New here, need opinions on telescopes!

[Located]

@etsatlo Yeah a bit in the future, I'll plan to add things like that to the scope and obviously upgrade way further in the future depending on how things go, thank you!

@almcl Thank you for the comment, yeah I'm interested in most likely adding something like a motor and all that stuff later on of course, would love to have one. Glad you don't regret it and hopefully will be the same for me!

@Carbon Brush Hey sorry I forgot to put that on my profile, I'm located in Lancashire just by the 61

[etsatlo]

1 hour ago, Located said:

@etsatlo Yeah a bit in the future, I'll plan to add things like that to the scope and obviously upgrade way further in the future depending on how things go, thank you!

@almcl

I would add that, for me, the right angle finder has been essential vs something's that's nice to have such as upgraded eyepieces. Without it finding anything other than planets was pretty tough. I considered diving all the way into a motorised mount but fortunately have avoided that cost for a while!

[Located]

7 minutes ago, etsatlo said:

I would add that, for me, the right angle finder has been essential vs something's that's nice to have such as upgraded eyepieces. Without it finding anything other than planets was pretty tough. I considered diving all the way into a motorised mount but fortunately have avoided that cost for a while!

Ah okay I'm glad you add that thank you. I think I'm sure on getting it and if I do I'll look into buying one of those very soon too. Thanks very much, love the help here at SGL!

[Andrew_B]

5 hours ago, Located said:

Thanks for the response, yeah preferably I'd love to get into astrophotography, I did have the skywatcher what I was on about and the celestron 130EQ though was told that Skywatcher was the better option, just not sure what to get from them as the 5EQ and 200p was a bad combo so not sure if a 130/150p with EQ2 would be better. 

Thanks again! 

I think it's best to just focus on getting the right scope for visual use at this stage and not worry whether or not it's much use for astrophotography.

Astrophotography can get unbelievably complex and is a technical rabbit hole that can cost you a fortune if you want it to. You can start out with a basic DSLR or mirrorless camera with a wide angle lens and a suitably sturdy tripod and you'd be surprised just how good images can be even without a star tracker. It gets you used to the techniques and workflow before you move on to more sophisticated equipment. After that you can invest in a motorised mount and later add a telescope into the mix, but the type of scope you'd want is going to depend on what you want to image which could be very different from what you think you'd want to photograph at the moment (e.g. solar imaging vs wide angle DSOs).

Don't feel that you need to get a setup that can do everything when you're only starting out. A moderately sized, easy to use and handle, basic scope will get used far more and if you want to get something different as you get more into the hobby, then you can invest in exactly what you need when the time comes.

[jacobingonzo]

Yes I agree -scope first , dont need to go out on a limb , Id suggest a simple Dob for visual first ( but Im biased) , a star chart or decent book like turn left at Orion so you can learn the skies.  Too many have jumped in deep spending way more than they should only for the set up to be underused and back in the classified by xmas!

Edited August 2, 2021 by jacobingonzo

[Located]

Hi all again! Thought it would be worth updating what I ended up getting. So getting a Dob was harder than I thought it would be as getting a good one new was a bit of budget hit for me and for used no one replied to me so yeah.

Yesterday I picked up a Skywatcher 130P on I think an EQ2 mount with motor drive. It came with four books (left at orion, astronomy for dummies, moongazing and 2021 guide for sightings) it also came with a few good accessories 2x and 5x Barlow, moon filter, sun filter and those 10mm and 25mm pieces.

I've just finished using the scope and just used it all night till now (4:50am) and I've loved every single bit of it. Got a really nice view on Jupiter for a few seconds before clouds came. Also looked at some random stars as I was bored and then at last the moon came into view and spent a good 30 minutes messing around with different eyepieces etc to see what was best.

If any of you guys have any good tips/additionals/anything, feel free to leave it here as I'd really love to hear it. Thanks to all above for your responses to my questions, appreciate it very much. Glad to have this as a new hobby and glad to be here at SGL! (Here's a really bad image just because I was so hyped 😂)

[Jim Beaumont]

I've been enthralled reading this thread, as I am having the same dilemma but I am lucky enough to have a larger (sorry) budget of up to £800 (very lucky 50th birthday offering from the good lady indoors). I have been reading, watching Youtube videos galore and fell on the 200P EQ5 as my choice, and now reading more in to this scope and mount (its well within budget, with room to buy those extra essentials that often get spoke of).

I was hoping to visit a Rother Valley Optics, but Covid has put a stop to that for now, however I have a Zoom call with my local Observatory Society club on Monday night to hopefully get more advice to make the final, informed decision.

