New Scope

[vfr]

Hi Thinking of getting a reflector 8in or 6in for DOS. Looking at a Tal .or Skywatcher. or Orion Europa. looking to pay about £600. are they all

the same . Can any one recommend one. Thanks.

[GordonCopestake]

The Orion Optics Europas will be of a much higher optical quality than the others, but you will pay a lot more.

For £600 you can buy a lot of 'scope. For DSO's(?) you might prefer to go for a 12" dob: http://tinyurl.com/c45xy for only £469

If you need a complete setup including EQ mount however the 8" Europa in it's f/6 variety will serve you well. http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/acatalog/Europa.html

The Vixen GP mount is excellent but be aware that it is manual and not motor driven, although this can be added at a later date for a cost.

If you want motors and tracking then i would consider the 8" Skywatcher explorer on a HEQ5 mount: http://www.sherwoods-photo.co.uk/sky_watcher/skywatcher_fs.html for £540. The 'scope will work well and the mount can be used for other OTA's should you wish to change direction at a later date.

[daz]

vfr - See Nick Smith's advert in the Buy Sell section