F1309EQMS or 8" Saxon Dobsonian?

[kjb]

Hey,

Buying a present for the old man....trying to decide what would be best. Looking at either the SAxon F1309EQMS or the 8" Saxon Dobsonian.
The saxon F1309EQMS is possibly more what Im looking toward as there is shop near by that has one...although the guy was asking 590 for it....which is over the rrp. Also, think it has a camera mount?
What are your thoughts? I could do with some advise.

CAn you do terrestial viewing with either of them?

[dannat]

the 8" Dob would be far the better astro scope - you could probably find one for less than 590. imo 590 is overpriced for a 130 on EQ.check the classifieds on this site for some options. The dob is simpler to use & yields a lot more light

the dob isn't really suitable for terrestrial though - what kind of things do you want to look at? binos are often beter for handheld earth views during the day

[stephenb]

I'll assume this is your Dad's first telescope? (I assume this because you haven't mentioned otherwise and you've posted this in the Beginners Section)

I would strongly recommend:

1. As Daniel says, a good pair of binoculars - He'll use them for years. Do not underestimate a good pair of binos, Nearly all amateur astronomer's have at least one pair of binos in their arsonel.

2. Forget the Saxon SAxon F1309EQMS. If he is new to the hobby, an equatorial mount can be hard to get the hang of, and can put a lot of newcomers off telescopes. He will be better with an 8" Dob.. but....

3. If you can stretch your budget to a BinTel 8" Dob ($549), it has a far better altitude bearing and tensioning knob that the outdated Saxon. The BinTel BT202 (http://www.bintel.com.au/Binscope.html) design is well worth the extra money.

4. You hinted at a camera mount. Again, if your Dad is new to the hobby, forget imaging or any form of mounting camera. Aloow him to get to know his way around the night sky first, with a simple Dobsonian. It's the best way.

[Screwdriverone]

yep, I agree, an 8 inch dob is a ripper starter,

FYI, The GSO ASDX 8 inch dob from Andrews comms (http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-content-section-10-guansheng.htm#dobsonian) is only $499 and has lots of extra accessories as well.

GREAT place to start, the dobsonian is a doddle to drive and everyone can use it quickly.

Cheers

Chris.

[kjb]

Thanx heaps for your help. Staying clear of saxon altogether now. Went for the bintel 8" Dob. Fingers crossed!!! His bday's only next week so hoping it gets in pretty quickly.
Pretty sure he has a good pair of binoculars so if he wants to see land he can use them.