6" Newt - Dob or EQ3?

[jbh]

Hi Everyone, I've read a lot of similar topics here, but there's nothing quite like personal advice, and so I hope you won't mind the repetition!

I'm a beginner, though I've been interested in astronomy for many years and have often thought of buying a 'scope. Now I think perhaps I should just bite the bullet and do it!

I'm not fantastically well-off, but I don't want to buy something only to find it unrewarding or frustrating and give up or upgrade. I know that a 6" Dob is the classic beginner scope, and the skywatcher one is very good value at FLO at 175 pounds. In the same ballpark is the 150pl on the EQ3 mount for 225. I know that the dob. mount will be fine, but I am unsure about the ergonomics of, say, looking at Jupiter, which is quite low in the sky, without having to contort myself. I wonder therefore if the EQ mount would be better, but I am also concerned that the EQ3 is a bit too flimsy for a tube of this weight and length.

Advice would be appreciated. My feeling was that I should get the dob, and then if I am interested in, say, astrophotography at a later date I could try and find an EQ6 or something. But, I would then have to factor in the cost of tube rings and such, and wonder if getting the whole kit with the EQ3 might make upgrades easier/cheaper.

I'd appreciate any advice. I'm pretty open to ideas and have considered a number of 'scopes, from the little heritage 76 and 130P, through the alt-az gotos and up to the 200p EQ5. I think really the latter is a bit over my budget, though I could stretch if it was felt that it would be a better 'investment'.

Where will I be observing? A village in south-Suffolk. Light pollution isn't too bad, but it's not a dark-site either.

Thanks so much for reading my long message.

Jacob.

[pvaz]

You are well informed about the difference between EQ and Dob so I don't think I can add nothing to that.

On the comfort of using a dob: The fact it haves an alt-az mount means the focuser is always in a similar position facing the left side. In an EQ mount sometimes it gets in awkward positions. When looking straight up you need to stand cause the EP will be at about shoulder height. When looking near the horizon it's not comfortable to look while standing cause you have to crouch.

But sitting down, a dob is always at a comfortable position, except when looking almost straight up (then you have to stand). I find an office chair with wheels to be the most comfortable accessory to use with a Dob cause you can roll around the scope when turning in AZ.

[John]

This is a personal view Jacob but I'd recommend the 6" dobsonian or even better, the 8" version if you can find the extra cash.

A dobsonian is so easy to use, you can get straight on with viewing rather than worrying about polar alignment, tube balance etc. Also the motions of an eq mount take some getting used to and will put the eyepiece and finder scope in some very awkward positions.

So get a dob and have some fun with it finding your way about the sky before thinking about photography.

Thats my take on it !.

John

[alfi]

hi

i would also recommend the dob in this priceclass, i dont think the eq3 would give the needed stability, and would disapoint you.

put some more money on a 8" if you can, and mount it on a eq6 later on, when you are ready to upgrade.

alfi

[Dave]

Why not get the dob. Then if you are still inspired by the hobby, get an EQ5 later and attach a dovetail to the tube assembly, to give a driven scope? Just a thought.

[PhoenixRising]

I would say the Skywatcher 200 on the EQ5 mount is a good investment. A little more uncomfortable occasionally but good light gathering capibility, 2" eyepieces, direct slr attachment for photography, (which you will end up doing trust me!), and the decent sized mount means you have room to manouver when thinking about buying a different sope later on or adding got etc, also an EQ5 is better for pics as an EQ3/2 will only let you get 60-120 second subs reliably. I''ve not been at it long and this is just my experience. I bought the 150PL and wish I'd paid more to get an EQ5 and a Skywatcher 200, but then, I never thought Astronomy would bite me like this! I'm sure it'll bite you too!

[jbh]

Thanks for the replies. Most helpful. I've read a fair bit, but I have very little hands-on experience, hence your advice being so useful. I hadn't considered that the EQ mount would put the eyepiece in odd places! I'd only been thinking more simply about the movements of a dob.

I probably could spend the extra on the 8" if the viewing experience would be a good deal better. But they also get that bit bigger, and, at least in the case of the skywatcher ones, the f-ratio decreases from f/7.84 to f/5.91. Thinking about ease of collimation, is this a big deal?

I'm sure you're right about photography, I know all beginners are keen to take pictures of things, despite lacking the skills and the budget. There is something about letting an image emerge from the camera though - the closest I have to a telescope at the moment is a 70-300mm camera lens - even without a tracking mount I can't resist trying to take fuzzy pictures of Andromeda, the Orion nebula and the Pleiades!

