Quote:
Originally Posted by phobos27
Thanks for all the advice but do you think it is worth the extra money for the 'better' optics? Better was put in apostrophe's for a reason...
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For
visual work the reflector will enable you to see a lot more in terms of fainter DSO's. If you want to do mainly AP it will enable you to take quicker exposures because of its much better light-gathering ability and faster optics. However, the mount is rated to 20kg, and the OTA alone is around 15kg from what I can see- so while it will be fine for visual work it is big and heavy and, with a camera, finderscope, autoguiding camera etc. it will push the mount to its limit. As I mentioned previously, the rule of thumb for AP is around 1/2 of the rated load of the mount.
If you have an observatory and don't have to set up every time it would probably be OK- but if you don't, and AP is your goal, you should think long and hard about the refractor instead. It is much lighter and easier to lug around and set up, and the mount wont be strained to cope with the load.
I would recommend you have a look through both types of scopes before you buy- say at a local club- and talk to astro-photographers...
Good luck!
- Dean
PS: the other thing that I haven't seen mentioned is cool-down time. The 250 mm mirror will take longer to cool down than the refractor, and this will affect the quality of your images until it reaches ambient temperature. You will probably want to install a fan to cool the mirror quickly. Again, in an observatory this wont be as much of an issue.