Refractor advice needed

[toryglen-boy]

Hi kids

Looking for a refractor, something of reasonable size, 120mm - 150mm, looking for first hand accounts of such beasts, and good places to buy online, all i have found so far is Bintel and myastroshop, so i dont know much about suppliers, having moved here from the other side of the world.

any advice, or links to good suppliers welcome, although not a science lesson about the pros and cons, as we have all been round the block on that one already, and if i didnt know about what i was buying ... then i wouldnt be buying it !!

Got an 80mm refractor just now as a grab and go scope, thats excellent, but i fancy something larger

:)

[gbeal]

How big is your budget? Unlike reflectors, these get pricey as they get bigger, and I mean PRICEY.
Gary

[toryglen-boy]

yeah Gary, i am aware they can cost a kings ransom ...

probably about $800 for an OTA, or $2,000 for the entire thing


:)

[toryglen-boy]

so, over 40 views and no-one can recommend a refractor they use, or where to get it?

:help:

[RB]

I use a TOA 130, haven't used anything else around the 120-150mm size, but it's over the price range you've stated.

:D

[Paul Haese]

There is a chinese 127 triplet available for around the 2000 AUD mark and i have seen some pretty reasonable images through them. You might want to look for them.

[skies2clear]

In your budget, you can have fun with either a 120mm or 150mm Skywatcher refractor on equatorial mount for not too much money.

I think the 120mm is about $999 and with dual axis drives $1145.

The 150mm is $1199 and with dual axis drives $1399.

See this link to Andrews Communications, though others may sell them too if you search around,

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

Cheers
Nick

PS I've used a 150mm Skywatcher many times, and it performs very well, especially for the money. You get contrasty views of deep sky objects and can push the magnification up to 200X or more.

[toryglen-boy]

many thanks, this is the kinda thing i was on about ... i have no idea where to buy from !!

This is a great help

:)

[bmitchell82]

This is all happy days, but remember that it is only a Achromat not a Apo or ED. if your happy with this and are not going to go the photography route, then :) hit it like its hot!

[toryglen-boy]

yeah, CA isnt really that big an issue, and if i get something where the focal length isnt that short then it shouldnt be that bad ....

can anyone recommend any other websites or stores?

:)

[gbeal]

Try this then:
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=606738
Gary

[dannat]

try andrews communication - they are in the suppliers links section here.

Why the refractor if you have the 200mm reflector? though i prefer refractors - :P

You could think about a mak? i have an intes mak, 5 inch with terrific optics, f10 - i think would beat similar achro - new about $1000

[Karls48]

Hi. I’m using Skywatcher 120mm x 600mm achromat with GStar CCD camera. The scope is on HEQ5 on permanent pier in back yard. Garbage bag and two plastic trampolines when not in use cover whole thing. Setting it up for imagining takes about five minutes. Yes it got CA on very bright stars. But if you want to take BW images, it does not matter that much.
Here is image of xi Puppis to give you idea what to expect from this scope. Keep in mind that GStar is 8bit security camera; picture quality would be better with 16bit .

[toryglen-boy]

thanks for that, looks good !!

:thumbsup:

[Geoff45]

Point to remember:
"big", "cheap" or "quality":
You can only have two of these when you buy a refractor.

[skies2clear]

Of course, the 150mm Skywatcher is no 150mm Tak or any other high quality Apochromatic refractor, but neither is the price. The 150mm would be my choice between 120 and 150mm as the extra aperture is useful for bringing out DSO's.

Yes, it does have some CA, but only really noticeable on brighter stars at higher magnifications. However, some people don't tolerate any CA very well.

With the 150mm scope I mentioned before, I was able to get very nice images of Saturn and Jupiter, and some very contrasty views of nebula, especially for the 150mm (6") aperture. Could also split Antares easily with this scope.

Assuming you want for visual use only, the standard EQ5 mount should suffice as long as it has the better steel tripod legs. Some EQ5 mounts have flimsier aluminium legs (don't touch this type!). Though a HEQ5 or EQ6 mount would be better, which you could possibly still just fit into your budget. Check with Andrews Comms on this though.

Cheers
Nick

[toryglen-boy]

Thanks Nick, your input is very much appreciated


:thumbsup: