What to buy? beginners

[billy]

Hello, im very new to astronomy and its something id love to get into, but the first problem im having is typical.

What telescope to get? im sure its been asked thousands of times

I have narrowed my picks down to two, that i think are in my budget and would work well?

First one
http://www.astronomyalive.com.au/telescopes/intermediate/saxon-1021-eq3-102mm-refractor-telescope.html

Second one
http://www.astronomyalive.com.au/telescopes/advanced/saxon-dob-10-254mm-reflector-telescope.html


Im looking to view nebula, galaxies and planets.
what would be my best pic? also the pros and cons on both?

[noswonky]

Buy the dob.

[Atmos]

+1

[noswonky]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the pros and cons.

The dob's bigger aperture will make it much better for viewing galaxies and nebulae. I think the mount will also be more stable.

I think those small eq mounts are more trouble than they're worth - not really stable enough for photography and overly complicated for visual.

[Somnium]

a couple of thoughts

The dob

pros

large aperture, good light gathering capability.
really simple to set up
straight forward to point for visual astronomy
good all round scope

cons,

you will have to collimate the mirror on occasions, after transportation etc.
you wont be able to do any Deep sky imaging with this set up


the refractor

pros

the scope requires 0 maintenance, you can set up and observe without any issues each time
the EQ mount does make it easier to track objects in the sky once you have found it
can be used for terrestrial viewing (but the mount is not ideal for this


cons

EQ mounts can take time to set up properly, i.e. polar alignment
this mount is not driven by a motor so you cant use this for photography either
less aperture than the Dob means you will see less detail in nebulae and galaxies
you will get chromatic aberration on bright objects


ultimately it is about what you are wanting to do. most people will recommend a Dob for a beginner, it helps you learn the sky and you get a lot of bang for your buck, i started out with a bit more of an investment and got a motorised EQ mount and a Newtonian because i knew that i wanted to do astrophotography

the scope that you enjoy most and use often is the best one for you

[CJ]

+ another one but, a solid tube 10"er is quite a large lump to transport by hand or vehicle!

[raymo]

If you are going to get a Dob, get a Skywatcher collapsible one. Easier
to stow in a car, holds collimation really well [owing to the robust
construction], and possibly importantly has sufficient back focus to
allow the attachment of a DSLR camera for basic prime focus
photography, unlike many other brands, which require modifying to
allow this.
raymo

[billy]

Thanks so much guys, really appreciate the help

[billy]

whats the difference between saxon and skywatcher? ive noticed they both sell the dob 6-10" and they both look identical beside the name

[Somnium]

the sticker ... they are both Manufactured by Synta

[raymo]

As I understand it, Skywatcher is the sales arm of Synta,[ correct me if I'm wrong], whereas Saxon buy popular models from several manufacturers
and rebadge them.
raymo