Thanks for the info guys, sounds like I've reopened old wounds with the dobs/goto debate. I dug out an old Bushnell spotting scope from the cupboard, 60mm refractor with 25x magnification and a really nice prismatic focussing. I have McGuivered up a mount for the Bushnell on my camera tripod. I can see saturn nicely as a ball with a ring around the outside. Attached is a moon photo taken with the EOS, it's a bit shaky as I just held the EOS close to the eyepiece and fired the shutter. I suspect I will get some really nice images with a couple of hours spent making a camera adapter. I'm hoping H.R.H. Liz will see my dilemma and approve some serious funding for something decent. I am curious to know if you can get spare parts for the meade or if it's a trip back to the US for service.
Hiya, dunno what prices/ choice of scopes is like down-under, but there has been little or no mention of medium sized newts on GEMs. I have a newt with a refractor on the back all on a heavy equatorial mount. It will keep a star centred all night, has goto, enough aperture to get reasonable views of planets and deep sky and, in real terms, only cost me the decoration of two rooms as 'er indoors pennance. The mount wasn't originally goto, I did the mod myself, total cost about £120 (what's that in Aus dollars?)
Andy, Interesting to see your comments. H.R.H. Liz used to live in UK. 120 UK pounds would be around 291 dollars OZ. I am interested in your setup can you post or email some details.
Originally posted by ballaratdragons Too hard to see in the EP at some of the angles! Got to be a contortionist.
A valid point - rings are a bonus, but my setup's pretty finely balanced, so yes, regularly do have to be a bit of contortionist.
For me (as an astroimager) the choice was simple - I wanted a fast (f5) scope, something that would track for 4 hours without me needing to be there, enough aperture to pick up dim targets and less than £800 (2000 oz dollars?) which was all I had available at the time. I couldn't afford an LX90 or LX200 and anyway I'd have needed a wedge to avoid field rotation and the focal ratio of scts was generally not good enough for what I needed. An achromat wasn't going to be up to the job either which left either a semi-apo or a newt (either on an eq mount). Simply on the bang for your buck factor, I chose the newt. I've supplemented it with a 80mm semi apo for widefield shots since - and I've been through a few - but I've never been unhappy with the Newt or the eq mount.
Visually, I've looked through a few big dobs and they are unbeatable, but for photography, the best mounts are still considered to be EQ's - i.e., Losmandy, AstroPhysics and Paramount. Virtually every astroimager I know uses an EQ - OK some use LX200s on wedges.
This is a shot of my setup, being guided for a shot of M109 I posted in the image gallery.
The scope is a SkyWatcher 200 on an HEQ5. As it comes it doesn't support PEC, guiding and GoTo, but I moddified it using a kit I bought from Germany for £120.
Good news. Last night H.R.H. (Her Royal Householdness) Liz gave planning approval to buy an LX200 8", when funds permit. However, I have hatched a devious plan. It's my birthday next month and a 10 inch dob is well within the budget right now. I am only stumbling about the sky, so GOTO isn't necessary.... yet. We have a shack (holiday house) on the east coast of Tas (maybe I can have another dot on the map!) where the seeing is fantastic, no power, no streetlights and when I can afford the LX200 the dob can go live at the shack. So, given that I want to buy a 10 inch dob and know very little, which brand, what eyepieces and as there are basically no telescope outlets in Tas where is the best place to buy.
Brand names don't matter much any more as most of them come out of the same factories, Guan Sheng(Taiwan) and Synta(China).
Guan Sheng is the better of the 2.
So when you price Dobs ask for the GS range.
If you want the best prices in Oz you will have to order from Sydney like the rest of us. Andrews and Bintel are the best 2. The prices on their website are way out of date though.Mombat just ordered a 10" from Andrews for $649 plus delivery.
As far as EP's, you will be supplied with a set with the scope (Plossl's) but it is worth ordering a GS SuperView 2" as well. Probably the 30mm.
Thanx Guys,
Still have some work to do on H.R.H. Liz who insisted on reading the forums and looking at the member photos. When I put the "dob now LX later" proposal, her comment was "I'd rather wait and just get the good one".... Bugger. I'll think I'll just order a GS dobs from Andrews, they seem to have the cheapest price, then face the music. I've really learned a lot in the past couple of days, coming to this forum is like finding a long lost extended family (some of whom are complete nutters.... that's you striker!). I made a neat camera mount for the EOS to fit the Bushnell but alas now the tripod's far too wobbly and my moonshots are no better. I'll ring Andrews today. My biggest fear is freight to Tas as the couriers down here have a habit of smashing anything heavy or fragile.
