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Advice - before it's too late!


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Afternoon all,

I've been toying with the idea of buying a 'scope since I bought my DSLR a few years back, and think I'm about ready to take the plunge. Like everything I buy I have tried to find out as much as I can about all of the options, and tried to clearly define what I want from the scope both in the short and long term.

I've set myself a budget of around the £400 mark for the 'scope and mount - accessories I see as a "must have" and will buy them as and when they are needed. Storage space isn't too much of an issue, but versitility is. GoTo and autotracking aren't important at this stage (i'd like to navigate the sky myself and learn to navigate properly, and imaging isn't improtant at this early stage) but as I mentioned the option to add them later is relatively important. I'd be interested in Lunar observation and objects within our solar system, and if possible nebulae and other DSO's (obviously not expecting too much in terms of detail).

The options I seem to have come up with are as follows:

Skywatcher Explorer 130P (EQ2) @ £162

Skywatcher Explorer 150P (EQ3-2) @ £250

Skywatcher Skyhawk 1145P (EQ1) @ £122

Skywatcher Explorer 200P (EQ5) @ £377

Skywatcher Skymax 127 (EQ3-2) @ £352

Skywatcher Skyliner 200P @ £270

Most reviews I read pointed to Skywatcher as a reasonable entry to intermediate-level manufacturer, and they got some favourable reviews from Sky At Night and other publications, so that's where i've concentrated my search. As you can see, the scopes range in terms of type, size and "power" so i'm pretty open to anything.

I'm normally a believer in "you get what you pay for" so I had fully intended to stick as close to the £400 mark as possible as this seems to be the mid-point in the intermediate-classed 'scopes which led me to initially favour the Explorer 200P. My main aim is to not buy what i'll call a "dead 'scope" for the lack of a better phrase i.e. a 'scope package that will greatly limit what I can do/see and will need a total upgrade ('scope and mount) if I decide to change direction slightly. That being said, i've read quite a lot of reviews which seem to favour the Explorer 130 and 150 over the 200, but don't really explain why.

In terms of where i'll be using the scope, I can generally drive for 10-20 minutes and reach a decent observation point with very minimal light pollution assuming I can see the sky at all (aka Scotland) and i've been trying to consider this while reviewing all the potential scopes. Viewing from my house is also an option, but pesky neighbours' lights could cause a problem.

On Monday I was leaning heavily towards the Skyliner Dob, but at double the price is it really worth it when compared to the Explorer 130? Today i'm favouring the 150P, and think that's the one i'll go for, shaving a tidy £150 off my initial budget that I can spend on "toys".

I think the best advice i've read so far is that a bigger scope isn't always better, as the field of view can be much smaller, limiting the viewing of some objects, leading many people to have a smaller scope on hand. I'd hate to purchas the 200P and then need to have a smaller 'scope (the 130 or 150) for other objects, and realise the 200P isn't that good for DSO's or Astrophotography so have to buy a 3rd 'scope!

So, after all that (if you can decypher my thoughts!) what i'm really looking for is somebody to either confirm or correct my logic for selecting the 150P :) Or should i Just stick to my gut reaction and buy the 200P?

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Well the 200P is by far the most capable scope in the list. And in dob form, the easiest to use and setup, despite its extra size. It will prove a capable performer on all targets. And the field of view won't be limited as the focal length is only 1200mm. A nice 2" widefield eyepiece is going to show a fair chunk of sky and with a good amount of light gathering ability, that amounts to a great view of the larger deepsky objects.

You also have option to EQ mount the tube at a later date, should you wish.

The 114 is aperture handicapped.

While the design (small aperture, very long focal length) of the Skymax lends it to solar system views only.

The 130 is a nice scope and leaves you stacks for accessories. But the mount isn't that robust and no where near as easy to use as the dob. It's a good starter scope without investing too much money but it's only a short term stepping stone.

The 200P on the EQ5 is a really nice setup. You then have the option to add some drives later and use the mount for imaging. The Explorer 200P also has a shorter focal length at 1000mm, so wider views possible compared to the Skyliner 200P. Downsides are:

A/ More hassle to setup and use and take down

B/ An F5 scope is more demanding on the eyepieces. Cheap ones will work okay in the f6 Skyliner but really falling away in the f5 Explorer.

C/ Eyepiece can get into some really awkward positions. Which means twisting the tube in the rings. Fine on a summers night but a right pain on a frosty winters night.

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I would agree with the russ's suggestion of the 200p and for me represents the best value for money. It will keep you going for ages without the itch to want to go bigger (...it will need to scratched eventually:D:D) so in the longer term, this choice will save you money!

James

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Unless you intend taking up astrophotography get the Dobsonian, in this case bigger definitely is better, my son has the 8 inch dob and it easily fits in the boot/back seat of a small car, My wife has a 12 inch Lightbridge Dob, this too fits in the boot/backseat of the car due to it's truss design, I know which I prefer using.

