Buying a telescope - newbie

[oaguatao]

I'm buying a telescope for a Christmas present for a friend, I think he knows a little bit about astronomy. I've tried to read up about it first, was leaning towards a Skywatcher SW135, but now thinking more about a Celestron Powerseeker reflector 127mm x 1000mm.

My budget is $500. Andrews Communication are selling at $349 (plus $50 freight). Could you tell me if this is the best buy for my budget? Thanks

P.S. Just read another similar post on first scope, and I see a lot of recommendations for a Dobsonian. Could you please tell me the major differences and issues with portability? Thank you!

[ving]

also from andrews commnications is the GS680 dobsonian reflector which will show you 10x as much as the scopes you have picked... my sugestion is that unless space or transportation is a problem then the GS680 8 inch dob is the way to go :)
the bigger the telescopes aperture in these reflectors the better. the ones you are looking at have 135mm and 127mm aperture. the scope i sugest has 200mm.

but how rude of me!!! i havent even welcomed you to the forum yet!!!
welcome aboard! :):hi:

heres a pic of the gs680.

[oaguatao]

Thank you vm for the welcome! So what is the issue with portability? Is one heavier/bigger or something? Please excuse my ignorance. We're in Perth, so I'm assuming we'd have to travel a little way to do any good viewing.

Dobs come in various brands, yes? Is the GS a good quality brand? I was going towards the Celestron cos it seemed like a good brand.

Ok, I was this close to getting the Powerseeker, but then again, I was pretty close to getting the Skywatcher!

[ving]

I have that telescope (gs680) and for what you are paying you are getting a good deal. the quaility is right up there and it will last for ages. being a dob it is easy to use... if you get an equatorial mount you have to deal with polar alignment which can be a real turn off if you are new to it.
the GS is, i am guessing about 15kg all up but with handles it is easy to carry. anything on a tripod is probably going to be awkward.
skywatcher also make a 8 inch dob. have a look at myastroshop.com.au for them.

hope this helps a bit :)

[oaguatao]

Thank you for that. I've just looked at Astroshop, and this looks like a great deal - SkyWatcher SW680 (200mm) Dobsonian for $415 so I think I'll go ahead and get it.

[jjjnettie]

For simplicity of use the Dob wins hands down. To set up you just put the mount down on level ground, place the scope in the cradle, secure it with the springs and you're ready to observe in under 5 minutes. Too easy.
As Ving said, an eq mounted scope is more complicated to set up accurately and takes a bit of getting used to.
I love my Dob.

[seeker372011]

welcome to the forum..and buy the dob!

[stephenmcnelley]

Hi oaguatao, the scope that ving attatched as a thumbnail picture is sitting right behind me as i am typing.
Whatever experience level your friend is at, he will love to have this scope would be my humble guess. They are the most user friendly, capable bit of optical gear available in your price range.
:)

[astro_nutt]

Welcome to the forums!!!..your friend won't be dissapointed with the Dob!!..easy to use and loads of fun!!!

[Grafted]

Get the Dob from Bintel... I got the advice from this site.
They have been very helpful and I think the price is about the same.

[norm]

Welcome to the forum.

Go the dob !

Don't forget to pick up some collimation tools.:)

[tbentley]

Hi and welcome. I would recommend the Skywatcher Dob. You don't need to get it from over East though. There is a shop in Perth called Binocular, Telescope and Optical World (BTOW for short) that are affiliated with AGWA (the astronomical group of WA.) They sell them at comparable prices (cheaper when you account for freight) and give pretty good service too.
You can try before you buy on Thursday(?) nights and they can also hook you up with AGWA and a fair dark sky site out of Bullsbrook in the northern suburbs.
By the way, I have the 8" Skywatcher Dob and love it.
Travis

PS - I am a member of AGWA but I assure you there is no bias. They are the only real telescope shop in Perth that I'm aware of.

[Alderney]

G-Day and welcome oaguatao another West Aussie.
I agree with Travis. Go and see Keith Williams at BTOW in Malaga, I was in there today and he has a van load of gear in from Synta the makers of Skywatcher scopes. If you need directions, go to www.btow.com.au (http://www.btow.com.au) as they have a map on their site. Also if you feel like a bit of a drive on Saturday night, there should be quite a few people and plenty of different scopes to look through at the AGWA Observatory in Chittering Valley 14 km out of Bullsbrook. The full directions to get there is in the AGWA link at the btow site. Hope to see you there.

[oaguatao]

BTOW are selling the 8" dob for $499, so I will stay with Astroshop ($415 includes free freight). If I get to peek through the scope, I might try one of the nights at Bullsbrook one day : D