My comment to counter the "I'd rather wait and just get the good one" comment is that they are both terrific scopes but with the dob you will really learn your way around the sky and not just become one of the dial up brigade.
A story I have heard often is about the fella with a new go to who, at a star party, made great noises about not being able to get the Andromeda Galaxy up, it was fuzzy!! He kept complaining until someone pointed out that it was actually behind a tree from his position at the time.
While not all go to people are like that it is really important that you really get to know the sky, then a go to will really come into its own when you can drive it with some authority.
DIAL-UP BRIGADE? DIAL-UP BRIGADE, Indeed. Rob Please don't say that to any of OUR members with one. Take your life in your own hands you do. Most had DOBs before buying the COFFEE MAKERS. Some still use their DOBs occassionally. Most do know their way around the sky. Some...well. That's, I think why they went that way. Their choice. Me, I'll stick with my Meade 10" DOB and be QUIETLY happy. L.
A Dob will teach you the sky and how to find things.
It is also a relatively small outlay for an expensive hobby and dobs are a great way to find out if you are going to stick with it.
If you find that you don't stick, then you have not spent 20 gazillion dollars on a whole heap of gear. The dob should be fairly easy to sell, or store away for special occasions: comets etc.
If you are still into it as time goes by (12 months or so) then you can look at upgrading.
There are some who buy expensive gear and don't stick with it. We have had people contact our Astro society asking if we want to buy their scopes (top of the range & supermarket models) as they have lost interest, or just don't use it as much as they thought they would.
I'm still kicking tyres, HRH Liz took one look at a forum photo of a dob and said "What, that ugly thing; where are you going to put it" ; Then "Why don't you get a better one". She has agreed in principle to a Meade LX90 for cosmetic reasons.... I just hope she doesn't realise there's a mirror inside! Last night HRH Liz also found Jupiter by herself then came running in like an excited little kid having found three of it's moons as well. I gave her a mag with a story on the mythology behind the pleiades which she devoured. I still favour a dob but may end up with the LX90.
Either way Phil ...the Lx90 or the 10" dob, you will be a happy camper
I use both & like them equally, if you are going to buy a dob though, & space/size is not an issue, go for the 12", appature rules
from the cupboard, 60mm refractor with 25x magnification and a really nice prismatic focussing. I have McGuivered up a mount for the Bushnell on my camera tripod. I can see saturn nicely as a ball with a ring around the outside. Attached is a moon photo taken with the EOS, it's a bit shaky as I just held the EOS close to the eyepiece and fired the shutter. I suspect I will get some really nice images with a couple of hours spent making a camera adapter. I'm hoping H.R.H. Liz will see my dilemma and approve some serious funding for something decent. I am curious to know if you can get spare parts for the meade or if it's a trip back to the US for service.
Last night H.R.H. (Her Royal Householdness) Liz gave planning approval to buy an LX200 8", when funds permit. However, I have hatched a devious plan. It's my birthday next month and a 10 inch dob is well within the budget right now. I am only stumbling about the sky, so GOTO isn't necessary.... yet. We have a shack (holiday house) on the east coast of Tas (maybe I can have another dot on the map!) where the seeing is fantastic, no power, no streetlights and when I can afford the LX200 the dob can go live at the shack. So, given that I want to buy a 10 inch dob and know very little, which brand, what eyepieces and as there are basically no telescope outlets in Tas where is the best place to buy.
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I'll think I'll just order a GS dobs from Andrews, they seem to have the cheapest price, then face the music. 
I've really learned a lot in the past couple of days, coming to this forum is like finding a long lost extended family (some of whom are complete nutters.... that's you striker!). I made a neat camera mount for the EOS to fit the Bushnell but alas now the tripod's far too wobbly and my moonshots are no better. I'll ring Andrews today. My biggest fear is freight to Tas as the couriers down here have a habit of smashing anything heavy or fragile.
L.
that ugly thing; where are you going to put it" ; Then "Why don't you get a better one". She has agreed in principle to a Meade LX90 for cosmetic reasons.... I just hope she doesn't realise there's a mirror inside! Last night HRH Liz also found Jupiter by herself 
