My Recommended Beginner's Packages

[Screwdriverone]

Hi All,

I was just replying to a thread about what a beginner should buy for a budget of up to $1000 and decided to start a thread which may help beginners on the track to lots of fun and Astronomy delights in the night sky.

Please note, these are my opinions on what to buy to get you started and I encourage all members and visitors to comment on what they think is right or wrong with my choices, I am simply offering up a starting point which offers the most value for money versus performance and ease of use....Having started myself with an EQ2 mount and 5 inch reflector, I then bought a 12" dob reflector and now have an 8" reflector on an HEQ5 mount, I have pretty much (apart from refractors) gone through most choices that beginners are looking at....good quality refractors are much more expensive compared to reflectors so I have not mentioned these here.

I have decided to put forward two choices to get you started, the Premium Starter pack and the Budget Starter pack. They are very similar and only really differ in the main scope's price and features.

So, here goes:

Premium Starter Pack

1) Skywatcher Black Diamond 8" Goto Collapsible Dobsonian = $999
2) Skywatcher 6.3mm Super Plossl Eyepiece = $49
3) GSO Laser Collimator (align the mirrors) = $59
4) ED 2x or 3x Barlow lens (magnifier) = $29
5) Portable jump start power pack (Super Cheap Auto) power for the scope = $60
6) Bob's Knobs secondary screws (helps adjust the secondary mirror) = $30
7) Red/White Head torch (Energizer) to see in the dark = $30
8) 2011 Astronomy Handbook to find things to look at = $20

Total = $1276

Budget Starter Pack

1) Skywatcher Black Diamond 8" Collapsible Dobsonian (manual) = $549
2) Skywatcher 6.3mm Super Plossl Eyepiece = $49
3) GSO Laser Collimator (align the mirrors) = $59
4) ED 2x or 3 x Barlow lens (magnifier) = $29
5) Bob's Knobs secondary screws (helps adjust the secondary mirror) = $30
6) Red/White Head torch (Energizer) to see in the dark = $30
7) Large Planisphere (star wheel) to find things to look at = $15
8) 2011 Astronomy handbook to find things to look at = $20

Total = $781

Notes: The only real difference between the two packages is the main telescope, one being the goto motorised version and the other being a manual non motorised one. The GOTO has motors and a handset computer which allows you to select an object from the database and then the telescope finds the object for you and tracks it. This allows you to keep an object in the eyepiece for longer. It also allows you to find more things than having to "star hop" using the manual telescope with star charts and having to find objects using the finderscope and knowledge alone. The telescope should come with a 10mm and 25mm eyepiece which give 120x and 48x magnifications respectively. Add the 6.3mm and you get 190x magnification. Using the 3x Barlow makes these magnifications 144x, 360x and 570x which are about as much as anyone needs for almost any object in the night sky.

Of course, you can start anywhere, these are simply my suggestions to help you put together what I think is a comprehensive beginner's pack to help cut through all the options which may confuse and discourage you.

The 8" telescopes selected are both collapsible designs which are highly portable, easy to set up and use and provide excellent views for beginners and experienced users alike. The telescopes can be used by children as well as adults and are stable, reliable and are a great place to start this wonderful hobby.

Prices quoted are from Andrews Communications and other suppliers such as Coles and Super Cheap Auto (I have no affiliation or interest in any) and can be purchased from many other optical suppliers whom often price match to keep competition alive.

I welcome comments and suggestions from anyone who may have an opinion or criticism of anything listed here.

I hope this helps anyone who is looking at starting out in Astronomy either for themselves, their kids or as a gift for a loved one.

Cheers

Chris

[astroron]

Well thought out article Chris:thumbsup:
Cheers

[Screwdriverone]

Thanks Ron,

I was hoping to put all the basics in (and their prices) so beginners not only can select a great telescope to start with, but also know how much the "extras" will cost them so there aren't any surprises later on.

I hope this helps people, which was my aim.