Really intrigued to here how your getting on with your purchase though.

[Tiny Clanger]

On 04/08/2021 at 05:02, Located said:

Hi all again! Thought it would be worth updating what I ended up getting. So getting a Dob was harder than I thought it would be as getting a good one new was a bit of budget hit for me and for used no one replied to me so yeah.

Yesterday I picked up a Skywatcher 130P on I think an EQ2 mount with motor drive. It came with four books (left at orion, astronomy for dummies, moongazing and 2021 guide for sightings) it also came with a few good accessories 2x and 5x Barlow, moon filter, sun filter and those 10mm and 25mm pieces.

I've just finished using the scope and just used it all night till now (4:50am) and I've loved every single bit of it. Got a really nice view on Jupiter for a few seconds before clouds came. Also looked at some random stars as I was bored and then at last the moon came into view and spent a good 30 minutes messing around with different eyepieces etc to see what was best.

If any of you guys have any good tips/additionals/anything, feel free to leave it here as I'd really love to hear it. Thanks to all above for your responses to my questions, appreciate it very much. Glad to have this as a new hobby and glad to be here at SGL! (Here's a really bad image just because I was so hyped 😂)

Exciting isn't it ?! 🙂

You got some good extras with your purchase, especially Turn Left at Orion, , which has a pretty comprehensive but brief intro section which is well worth a bit of homework on a cloudy evening ! There is even a website with supplementary info for the book here https://www.cambridge.org/turnleft/

If you've not used either a desktop or app astronomy map program, one would be very useful to show you your skies at your location right now , I like stellarium on the pc because the price is right (£ zero) . There is an online version, a downloadable one, and (I believe, altho' I've not  used it myself) an android app which unlike the other versions, comes at a small charge. Many other apps are available.

Everyone will tell you that the 25mm eyepiece is OK, but the 10mm is not very good, and I'd agree . Keep a look out for someone selling an 8mm or 12mm BST starguider second hand, the going rate is about £35 at the moment , (they are £49 new) , it would be a worthwhile upgrade, but apart from  that I'd not rush into buying anything else for a while, wait and see what works for you, what needs improving.

Oh,  and give that Solar Filter a very careful check over : I'm assuming it is a big one that goes on the front of the telescope ? Hold it up to the Sun in your hands and check it carefully for damage before it goes on the 'scope (I do this every time I use mine, can't be too careful ) . On the other hand, if the solar filter is a tiny glass thing to screw on the eyepiece, bin it immediately, they are a danger to eyesight and should never be used .

Heather

 

[Located]

38 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Exciting isn't it ?! 🙂

You got some good extras with your purchase, especially Turn Left at Orion, , which has a pretty comprehensive but brief intro section which is well worth a bit of homework on a cloudy evening ! There is even a website with supplementary info for the book here https://www.cambridge.org/turnleft/

If you've not used either a desktop or app astronomy map program, one would be very useful to show you your skies at your location right now , I like stellarium on the pc because the price is right (£ zero) . There is an online version, a downloadable one, and (I believe, altho' I've not  used it myself) an android app which unlike the other versions, comes at a small charge. Many other apps are available.

Everyone will tell you that the 25mm eyepiece is OK, but the 10mm is not very good, and I'd agree . Keep a look out for someone selling an 8mm or 12mm BST starguider second hand, the going rate is about £35 at the moment , (they are £49 new) , it would be a worthwhile upgrade, but apart from  that I'd not rush into buying anything else for a while, wait and see what works for you, what needs improving.

Oh,  and give that Solar Filter a very careful check over : I'm assuming it is a big one that goes on the front of the telescope ? Hold it up to the Sun in your hands and check it carefully for damage before it goes on the 'scope (I do this every time I use mine, can't be too careful ) . On the other hand, if the solar filter is a tiny glass thing to screw on the eyepiece, bin it immediately, they are a danger to eyesight and should never be used .

Heather

 

Very exciting 😂, I will look into those BST starguider pieces and try get one very soon thank you for recommending that. For the solar filter, yeah it's one of those big ones which the guy who I bought from kindly provided it though I haven't tried it yet but I will definitely check through it each time before I do put it on the scope. 👍

Thanks again

[PigzMightFly]

HI, I'm also looking to buy my first scope my budget is £500 not particular in what i look at just want to experience what's in the night sky. I want to get into astrophotography eventually but will start with my phone till i save up for something better. I've read this post with a lot of interest and can see it's a minefield, so what's the best bang for buck, i'd like a motor drive and some way of connecting to my laptop or tablet as I have back problems which are going to be restrictive with using the actual scope to view. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

Trev