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What Budget Refractor?

Phil Fargaze

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Phil Fargaze

Phil Fargaze

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I am considering a decent refractor for viewing the planets on a budget of £250. It could be with an EQ mount or without because I have an old meade undriven EQ mount I could use. A driven mount would be nice but probably stretching it a bit. I noticed the Celestron Omni XLT 102 on offer at First Light Optics, but I am no nearer to making a decision! :) Any knowledgeable advice welcome.

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F15Rules

F15Rules

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Hi Phil,

The Omni looks like a great buy at the moment with a mount included..

Also worth considering is my favourite modern achromat, the Tal 100RS..the OTA only costs around £240 new, but includes tube rings, great 6x30mm finder, Tal diagonal (good quality) and two eyepieces, the 25mm which is fabulous and a 6.3mm which is ok.

This scope also has very good internal baffling and a long plastic dewshield (less likely to dew up than a metal one) and also has a really nice, smooth 2" focuser with 1.25" adapter.

All in all a good package, within your budget if you have a mount you can use..

Pic attached for your interest. The 100RS is at the front, its big brother the 125R is behind it..

HTH

Dave

post-16698-13387742206_thumb.jpg

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neil phillips

neil phillips

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I agree. Brian great minds think alike. I do get the feeling performance isnt just it for a lot of folk though. Other issues do sometimes mean as much. Possibly things like hating collimation, cooldown ect. some people just want a refractor because there nice and simple to set up and use. cant really argue with that. Hell putting it like that i want one now lol. Those Tals look nice i prefer the bigger one thank you.

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Phil Fargaze

Phil Fargaze

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Brianb, I never thought an f8 newt could be better than a refractor. Also I like the thought of no collimination as Neil says. Nickh, I have seen the Mak for sale and it is playing on my mind, I just need it to be `sold` to me by some sweet talking.

I used to have a refractor, many years ago, a Tasco, but I sold it. It did me a good service. I had some great adventures with that, exploring the solar system and seeing how high I could take the magnification.

So now I am faced with a refractor, mak, or newt!

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NickH

NickH

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Kept outside in a suitable room and then with a £30 fan cooler...

Agree that they do take some time to cool down (we fitted the 14" one in Spain with 3 fans)...don't keep it inside, that's for sure

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NickH

NickH

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The nice thing about the 7-8 inc class compound scopes is they are quick to set up. I miss my C8 to be honest... the C11 is a light bucket for sure, but can be a pain to set up..

That scope has had some excellent reviews from people I trust implicitly...can't say more than that

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brianb

brianb

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the C11 is a light bucket for sure, but can be a pain to set up..

Hmmm, I don't find my CPC1100 much more of a pain than the 8" LX90 I used to have ... a bit heavier but still manageable, and I'm no superman. And the extra light grasp & resolution make it worth the effort.

We're drifting away from "budget refractors" though.

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NickH

NickH

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CPC is on the fork mount...? I agree, much easier than dropping the C11 into a Losmandy head on your tod in -5c :-)

Well worth it though...you're right

Back on topic though...I think the Mak is looking likely to find a new home

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F15Rules

F15Rules

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Some interesting different thoughts and preferences, all valid.

The original question was "budget refractors", so I thought that the other types had maybe been considered and dismissed...

The Mak would be my second choice to a refractor due to their compactness and lack of collimation & mirror maintenance issues.. I had an OMC140 for a while, it was a fabulous scope and made in the UK too!.. the only issue I had with it was the cooldown time. I keep my scopes outside and even so in September temperatures it was taking a good hour to cool down...often, I only have an hour to get out then back in, so I want something which cools very quickly. Hence the frac.

I don't doubt what BrianB says about the Newt, I simply don't have any experience of using one so can't pass a comment.

Decisions, decisions..

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JAO

JAO

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Maks do have cooling issues but careful storage and appropriate time to cool can be well worth the effort. There are in my view few telescope designs that give such good contrast without remorgaging. But as said earlier they aren't budget refractors.

Adrian

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NickH

NickH

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Had I not just shelled out on the TMB, I would have probably snapped up this Mak...using them in Spain (have an observatory project down there), they are quite simply exceptional for contrast and planetary work. Cool down can be managed (we have a 14" Intes Mak in Southern Spain, which has 3 fans on it to keep it cool).

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russ

russ

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I have a Newt (dob) and an SCT, both the same aperture. I simply couldn't live with just a compound scope (SCT/Mak). There characteristics (cool down, setup) mean quick unplanned sessions are a no no. Can't wake up in the morning 30mins before work, spot a clear sky and then go for it. The SCT (and Mak) simply won't perform.

The Newt on the other hand lives in the shed, sets up in 30secs and is usuable in 5-15mins. Perfect.

The SCT is for my planned sessions, for prolonged viewing of the moon and planets. And i love it. But it lives indoors (i worry about moisture in the tube).

6" f8 newt would be the business for the planets. Had one (Skywatcher 150PL), loved it! You could even buy the dob the version and a set of rings/dovetail. Give you two setup options.

Russ

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Phil Fargaze

Phil Fargaze

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The funny thing is, since starting this thread I was looking for a refractor, or in other words a good scope for planetary viewing. Then a delicious mak is for sale which has me drifting and tempting me to blow the budget. Russ said about keeping a Mak in the shed/observatory, is that not a good thing then because of moisture? I was thinking if I had a mak I would keep it in the observatory which shouldn`t be too far below ambient temp. I havn`t got my head onto investigating a long f ratio newt yet, but I probably will soon.

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