small refractor vs spotting scope as 2nd scope

[eifionglyn]

Hello,

I've been peering at the night sky though my Skywatcher 200p on an EQ5 for about a year, and now have around £200 to spend.

So I'm after a more protable scope that I can take with me caravaning or just for a quick grab-and-go when there's a break in the clouds, but one that can also be used for daytime terrestrial use, nature watching, airshows etc.

I'm undecided between a small refractor, something like the Skywatcher startravel 102mm on an alt-az mount with an erecting diagonal, or a spotting scope of similar size.

Any thoughts on which would be the better option?

[nightfisher]

an st102 would make a great second "grab an go" second scope but they have limitations, great for widefield low power work, not so good for planet and lunar

[ollypenrice]

I would spot with an astro scope rather than astro with a spotter, if you see what I mean. Spotters are funny shapes and hard to sight along, have different EPs and often a 45 deg viewing angle, which is fine for spotting. But you can pick up a 45 deg prism for peanuts and use it in a small astro scope. That is what I do.

I would go up on the ST range into a small doublet apo or semi apo. The IKI 70 here is fifty quid over budget but is an ED scope with imaging potential etc.

Refractors from Ian King Imaging

Also there is the used market. I bought a TeleVue Pronto (around a thousand pounds in the nineties) for about 200 pounds. Now that really is a great little scope.

Olly