Upgrade advice needed

[InterGalacticTez]

i was thinking of upgrading my skywatcher evostar 120.

im pretty new to stargazing and dont really know what to go for.

i will spend around £400 on something that will be able to fit on my eq5 mount.

ive been looking at the skymax pro 150 mak but keep wondering if this would really be a significant upgrade and im also worried about image shift (whatever that is) that i keep reading about.

does anyone have any advice or views on this scope or other's for around the same price ?

any help would be much appreciated.

also i will have to sell the evostar (minus tripod and mount) to help fund whatever new scope i decide to get but have no idea of how much i should let it go for.

like i said im pretty new and the scope is only a couple of months old and is in exellent condition.

cheers

Tez

[Doc]

To get a big gain in what you see I would jump up to at least a skywatcher 200p this would sit well on your EQ5. It's a completely different scope being a newtonian but it's light grasp will enable lots more dso's into your field of view.

[InterGalacticTez]

aah brilliant i'll check that out its the dso's i really like looking at aswell.

thanks for that doc

[InterGalacticTez]

would the skywatcher 200p be better than the 10" explorer ?

only reason i ask is because i already have the eq5 and want to spend around £400 on just the scope whereas the 200p is just under 400 with the eq5 that i dont need

[Bizibilder]

You can buy the OTA for £269 according to the Optical Vision website. You will need to find a retailer as OV are the importer. Try FLO!

[John]

The EQ5 will not hold a 10" scope steadily I feel. I think Doc (Mick) was referring to looking out for an 8" optical tube assembly - OTA (ie: the scope tube without the mount) and getting that to go on the mount. They come up for sale 2nd hand quite regularly for a lot less than £400. You might even find someone who would like to trade with your Evostar 120 if you place a "for trade" ad on SGL and / or UK Astro Buy & Sell.

Another option would be an 8" schmidt-cassegrain which would sit on your EQ5 well for visual use - they come up within your budget as well.

Also look out for the UK made Orion Optics newtonian OTA's - they are quite a bit lighter than their Skywatcher counterparts.

[InterGalacticTez]

269 thats pretty good !!

yeah i figured it would be cheaper without the mount but i want to spend 400 on just the scope and get the most bang for my buck.

sorry i proberbly didnt explain myself too well in my first post lol

i suppose basicly what im asking is what do you guys think is the best scope (OTA) that you can get for £400 and would i see thing a lot clearer through it than i would through my evostar ?

good point about the 10" on the eq5 i didnt give that a thought.

im going to check out FLO now

thanks guys

[ollypenrice]

I would suggest that your 120 achromat is pretty darned good as a visual instrument. I once had a clone badged as a Konus and thought it did very well indeed. Indeed I still have a 150 version amidst some more exotic glass. Personally I would not expect all that much more from an 8 inch Newt or 6 inch Mak than you have already. More light grasp, yes, but less contrast. Before you make a decision I would think a trip to an astrosoc or star party would be in order to have a look through some scopes. Assuming you have the longer focal length version, not the very colour-fringed Startravel one, I would prefer it to either of the scopes you mention. The long focal length of the Mak would leave me feeling very boxed in other than on the planets. A good 8 inch Newt is more versatile, I would say.

I had the 120 at the same time as an 8 inch SCT and preferred it, quite honestly.

Image shift is nothing to worry about unless you are imaging. It just means that as you focus by moving the primary on a catadiaptric the target shifts in the field of view.

Drives you nuts while imaging but not while using an EP.

Olly

[InterGalacticTez]

Haha thanks olly youve really got me thinking now lol

do i actually need another scope or am i just being kinda greedy thinking if i spend a bit more i will see more

i live pretty close to the sussex astronomy centre who i now hold regular star party so yeah thats a good idea, i'll proberbly be best going along and having a look to see wich is best for me.

it's all very confusing thank god for you guy's

oh yeah it's the long focal length one i have olly btw

thank's again for all this advice

[ollypenrice]

You sound to me like a man who is going to like what he sees in a 12 inch Dob...

Olly

[InterGalacticTez]

Funny you should say that ive been looking at the 10" skyliner.

Think i'll keep what ive got instead of selling it, get a couple of decent E.P's and then just save for the skyliner that way ive got both bases coverd.