First proper scope.

[Ben478]

Hi all,

As a teenager I used a Tasco 114mm reflector for a while and am now looking to buy my first proper telescope. I feel inclined to stay with a reflector and am thinking of the Skywatcher 200P with HEQ5 motorised mount.

I'm not fussed on GoTo or other similar functions as I would rather find and learn my own way around the sky, but I do want a motorised mount so I can do some astrophotography later on.

I guess my question is, does this seem to be a good buy for my needs (lunar, planetary viewing mostly, maybe some galaxy/nebula, and photography)? And is there anything else I should consider? I think £800 is about my limit for a 6" or 8" scope. When I was a teen I regularly read Astronomy and Astronomy Now magazines and was always impressed with the Meade and Celestron adverts, I secretly feel I want to own one of these brands but haven't seen anything advertised that matches my needs for the money. Many thanks in advance!

[John]

Hi,

Your selection of scope is a good one - a good all rounder that offers both imaging and great visual potential. They are a lot more bulky than your old Tasco was though so it might be an idea to try and have a look at one before you buy. Any 8" scope is going to have some bulk to it though.

Interesting what you say about your teenage reading and the brands that stood out - my past holds similar tendancies !. Things have moved on a long way now though - the company behind Skywatcher is called Synta and they own Celestron now - much of the Celestron stuff is the same as the Skywatcher equivilents. Meade is mostly / all made in China / Taiwan now so is of similar quality - ie: pretty good for the price - the far east are producing very good quality equipment nowadays

John

[Astro_Baby]

I'd agree with John. The 200/HEQ5 is pretty beefy.

Like you I used to own a small refelector when I was a slip of a girl. I suppose for me I wanted a big flash Meade reflector but Meade dont really make them anymore. Its all namby pamby SCTs giggles

Anyway I bought into a Sky-Watcher 200/HEQ5 and have been very happy with it. As a combination it has endless upgrade possibilities and its a good all rounder.

On the downside its bulky and heavy. I dont mind too much but some people find they cant get on with it. Manually aiming one can be a bit of a challenge on an EQ mount - I got round it by adding a red dot finder which made life a lot easier.

If you want to see what the scope size is roughly compared to a 5" reflector to give you some idea of scale (though the pic doesnt really show how much bigger it is in the flesh) you could take a look at a review I did on mine back before it was upgraded to GoTo.

The pic/review is here for what its worth Review of the Sky-Watcher 200/HEQ5

No two ways about it - its IS a proper scope

[jimhaleysscomet]

I always recommend to a newbie (0r returning folk) to start with a mainly visual scope. It will be much more powerful, less money, and /or much more portable than any astro photography rig. Use it for a few years then get a separate astro rig. This route will cost about the same but provide FAR more capability. If you pick one scope to do both you either end up with a massively heavy beast, a scope lousy for visual, or you end up spending a LOT more money. If you are interested in a visual only scope at first (about £300), let us know know your initial budget and we can help more.

By the way, any scope can be used for astro photography of the planets and constellations (actually piggy back). It is long exposure astro photo's that require a specialized scope (and most importantly sturdy mount).

[Ben478]

Hello all,

Many thanks for all your advice, it's greatly appreciated! One important issue that you have all raised is the size/weight aspect. I maybe need to rethink my choice in favour of an SCT as storage space at home (a bungalow) is very limited. But in research it appears an 8" SCT is generally more expensive than an 8" Newtonian. So whether to go for a 6" for similar money, or to extend my budget a bit??

Astrobaby, many thanks for the link on the review, it was extremely helpful. Jim thanks for photo advice too. I'll let you all know what I go for...