Skywatcher SW675 70 x 900mm refractor on EQ1 mount with clock drive

[Mountain_Wanderer]

Hi all. I'm possibly looking into getting the Skywatcher SW675 70 x 900mm refractor on EQ1 mount with clock drive. It's going for around $250-$300 at the moment, which is perfect as I'm on a budget.

I'm a beginner and this will be my first telescope. I want something that is small, easy to setup/use and portable. I want a scope that is good for visual astronomy.

Has anyone used this telescope? Can you see the main deep sky objects at a decent level of detail and magnification? How good do planets look?

Also, is the mount decent? Is it smooth for observing? Does it track ok?

Your feedback would be appreciated.

[CosmoSat]

Hi,

For visual, I would recommend the Guan Sheng GS-580 6" f/8 150mm x 1200mm DOBSONIAN.[LINK] (http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm)Good value for money. It will have four times the light gathering power over the one u were considering. U hve to do manual tracking tho.

Clear Skies!

[dannat]

the eq1 has legs which are not sturdy & it is difficult to align cos there is no provision for a finderscope
70mm isnt a lot of aperture to see dso's
for beginners an alt/az mount is the simplest ( i know it lacks tracing but youll find it quite difficult to get an eq1 trackng accurately)

for deep sky objects youll prob want a min of 5" reflector (or 6" as suggested)

if you want something small & easy to set up you can go a couple of diff ways:
-something like the skyatcher heritage 130p collapsible dobsonian (250ish)
- refractor (most expensive type of telescope -80-100mm)
-cassegrain (folded optics, fits in a small pkg -you prob want 5" here also)

[TheAstroChannel]

You can find decent sized Dobsonian telescopes for under $500, which have a tonne of light gathering power, and is good for your back pocket.
Check out Bintel, i know they sell their own branded scopes and Orion Dobsonians.
http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/Dobsonian/33/catmenu.aspx

[cometcatcher]

A 70 x 900 on an EQ1 = Yuk. It would vibrate if you breathed on it.

+1 for what all the others have said.

[Mountain_Wanderer]

thanks for the feedback, people