Sky-Watcher Startravel 120 Vs Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P-DS

[Jakelol]

Hi Im new to the forum and Im diving in to astronomi again after 29 years haha (was only 12 years old the last time)

I have tried to look at many youtube videos with what to get for beginners and i think i have narrowed it down to these two.

Im looking for a telescope that is light and easy to bring along or otherwise there is a big chanse im going to end up not taking it out at all if i know my self. Or is it better to go even bigger then 130mm? One thing with going bigger is that it also gets more expensive so will i be happy with 120/130mm as a beginner or will the smaller apature and smaller focal length take out a bit of the fun?

Which one should i get. I will mostly do observing but would like to be able to take pictures in the future (been fotographing birds for about 12 years).

Also what GoTo mount should i get for each telescope?

/Jakob

[Ricochet]

One of the standard beginner's astrophotography setups is the 13PDS on the HEQ5 mount so that would be a good choice if you want to progress onto astrophotography. However, be aware that it isn't just quickly swapping an eyepiece for a camera and snapping whatever you're looking at. A single image can be comprised of exposures taken over a whole session or even multiple sessions. The goto eq mounts required for astrophotography are also quite big and heavy so you may prefer a second smaller set up for visual. If goto is a requirement for visual too perhaps look at the AZGti options, or without goto you could mount a 130PDS on an AZ4. 

[Jakelol]

Will the AZ-GTI Wifi Goto hold the Startravel 120 without any problem or do i need the HEQ5 for that one too?
How about the Sky-Watcher EQ3 PRO for the Startravel 120 then is it too weak?

Im a bit put off the whole collimation of the reflector telescope and if Im right i dont need to do anything like that with the refractor telescope right? And i do want goto even if im 95% of the time only will observe because i just get annoyed when i all the time need to adjust for the rotation haha

The refractor seems to be a bit less maintenance or am i missing something? What does the reflector do better then the refractor and vice versa?

I have been taking a lot of photos with lenes that has no communication with the cameras i used (Canon) so i think it should be no problem for me with exposure and i have been taking a lot of timelaps etc at night. But taking photos wont be my main thing.

Edited November 20, 2021 by Jakelol

[Ricochet]

1 hour ago, Jakelol said:

Will the AZ-GTI Wifi Goto hold the Startravel 120 without any problem

No, the ST120 is too big for the AZGti

1 hour ago, Jakelol said:

do i need the HEQ5

For Astrophotography the HEQ5 is the minimum recommended mount. The EQ3 might just about be ok for visual but I've not used one to know.

1 hour ago, Jakelol said:

Im a bit put off the whole collimation of the reflector telescope and if Im right i dont need to do anything like that with the refractor telescope right?

Refractors can also require collimation. Newtonians tend to require it more often but I suspect most people don't do the collimation screws up tightly enough.

1 hour ago, Jakelol said:

What does the reflector do better then the refractor and vice versa?

The ST120 is a fast achromat. This means it will have lots of chromatic aberration and be suitable for low power, wide field views but not lunar/planetary or astrophotography. Visually, on those low power views the ST120 might be better than the 130PDS. If you want a Skywatcher refractor for lunar/planetary or astrophotography then take a look at the ED Pro range.

[Jakelol]

How would the 130PDS and the AZ-GTi be together just for visual? Sky-Watchers page says the 130PDS is 3.66Kg and the AZ-GTi can take a payload of 5Kg?

Im thinking i might just start with visual for the first year or so and then upgrade to a HEQ5 if i feel the need to take photos?

[Ricochet]

2 hours ago, Jakelol said:

How would the 130PDS and the AZ-GTi be together just for visual? Sky-Watchers page says the 130PDS is 3.66Kg and the AZ-GTi can take a payload of 5Kg?

Im thinking i might just start with visual for the first year or so and then upgrade to a HEQ5 if i feel the need to take photos?

I suspect it would be too heavy. Manufacturers have a habit of overloading their mounts and the biggest AZGti combination uses a special lightweight 130ps, which indicates that they couldn't fit a standard 130p on it. 

[Jakelol]

1 hour ago, Ricochet said:

I suspect it would be too heavy. Manufacturers have a habit of overloading their mounts and the biggest AZGti combination uses a special lightweight 130ps, which indicates that they couldn't fit a standard 130p on it. 

What do you think of the Startravel 102? Is the ST102 good for a beginner? Will the AZ-GTi be able to take that one?

Edited November 21, 2021 by Jakelol

[Ricochet]

The AZGti will be able to cope with it ok, but visually larger aperture scoped will show more than small ones, so you haven to weigh up the performance of the scope against the effort of setting it up. 

[Jakelol]

9 minutes ago, Ricochet said:

The AZGti will be able to cope with it ok, but visually larger aperture scoped will show more than small ones, so you haven to weigh up the performance of the scope against the effort of setting it up. 

Thanks i think Im going for that combo to start with and if i feel like i need better gear i the future i will aspens maybe 2000$ on some better but still portable stuff. Thanks for the help.