Starter Telescope

[GazOC]

To each his own, I've had GOTO and non-GOTO scopes and I can certainly see the attraction in GOTOs esp. when time is at a premium but I also find that one of the main sources of enjoyment/ satisfaction I get from the hobby is knowing how to find an object myself.

[ZOG]

I have a 130pm from First Light Optics. The scope is easy to set up and comes with 10mm and 25mm eyepieces. It has performed very well for me, I have only been doing this for 3 months. My problem is, because I work nightshift I get limited scope time so I have the Skywatcher OTA mounted on a SLT GOTO mount and they work happily together. Its all down to budget and if £200 is your max I would definitely go for the 130pm.

[kidda]

For any newbie I would recommend a GOTO scope. So many I know have been put off by the difficulty in finding objects in space. A GOTO does not only find these for you (4000 aprox. ) but gives information of what you are looking at. It also only looks for objects, on a tour setting . that are in the sky at the time of looking. I operate a 8" GOTO but have also a Celestron 102 SLT GOTO for taking away on my breaks. These retail at £299.00 but can be found at a discount price of £245.00. Well Worth the extra £45.00 on your budget

Hi, I'm new here and thinking about getting a 102 slt would you mind letting me know were to find them for £245. Also may be a silly question but can you use that scope for land viewing (is the image the right way up?) or would you need to get something extra to invert the image?

Cheers

[FLO]

After SGL discount, the price is within a gnat's whisker of £245.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=slt102

You would need to purchase an erect-image diagonal for terrestrial viewing.

Unfortunately, SLTs sold out before Xmas and won't be available again until around mid-Jan.

[Andrew*]

there's been an ad on astro buy and sell. I emailed the guy, adn this is what I got back. This is the Celestron 102 SLT. I don't know if that's a different thing althogether...

Hi,

I've got the Celestron 102slt still for sale it is complete (as listed below - mount, goto, EP's, finder etc) with an additional x2 barlow and a 10mm EP of a higher quality instead of the 9mm it came with, coupled with the barlow it works really well (x60 and x130) and shows saturn to an acceptable standard (bearing in mind its a wide field scope and not really intended for planets), which it didn't with the original 9mm! I've found x100 to be about right for Saturn on most nights and push it to x200 on the very best seeing conditions. So x132 works well.

On the flipside, wide field views are excellent and what this scope was really designed for.

The goto works very well indeed and has been a godsend, its a doddle to setup and doesn't even need to be polar aligned but does need to be level.

Its in excellent condition and has been well looked after, I've still got it becuase people have been offering me daft money around the £100 mark whereas I think £175 is reasonable....

HTH.

Andrew

[kidda]

wow, thanks for the fast replies!

What do you reckon to this scope?

I have a Tal 1 at the moment 4.5" reflector, to be honest it doesn't get much use its a pain to set up and heavy, I'm a real begginer I've had some lovely views of Saturn with it. I really like the idea of a goto scope, I don't have much spare time and I used to spend ages looking for stuff on the Tal and not even knowing if I was looking in the right place! We moved recently to the countryside and theres some lovely dark skies so it's wet my appetite again!

Will this scope give me similar views or better worse?

Are there any other scopes around this price I should be looking at?

Any help appreciated!

[FLO]

The Tal1 is perhaps the most under-rated starter-scope bar none. For the price, optically and mechanically, it is superb!

http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/documents/65.pdf

I doubt you will get views as good thru the SLT102 but you might have more fun using it...

[SteelRat]

For the price, optically and mechanically, it is superb!

I'll probably need to get-my-coat (again) but I REALLY have to agree there Kidda. It's a great scope. I have one of these little beauties myself now. My favourite image of the moon was taken with this scope - see; Moon with Tal1 and Samsung phone (ii) in the Unconventional imaging section. The pedestal and mount are very stable, the finder is a treat, build quality is fantastic and so far every object I have used it on has been as I hoped - and seeing permitted - better. Not sure if I'd have felt the same way if it'd been my first scope - can appreciate it now though.

Being of only 110mm it's never going to be a truly awesome DSO scope. I can't imagine being able to heft a HEQ5pro around so I have often entertained the idea of giving a 102/130SLT a go - never had a GOTO before - but with my skies and orange floodlit garden (soon to be rectified ) I suspect that many objects selected that I haven't already found might just still look like an emptyish patch of sky - you'd probably get on better with your newly aquired dark skies though lucky so n so

[MartinB]

The Tal 1 is a superb scope Kidda. All you need to do is get a telrad finder and learn how to use it with charts or planetary software. Lots of people here who can help you with this. Or learn how to use setting circles, again plenty of help with this. This is the scope I was using 1 year ago as a complete novice and once I had got the knack I could find things pretty quickly. Once I had sussed how to find a target it was actually quicker than goto - no alignment procedure and no being held up whilst the slow noisy motors gradually slew the scope into position.

Everyone is different but you get a lot of quality for the price with the Tal.

[kidda]

I hear what your saying, I just find getting it out set up then not knowing if I'm looking in the right place a pain. I love the idea of being able to grab a scope go outside align it and have a look about with the goto and learning as I go. I know it would be probably better to stick with the Tal and learn it all properly but I just don't get much spare time these days (young family).

