Jump to content

First Scope


Recommended Posts

Hey, finally got some money to spend and here's the situation: my house is practically surrounded by streetlights, and the area i live in isn't exactly what you'd call clear, but there are one or two spots i could go to, which leads to my first requirement: portability. Not hugely bothered about weight, but i do need to be able to pick it up and walk for maybe ten minutes with it. Obviously decent quality is important, but another area i'm interested in is astrophotography, which kind of confuses me a bit. I'm planning on getting a Nikon D40 soon, so the obvious solution would be to use that. However, most scopes i've been looking at are dobs, and i'm not entirely sure what that means for their photographic capabilities.

So a few choices, less than £200...

Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P - cheapest, most portable but smaller mirror and doesn't seem to be good for photography. Also, exposed secondary might not be a good idea with the amount of light polution.

Sky-Watcher Skyliner-150P - most expensive, but best optical capability. Size would be good for 'showing off' (i know, i know :p ). Seems to come with a DSLR mount, does this mean it's suited to astrophotography?

Celestron Astromaster 130EQ-MD - looks to have the worst build quality of the three, but from what i can gather the EQ mount and motor can come in useful for astrophotography. Would seem to make it harder to use however.

So... thoughts? I would be leaning towards the 150P but that would leave little/no money left for accessories and i'm unsure as to it's photographic capabilities. Is it a matter of being able to do long exposures? Thanks for any help/advice! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Simple answer: Dobsonian's are no use for astrophotography.

You need a scope on an equitorial mount for astrophotography, and the mount has to be motorised to track accurately the object you are photographing.

The mount has to be pretty stable also. Most suggest a start point of an HEQ5 which with a set of motors is more then £200 for just the mount.

Where about are you? (Didn't look to see if you have supplied a location) Find a club, ask if anyone does astrophotography and pay the club a visit. A good astrophotography kit costs several thousands.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No scope does it all and if you try to buy one that does you'll be disappointed. Buy a nice scope for visual observing and learn the sky. Have some fun. Later, if you still want to do AP and you'll be in a better position to know what kit you want. AP kit is A) heavy and ;) expensive. You can lug a Dob to a dark site much more easily than a load of AP kit.

I refer you to this post:

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/127805-ive-got-astro-blues.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So forget about astrophotography for now, essentially? Which would pit it between the two dobs. The 130P is more portable, cheaper, but has a smaller mirror and the 150P is more expensive but has a bigger mirror, and as we all know - bigger is better! ;)

Unless there's anything better for the price? I've had a look second hand but i can't seem to find anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well i just found this:

Homepage - Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2

Which i may be able to stretch to, but that just further adds to the problem :)

Herritage 130:

Cheapest

Most Portable

Easy to use

Worst Optics

Skyliner 150P:

Decent price

Reasonably portable

Easy to use

Longer focal length?

Slightly larger mirror?

Explorer 150P:

Best mount, would be able to reuse

Potential for astrophotography later down the line

Better focuser?

Included barlow

Harder to use

Most expensive, but seemingly good value

Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Umadog's advice is spot on - especially with budget being an issue. Id say forget imaging till you have enough experience and concentrate on observing and learning the sky.

If you can stretch to the 150P Eq 3-2 that would be an excellent choice - otherwise a 150P Dobsonian is well under budget and ideal for you. The eq mount can be upgraded with a tracking motor later, and a webcam, for snapping the planets/moon - but not the dobsonian.

But by the time you get round to choosing imaging gear proper, your sights will be much higher (and so too budget). The mount alone will set you back circa £800 :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its a good scope m8. i have the Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 150PL EQ3-2 same price as the 150p, but is better suited for imaging planets etc from what i understand, because of the extra focal length.

was watching saturn and jupiter through it only yesterday, also spent an hour on M42 orion nebula with it, so all in all a great scope, but as i said, for deepspace objects i would go for the 150p over the PL, for planetary 150PL all the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to say if you are planning on walking to your destination you want something light. that means the heritage which is actually a pretty good scope. or maybe a 2nd hand refractor on a alt az mount or a mak 127 2nd hand on an alt az mount. a 150p and mount is not something I would like to lug around. its perfectly portable from the lounge to the garden or car to set up site but 10 min walk. I use a nexstar 5 which maybe a little lighter but thats still the best part of 40lbs its not a comfortable walk and then of course theres the size of it. yes its not huge but if you include the mount as well thats a substantial package. and as for imaging the only thing that comes close as a portable imaging set up is astrotrac or neq3 with VERY small scopes on it. imo the best portable cheap scope on the market is the heritage dob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well would the 150p dob be easier to carry than the EQ3-2 version? I notice it has a handle, what does it weigh? I'm not exactly unfit... i'm rather concerned that, since there's a lot of light pollution in my area, the exposed secondary on the heritage might not be a good idea. What are the differences optically between them?

Also, with the heritage being so small, would that not make it somewhat harder to use? Not big enough to stand or kneel with it but too big to bring a chair...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

theres no doubt the 150p has the better optics and as to how far you have to travel obviously you know better than I. the 150p dob is actually quite light but its still big enough to be awkward for walking with. there are a couple of wheelchair users who have the 130p dob and I imagine it would be usable from one of these camping chairs. But if you are sure you can manage it the 150p is better. And you are of course correct that its a little more lp proof

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.