New to scopes - have a couple pre-buying questions

[ravenlight]

Hello -

I am looking to get my first scope. I originally wanted to attach my DSLR to it, but then saw that the cost would be more than I was wanting to spend for right now. After that I decided just a entry level would do me ok to see if I get enough enjoyment and use to justify spending for a really nice motorized mount etc.

Having said that I was looking at the Orion XT8 and XT8i. with the cost difference of about $200 not sure if the gain is enough to justify the cost? I was thinking - if I am willing to spend $200 more would it be better for me to buy optics etc or do you think that I should get the XT8i for ease of use?

Also is there a different scope I should consider at the same price point that XT8(i) is at?

thank you in advanced.

[brantuk]

H Raven - you could have a look at the Skywatcher range of scopes for comparison, but I feel your best move might be to think about what you want to do with a scope and decide on a budget.

Once you've done that then we'd be able to advise on your options a lot more specifically. You can eg start imaging on quite a low budget with a webcam and a few bits of free software. And attaching a dslr to a scope may be as simple as a £15 T-ring of the correct thread.

You'd also benefit from getting out there with a pair of binocs and having a constructive look around under the guidance of a local astro soc, or the center pages of Sky at Night. You'd soon get to know what you want to view in greater detail. A pair of Liddl 10x50's at £13 would be great for that.

Don't rush into your first scope without a bit of background - it can be a bottomless money pit lol.

Hope that helps a bit

[ravenlight]

Thank you Bran -

I am looking for a versatile unit that will allow me to view the nubulas (esp Orion), good views of the planets and the moon etc. My budget for this time is $350 or less. Understanding that I am going to have to invest quite a bit when I make to the move to the big time

[pvaz]

I faced the same dilemma and went with the XT8i because I was starting, I don't have any astro societies in a 1000 miles radius (really I live in a tiny island in Azores) so I wanted to play it safe and make sure I had a fall back plan in case I couldn't find anything myself.

If you live under light polluted skies then the intellisense is useful. I only use it when I don't want to waste time looking for things but usually I prefer to find things myself as it's more enjoyable that way.

I guess in the end it all depends on your personality:

How patient are you?

Do you enjoy reading and do you usually persist on science related stuff till you learn them?

Are you willing to spend 30 min looking for a faint galaxy and not be able to find it? (In the 1st months this happens often, even afterwards when you go to smaller targets.)

If the answer is "no" to any of this then the XT8i will probably suit you best.

[ravenlight]

I guess the XT8i it will be I am not the most patient person in the world

[ravenlight]

I think that I have myself talked out of the XT8i, and going just for the XT8 - both my boys are in to learning and science and space, so what time then to make them learn

When I save to get the one that my camera will attach to I will get the motorized one - sound logical?

[pvaz]

Yeah. Nothing better then to learn from experience. As I said, to me the "i" was a fall back plan and I'm glad I didn't need it. Still it's a nice to have feature but I could live without it.

Anyway those extra 200$ will soon flea away when you start learning about eyepieces.

[ravenlight]

so is there a kit available that gives me everything I need to get started?

[ravenlight]

anyone?

[brantuk]

The Revelation eye piece kit is a reasonable starter quality and includes photo visual accessories. Should get you going for around £100 (maybe £80 ish second hand).

[Astro_Baby]

Before deciding on learning the sky I would seriously advise you work out how much spare time you have. I'd also consider the ages and interests of your children.

A few hours out in the cold finding nothing much while the kids get fed up and decide that astro is really boring has the potnetial to put them off astro for good and lead to large amounts of frustration.

GoTo is often a bone of contention among amateur astronomers. Some will argue that GoTo removes any skill and kills the excitement of finding objects for yourself. Others will argue that GoTo opens up the sky for beginners. Which solution is right is down to the individual.

I have seen beginners start the hobby determined to learn the sky and do without GoTo who have ended up giving up the hobby in frustration. The general poor weather in the UK can limit available nights for seeing and when that is coupled with other commitments ( family, work etc) it can reduce the available time to learn the sky to a bare minimum and lead to a large amount of frustration when you have a large scope but cant ever find anything to look at. Alternately I have seen others start the hobby with GoTo and find that it lacks any thrill. Simply pressing a button and letting the scope do all the work can kill the thrill for some people. Which one is right for you depends on how much time you wish to devote to the hobby.

One thing you should be very clear about though is that GoTo is absolutely NOT like using your home DVD player or other household electronics which are 'automatic'. GoTo nearly always requires a reasonable amount of skill from the user to get it set up correctly.

Don't allow any 'snob' attitudes to dictate your choice on GoTo - be realistic in your expectations of how often you will be using your telescope and budget and buy accordingly. Heaven or Hell with GoTo is a very individual choice and experience.

[sixela]

Just a minor nit: Intelliscope is "Push-To" or more pedantically "digital setting circles". But in practice, for finding objects, it's equivalent.

I have seen beginners start the hobby determined to learn the sky and do without GoTo who have ended up giving up the hobby in frustration.

And I've seen other people throw their ETX-70 to the wolves (second-hand market) because they didn't like to have press oodles of buttons before they could hunt for objects, and because after some time they decided they'd rather invest every penny in the optics.

There's really no way to know what kind of observer you are until you try it, but I agree anyone who's thinks lowly of people using GoTo scopes is simply a snob; I can star hop like the best (I usually play a little game with owners of GoTo scopes on Messier objects and a number of NGC showpieces which I find using just a unit finder well before their scope has slewed to the target, but it's all in good fun) but I have frequently advised people to get digital setting circles or even GoTo (which gives you object location plus tracking).

[F64]

Thanks guys that was useful info for future purchases