Beginner under $400 Celestron telescope comparison

[albertwt]

Hi All,

I'd like to get one telescope (under $400) for night time viewing of sky objects (Astronomical), which one is better:

Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ Reflector Telescope
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/reflector-telescope-celestron-astromaster-114eq.html
or
Celestron AstroMaster 70EQ Refractor Telescope
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/refractor-telescope-celestron-astromaster-70eq.html

Can anyone here suggest me / share your experience with your first telescope.

Thanks

[that_guy]

for 400 bucks you can pick up a 8" dob!! that 130mm newt compares nothing to 200mm light gathering bucket of awesome.... however it be used... we astro nuts likes to keep our scopes in awesome condition... i picked up my 10" for 350.. maybe youll stumble across something like it... :thumbsup:

cheers,
Tony

[albertwt]

thanks for the quick reply man,

http://www.ozscopes.com.au/dobsonian-telescope-saxon-8inch.html

so in this case the Dobsonian telescope is better at viewing the planets and galaxy than the above Reflector and Refractor ?

[Colin_Fraser]

Certainly is. Keep an eye out in the Icetrade classifieds. Cheap dobs turn up fairly often.

[mental4astro]

Best beginners scope under $400? Save another $50 and get an 8" dob from Andrews Communications. Easiest type of mount to use.

Equatorial mounts for beginners are overrated. Really, they are. 30 years experience has shown me a couple of things.

What do I think of the two scopes being polled on? Not much. Sorry.

In astronomy, scopes are used to collect faint light. So, the larger the scope's mirror or objective lens, the more light and the fainter detail you will be able to see.

So, comparing an 200mm to a 114mm and a 70mm, the 200mm will collect 3 times as much light as a 114, and 8 times as much as a 70mm. What will you see? In a 70mm, bugger all galaxies, a 114mm, some galaxies, but no detail, and a 200mm, NOW you're talking serious detail starting to be made out and lots and lots of galaxies.

How do I know? Not from just reading about it, but from having had and still owning scopes in this range of sizes.

[albertwt]

thanks Alex and Colin for your suggestion,

@Alex: The reason I look for those two Telescopes above is that for portability too. I just realized that Dobsonian telescope is way too big to put into backpack or duffel bag.

But that's nice to know while Cassegrain Telescopes is way to expensive but more powerful and compact which also leave my wallet compact as well :-)

[alistairsam]

hi
totally agree that light gathering ability is proportional to aperture, but the 70mm in this poll is a refractor, would a 70mm refractor or an 80mm refractor be considered a decent enough scope for a beginner, reason I ask is because quite a few sites refer to a 80mm and above refractor as being acceptable for a beginers scope. the ED80 although expensive when new, was selling for 400 odd at IISAC.
How would the Skywatcher 102 x 500 AZ3 at Andrews for 400 compare with an 8" reflector for DSO's as its relatively a short FL achromat?

I have an 8" reflector and am very happy with it, but for a grab n go scope, are the 100mm skywatcher refractors and the ED80 reasonable contender as you can attach a camera as well?
Dob mounts are the easiest to use but I had a tough time getting it all on a plane with the normal baggage allowance, so was looking for a comparable refractor as a travel scope.
thanks

[albertwt]

Sam thanks for the input, I really appreciate your reply,

I guess for better viewing I must add some more $$ into it, in the attached picture I got the comparison for the model that I'm interested in.

Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ MD Reflector Telescope w/ Motor Drive is listed for AUD $ 459


is that sufficient for viewing the nebulae and galaxy ?

[dannat]

for $400 i think you can do beter than both

i have no assoc with www.astronomyalive but they have a 6" dob on sale at the moment for 300 + change - cheaper than an 8" dobsonian mounted reflector - & a fair bit better than the two celestron scopes mentioned..
the dob mount is much easier for beginners -stay away from cheap EQ mounts unless photography is on your list of things to try- if you try like you would have to upgrade the mounts lsited below anyway

you can whack the 6" ube on a good EQ mount later like an eq5

i did get a secondhand astroalive scope once 12" dob - the included ep;s were actually reasonable - some you get are terrible
they are melb based though -so cost may be a factor

[albertwt]

Thanks Dan for your helps, I appreciate and learn a lot from your reply too.

one of the reason why I'm listing those EQ is that I'd like to bring the telescope around with a bag or duffel bag, that is why I didn't look for Dobsonian since i don't have car yet :-)

Cheers,

Albert

[JethroB76]

Agree with the small dob suggestions. Definitely avoid the Celestron 114 reflector too - a particularly poor design.