Cheers

Chris

[Suzy]

Fabulous idea Chris!
And a very nice package too. :thumbsup:

Just one thing I'm not sure of..
That 7mm ep and 3x barlow suggestion of yours.
The ones that come with the scope are a 10 & 25, sometimes a 15mm. Well, with a 3x barlow using it on a 7mm ep it goes beyond both the practical (300x mag) and theoretical (480x mag) limit of the scopes ability- bringing the 7mm eyepiece to 515x mag :eyepop:.
My suggestion is to replace the 7mm with a 15mm and replace the 3x barlow with a 2x barlow.

If it was a 2x barlow, you can magnify the 15mm down to 7mm. That's a nice sweet spot on planets at the focal length of 1200mm which those 8 inch dobs are. And the 10mm can come down to 5mm barlowed.

Just my 2c worth. :D

[that_guy]

my whole visual pack cost me:
10" Dobsonian: $350
Eyepiece: $10
Telrad: $70
Binoculars: $50 i think :\

and thats it haha over all less than 500 bucks.. :)

[Screwdriverone]

Very good points Suzy,

The 570x mag of the 6.3 mm and the 3x barlow would not be used, the idea was from the fact I have one of those 3x ED barlows (ED = Extra Low Dispersion) and it works very well on my scope in combination with my 10mm EP giving me 300x (my scope has a 1000mm focal length).

Your idea of a 2x is a better fit overall, I have found however, that barlowing on a planet visually is not as clean and crisp as a smaller focal length eyepiece only which is why I suggested that 6.3mm to give 190x (about the max for the scope) and nice and clean....

Thanks for the ideas, it's all about what works best for the beginners and I appreciate your input :thumbsup:

Cheers

Chris

[Screwdriverone]

EXCELLENT point Tony,

Of course, with this sort of knowledge (the post) and experienced advice on what can be purchased second hand, the only way is up for the beginners reading this....

As a new starting point (and with 5-6yr warranty), the new packages certainly have their place, however you rightly point out that bargains can be had by shopping on IceTrade here with some local knowledge first. This is especially good for those who aren't 100% confident of a long range pursuit of Astronomy and want to get into it relatively cheaply.

Certainly bang for your buck too!

Thanks for contributing.

Cheers

Chris

[Robh]

Chris,

Nice shopping guide for the beginner!
And it's the little extras that are often overlooked; like a collimator, red light torch or planisphere.

Regards, Rob

[Screwdriverone]

Thanks Rob,

Yes, it's often all the little extras that add up and make beginners think "Man, not something MORE!?"

Upon reflection (yes, I am into puns) and due to the excellent advice already offered by Suzy and others and the fact that I encourage comments and suggestions, I have changed the name of the post from Perfect, to Recommended Beginner's packages, sounds better and more to the point as it's more of a recommendation than the ultimate packages on offer....

Oh, I also have changed the suggestion of the 3x ED barlow to 2x or 3x upon Suzy's excellent point about the usable magnifications on these dobs - thanks Suzy! :)

Cheers

Chris

[DavidU]

Nicely thought out Chris, love your work.:thumbsup:

[Screwdriverone]

Thanks David!

I appreciate the compliment...

Cheers

Chris

[michaellxv]

Well done Chris, a great idea. You might also like to add the

I'm really not sure list.
------------------------
1) 10x50 binos
2) Large planisphere

That's it.

[KenNo2658]

Don't put the 10x50's on any "I'm really not sure" list!! They should be added to the Starter Packages! Mine keep me sane when I'm (VERY often!!) away from home! Can't take either of my scopes with me since my work equipment takes up all the room in the van, but the binos can come along! "My" Jewel Box might be small in them, but at least I can see it!

Ken

[ArcaneMagik]

For the budget I think you would be better off with Bintel's BT202-B 8" Dobsonian as an option, or other GSO equivalent. $499 currently.

First off, the solid tube while it can be bulky removes one issue which is the possible need to collimate every time the scope is set up. Never used a collapsible but from what I have heard this can be an issue. Most of the solid tubes hold their collimation well enough for the beginner not to have to worry about it for a while.

It already comes with knurled collimation knobs on the primary which is good enough. The secondary is easily enough to alter with a screwdriver from experience.

They have a 26, 15, and 9mm eyepiece included with moonfilter.

Then you really only need to add a collimating eyepiece/laser, Astronomy <insert year here>, planisphere and redlight torch.

