HELP with choosin

[stefey]

Hey,

i was wonderin could someone help me? im lookin 4 a cheap telescope that i could use for astrography but i woudnt really know what one is good. i never had one before but i learn quickly. ive looked at few:

Seben Telescope N 150/1400 Big Boss EQ-3

EUR 239.00

White AstroVenture 6" Short Tube Reflector Telescope

EUR 150.00

Celestron Astromaster 130EQ-MD (Motor Drive)

EUR 153.00

but they cost me much more with all them shipping costs

[insomnia]

If you are going down the astrophotography route then I personally go for the Astromaster, purely because it has a motor drive, which you need for astrophotography.

Plus Seben relectors do tend to have inferior mirrors which will be such a let down and can be a costly mistake

[Brunty12345]

try to go for a skywatcher or celestron telescope they are probably the best makes, reflector telescopes are quite cheap compared to others and you get quite alot of power out of them.

[Brunty12345]

thats my personal opinon lol

[Brunty12345]

i dont really know about astrophotography i didnt realise you said about that! oppsy lol

[Astro_Baby]

Run a mile from the Seben - theres been too many tears from people buying them. Never heard of the WHite-Astroventure thing - thats probably a bad sign. If you dont see specialist astronomy shops selling them theres probably a reason.

Give Steve at FLO (banner at the top of the page) a buzz and he will put you right.

[stefey]

thanx both of u. i was act checkin them sky watchers but i dono what the difference between them is and shur i thought more expensive one is a better one so any ideas with some that is a good one wit a good resolution?

[stefey]

:dontknow:well its actually wwww.protelescope.com so i dono:dontknow:

[Astro_Baby]

Righto - well advising people on a telescope is a bit liuke advising them on a car....I quite like my Toyota Aygo - it doesnt suit everyone.

Sooooooo...... your going to have to cough up a bit more information for anyone to be able to advise you.

1/ How much do you want to spend ?

2/ Where will you use it ?

3/ Does it need to be portable, luggable etc ?

4/ What do you want to look at ? Planets, Deep Space, bit of both

Finally have you ever looked through a telescope ? The reason I ask is lots of peple think they are going to see a picture like the photographs on the box.

Thats not negative but you should know up front what you'll likely see.

[stefey]

weell spendin no more than eur300.00 cause ye i never even saw one nt even talkin bout lookin through it. bt i was always interested in it so i deffinetely want one. wanna use it 4 astrophotography 2. bt wuden mind if it was portable cause it is handy wanna see bit of everythin

[vegas]

Personally I'd forget the astrophotography bit yet, as I am discovering it is a beast of it's own. I've been observing now for 4 months and am just plucking up the courage to buy my astrophotography set up which is looking at being very expensive (for quite a modest imaging setup, as the sky is the limit with regards to price).

I'd get used to using a scope first and learning about the sky. There are so many tools online or the more traditional book to help with learning the stars and that process i've come to realise should not be rushed.

Actually observing for a bit will help you determine which areas of imaging you are interested in, as this will very much be a factor in which type of imaging set up you will need in the future.

[stefey]

well was thinkin that first 2 bt i love them pics. not really into planets. more like any nebula u can think of my favourite one is the eagle nebula id love to see that in real,globular cluster,helix...

probably go 4 some portable one that i can carry it around

[pvaz]

I'm into amateur photography for about 3 years now.

I had the same idea when I started astronomy a couple of months ago but, as I started reading, I've found out serious astro photography need an investment around 1000€ for mostly 2nd hand gear. Other then that a good image requires plenty of sub pictures and hours of post processing using an array of software. Some people work over a week to produce one of those best images you see. And although many people with modest rigs do excellent works, most of the good ones come from people with gears over 2000€ and a home observatory to minimize setup time.

Besides all that you have the regular astronomy stuff to learn witch is not very hard but takes a bit of time.

You may find this thread helpful: http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-tips-tricks-techniques/48674-dso-imaging-budget.html

Take a look at the imaging primers too to get an idea of the amount of work it will be: Imaging - Tips, Tricks and Techniques - Stargazers Lounge

I don't mean to discorage you, just want you to find out what you're getting into before you part with your cash.

That said, I still plan to get into astro photography. I plan to gather some money and buy a rig by the end of next year. Meanwhile I'll let my wife forget how much I already spent in this hobby!

[stefey]

yeah i found it 2 Astroimaging on a budget - Just starting bt tryin 2 look 4 everytin as its a bit hard 2 get a good second hand telescope tryin 2 gt one da hole day i diden move from da couch only 4 a bathroom

[Wurzil]

You say youve never seen through a telescope and that you love the pictures. I would offer a warning here WHEN YOU LOOK THROUGH A TELESCOPE YOUR VIEWS WILL NOT BE ANYWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS THE IMAGES YOU SEE ON HERE AND ON THE INTERNET. Although I havent ventured into astrophotography myself yet, I know that the pictures people make are "stacked" images (many photos overlayed to get a better image) which takes a lot of post processing work - its not as easy as sticking a nice camera on the eyepiece and taking a picture.

I suggest that before you jump right in the deep end, you attend a local club to see if this is really the hobby for you Sky at Night Magazine - the world's first astronomy magazine and cd package - (click on the clubs tag and find your local club or use the clubs section on this forum).

If you do decide to get a telescope (the celestron should be OK) a good way to start taking pictures would be "webcamming" which is cheap and easy - you should be able to get OK images of planets and the orion nebula doing that.

I really hope you do get into astronomy. Ive only been doing it for a month or so and LOVE IT!

good luck

warren

[floyd fan]

Stefey, please please please, dont write in text speak on forums, its bad etiquette.

[iamjulian]

ha ha, I was beginning to think it was just me I couldn't understand much of what was being said.

But if the question is what should I buy for 300 euros that will allow me to see and photograph deep sky, then the advice given so far sounds very good. If you are only interested in getting great quality photos and nothing else will please you then hold on to your money until you have a bigger budget. Otherwise, start with a scope like the motor driven 130 you mentioned, and don't expect miracles.