Jump to content

Narrowband

New Entry Level Telescope.


Recommended Posts

I’ve finally got £250 together for a entry level telescope. The scope I’ve been looking at is the Skywatcher Explorer 130p which is available with different mounts. My local shop does not have it in stock so I need to place an order. Before I order I would value some honest opinions on the scope and mounts taking my budget into account and some personal experience if possible.

 

Thanks Niko...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is a nice OTA that will give good views and on yoir budget one of these would be best. Don’t like the EQ2 version as it is a bit wobbly with the 130p OTA.Would be much better with the EQ3 mount.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az-pronto.html

Or

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-eq-avant/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az-eq-avant.html

Edited by johninderby
Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, johninderby said:

It is a nice OTA that will give good views and on yoir budget one of these would be best. Don’t like the EQ2 version as it is a bit wobbly with the 130p OTA.Would be much better with the EQ3 mount.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az-pronto.html

Or

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-eq-avant/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az-eq-avant.html

Thanks ! I was looking at the AZ5 Deluxe at the top of my budget????

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Niko. My first telescope was a SkyWatcher 130M on a EQ2. I loved it but it had quite a steep learning curve, mainly due to the EQ Mount. I agree with Gerry’s (@jetstream) recommendation of the 200P. It has the right balance of aperture and ease of use for visual astronomy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Littleguy80 said:

Hi Niko. My first telescope was a SkyWatcher 130M on a EQ2. I loved it but it had quite a steep learning curve, mainly due to the EQ Mount. I agree with Gerry’s (@jetstream) recommendation of the 200P. It has the right balance of aperture and ease of use for visual astronomy. 

The physical size concerns me getting to darker site ????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Niko,

I too am a complete novice. I have bought the same telescope you mention. I based my desicion to buy on the following if this helps. It's not beyond a learner to set up quickly when you get famliar with it. It can be loaded into a car safely. It has a parabolic mirror and a Newtonian design which will give good results for novices starting off looking at sensible targets ( if thats the right phrase) Therefore it shouldn't be a telescope that would put off the beginner which is so important. It is also a scope that a more experienced observer can use well, which speaks for itself. The stand is light but holds the weight well and seems sturdy enough to me, though it is recognised that it can take a few seconds for the scope to settle if touched. I can live with that but if you want to try pictures it might be a problem. ( if you can take pics with it I am not sure)

Plus the price is very good which would influence a tight person like me!

Hope this helps

Slingshot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Nikodn said:

Thanks ! I was looking at the AZ5 Deluxe at the top of my budget????

 

Yes I do prefer the AZ5 version if you can stretch your budget to it.A very portable setup that would be very easy to carry down stairs.

The200p dob will show you a lot more but of coirse is bigger and heavier.

Edited by johninderby
Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Nikodn said:

The physical size concerns me getting to darker site ????

I have the 200p, and although quite heavy, I can easily carry it from where it's stored in the shed to my garden in one piece. I also occasionally take it in the car to a dark site, when I do this I disassemble it into its two main parts, and reassemble it at the site, which takes 5 minutes max to do.👍

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FWIW I'm an absolute novice as well and I ordered the skywatcher 200p dob.

The reason I went for that one rather than a smaller, more portable scope is I'd read a lot of posts by people saying they'd enjoyed their 130 so much they decided to upgrade to an 8 inch reflector. I kind of figured going straight to the 8 inch I'd save myself a bit of money in the medium term.

 

I did a lot of research and most people say the scope, although large, is still portable in an average sized car. I've not got it yet so may be in for a shock when it arrives but this was my reasoning, if it helps. Comes very highly rated in reviews too, not read a bad thing about it.

Edited by HutchStar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just learned the hard way: when you plan of buying a scope, consider these:

- Weight and size: It's a different thing to carry a small tube in one hand and the mount in the other, than carry about 100 lbs of stuff.

If you plan of trying astrophotography later, with big tubes, the mount load capacity tends to cost 1€/ gram. A good enough mount for 16" scope costs probably about 10 000.

and then there's the "sail effect" if the tube is physically long and thick (lots of area the wind can hit).

- The eyepieces for fast scopes need to have shorter focal length then eyepieces for slower scopes, and the short focal length eyepieces tend to cost more.

- Fast reflectors have coma. Reflectors with focal ratio bigger than 8, have coma too, but it's so small, that you probably don't need a coma corrector.

- Refractors suffer from dispersion, and quality optics tends to be pricy - especially large optics.

- Dobsons are not good for taking pictures. Even if you can drive its altitude and azimuth, there is also the field rotation.

 

Just a couple of things to take into account...

Edited by turboscrew
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.