Dob or EQ

[sbooder]

Hi All,

I will soon be in a position to buy an upgrade to replace my Orion Optics UK GX250 on the EQ5 Dual Axis Drives.

The two options I am looking at are the Skywatcher Explorer 300P DS NEQ6 PRO or a Skywatcher Skyliner 400P FlexTube GOTO Dob.

I know there are a lot of Dob fans on the SGL and would like some feedback on GOTO Dobs, are they any good and what are the photography drawbacks?

So what would be the preferred choice with you all? I am a EQ fan but I would really like more aperture, and obviously you get more bang for your bucks (to use an American vernacular) and I suppose Dobs of a larger size are more manageable.

Thanks for any help.

[CGolder]

I have heard a lot that the 300p is a bit much for the eq6, not only the size but viewing at the zenith can be somewhat difficult... might be worth seeing one being taking the plunge

[brianb]

Goto Dobs do not track particularly accurately, certainly not well enough for DSO imaging, and like all altaz systems field rotation can be a significant issue.

At high power even for visual work I'd far rather have an equatorial ... of course there is the portability factor to take into account ...

I think you might find that the Skywatcher optics are rather less accurate than your Orion Optics UK scope. Do think about whether this might be an issue ... if you're after low / medium power light bucket performance, it probably doesn't matter much, but the OO scopes will usually show their superiority at high power especially on difficult targets (Mars, Jupiter).

[Moonshane]

I have no experience of goto (or even tracking) dobs but for me there's no doubt that aperture generally wins.

As you have a 10" currently I'd say you'd need to jump to 14" at least to see a major jump in light gathering and fear you'd be 'disappointed' with the 10"-12" jump.

This is the main reason I am considering 18" rather than 16" for my own next jump (and last).

[solo]

Hi Simon,

When I bought my 8" newt I asked the same question - dob or eq - so I bought the dob and converted it so I could switch quickly from one to the other. It might be a different ball game with a 12" though.

[nicnac]

thats a good way round the matter John

[sbooder]

On the 12" zenith problem, I would probably mount the EQ6 on my pedestal to solve that problem. I have too heard that the EQ6 is lacking in stability for imaging, but I am not sure there is any other mount on the market with the EQ6 capacity for a similar price?

The other option is to upgrade to the new OO VX12 at only 14kg compared to the 21kg of the Skywatcher and have that on the EQ6, but will increase the budget by a grand; I would have to wait another year but it might be worth it.

[sixela]

At high power even for visual work I'd far rather have an equatorial ...

For an 8" scope, yes. For a 16" scope? Probably not.

[sixela]

On the 12" zenith problem, I would probably mount the EQ6 on my pedestal to solve that problem. I have too heard that the EQ6 is lacking in stability for imaging, but I am not sure there is any other mount on the market with the EQ6 capacity for a similar price?

Unfortunately, they haven't found a way to square the circle.

But if you want to photograph, may I ask why you're so adamant you want a huge scope?

The other option is to upgrade to the new OO VX12 at only 14kg compared to the 21kg of the Skywatcher and have that on the EQ6,

That's still a stretch. Stick to something like a 10" Newt or an 11" SCT (with a reducer) on that mount and you'll be a lot happier, in my opinion.

Or get more than one scope, if you really want large aperture for visual observation and a photography platform; that would also let you select the photography platform with the right focal length for what you're trying to image, rather than something that is a compromise. And if you have an auto guiding setup, it gives you a second scope to observe with while the photo platform takes its subs.

[sbooder]

I am not that into photography, most of my nights are purely visual, but I may want to do some imaging now and again. I can not afford two scopes so my OO GX250 will make up some of the budget for the new scope. I like newts, I have tried others like the Meade 8" LX55 but I do not think the visual image of an SCT is as good as a well aligned newt (with good optics that is).