The only thing I don't want to do is get a scope and it be a step down from the Tal, the first time I saw Saturn through the Tal was amazing!

[FLO]

The only thing I don't want to do is get a scope and it be a step down from the Tal, the first time I saw Saturn through the Tal was amazing!

The SLT102 does not have the brightness or lack of colour-fringing that your Tal has.

Yes, it will GOTO, but the views won't be as good.

The new 4" Celestron SE might be a better bet, though you will need to wait a while (due in 4-6 weeks) and save some more (expected to sell at £349, less SGL discount 8))

http://www.celestron.com/c2/product.php?CatID=13&ProdID=413

[GordonCopestake]

Isn't the C4 a Mak? Go for the Tal, it's a cracking 'scope. I'm still undecided about GOTO it's a 2 edged sword, and a love/hate relationship hehe

[SteelRat]

I enjoy the hunt TBH

[kidda]

yep I wondered about the 4" Celestron SE I saw it on their website, do you think this would give views closer to or better than my Tal? do they come with eyepieces? can't seem to see on their site. it pushes the budget a bit really.

Maybe I'll dig the Tal out and see how it goes for a few weeks. (if we ever get a clear night)

[GordonCopestake]

The best telescope is the one you actually use!

[SteelRat]

And one you can use OFTEN

[FLO]

Isn't the C4 a Mak? Go for the Tal, it's a cracking 'scope...

He already owns the Tal and is looking for something lightweight and quick to set-up, with GOTO

yep I wondered about the 4" Celestron SE I saw it on their website, do you think this would give views closer to or better than my Tal? do they come with eyepieces?

It is a new model that hasn't been shipped to the UK yet. DHinds are the importer/distributors for Celestron so are already listing them: http://tinyurl.com/yxkaxl

Auntie FLO will list them when they become available.

The 4" SE's Maksutov design has about 70% more focal length (magnification) so is a better Lunar/Planetary telescope than the Tal and its compact size (total weight 21lb) and GOTO is bound to appeal. I would be surprised if it isn't shipped with at least one eyepiece.

Maybe I'll dig the Tal out and see how it goes for a few weeks.

Good idea

You can do a lot of useful astronomy with a Tal 1

(if we ever get a clear night)

Tell me about it

[GordonCopestake]

ahh, my bad

Use the Tal as it is for a bit and learn the skies, if you still want GOTO come back for a CG5-GT mount to put your Tal on

[kidda]

Any news on the availability of the 102 slt and the 4" Celestron SE yet Steve?

One thing I'm confused with (I come from a photography background) the 102 is f6.4 the 4se is f13 my tal is f7.3 so this means to me (as it would be with photography lenses) the 102 will be the brightest followed by the tal then the 4se quite a way behind. Is this correct??

[FLO]

Any news on the availability of the 102 slt and the 4" Celestron SE yet Steve?

The SLT 130 will be available very soon but the SLT 102 isn't expected until early-mid March.

The new 5, 6 and 8" SE models are becoming available as we speak but the 4" is on the same early-mid March shipment.

One thing I'm confused with (I come from a photography background) the 102 is f6.4 the 4se is f13 my tal is f7.3 so this means to me (as it would be with photography lenses) the 102 will be the brightest followed by the tal then the 4se quite a way behind. Is this correct??

Yes, from a photographic point-of-view you are right, exposure times are effected in precisely the same way as they are with photographic lenses. However, when observing, the increase in brightness is less noticeable.

Hope that helps.

[kidda]

Thanks for that!

So the 4se at f13 will still show decent views of fainter objects then?

[FLO]

its 4" aperture and narrow field-of-view will restrict the size and magnitude (brightness) of what you will see. Brighter objects like the Ring and Dumbell nebula will look good, as will the Orion nebula, globular and compact star clusters. Larger objects like the Double Cluster and Andromeda galaxy and fainter objects like the Crab, Veil and many galaxies will be difficult to say the least.

I own a 4" Maksutov myself and use it mainly for planets, Lunar and Solar observing (with a suitable filter) and for its portability.

Can't mention Solar observing without adding: Never observe the Sun without a suitable Solar filter - doing so will cause irreversible eye damage or blindness!

Hope that helps

[kidda]

Thanks I really appreciate the help!

I presume the 4se would be no worse than the 102slt on nebulae etc. or would it?

[FLO]

I presume the 4se would be no worse than the 102slt on nebulae etc. or would it?

The 102 has a much wider FOV so will be better for larger objects but, will be less suitable for objects that benefit from high magnification - planets, globulars, lunar, etc.

The 102 will also have a degree of false colour - brighter objects will have a colour 'fringe', particularly the Moon and planets.

This is very subjective but given that a 4" aperture is never going to excel at deep-sky-objects, given the choice of either a SLT102 or 4SE, I would favour the 4SE and use it for what its best at. Having said that, I would want to see the mount first. Maksutovs are high-power scopes that need a sturdy mount.

Just my opinion.