Which telescope to buy? Budget $700

[FrostyXIII]

Hi guys,

I have been scoping out these forums for a while, and have noticed the excellent feedback and information received by n00bies.

Two years ago I bought myself a 8" dob (Guan Sheng (http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-content-section-10-guansheng.htm)) from Andrews. I remember seeing Saturn for the first time, it was unbelievable. I ended up selling my dobsonian, a regretful sale. I sold it because at the time I was working till late and at times I wasn't using it much.

Two years later it's still bugging me, so I'm in the market for a new telescope. My birthday is coming up soon, so there is no better time than now :D.

The one thing I didn't like much about the 8" dobsonian was the fact that it's not very portable, so this time around I'm looking for something more portable.

My budget is $700. I would love to have the option to connect my digital camera to the scope in the future. I assume there is an accessory you need to buy that connects your camera to the scope?

What I want out of my telescope? basically to observe the moon, planets and deep space objects. I know this is being quite general but as long as I can see some kind of detail on planets and have the ability to view deep space objects, ill be very happy.

I noticed a nice scope on Andrews website. The 6" Maksutov OTA
Link: http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

I know this scope is smaller than the last one I had but can anyone advise if this scope is any good? I'm thinking the scope may be too small for viewing deep space objects?

Besides the above scope, can anyone please recommend any telescopes for the $700 price range.

Looking forward to your positive feedback

Can't wait to get my new scope! :D

Clear sky's!

Frosty

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Frosty,

Excellent solution to your problem is this one.

Andrews MC150x1900 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) only

Super low price for OTA
$499.00 AUD !
This new 150mm aperture Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope OTA has a long focal length of 1900mm (f/13) and is complete with a 8x21 erecting finder-scope, two 1.25" Plossl eyepieces and 45° diagonal. Outstanding performance on the moon and planets!
Actual OTA is silver and it has no brand shown.

We have one EQ3C equatorial mount in stock to suit this OTA, for A$199.

Check they have this one in stock, otherwise this package for $799 for the same OTA but on the Skywatcher page.
EQ5 mount/tripod (s/steel) with Mak. MC150x1900 telescope, complete$799.00
perfect for DSO and photography, and is really portable.

The $699 ProMak150 6" OTA is just that, an Optical Tube Assembly (no TRIPOD) so its not strictly gunna work for you. I know coz, I am eyeing this baby myself.

Maksutovs are great for photography because of their portability and their long focal length. The digital camera adaptor fits over the eyepiece and costs $39.

See what you think.

Chris

[acropolite]

Frosty, don't forget, the smaller the aperture, the less you will see. An 8 inch dob is really a fairly portable instrument, if you want something smaller my recommendation would be the Vixen Portamount/Newt combo available for around $700 complete with EP's, but, I suspect that in reality it won't be that much more portable than your old 8 inch dob.

[Starkler]

Any telescope purchase is a bundle of compromises. In your case you want something more portable than an 8" dob and dont want a reduction in dso viewing performance. A drop in aperture from 8" will significantly impact views of dso's

You can do this with an 8" sct/mak on an alt-az mount but you wont get it at $700. You can aid the portability factor of an 8" dob by adding a couple of sturdy carry handles to the base which should allow you to carry the whole scope/base. This would be more portable than most anything on an eq mount.

[FrostyXIII]

Hi again guys, :hi:

I understand what everyone is saying and it all makes sense.

I would be really dissapointed if I bought a scope for around $700 and then noticed that my viewing had downgraded due to apeture.

I notice with the budget I have, I can afford a 10" or 12" dob from Andrews. I know that these are not as portable as I would like but I imagine I would be very happy with the DSO's.

So is it true that the shorter the scope the better it is for astrophotography?
The main disadvantage of the dob is that it is limited in astrophotography?

If I was gonna go with a dobsonian again I would have to go with something bigger than I originally had. So I'll have to think about it.

Would be great to have a small but large apeture telescope to take around in its own case.

I guess I was just hoping for a scope like the 6" Maksutov OTA with almost the same image quality as the 8" and the option of astrophotography.

Looking forward to ur replies, thanks guys. :D


Frosty

[FrostyXIII]

Sorry for double post,

I have a few n00b questions,

What does the "Mak" mean? in "EQ5 mount/tripod (s/steel) with Mak. MC150x1900 telescope, complete"

Whats the difference between an EQ5 and EQ3 mounts?

Andrews is selling this for $199. EQ5C dual axis motor drive kit on special...only $199.00 AUD!

Is this just the motor drive only or does it also comes with a mount?

Also the Skywatcher 120 x 600mm OTA + EQ5...A$799 sounds pretty good, does anyone have any experience with this scope or whould it be better to stick with the "EQ5 mount/tripod (s/steel) with Mak. MC150x1900 telescope?"

Thanks for ur help

Frosty

[DJVege]

Hi Frosty,

a Mak is a type of telescope. Check out the net (google/wikipedia) for types of telescopes. (Newtonian, refractor, dobsonian, MAKsutov-Newtonian, SCT etc...)

The difference between the EQ3 and EQ5 is mainly the weight the mount can carry. The EQ5 can carry 10kg. I'm not sure on the EQ3, but think of the EQ5 as the EQ3's elder brother. Then there's the HEQ5 = 15kg, and the EQ6 = 20kg. There are other differences too, of course, like weight of the mount. You'll find the "elder" the mount, the heavier it is. This is important because you don't want a 10kg OTA (optical tube assembly) on a mount that should only carry 5kg.

the EQ5C dual axis motor drive kit is only the motor drive.

The 120 x 600mm OTA = 120mm aperture (diameter of mirror) and a 600mm long tube. With this in mind, obviously the MC150x1900 has a bigger aperture, which will catch more light. I'd go for the Mak, but see what others say, as I'm also a n00b.

Hope that helped a little.

[FrostyXIII]

Yeah that helps heaps, thanks!

Will continue to do more research.

Frosty

[KG8]

Just put the $700 into siver bullion mate and in 2 years you'll have enough money to buy an 8" sct.