Added value Skywactcher skyliner 300p over 200p

[ApOpLeXiA]

Heya all, sorry for asking, but i was wondering what the added value of the 300p would be over the 200p ( when used in practice), i know that you will ''catch'' alot more light , but what would the difference be when using it?,

it's 50% more aperture for the 300, but also 220% the price for the auto version ( then maybe upgrading it later to goto as suggested in various posts that you could save money on that!)

to put things in perspective cost wise

200P auto 479 euro

250Px auto 939 euro

300P auto 1195

(above are all flextube), iam leaning towards that again instead of the solid tube version because that has no tracking at all( so also no option to upgrade to goto), and finding objects with my current meade etx80 can be tricky at ''significant mag'' 45-120 x( and putting the barlow off again will cause you to focus like 20 cycles or however u call it:P)

however , i dont have a spotter scope or ever used one , this could make things easier !

also im am counting on either the 200p or 300p to give me a better view of the orion nebula then what i saw through my meade yday!

http://www.buy-telescope.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/M42.jpg

thats pretty much spot on on how i saw it y-day, just a grey smudge with 0 color, can i expect better views with the 200P or 300P?

on a sidenote its not totally clear to me yet if the , Skywatcher explorer 200P, would be a very similar scope as the Skyliner 200P?

is the only difference between a newtonian and dobson the mount?

would the explorer 200P produce nearly the same views as the skyliner 200p? ( it is 1000mm vs 1200 mm focal length , so magnification when using same eyepieces would be different)

Hopefully some of you could help me out with some answers

and hopefully i didnt annoy you guys with my questions

Thanks in advance!

[Beulah]

Hi,

You can expect better views with the 300p, and I highly recommend it. However, the 300p is more unweildy than the 200p, whereas the 200p is literally like a grab n' go scope by comparison. The 300p is a biggun' !!

There are obvious visual benefits with the 300p; for example, your image of M42 would be enhanced a lot more; from my observing site, there is around 20% extra peripheral nebulosity. The Flame Nebula, for example, (just by the star Alnitak in Orion) is a little faint, but with a well defined shape, whilst with the 200p, you have to use averted visual techniques to see it.

When I write of visual benefits, I mean the primary mirror's ability to reflect light. The bigger the mirror, the more light reflected. The magnification malarky can be a grey area....

Of course, this largely depends on the quality of skies.

Plus the fact, if your local light pollution is getting you down, it's no problem to chuck the 200p into a small car and drive to a darker site. A 300p may be a little more challenging in that area.

I'm mad anyway, and go for aperture over transportation anyday. The trick is, to have a second, more pro-moblie scope eventually....

[ApOpLeXiA]

thanks for your information

Unfortunately the 300p solid tube was removed from the site in the last hour:(

They still have the 250 PX tho..., im pretty sure for me( budget wise) and since im a begginer that the 250PX solid tube @ 479 is possibly the better buy then the 300p flextube @ 939

What kind of eyepieces should i purchase for DSO , panorama?, and would you guys suggest to get a 2x or 3x barlow? ( i dont know with what kind of magnification you can look at planets with a dob)

Also do i need filters?

[Orion_the_Hunter]

OR: skyliner 200p €299, some eyepieces, a collimator, a Telrad/Rigel & a copy of Turn Left at Orion.

I think manually tracking with a Dob is easy once you've done it a couple of times. This is just my opinion, as I wanted a tracking Dob at first.