Those eyepieces would cover the beginners viewing and give them an idea of what they can expect. No point giving them equipment they don't need at first. I found it more rewarding when I understood what I wanted and why I wanted it. Maybe a TMB 6mm planetary? It has great eye relief which is awesome for us foureyes out there, and performs well given it's price - $49 + shipping.

Also Bintel has amazing service if you live local to them. I have been there at least 2 times where they are busy talking someone out of a purchase they don't need. They have personally done it with me.

[overlord]

:eyepop:

YEP!

But it's an f/6 so might not be an issue. Who knows. I would go for the solid tube unless it was ultramassive. Helps to keep the secondary in the right place relative to the primary. :question::question::question::ques tion::question: Ah telescopes are so good these days! OMG!!!!! They are making these better and better!

[rcheshire]

Good one Chris. Very courageous. What would you recommend as a basic AP kit?

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Rowland,

Thanks, I might be courageous to offer up a beginner's observation package, however, I might let someone else have a crack at the quagmire of adaptors, options, coma correctors, cameras, scopes and cooling, dew amelioration etc etc etc etc etc etc etc.....et al :)

I have my HEQ5pro, BD200N reflector, MPCC, Canon 1000D DSLR and Toucam for guided AP, however, I am nowhere near experienced enough to have a crack at recommending an AP rig for beginners other than offering up what I have, which may not cut the mustard....I am yet to get the MPCC into the imaging train, there always seems to be something else to buy......my early pics are encouraging, but AP is a different beast to try and tame early on.

I did however post a thread on what to get as a starter AP package, which the experts here at IIS helped me narrow down to this gear, so maybe its a good starting point? Search for Obi Wan and you will see the thread I mean, lots of good stuff in there and some pics of my rig too....

Anyone else wanna have a crack at a beginner's Astrophotography package? I'm too chicken to try and add up all the different combinations and open the pandora's box......:sadeyes:

Cheers

Chris

[smitty]

This is a very handy post for a noob!

Well done :)

Sean

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Sean,

Thanks, glad to help.

Cheers

Chris

[Markaus]

Hi, just reviewing the premium setup, any guidance on which shops sells the Skywatcher Black Diamond 8" Goto Collapsible Dobsonia for 999? Best I can find is 1300Aud

Thanks!

[Stu Ward]

Andrews sell the 8" goto for $999

Btw great post.
Cracking advice for the beginner

[Markaus]

Spent the evening reading away and browsing the classifieds, my only newbie concern is that I would spend some valuable dollars and be no better off than my wobbly power seeker which has been in and out of the box over the past 2 years more so out of frustration as it's hard to align, focus although I did manage to get a photo of the moon after hrs of trying to keep it steady! I also need to be mindful that I'd need to make the right choice to serve me for a good few years.

From reading the threads on the newbie recomendations I'm really thinking of the Genuine Skywatcher Black Diamond Collapsible "Go To" SynScan
8" Dobsonian...A$999. But then I just read a post whereby the full tube might be better as it can be in the future potentially mounted on an equatorial mount as an upgrade.

Is some respects it's a nice problem to have at this stage but so long as the right choice is made on purchase.

[overlord]

The trusses are certainly a recent fad. I have a feeling that the f/4.5 or f/5 trusses are not necessarily for the person who would buy the smaller scope (beginner) owing to the every-time collimation necessity. Once learned it's ok but yeah. It's portability at a price. i hate to say this, just theory of mine. :shrug: Don't wanna put anyone off but u can't really get what u want can u. my beginner scope would be f/8 6" dob due to sharpish views of planets rendered and much less need for collimation, plus potentially more portability, and a faster set-up :D Cheers folks! It's the traditional solution basically. But that is changing, obviously.

[barx1963]

Markaus
The collapsible or truss style scopes are great, but as with many choices in this market, you are sacrificing aperture. At the 8-10" end the space saving is IMHO fairly minimal and anless it is essential that you need the space saving, a solid tube will get more aperture for your dollars, or save dollars that can be spent on better accessorise (eyepieces, telrad, atlases etc)
While it is true that a solid tube can be later used for imaging, I always think it is best to get the best possible gear for what you are doing now, and for visual use, aperture is what really matters.

