Quote:
Originally Posted by sheeny
I suspect the scope may be the least of your problems... the finderscope may prove to be a bigger challenge. A straight through finderscope will be a pain near zenith no matter what scope you have, and a right angle finder can be a bit more awkward to use but will be better on your neck at high altitudes. If your neck is really bad I would recommend 2 finderscopes... a right angle one to use near zenith and say a Telrad or red dot finder to use at low altitude.
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I was thinking about this too and was going to recommend a right-angle finder, or an erect image finder. Some of the latter have 45 degree diagonals on the back but that is still enough an angle that you don't have to get right behind it. With a right angle finder the image is flipped two ways, upside down and then back to front, and it can be a bit of a mental challenge to turn things around to work out which way to move the scope. An erect image finder would give you a right way up view of the sky. The average straight-through finder gives you an upside down image, btw.
I also recommend getting a chair, they make it so much more comfortable to view. Dobs can be placed on a small stool or specially made table, they don't have to stay on the ground and that extra foot in height can make a big difference.
Best thing to do, as always, is get down to a local club meeting and try out other peoples scopes. That will give you a feel for what you like and can cope with.