Question on first scope purchase

[Neilius]

Welcome to SGL, Canyouguess!

The thing with this hobby is that its addictive! I bought a Celestron Astromaster 130 eq in November and today got a Skywatcher 200P eq5. 2 scopes in 4 months! I won't be making anymore big purchases though. Unless 6 lucky numbers come out tomorrow night!lol!

[phw26]

Hi, from one newbie to another welcome.

I have just bought a Skywatcher 130P EQ2 and am very happy with it. The mount was a bit strange to use at first ended getting my arms in knots but soon got the hang of it. I have fitted and used the motor a couple of times without any difficulty. Fitting the scope to the mount and balancing is straightforward.

When choosing to by a scope I considered a goto mount, but thought that would not help me find my way round the sky, just pressing a button and go. Doing it manualy I think is the best way to learn the skys. Hope this helps.

[brantuk]

Didn't read the whole thread cos it's a tad long. My advice would be to get an EQ mount s/h (eg the EQ5 or CG-5) which will be upgradeable for photography later and is a good solid mount. Cost around £100 s/h for about 1yr old).

Put a motor or goto on it later but learn the sky in the meantime. The 150PL ota would be great on one of those mounts

[malc-c]

Malc- c

Are you good at fishing?

Funny you should say that.....

Thing is after this you will tell me that the 200 is the way to go :-)

Ideally the way to go is for us all to have 24", 30" scopes on PE mounts , but then not all of us have the £50K budget for that... and then we would probably want the upgrade XYZ when it came out...

Yes the 200P is nice, but it's out of your budget when new - around £385 without drives. However, if I was starting out, had £200 in my pocket and looking for a scope, I would beg borrow or steal that extra £50 and get the 150P / 150PL on the EQ3-2 mount. It is, IMO the better option over the 130P. As the actress said to the bishop, "that extra inch makes all the difference"

Ideally a second hand one to come well in on budget would be a dream. For now though I guess I will consider saving a few more pennies. I do have to think about the baby on the way though...

Yes there are bargains to be had... but it's a case of being in the right place, at the right time, plus you might have to travel miles to go and collect as most don't / can't offer a postage service. Any of the main agents such as FLO and from personal experience Rother Valley Optics are great business to deal with, and have some of the keenest pricing around. Plus, although hopefully you won't need it, a new scope comes with a 12 months warranty

Best of luck with the baby.. I remember what it's like "nest building" when our 1st came along... but (although your partner might not agree) there is no need to buy the top of the range GT version pram as the baby will be too young to appreciate the bells and whistles it has, and will soon outgrow it leaving it to gather dust ready for the next one - buy a basic pram and invest what you would of spent on something practical... like the 150P

[sixela]

True... same price and around half a meter more tube

Which is why I certainly don't prefer it, because it taxes the mount even more (frankly, I prefer 150mm Newts on a CG5/EQ5, but that's outside of the budget. Even though the NEQ3 with heavy duty steel tripod isn't bad either, but sadly all the bundles have the lighter aluminium tripod).

Especially if you want to dip your toes in DSO photography, the PL's longer focal length is also a hindrance. You can turn a fast Newt into a slow one with a barlow, but the reverse is for all practical purposes a lot harder.

I'll grant that planetary webcamming is a little easier on the PL - it's easier to focus and you need less strong a barlow.

[ralph1245]

I'm happy with my explorer 130, though I would have liked the '150' - the old budgetry restraints (9now where have I heard that before ? G.Brown/G.Osborne) being a pensioner dictated the 130. and had my first light tonight after what seems likes weeks of rain/cloud - brilliant clear (but cold) night

[Canyouguesswhoitisyet]

Thanks Malc-c, Nice catch. Where my wife comes from they eat them for Christmas dinner!! (Czech)

I am tempted on the 150 but really not sure I can stretch that far. With the 130 I can still buy extras like the pollution filter, motor and some better lenses. I also need to purchase turn left at Orion.

However I am going to think it over the next couple of days and see

[gedmac]

Malc- c

Thing is after this you will tell me that the 200 is the way to go :-)

i will if malc wont:D

just kidding,my humble 2 penneth would suggest a few more posts will get you into the for sale section.nearly always some very nice starter scopes of the typesize you are considering.best of luck with the new arrival and also hope you find your dream piece of kit;)

[Canyouguesswhoitisyet]

Cheers Gedmac

I have been thinking about the sale section. However you need 50 posts and be a member for a month. I am wishing I joined when I first started browsing the site as a guest :-(

I have been looking on fleebay but its been a while since anything worth having has came on there. The ones that do are always too far to travel to collect.