Malcolm

[Markaus]

thanks Malcolm,

my goals are;

1) observing, both planets and if possible further afield albeit deep space can come later with an upgrade
2) migration path for the future
3) ability to connect a webcam and PC
4) GOTO (GPS) I love the idea of the Meade system whereby you can also get comentary of the object in view. i see this as a wonderful learning experience!
5) Backyard viewing (mainly) although theres a potentially good spot about 5 mins away to setup with low light polution
6) enjoyment for friends/family by way of either direct viewing with the scope or remote via webcam connected to scope and to one of my "many PCs" I would possibly dedicate one for this hobby
7) As ive had a basic scope for 2 years this is the next step

last but not least, i never tend to do things half cocked, and i always try to avoid with any purchase thinking "i wish i had got the other one" so i tend to spend a bit extra if necessary to get what i want. ( and I maintain that if you are going to do it then its worth doing it properly)

THKS

Mark

[Jeeps]

As a beginner last year, the hardest part was choosing the telescope because you just don't know what's out there unless you do some serious research. When i have friends over and i ask "want to look a the moon or a planet with my telescope?" they are shocked when i bring out the R2D2 looking dob because a telescope in their mind must be a refractor looking telescope. They always say "when you said telescope i thought you meant a telescope!" LOL Anyway after explaining how the truss dob works and after looking into the eyepiece they appreciate the dob.

When i was looking to purchase last year, GO-TO dobs were only just coming out and were more expensive than they are now. If i were to be in the same predicament this year i would have gone with a smaller 8" go-to rather than my 10" manual dob simply for the tracking ability. I don't regret buying the 10" dob as i've learned more about the sky than i could have imagined however after buying it i found out about things like collimation, eyepieces, mirror cooling & dew... what a nightmare! However, i have found that i hardly ever need to collimate even though i collapse the scope after every session ( i havn't collimated at all this year). Mirror cooling hasn't affected me too much as i leave the scope under the carport or back deck if i plan to go out but dew has affected me a few times.

As as for eyepieces, i was amazed with what the standard ones provided but i have recently purchased my first premium - a Pentax XW 10mm and i plan to get a Televue 24mm panoptic soon. Wideviews make it much easier with manual scopes! Though i'm open to suggestions ;)

The problem with a lot of beginners is that they think they can spend $100-$200 on a complete setup and get great views. Beginners have so many choices these days but i agree that you really need to spend about $500 minimum when buying new to get something that isn't going to disappoint and make you lose interest.

And about the whole collimation thing, telling a beginner that they need to collimate everytime they use the scope will just scare them away from dobs. I don't think you need to collimate modern dobs regularly hardly at all! At least not mine ;)

cheers

[Stu Ward]

Whilst you may not have to collimate everytime you use, its always best practice to at least check
It would be such a waste of a viewing session if it was not collimated, for the time it takes to do.

Stu

[bmitchell82]

ill put my 2c in, collimation every time is pretty much essential, even if you do nothing. Also the accuracy of your collimation tools is a massive point if your collimating with a laser sausage (GSO laser collimators)... well its going to be pretty much spot on ever time... so to speak.

You start looking at passive auto collimators (which may i add are very easy to use) and you will see that moving your telescope from under the patio to out on the lawn will alter it slightly. possibly not enough for visual to see, but talking Astrophotography 100% it will!

Chirs as for your astrophotography, well.... it depends on what your vision and reality alignment is like! To get reasonably good shots not just happy snaps starting with absolutely nothing ide say somewhere around 4-5k. some people pipe dream that 1500 dollars will give them APOD quality images. :( but alass.

