Beginner equipment advice needed

[Oscarw]

Hi I am a begginer to astronomy and I recently bought a skywatcher evostar 90 (blue coloured one) from gumtree for £55. What I Haddenham realised from the add was there was a lot of parts missing from the telescope. It only came with a 25mm eyepiece, so my plan is to buy the missing pieces.

This is my shopping list so far (from amazon)

1. SVbony sv182 finderscope £39.99

2. Svbony sv137 x2 barlow lens £30

3. Svbony Eyepieces 1.25" Astronomic Eyepeice 10mm £13.99

4. Canon t2 adapter £7 (I have an old Canon 1000d I want to try doing some photos of the moon and planets)

I guess my question is, was the telescope  a worthwhile buy and is it worth spending out on the extras

[Dave Lloyd]

It's a 200 ish quid scope new. If the objective (the big lens on the front) is o.k I wouldn't be too concerned. Extras you can add as and when. The 25 mm eyepiece is the best of the two that usually come bundled with Skywatcher scopes. You'd have to buy the camera adapter with any scope purchase. What mount ( if any) does it have. A good mount can exceed the cost of the scope. 

[Dave Lloyd]

p. s There will be plenty on here with far better knowledge and experience of this particular scope. 

[Oscarw]

Hi dave 

Thank you for the advice, as for the mount, I think it is an eq2.

The only thing I was worried about was the lack of finder scope

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Oscarw

[Zermelo]

Hello, and welcome to SGL.

Did you buy just the "telescope part" (what's called the optical tube assembly, or OTA), or did it come with a tripod and mount, like this one?

If it didn't come with the tripod/mount, then you need to think about that before anything else.

The Evostar 90 is a good beginner's scope. Buying secondhand is a bit of a lottery if the seller is an unknown quantity. You can get good deals, but I would recommend that you stick to platforms like the buy/sell section on this forum in future. But, assuming that it wasn't abused by its previous owner, your new scope should be able to show you some interesting and attractive objects (though if you're not already aware, take note that you won't be seeing anything like the images that are often reproduced in the media - manage your expectations here).

You will need a finderscope of some description if it's missing. The one you mention would be a like-for-like replacement of the 6x30 that comes with the new scope. Svbony are at the budget end of the scale, but they produce decent kit. A different option would be to use a "red dot" finder, which is cheaper, but you may struggle with it if you live in an urban area with light pollution.

You are right also to be thinking about eyepieces. Even if you had bought the scope new, the "stock" eyepieces included are not of the same quality as the scope itself. However the Skywatcher 25mm is not that bad and I would use that for a while before deciding. But you will need at least one shorter focal length eyepiece to get the most out of the scope. I have no experience of the Svbony 10mm that you mention, and it's probably fine. Alternatively, the Astro Essentials range are seen as decent quality first eyepieces. If you can afford to spend more, the BST Starguider range are very good value for the money. Or, instead of buying further fixed eyepieces just yet, you could get a zoom. Svbony do a decent version.

A x2 barlow is useful for doubling your range of focal lengths. There are several reasonable ones about in the sub-£50 bracket - again, I've no experience of that Svbony model.

You mention taking photos. I would put this on the back burner for a while - visual and imaging are different disciplines. In particular, imaging will need a more expensive mount than the one provided with your Evostar. And there is a LOT to learn if you want to get into that. That said, solar system objects are easier, and many people take photos of the moon successfully, with just a smartphone through the eyepiece.

So, yes - it will be worth spending a little to get the most out of your Evostar. Most telescope from well-known makers are capable of much more than can be delivered with the accessories included - this is just marketplace dynamics.

Good luck with your scope.

[Oscarw]

Thank you Zermelo,

After your advice,  I have been looking at an Astro Essentials finder scope 9x50 and  an SVBony zoom eyepiece 7-21mm. I feel this will give me the most versatility to begin with. 

Thanks again 

Mike

[Zermelo]

1 hour ago, Oscarw said:

Thank you Zermelo,

After your advice,  I have been looking at an Astro Essentials finder scope 9x50 and  an SVBony zoom eyepiece 7-21mm. I feel this will give me the most versatility to begin with. 

Thanks again 

Mike

I got an AstroEssentials 9x50 RACI finder, which costs more than the straight-through version, but I find useful when matching up with star charts. The AstroEssentials version is cheaper than any other I could find, and it does a decent job. The 9x50s are quite a bit heavier than the 6x30s, though, so you may need to rebalance the OTA (slacken the rings and move the tube).

[Oscarw]

I wanted to provide an update,

I bought a joblot for £160, it included

1. A Finderscope a skywatcher 6x30

2. relevation astro eyepiece kit with 9, 12, 15, 20 , 32 mm, barlow lens and some coloured filters, 

3. a 18mm BST eyepiece. 

4. An unused alistair lightwave premium  diagonal 

 

[Neil H]

Hi take a look in Astro buy and sale you may get what you want cheaper used before you buy new