8"Dob 6Se 8"Dob 6se 8"Dob 6se

[Orion_the_Hunter]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

In the end, I followed my heart (and wallet) and ordered a solid tube 8" Dob.

I worked out that from my S/SW facing balcony there are loads of DSO visible, and just couldn't resist.

Once again, thanks to everyone who has helped me and put up with my daft questions & ever changing mind.

[GazofCorra]

I have the same dilema, do i buy the Celestron 6SE or the SkyWatcher Skyliner 200P and based on my post HERE and the poll that i have running the SW Skyliner 200P comes 1st with 51% of the votes and the Celestron 6SE came 2nd with 29%.

Finally i was set on buying the 6SE due to it's GoTo capability and the fact that it is easier to transport and it seems it does not need to be collimated to often.

But i still have not purchased yet as something in my head keeps on saying buy the 200P it is less than half the price of the 6SE and then i can spend the difference on eyepieces, filters etc....The 200P does not need batteries or a powertank, it is portable and is better suited to DSO's and planetry viewing.

I will miss the GoTo of the 6SE, but i can learn my way around the sky with stellarium, maps & a planispere, ummmmm what am i to do.

[Orion_the_Hunter]

I will miss the GoTo of the 6SE, but i can learn my way around the sky with stellarium, maps & a planispere, ummmmm what am i to do.

In the end, I decided that as this is a long-term hobby, part of the fun would be finding objects myself. I thought A) I may become bored quickly if I find everything too soon. & It will be better to be able to see more & find them myself than it would be to see less but have a computer find them for me. (Does that make sense)?

If it takes 10 years to find all the Messier objecs myself, that's a long term thing which I am less likely to get bored of because I did it too quickly.

And as I think I mentioned before, I think I'm going to have MANY nights/years of just easily scanning the sky. That's what I love about the Dob.

HTH

Ed

P.S. I'm glad I didn't get tracking; nudging is pretty easy. & Don't worry about the dark art of collimation. Once you've done it the first time, this is also pretty easy.

[vulcan]

I have a 6se and I love it. It is light and compact (the optical tube) but the mount is fairly hefty. Transporting it on a mobility scooter...hmmmm! If you want to view DSOs, I would recommend a focal reducer which reduces the focal length and provides an increased aperture (f10 > f6.3). Power tank is essential as the batteries just don't have the current draw necessary and last no time. The viewing angle requires you to look down on the eyepiece (with the supplied start diagonal installed). You could use it without the star diagonal (but the image will be upside down). Or maybe a 45° diagonal would help. On Sunday night, I saw Saturn (for the first time) through it along with its rings and moons. Totally awesome!

[GazofCorra]

I agree that both of these scopes are very good indeed and it will probably come down to one or two things that may influence which one you purchase.

1. You only know a limited amount of stars/constellations (or none at all) and you do not have much of an idea of where to look or what you are looking at - then i would go for the 6SE as the GoTo function will get you viewing hard to find objects quicker as well as teaching you where and what you are looking at (most of the time).

2. You are not too interested in learning what stars & constellations are where, as you just want to get viewing with the least amount of effort and do not want to wait - again the 6SE fits the bill.

3. You want a bigger aperture for more light gathering and want to learn through books etc, where and what lies above us and you also like the idea of searching random area's of sky looking for that next super find to get your name on - the SW dobsonian 200P is a great choice.

4. With the money the 6SE costs a fair share of this is for the computer GoTo system and the tripod, so you are not getting £700 of quality optics, but the £300 SW 200P is a basic design that simply works, so alot of the money you spent to purchase this scope has gone on the optics and allows you to spend the savings on quality eyepieces and filters.

Maybe eventually i could have one of both, but for now the SW200P seems to fit my needs and offers me quality viewing at a reasonable price.

[dazarooney]

I have a 6se and I love it. It is light and compact (the optical tube) but the mount is fairly hefty. Transporting it on a mobility scooter...hmmmm! If you want to view DSOs, I would recommend a focal reducer which reduces the focal length and provides an increased aperture (f10 > f6.3). Power tank is essential as the batteries just don't have the current draw necessary and last no time. The viewing angle requires you to look down on the eyepiece (with the supplied start diagonal installed). You could use it without the star diagonal (but the image will be upside down). Or maybe a 45° diagonal would help. On Sunday night, I saw Saturn (for the first time) through it along with its rings and moons. Totally awesome!

Yeah I couldn't agree more.