Things to think of when looking at AP

Mount- absolute minimum EQ6Pro/NEQ6
decent aperature/quality scope - Dob - 8" and up, 90mm up for refractors
Modifications eg, better focuser, better dove tails
Rings
Laptop - I use a eeepc 1000HD, 900mHz celron.. doesn't need to be a beast...
Software - Maxim DL, Nebulosity are 2 decent packages you pay for what you get
Correctors(field flattners)
power supplies- 80-100a-h is what you should get, and power supplies 8A does the trick
camera - contentious point... if i had my time again, don't bother with the dSLR, to much noise and alot of frustration. a small Cooled CCD sensor will kick you off. Decent data to work with and much better returns

My current kit is sitting about 5500 Though i have made alot of things by hand so add a good 1500 to that. on the up side it is actually pumping out high quality images with great resolution. look at my website if you want to see what i have and what its producing. if you want ask questions about it

The other thing is experience... you can only put a time price on that :) im pushing 2.1/2 years and still know very little!:thumbsup:

[CChelle]

Wow! This is EXACTLY what I joined the forum for. I had done some research and found that most helpful experts reccommend and 8" dob to a beginner. However, as the sites I'd been to were not Australian, the most reccommended brand was Orion. Can anyone tell me about the Skywatcher and Saxon brands. Mostly I just want to know if they're good or not. I've heard some good stuff about Skywatcher but what about Saxon? How does it compare? Also, how much better of would I be 10" Dob? Portability is not an issue. I live in the boon docks so I wouldn't be going anywhere other than my back paddock and my husband has offered to make me a stand on castors for wheeling the whole set up in and out of the garage. The upside of living in a place that is isolated from star clubs etc is that I have dark skys to look at.:)

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Michelle,

Welcome to IIS :welcome:

I am glad this post was of help. Skywatcher and Saxon are essentially the same scope, made by Synta and distributed by Tasco here in Australia. I prefer the look and feel of the Skywatcher brand over the Saxon, however.

A 10" dob has a slight but noticeable advantage in size and light gathering power over the 8" but is larger and therefore more heavy / bulky. However, if it is mounted on a caster board then this wouldnt be much of an issue.

As for Orion, these are a quite nice brand, very similar to Skywatcher, but generally more expensive in comparison when you sit say a 10" beside a Skywatcher 10".

With Dark skies, an 8 inch scope would perform like a 10" or 12" scope from the suburbs.

Regards

Chris

[bmitchell82]

Like chris has already said, the difference of a 10 to a 8 is a bit noticeable. back when i first started i had my 10" and a friend had his 8" both skywatcher dobsonians mounted up on EQ6pro german equatorial mounts GEM's using a 20mm Meade series 5000 eye piece the difference was the images where brighter, and being brighter meant that i could appreciably see more in galaxies, faint nebula. Also chirs is right with saying that a 8" in the country will preform like a 10" in the city. but a 10" i the country will take some big bounds on a 8 in the country! :)

The flame nebula is a good one to test out on, as its right on the edge of visibility with these scopes, In my 10" i can see it pretty good, where as the 8" i am struggling.

As for the difference between saxon and skywatcher, its like skywatchers poor brother. Not that they are bad.... but they are not made exactly the same. I would rank GSO and Saxon on the same level with the SW slightly ahead. at the end of the day its just the difference in build quality as the mirrors are on par. I could go into information over load for you but its counter productive. I wouldn't be swayed either buy all the extra goodies they throw at you, as most will tell you the kit that you get with the scope is great for the first 6 months until you get your feet wet, then you will upgrade your eye pieces to suite your viewing pleasures. high mag, wide fields, multi element eye pieces and the like.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask many questions :)
oh and welcome to the forum

Brendan

[overlord]

Skywatcher IS Saxon. : ) Saxon is the Aussie re-branding, specializing in slightly different scopes.

Well, I have an 8" f/5 Saxon from 2003. I had never heard of it before when I got it but it turned out to be of exceptional quality for its era. But They are made even better now, smoother too. I have used this to draw and map and all the planets except for Uranus and Pluto which are tiny little blank specs. In fact I'm not sure if it was Pluto but it could have been!

Yes excellent. You might want to use larger wheels. Castors might knock out the collimation if it goes bump bump bump de-bump.

