Explorer 130P or 130M

[NorfolkGazer]

So I'm looking at upgrading from my Skylux refactor to a Skywatcher reflector at the end of the month. With a budget of around £250-£280 I'm looking at either the SkyWatcher Explorer 130M or 130P. My question is, is it worth sacrificing the RA motor and getting the 130P which I understand will reduce chromatic aberration and give a clearer view. I'm assuming that I can get the RA motor at a later date for the EQ-2 mount, so effectively getting the best of both worlds.

Also, would the reduced focal length of the 130P be noticeable relating to the longer focal length of the 130M?

Edited August 15, 2021 by NorfolkGazer
Additional question

[Nik271]

The 130M has a spherical mirror so it's spherical aberration you should be worried about. I see that 130M has 900mm focal length, so its focal ratio is f/6.9. This is ok for low and moderate power views but you may find that when you use higher magnification the view will be somewhat soft. I think at 130mm diameter a spherical mirror should be at least f/8 to deliver comparable views to a parabolic one.

I would recommend go for the 130P. More compact, lighter and the difference in focal length can be compensated with the use of a Barlow.  

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Nik271

[Cornelius Varley]

18 minutes ago, NorfolkGazer said:

My question is, is it worth sacrificing the RA motor and getting the 130P which I understand will reduce chromatic aberration and give a clearer view

Both the 130P (130/650) and 130M (130/900) will reduce CA (reflectors don't produce CA). The 130M however, has a spherical primary, so this will give greater spherical aberrations (the image becomes less sharp towards the edge).

21 minutes ago, NorfolkGazer said:

I'm assuming that I can get the RA motor at a later date for the EQ-2 mount, so effectively getting the best of both worlds.

And you can then also choose between the single speed and multi-speed RA drives.

24 minutes ago, NorfolkGazer said:

Also, would the reduced focal length of the 130P be noticeable relating to the longer focal length of the 130M?

Probably not.

[NorfolkGazer]

Cheers for the replies both. I think I'll opt for the 130P then, thanks again.

[NorfolkGazer]

Is there much difference between the Sky Watcher StarQuest and Explorer series? Looking at them side by side I can't really see any difference except price.