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Straight-talking opinions - I like it :)

Looks like i'll go with my gut and get the 200P Dob.

There have been a lot of similar threads asking for advice on suitable scopes for a particular budget, my own included. The main question you need to ask yourself is where you want to be in a few months or years time scope wise. Whilst the DOB mount provides for your needs for visual observing now, when you get the urge to bolt on cameras and try some astrophotograpy it will be a disadvantage compared to a equatorial mount.

Personally, having just ordered an E200P on a EQ-5 pro goto mount for a little over £650 I've opted for something that will last and suit my needs for years to come. I wanted the option of a computer controlled scope for times when I can't observe at the eyepiece (I suffer from a circulation problem which means I can't spend too long outside in cold weather which is likely to get worse as I get older).

Yes you can motorise the DOB mount, but it will suffer from the tube rotation issues all alt/az mounts suffer making long exposures problematical. The result is that you may then face a costly upgrade to an EQ mount or have to PX the scope or sell it to fund an upgrade

But at the end of the day it's your personal choice that matters. We all have differing opinions as we are all different and have different requirements or observing conditions.

Malcolm

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Malcom, there is nothing stopping you from mounting the optical tube from the dob onto an equatorial mount at a later time. In other words should the need to progress to a computerised system be wanted all that would be required would be the mount, my 200p on a computerised equatorial mount is still the same as the 200p on my sons dobsonian mount.

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I was umming and aahhing a lot too when deciding to buy a 'scope. The bets thing I did was to make a decision, and therefore to start to actually look through a telescope (in the end I bought a Skywatcher Heritage 130)

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Yes you can motorise the DOB mount, but it will suffer from the tube rotation issues all alt/az mounts suffer making long exposures problematical. The result is that you may then face a costly upgrade to an EQ mount or have to PX the scope or sell it to fund an upgrade

Or you can just keep an eye out for a secondhand HEQ5 Pro at a later date and re-mount the dob ota on the HEQ5. :)

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Re my comments on the mount: - I agree that it's simple to re-mount the tube on a EQ-5 or similar, and having that option could be the best of both worlds, but at the expense of £400 - £500 if the fully motorised goto option was chosen... but I guess this could be part of an upgrade plan for the telescope project... IF the upgrade was for the HEQ6 then he could always replace the tube assembly for something a lot larger.... etc etc.

The point I was trying to get across (and probably failed :) ) was that sometimes a little more investment at the time of initial purchase could save you having to spend more cash in the long run. I guess it's boils down to my comment about where you want to be is a few years time. For me the 200P is the max rated size for the EQ5 mount... but then I'm not envisaging going any larger so have no need for a HEQ6 mount at this time. I also don't see me building an observatory, so a pillar mount is not needed... Yes I will no doubt get normal accessories like eyepieces etc, but for me what I've bought suits me for the budget I want to spend on the hobby.

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Malc-c : Your last point sums up my thinking exactly - spend now to save later. That said, most people i've spoken to recommend the HEQ5 or the EQ6 mount for photography regardless of scope size, and since ~£130 of the cost of the EQ-mounted 200P is down to the standard EQ5 I kinda see that as a waste if I upgrade to an HEQ5 or EQ6 (which i'm currently planning to do long-term).

I'm ordering whatever scope I settle on this weekend I think so i've got a few days more research time :) Work's been less than productive this week...

Off to drool over more picrures.

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I do see where you are coming from Malc and its a very good argument indeed. Especially if you keep the EQ5. Perhaps remove the 200P for imaging and use a couple of small refractors instead. And the price is good for what you get.

The main argument against it will be that most people bypass the EQ5 once the imaging bug bites and head straight for a HEQ5 or EQ6.

Nothing is ever an easy decision though.

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Well, with the 200P seeming in very short supply in the UK I might take this opportunity to spend a little more money and get a slightly "better" 'scope / package. The search continues...

Uhmm, the dealer I placed the order with was informed that stocks of the 200P would be available in 10-14 days from date of order, so I'm hoping mine is here in a week's time :)

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Yeah, 10-14 days isn't too bad. FLO's supplier/importer are shipping straight to the customer (missing out the middle man) and reckoned delivery some time next week. Not sure about the arrangement though, but will have a think about it.

I'm also slowly going off the Dob. mount and fancying a tripod-type mount more as I cannot guarentee i'll be viewing on a flat surface all of the time.

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Yeah, 10-14 days isn't too bad. FLO's supplier/importer are shipping straight to the customer (missing out the middle man) and reckoned delivery some time next week.

Well on the positive side, at least that shows the importer / disty has stocks available in reasonable time...

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Yeah, it was the scope (not the Dob mount) tha attracted me to the package in the first place. I'm planning to upgrade to an EQ mount once I get used to the scope and work towards an end-goal of imaging.

The help and advice i've received on SGL has been really appreciated.

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