Hell put it on a lawnmower like me, and get a 10" instead since it will be on wheels. : ) YES you need to put any 8" on wheels (unless it's truss), or it's very annoying to take out! VERY annoying! Primal enthusiasm does not last forever and is not always sufficient to overcome the 'weight barrier' of the scope. Sometimes you need to roll it out quick before it starts raining. I love doing that. Nice clouds in front of the moon! :eyepop:

[CChelle]

Thanks, all. That's been a big help. I've decided to go for a 10" as I do like looking at nebula and such. My husband likes the idea of the lawn mower and wants to know how you go about attaching it.
I want to know what your neighbours think about scooting out of the garage with a great big dob on a lownmower, just before rain. lol:hi:

[Suzy]

Hi Michelle,

I had my old 6" dob sitting on castor wheels and it worked like a dream. I like the long tension handles on the Saxon's as they enable me to drag it around on the wheels. My 10" is also on wheels. Castors alone, I don't think is such a good choice for such a large dob as a 10". The scope is quite heavy so you really need bigger wheels with some shock absorbency. Having said that, I still have not attached my pneumatic wheels on and am still using normal large wheels and it works fine, just have to be more careful and take it steady over the bumps.

I have attached a wooden frame (2 pieces) under the base (the frame protrudes a bit from under the base so the wheels sit either side of the base (not hidden under the base), and attached to it are two large wheels (pneumatic wheels are better) and two castor wheels. Again, I pull it around using the tension handles. I like having the castor wheels along with the larger wheels as I can move the the scope around better. Bunnings have trolleys for only $20 and many people use this as a way to move the scope around, then you strap it on to the trolley using those expandable tie thingies. I bought the trolley just to take the pneumatic wheels off it to attach to the base of my scope- their normally quite expensive so for $20 it was a bargain. When you drag the scope around, just take care over bumps, pavers etc, nice and slow.

[Jeeps]

I use a dedicated hand trolley for my 10" Skywatcher. I think i paid about $30 from Repco. I went to clark rubber, bought some strips of foam and fixed it to the trolley all over the place so as to not scratch the scope. I do not strap the scope to the trolley as the Skywatcher comes with 2 big knobs/handles to raise and lower the trusses of the dob. If you look at this picture you can kind of see the knobs. They're just below and to the left of the focuser:


http://i421.photobucket.com/albums/pp300/jeeps_photo/Astronomy/Trolley001.jpg


To tip the trolley back/up to move the scope, on both sides I put my forefingers on the little knobs and ease the scope back so it's flush against the trolley then put my thumbs behind the side rail of the trolley and pull the whole lot back. Once it's back and sittng on it's wheels in a balanced position, i put one hand on the top rail to control the trolley and keep one hand on the knob/side rail to keep the scope flush against the trolley. Using this method i go up and down my stair no problems and the scope 'falls into' the trolley and stays there.

I would suggest that you keep the tyres pumped up a little bit but not firm, this takes some shock out of the trolley. If they are pumped up firm the trolley will bounce and shock the scope to no end... and you'll HAVE to collimate ;)

The quality of the Skywatcher black diamond dobs is superb. I would even go as far to say they're a premium scope.

cheers

[dj gravelrash]

What a cracking thread. You are all monuments to humanity lol. A lil love for us annoying newbies is appreciated and seriously wont be forgotten. Cheers again--dj:D

[Blakout]

Awesome thread , just what I needed to know to get some gear for my new Skywatcher 8 inch DOB . :thumbsup:

[Blakout]

What 15mm would you recommend as I cant find the Super Plossle in 15 mm , sorry for asking stupid questions but Im new and havnt got a clue whats what .

[Screwdriverone]

Hey Blakout,

Check out Andrews Comms here http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

On the Skywatcher page, Skywatcher Plossls are at the bottom of the page and are $29 each. Quite acceptable eyepieces, good bang for your buck. Nearest size is 12.5mm or 17mm, also on the Guan Sheng page is a 15mm for $29 also, the Andrews ED ones are quite special too, I have two of these ED ones and use them all the time.

Cheers

Chris

[Blakout]

Thanks Chris , should I go the 12.5 or the 17 ? or dosnt it matter ?

Cheers :thumbsup:

[Screwdriverone]

Depends on your scope's focal length, mine is 1000mm and considering it came with a 25mm and a 10mm eyepiece, then I would personally go with a 17mm as 12.5 is a bit too close to the 10 to make it worthwhile....