[that_guy]

you should know that the 130eq also doesnt fit in a duffel bag

[albertwt]

ahh from the picture in eBay (Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ MD Reflector Telescope ) it looks small :-o the price is quite good AU $469.95

while i also stumble across Celestron C130 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope for $499 but is an Optical Tube Assembly package only, and it does not include a mount or tripod, so I don't know how to buy separate mounting. --> but it looks smaller

thanks to all for the reply.

[bmitchell82]

To be brutally honest your not going to get a telescope that fits in a duffel bag that will allow you to see much at all... Im sorry but none of the scopes you have said so far come even close.

I am looking at a Astromaster 70EQ that has been sitting in the box un used and i can tell you now you might as well get a blade of grass put a water drop in it and look at the stars... your views will be clearer. Not to mention its a bucket load bigger than even my Uni back pack could hold.

That being said if you wanted to go with a Takahashi scope then you might get some details all be it not to bright with some of their scopes on a decent camera tripod but it will be a lot more expensive than your budget.

Brendan

[albertwt]

Thanks Brendan for the explanation, I appreciate that.
I've looked into the Takahashi website and it cost more than $500+ for the average.

it seems that better off getting a car first and then get at least 6" Dobsonian scope for better viewing (-_-)"

I don't know why they're there and what is the purpose of those scope that is under $1000 because so far I've tried the good one (maksutov model) in the star party in my area.

[albertwt]

thanks Guys, the conclussion of this discussion is clear based on your opinion, as can be seen from the polling result above :-) none of those scope is able to view a galaxy from my backyard in Wollongong area.

Therefore I'll have to wait until i got a car and get one decent model from this list:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/reviews.html

[michaellxv]

Albert,

If portability is your prime requirement at this time have you considered a good pair of binoculars? These would be something you keep even when you are able to get a telescope in the future.

[albertwt]

Yes at the moment portability is the problem here because:

1. I don't have car yet --> needed to go out in the bush to view bright sky and stars
2. Need more time to allocate my self to $800+ telescopes

ok, then i shall summon another thread about Celestial Binocular under $ 400

Cheers,

Albert

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Albert,

Neither of those scope is much chop, why not look at the 80AR Skywatcher on the AZ4 tripod for $399 at Andrews or even the Bosma 80 which comes with a HD camera tripod for $349! link (http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-content-section-10-bosma.htm) Comes with a CARRY CASE TOO!, schweet.

Both of thes MIGHT fit in a backpack (as they are 500mm ish long), certainly the scope might but you would have to strap the folded tripod to the outside of the backpack I think....

An 80mm Refractor (even the cheap ones I have listed) on an Alt-Az mount are a doddle to point and are easier to use than a dob (no collimation and more portable) so I suggest you take a look at these.

The Bosma, while not as well known as the Skywatcher brand (which also has a 6 yr warranty) certainly is liked by Luke at Andrews, so it must be OK.

Based on your needs, I would spend the $400 on the Black Diamond 80AR x AZ4 package in a heartbeat, check out the Black diamond paintjob to see what I mean....


Free freight Australia-wide for all these models! "Black Diamond" complete "AR" refractor packages!!

80AR-AZ4 A$399

Stay away from EQ mounts if you want portability, they are just too heavy.

So for $400, you will get a sexy, portable telescope which is simple to use and delivered to your door.

Hope this helps,

Cheers

Chris

[dannat]

i have a meade etx-90 maksutov which i bought secondhand in US for $140 - it has 0mm of aperture and f/l 1250mm. the views it goves are pretty reasonable - it would just fit in a bakpack & i can take it on as hand luggage, it fits in a camera tripod easy enough - it has its own little base which sits flat on a table if you don't have a tripod - i have the nON GOTO version which is much cheaper