Celestron 130EQ + Accessories vs Dob 6-8" inch

[kartik]

Hi Guys,

I am looking to get a new telescope and need your help in deciding the best combination.

I was also initially going to purchase the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ for $250 with delivery in Australia (before reading through this forum)

I have already purchased the following accessories for Celestron 130EQ from Amazon.com. Note: I haven't purchased the telescope yet
Celestron 93230 8 to 24mm 1.25 Zoom Eyepiece

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-93230-24mm-1-25-Eyepiece/dp/B0007UQNV8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320739375&sr=8-1

Celestron Omni 2X Barlow Lens

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Omni-2X-Barlow-Lens/dp/B00008Y0TM/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1320739614&sr=1-1-spell


After reading through the forums here it seems that Dob 6-8" inch is the preferred choice for beginners.

I have two options now - either I sell the above accessories and get a Dob 6-8" inch for around $400

Or I get the 130 EQ for $250 and use the above accessories to get better views. My bugdet is really tight and unless there is significant difference between the two I would prefer 130 EQ as its cheaper (of course will use it with accessories)

What would you suggest? The accessories seems to have quite decent reviews and has significantly improved viewing quality through the telescope (according to reviews)

Also, if I don't sell the accessories and get a 6-8" inch dob, would I be able to use these accessories on the telescope??

Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks a lot

[PaulG]

I'd keep those accessories but still pass on the 130EQ cause the shaky mount will drive you nuts. But a Barlow and a Zoom is a real nice set of goodies to have on hand when starting out and will save you spending on eyepieces for the time being. A 6" Dob wont be that much more expense, I'd be patient and hold on til you can gather another $50-100 or whatever it is.

[dannat]

Yes. 6" dob should be found at 329 or thereabouts, the mount will be much easier to use, albeit a little low, you may need to stand it on something or knock together a platform for it

[Peter.M]

Not to mention the 6 inch dob gathers 1.4 times the light of the astromaster, and the 8 inch 2.5 times more light.

[barx1963]

Don't even bother with the 130eq, nothing actually wrong with it but small aperture and tricky mount to learn to use. It had the Saxon equivalent of of it and best thing I did was move to an 8" dob, went from struggling to see 1 or 2 objects a night to seeing dozens.
The accessories with work just fine in a dob, they are not specific to the 130eq.

Good luck with your decision

[PaulG]

http://www.australiatelescopes.com.au/kson-135mm-dobsonian-telescope.html

There ya go, 6" dob for $219 at the moment.

[kartik]

Thanks for your responses Guys.

So just to confirm the barrow and zoom will work with the Dob, correct? So I don't need to sell it.

Also would there be significant difference between 6 and 8 inch? I can get the 6 inch now (thanks to Paul) or wait till end of Dec and should have another couple of hundred for 8 inch?

Cheers

[barx1963]

I would wait for the 8", has far more light gathering power. 20 or 30 years ago, a 6" scope was a big scope, nowadays an 8" is the basic beginners scope thanks to the Dobsonian mount.
Have a little patience and you will be rewarded.

Malcolm

[brian nordstrom]

:) Dob! my friend . the more photons in , the more information your eyes and brain have to work with . so you will see more . ;) in the larger scope. 8 inch ! Yea.:thumbsup:
Cool .
Brian

[PaulG]

Yah def don't sell those accessories, they're nicely universal and will keep you happy if you get a scope that's bundled with crappy eyepieces.

Re 6 or 8", That 6" is a bit of a bargain imho, so if you're impatient to cut your teeth it wouldn't be a bad choice, you should easily be able to recover most of the investment if/when you wanted to sell it and it will be more portable. Flip side of the equation is you'll have more light gathering power in an 8" and be able to see more, plus you'll have a nicer standard of hardware if you look at the Guan Sheng dobs, but there's decent chunk of extra cash there. Either way you wouldn't be making a bad decision really.

[Scorpius51]

Buy a Dob! I had a 130EQ initially because I was impatient! I now have an 8" Newt on a HEQ5 mount, but I will be building a Dob mount soon.

If funds are scarce, then get the 6" - otherwise get the 8". Very good value for money, and still very portable.

If you get the 130EQ and just wish to observe, you will very quickly find that an EQ mount is not nearly as convenient as a Dob mount for setup and use. The EQ mount that comes with the 130EQ is small and light, but not a very stable mount, particulary if you start adding cameras, etc.

Additionally, you will soon want more aperture if you start with an 130EQ.

BUY THE DOB!

Cheers :thumbsup:
John

[Regulus]

Still using my first scope which was purchased 18 months ago.
An 8" dobson with 10ml / 20ml / 30ml eye-pieces and 3x barlow.

I have seen a lot of amazing things and now have some very enthusiastic neighbors as well :)
Though we are looking at a 5-6" refractor in the next month or so for photography the dob is a keeper.

As a first scope I highly recommend a 6 or 8 inch dobsonian and I'd be very interested to hear your comments after you've had a couple of nights viewing :thumbsup:

Regards
Trevor

[kartik]

Thanks for the response guys.

I will go for an 8 inch dob as I should have some money by first week of December.

The cheapest 8 inch dob (Guan Sheng) - I found is for $399 at
http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

This should be fine, right?

Cheers

[barx1963]

I bought mine from Andrews and had no probs.

Malcolm