New scope

[beanyboy1982]

Hi all been out of the hobby for a while, I used to have a 200p dob but now looking for a new scope I was wondering is a goto dob worth the extra money ? Also not sure what to go for a big dob or a eq mount I was looking at the 250p ds can you use it for astrophotography as well as looking through as I noticed you need an adapter bit to go with it many thanks ian 

[Kyle Allen]

What did you like/not like about your old scope? For visual observing many people like the simplicity of a manual Dob (just place it down and you’re good to go) but only you can decide if GoTo is worth it to you.

A 250PDS isn’t the best way to get started in astrophotography. A far easier route is to get a small refractor or a fast prime lens. 

EQ mounts just add unnecessary complexity to visual observing but are necessary for long exposure astrophotography. 

Edited December 28, 2020 by Kyle Allen

[Cosmic Geoff]

A GoTo Dob is a lot more expensive than a basic manual Dob. You should question whether you would not prefer a SCT on a GoTo mount (affordable if used, and much more compact), or a Newtonian on a GoTo mount (more potential for forays into basic imaging, or mounting alternative scopes.)  A suitable Eq GoTo mount for an 8" Newtonian is likely to cost you more than I paid for my C8 SE outfit (used).

BTW, I had a Newtonian on a manual equatorial mount, and I thought the combination was horrible and user-unfriendly.

 

[Ricochet]

9 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

BTW, I had a Newtonian on a manual equatorial mount, and I thought the combination was horrible and user-unfriendly.

I think that is a bit of an understatement. Imagine having to keep rotating a big 250pds every time you switch objects. Even having to hoist it on and off an eq mount at the start and end of a session could be enough to stop it getting used.

[beanyboy1982]

dob wise is bigger better ?

[Tiny Clanger]

1 hour ago, beanyboy1982 said:

dob wise is bigger better ?

https://www.universetoday.com/84285/why-are-dobsonian-telescopes-a-favorite-among-amateur-astronomers/

 

[Ricochet]

1 hour ago, beanyboy1982 said:

dob wise is bigger better ?

Bigger gathers more light but the telescope is heavier and more difficult to carry or transport. 6-8" can be carried as one piece, 10-12" and you will need to carry the base and OTA separately, anything larger and you probably want a truss based design you "build" each time. 

[John]

This is a 12 inch. It's an Orion Optics tube and the whole thing weighs about as much as a Skywatcher 10 inch dob. I did have a Meade Lightbridge 12 inch dob and that was much heavier so didn't get anywhere near so much use. Best scope I've ever owned in terms of what it has shown me

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by John

[beanyboy1982]

so am i right in thinking the goto dobs just goto an object and doesn't track them ?

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by beanyboy1982

[KP82]

1 minute ago, beanyboy1982 said:

so am i right in thinking the goto dobs just goto an object and dont track them ?

 

They do track the targets. AFAIK all GOTO mounts track.

[beanyboy1982]

2 minutes ago, KP82 said:

They do track the targets. AFAIK all GOTO mounts track.

so why are they no good for astrophotography ( i dont want to sound stupid )

[KP82]

1 hour ago, beanyboy1982 said:

so why are they no good for astrophotography ( i dont want to sound stupid )

GOTO Alt-az mounts track by adjusting both axises at the same time. This results in field rotation therefore not suitable for imaging. EQ mounts if not properly polar aligned (>5 arcmins) suffer from the same issue.