Time is of the essence for me now as every month counts... I doubt I will have as much time when the little one arrives. All those sleepiness nights with no chance of using the scope.

[malc-c]

I am tempted on the 150 but really not sure I can stretch that far. With the 130 I can still buy extras like the pollution filter, motor and some better lenses. I also need to purchase turn left at Orion.

However I am going to think it over the next couple of days and see

To be honest, I think you will be making a big mistake, going down that route. I would strongly suggest you get an 200P on an EQ-5 mount

Sorry - seriously, I think you approach will soon disappoint you. The EQ3-2 mount is far more suited to being driven in both axis, it's far more suited for taking images of the moon, planets and with the right gear under the right conditions, some excellent images of bright DSO's. Yes, it's more money, but you don't have to have everything in one go. Get the basic 150P on the EQ3-2, then next month or when funds permit purchase the motor drives (around £90). Also the EQ2 only has a single motor so you can only drive on the RA axis, which means you would have to have the scope very well aligned on the polar axis, which is hard to do with an EQ2 mount as you can't fit an optional polefinder scope (which you can on the EQ3-2).

It's £50 more than the 130. You get a far more capable scope, a far more stable scope, and something that IMO suit you requirements better. BUT - this is my opinion, and the final decision has to be you own choice.... If you can pop along to a retail that has both models in stock and compare them side by side, maybe even strike a deal for cash or get them to throw in a few accessories...

[GazofCorra]

Hi,

I am new to astronomy also and having read a few posts i would suggest you have a scope for visual observation to start with at least until you know you enjoy it.

You will hear a lot of comments like "the best scope to buy is the one that gets used" and that is so true.

Here is my thoughts on the matter, what is the most common reason for quitting any hobby 1. you have no idea how, why or what you are doing...... 2. You get bored of it, and it will be a combination of both that will kill of astronomy if you get it wrong from the outset.

I have visually been an astronomer until now with my eyes only and enjoyed it, i then bought some decent binoculars to get better views (but looking to the sky with binos unsupported is tricky) as the image bounces around, finally bought my first scope and my thoughts were that it had to be a good value scope from a reputable company, it had to be portable as i want to take it away when we go off caravannig and finally it had to be easy to use.

I know a few constellations and other little bits but have no idea what 99.9% of the other stufff is, so i knew straight away that if i could not find certain object then i would loose interest quickly, so i have bought a Meade ETX80 GoTo scope as this will find the objects that i want to see and i will be learning at the same time, so eventually i could upgrade to a bigger/better scope as by then i will be more knowledgable and know my way around the stars a bit better, but i could still keep my Meade ETX80 as my travel scope as it is compact and light, where as some scopes are large and extremely heavy and not ideal for bunging in the back of the car.

I hope this helps.

Gaz

[manny*]

Hi and welcome to the SGL.

I am super new to this ‘’star;; business. I did research for about 3 months, to decide what scope to buy.

Should I buy 130p 150 200p 0n EQ5 mount reflector or 80 102 120 refractor. Just crazy.

Well I had £200 budget and wife ( also Czech J ) that would not let me go over it....... she is a good insurance policy that i will not go crazy.

Well I found second hand 130p on EQ2 mount with motor and extra case with 4 lenses and it cost me £120.

The scope is in new condition. It was hardly used. Just had it for a week and it is very nice scope indeed.

The setup is very easy, scope very portable and you will see loads and loads with it.

I love my scope.

On the end of the day all the scopes are doing the same J

No matter which scope will you get you will love it.

Manny

[thesatanbug]

It's no surprise the 150P on EQ3-2 is the scope of choice for a good number of new recruits to astronomy. It is big enough to give good views of the planets and can handle deep space. The EQ mount is steady but not too heavy to carry out into the garden and set up when conditions permit. You can add goto later as has been said.

And last but not least, has a ready secondhand market if you decide this hobby is not for you. Not the main reason you should pick a scope, but worth thinking about. The same argument holds, should you get the bug and wish to upgrade.