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Hi Chris,
I'm starting to research telescopes and have been completely overwhelmed by choice. I have a few questions if you could help:
1. Is there real world comparison's I can make online? I would like to be able to see for example what Saturn, the Jewel Box and M7 look like through various scopes given the same seeing conditions. I think Stellarium mentions something about this, but it requires the mobile upgrade.
Anything 'online' is able to show you what the field of view (angle) of a given telescope/eyepiece combination is but won't show you what it actually looks like to the eye because it's based on photography. Join an astronomy club and go to a club field night. compare scopes
In general:
The bigger the aperture, the better, more light gathering for dark sky, more resolution for planets. However, bigger scopes are less portable. You need to find the right fit.
2. How hard are EQ mounts? I can see that they take more set up time, but the hardest part seems to be finding the celestial South Pole. I am confident I can get close using Crux and the pointers, but how exact do I have to be?
EQ mounts: I can accurately polar align my eq mount in 4 minutes, but I am in my 45th year of astronomy. It's very easy with practice. The equatorial head of a solid mount like an EQ6 can be heavy(16-18kg). If you want to use a goto, the alignment needs to be pretty accurate for it to work well.
Pros and cons
If you choose a newtonian, the eyepiece can end up in some awkward positions on an EQ mount unless you rotate the tube. Newts give you the most aperture for the buck.
A large refractor can be very heavy and the eyepiece can get very low to the ground unless the tripod is very high. Aperture for aperture, refractors give the best image resolution but they are also the most expensive.
The various cassegrain designs sit somewhere in between, portable and priced between a newtonian and a refractor per inch of aperture.
There is no perfect all-round telescope that does everything well. Most long term astronomers develop special interests and buy one or usually more telescopes best suited to those interests.
You need to find the happy medium that fits your needs and interests.
Joe
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