For magnification calculations, my 10mm gives 100x mag. (1000/10) so therefore my 25mm gives 40x and if I got a 17mm, it would give 58x.

To get in the middle of the 100x and the 40x, you would need to buy a 14mm eyepiece which would give approximately 70x magnification.

So, 17mm is not a bad choice for a 1000mm focal length scope like mine. although, I do have a couple of 13mm EP's one being my Baader Hyperion 13mm which does give me 76x so I pretty much have things covered....

Get the one that fits the best into what you have already, simply use the FL divided by EP calculation to work out the magnification factor that sits between any eyepieces you already have.

Cheers

Chris

[Blakout]

This is great chris :D appreciate the help :thumbsup:

I think the focal length is 1200 so (1200/17) 70.5x add 2x barlow for 140 x , is that right ? Are there any cons ( apart from being more expensive ) going with a super wide EP ?

Cheers :thumbsup:

[Screwdriverone]

Yes Neil,

Those calculations are correct.

Some super wide EP's suffer from coma around the edges whereby the stars look smudged and develop tails.

Generally, you get what you pay for. A cheap super wide will probably be cheap performance, OK in the middle third (like a bulls eye) but rubbish around the edge. If you want super crisp stars right to the edge and massive wide field of view, then the ETHOS range from Televue are the way to go (no doubt there are other brands) but the trouble is, they cost more than some cheap telescopes (upwards of $600-900 EACH!!!)

Your best bet is to go for a 52 degrees Field of View (FOV) or a 68 deg FOV ED type eyepiece which are sub $60 depending on the brand. I have a few plossls, my Hyperion (second hand for $100), my ED 12.5mm - 68 deg and the first eyepiece I use when I unpack the scope, my 2" barrell 68 degree "wide field" Andrews brand 32mm, (very bad coma) and my Pentax XF 8.5mm ($230) which I use when I want some nice crisp close ups of planets like Jupiter without any false colour from barlows or powermates.

Its surprising just how satisfying my Skywatcher plossl's are.....considering they came with the scope. They perform quite well and the difference, whilst noticeable by me, is not something that can really justify the loading of $200 to buy say the Pentax, for a beginner.

I went a little "accessories crazy" early on, of which I am now cured, so trust me when I say a plossl is good value for money at this stage and well worth a look. Stay away from exotics and "super wides" until you can look through some in YOUR scope when at a star party or club event as only then you will be able to gauge whether the eyepiece of the future is worth it in your scope...

Hope this helps save you from sliding down the wallet busting path I almost fell down.

Cheers

Chris

[Blakout]

Thankes for the reply again Chris :thumbsup:

Looks like Im going for the 15mm GSO Super View Plossle and a GSO ED x2 barlow as andrews comm is phasing the skywatcher EPs out , he also says the GSOs are better quality than the skywatchers .

cheers
Neil

[Screwdriverone]

Cool Neil, they will suit your scope nicely,

Enjoy!

Glad to be of service....

Cheers

Chris

[Jen]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: great idea Sam i need one of those ASAP i cant carry the 12inch around by myself :rolleyes: and hubby will be starting harvest soon so he wont be around for a few weeks, i would hate to see a nice clear night wasted all because i cant get Johnny out of the house arhhhhhhhh :lol:

[Jen]

Oh and another thing that should go on a noobies list is to download Stellarium i think its a great program and it has helped me find my way through the night sky many times ;) I am hopeless with a planisphere :rolleyes:

http://www.stellarium.org/

[Blakout]

Id like to add 20 cans of mosquito repellent to your list , looking at the moon tonight through my 8in DOB tonight for the first time I must have been Bitten 100 times lol .



THX Jen ! Downloading now :thanx:

[Jen]

:lol::lol: that happened to me on my first night out with the scope too :lol: once bitten twice shy so they say i went shopping the next day with aeroguard on the top of the list :lol:
PS: Careful you dont spray it around near the scope though :rolleyes:

[Blakout]

Will do Thx for the tip :thumbsup:

[mprenzler]

Hi,

Just wanted to bump this old thread in case some other Newbie benefits from it. Thanks a lot Chris, this answered so many questions I had! :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Michael