[alfi]

hi

the collimation is no biggie, seems hard at first, but once you find out how it works, it is easy.

the position of the eyepiece on a newt can be fixed with some DIY, making the tube rotatable.

alfi

[pvaz]

The size different between a 6" and a 8" is not that much. The skywatcher 200p is only bigger in aperture, focal length is the same. It also provides almoust twice the light gathering capability (1.77x the area on the primary surface).

My 1st scope is a 8" f/5.9 dob and, after the 1st time, collimation is easy. I use the provided collimation cap, didn't buy a laser collimator yet, but even now it takes me only 10 min or so.

A member, AstroBaby, made this great collimation guide, you should read before the 1st try. Also the scope manual should provide any specifics on your scope, if there are any.

After reading, this video also helps.

[jbh]

Thanks so much. Perhaps I will wait a while and see if something local and a bit bigger comes up secondhand. Otherwise I may have to bite the bullet on a new 8". I've lived with binoculars for years, I can sure last a little while longer. And thank you for the links, that guide looks great... of course, it raises the 'cheshire' and then I think... eyepieces?! So much kit! Have to start somewhere and with something I guess.

[Tim]

It's a shame the star party season is over, you would have been most welcome to look over the set ups and see whcih suits your style the best.

I have had (and sold) a 12" dob, which I bought after starting with an EQ mount. Although the dob is easy to push around, I prefer the fact that with the EQ mount, I can easily keep the target in the eyepiece with a small turn of a knob, and also, easier to find faint things if you have the circles set up properly.

Cheers

TJ

[robneath]

again a personal opnion, but i prefer the EQ mount. For visual the EQ3-2 mount is stable and once your used to using it allows for easy viewing.

[PhoenixRising]

I have a motor on my eq3/2, best thing I've done. Made pics possible of dsos, and keeps things in view so you can focus properly and enjoy them without having to fiddle constantly with the knobs to keep up (ooh err :Z)

Dont worry about collimation, Astrobabys guide is great and if I can do it, anyone can! Its actually quite satisfying, like checking tyre pressure on your car... or the oil for that matter... or running disk clean then defragging, yes it's oddly pleasing seeing that little red laser lined up perfectly in the centre of your mirror/eyepiece. I collimate before every session, photo or visual, it only takes 5 minutes and you feel happier knowing your kit is performing to its max.

[bish]

My personal opinion is that I prefer an EQ mount. You don't have to worry about the eyepiece being at an awkward angle because you can loosen the ring bolts and move the tube, and so eyepiece position, round to how you want it (just make sure you support it properly!). I've found the EQ-3 fine for visual (on the f750mm 6" explorer) and some basic webcam but can't comment on proper astrophotography.

[jimhaleysscomet]

In your price range and for visual use aperture rules. So go with the 8" dob. You will be spending almost all your money on the optics (a smart choice for visual). You can use a dob to take pictures but only of the brightest objects. Anything you take a shot of with your camera will be much better through a dob.

Later, get a super stiff mount and an 80mm refractor if you want to really go the long exposure astro photo route.

These two scope will be much more portable than an suitable EQ mounted long exposure 6" newt and probably have about the same total cost.

[jbh]

I thought I would resurrect this old topic just to tell you helpful people that I picked up a Tal-1 (complete, in good condition) for a fabulous price, so... when the skies clear I will be continuing my learning with that. I may try some piggy-backed photography with this, using the scope to manually guide, and if I get on OK eventually upgrade to something fancier (EQ-6!), perhaps as another used bargain. I didn't really have the budget to get everything that I would like new, and the Tal was too good to pass up!

Thanks again.

[brantuk]

Looks like a great bargain - just a thought - if you want to try other types of scope a local astro society visit would be a good idea. Most will let you "have a look" and see how comfortable you are - plus you'll get great views through a variety of scopes. Failing that - try a star party - they're enthralling.

[jbh]

Yes, there are three or so good Astro socs within a reasonable distance of here, I will try to get along to an open event soon enough. Unlikely to bring the TAL, it weighs an ABSOLUTE ton!

[LukeSkywatcher]

As of today i am lucky enough to own both a scope that is on an EQ mount and a scope that is on a Dob mount. The Dob is my newest addition. Because i have to observe from a seated position, the scope on the EQ mount is pretty useless when observing up at the zenith (unless i lay on my back and rotate the EP). I dont have the same problem with the Dob. I can point it directly upwards and very comfortably observe objects directly above me.