Hi Scott,
Thats a really good piece of information you have given me about chosing my first telescope. I've heard from a lot of people about the 8" Dob. Well initially I was and maybe I am still keen on a 12" dob. But as you said it again depends upon the size.. I dont want to get a really massive elephant and never take it out. I'd rather go for a medium sized one which is quite portable.
Also another question, should I be looking at a specific brand for dobs or u think all are equal?
Cheers
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavelandscott
I am glad that you plan on doing some veiwing before buying  .
I have 3 scopes at present...
An 8" Bintel (GSO) Dobsonian mounted Reflector,
12.5" Discovery Truss Style Dobsonian mounted Reflector,
Skywatcher ED80 Refractor with Bintel Skyview Alt Az Mount
I started with the 8 inch reflector and got "the fever" for more light gathering capacity and eventually got the 12.5 inch truss dob (purchased second hand). Both are "easy" for me to move by myself and use. The truss dob also is set up to use an Argo Navis...great addition (and Australian)! Combined with an adjustable height chair and some good wide field eyepieces I am happy with what I have.
At some point I'll probably upgrade again but I don't think that I'll go any bigger than about 15 inches...I want to view with my feet on the ground or seated...that is my preference and while I don't mind an occasional climb up the ladder of to look through someone's telescope, I know as much as I would love the extra light gathering ability, I'd never get a really big scope out often enough.
They are both easy to maintain and set-up. I am strictly a visual observer...while I enjoy seeing the images other people create, I've never felt the need to pursue that side of the hobby. The ED80 is handy to look at the moon and occassionally do some solar observing...I share all of my scopes with my kids and encourage them to have a go with them. They believe that the 8 inch and the refractor "belong" to them.
With your target budget you can get a pretty good scope and some very good eyepieces. That would be a strategy that matches my own bias and path into the hobby, I started with a modest 8 inch (a good entry level scope) that I used often (easy in and out on a hand trolley) and bought high quality eyepieces one at a time. As my experience level and tastes grew and matured, I added additional eyepieces and "upgraded" my scope to a larger Discovery brand scope. I really like globular clusters...
A lot of people will encourage you to get a large scope and while "size is king" it does you no good to have a whopping big scope if you only get it out once or twice a year.
Spend to your interest and not to your budget.
Take your time and explore the different set-ups that other people have and then buy with confidence.
Good Luck! |