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Hi ya,
Well I'll add my piece...........
I have both plus a few, and I think the following.
I have a Williams Optics Megrez 80 Refractor and I am very hapy with it. It is a great scope for AstroPhotography because the cameras you can attach have longer to record the light on their sensors than our sensors, the human eye can do in "real time".
Now don't get me wrong, it is a very nice scope to look through and just observe with the eye, but it really shines with imaging due to its compact size and relative ease to mount and track.
Viewing with your own sensors (eyes)..............
This is where aperature comes in because as I said earlier, your eyes have to look at objects in "real time" you don't have the beifit of recording your image over a long period.
So bigger aperature the better for straight veiwing in my books.
newts come in varrious mounting configs such as EQ or Dob etc and this becomes a choice of what you intend to do with it....ie an EQ mount is much better for Imaging as long as it is ratted to carry the size reflector you have ontop of it.
A Dob is cheap and very fast and good for casual observing, but long exposures for imaging can be a problem but can be helped with the aid of EQ platforms etc, but are not as good as a good EQ mount and a quailty Refractor for imaging in my book,
well not until you spend huge figures anyway
The other scopes are a mixture of both the technologies and have various compromises and beifits, and are a decision makers minefield, but as you advance, you will no doubt look at the various types and find one that suits you.
so your original Question..........
If you need the smallest, compact unit for astro and terrestrial viewing, I think a corrected refractor would be your best chioce or maybe a high quality spotter scope would be ok as well.
My other option would be a pair of bino's such as sold by company's like Andrews Comms.........say 25x100 are nice, I have a pair and they are really fun things to have at just a bit over $400 from memory.
A Dob would be my choice if money was an issue, as aperature rules in visual observing and of course a full on EQ mounted large aperature scope would be my best pick.
I brought a Meade Lightbridge 12" Dob as my field scope and will be moving up to the 16" as soon as they hit the country as they just are the best thing for large aperature portability IMHO.
I have the WO Megrez 80 for portable Imaging.
Think about the bino's though, they have a great built in tripod mount and are great portable units for daytime work!!
cheers
John
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