What to do?

[oreed]

Well I was all ready and waiting for the arrival of my Nexstar 130 SLT but have just been informed from the supplier that there are none available in the UK form them until March.

Hmmm.... now what, cancel my order? Wait until the Nexstar arrives in March or do I go to one of my other thoughts Explorer 150p EQ mount or spend that bit more and go for the Celestron NexStar 127 SLT??

I'm all ears.

or.... do I wait a month or to save up a bit more and go for a SkyWatcher Skyliner 200P FlexTube Auto ???

[jgs001]

Oliver, that's a tough one to answer, as it'll depend on your overall objectives. The Explorer 150 is probably a better all rounder, the 127 being a long focal length being better for the Moon and Planets, although it'll work for deep sky. I guess it'll also depend on your patience...

[oldfruit]

Hi Oliver, it all boils down to what you think, and if you are prepared to wait that long for your scope.

The Nexstar 130, the Explorer 150 and the Nexstar 127 are all decent scopes in their own right.

What made you choose that particular scope and what did you want to observe with it?

[oreed]

I have been on this merry-go-round on another forum posting. I want to travel with my scope I want to explore both planets and DSO (I am aware that not one scope does all). I would like the option of tracking and I would also like to start basic astrophotography at some time. I settled on the 130 SLT as this seemed to answer most of my criteria.

However, would it be better to go for a slightly bigger scope, such as the Explorer 150p, more substantial tripod/mount i.e. eq3-2 (so that I can fit my DSLR) and eventually buy a GOTO system thats compatible at a later date?

JUst what are the physical dimensions of the EX 150P OAT alone?

[oreed]

I notice you can buy the EX150PDS on an EQ3-2 mount. If I ever upgraded to the EQ3 Pro Synscan mount is this a total different mount or can the GOTO system added onto the same mount?

[jgs001]

This is from the OVL website...The OTA is 18cm x 67.3cm TELESCOPE SUPPLIERS - SKY-WATCHER TELESCOPE

The mount is likely to be the bugbear in this equation. The SLT is not ideal for deep sky imaging, it's an AltAz and a little under weight. Don't get me wrong it'll work and you'll get results with it, I have done that, but it get's irritating that you can't extend your exposure times. The eq3-2 may be a little underweight also for what you want to do with the photography, but again, I've seen some decent results posted. However, even an EQ1 can produce decent images if you keep the focal length short.

Might I suggest for your photographic interest, taking a look at Books - Making Every Photon Count - Steve Richards.

[Orion_the_Hunter]

Hi Oliver

Personally, I would order the 127 slt, get used to the sky & taking some images of planets & Moon. Then, somewhere in the future you will want to save £££ for a bigger scope with an EQ mount (you will need an EQ mount to image DSOs).

But that's just me.

[oreed]

In terms of astrophotography I have seen reasonable results from all scopes mentioned. Obviously shorter shutter speeds would be required for moon and longer speeds for DSO. If I went for a scope without Tracking then DSO astrophotography is out of the question (correct?) as you would otherwise have to manually swing the arm at the correct rotation and possibly for an hour or so.

So I am now thinking of going for the 150PDS on a eq3-2 mount but at some point in the future to upgrade the mount to something like the EQ5 AUTO. So Getting a reasonable scope that I can build around; mount, lens, GOTO, etc.