange above has written what I consider a post of which you should take note.
BTW welcome and enjoy the hobby.
 

 

[jonathan]

A couple of things that I would add...

The 9x50 finder scope that comes with the Skywatcher could prove difficult to use for the beginner, it will show things upside-down and back to front, and also at 9x magnification it will be difficult to know exactly which part of the sky you're pointing at, and the 50 will show many more stars than you can see with the naked eye.  An additional finder will be a huge bonus here, a simple red dot finder or similar with no or very little magnification.

The Bresser comes with a much more manageable 6x30 finder, you'll be able to recognise the stars you can see through it more easily and it won't show as many that you can't see with the naked eye.  It looks like there is a spare bracket already in place for a red dot finder on this scope too.

Also the Bresser comes with a solar filter, whether this interests you or not it's definitely not to be sniffed at as that solar film is expensive, I'm guessing from the picture that it is designed to fit in the end of the tube but my advice would be to also tape it in position at either side while in use.

Overall I would choose the Bresser over the Skywatcher, it just looks more geared towards the beginner with an eye to easily upgrade as the owner grows in the hobby.  Spend some extra money on a mid-range eyepiece (12-14mm) and later another closer to 10mm, but make sure it is suitable for the scope you buy (they often say what f or speed of scope it will work best with).  BST are popular budget eyepieces, I have had good experiences with Celestron and Explore Scientific eyepieces too.

Edited June 10, 2020 by jonathan