Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockah
It's really, really important and good to do your research but at the same time it can be a bit overwhelleming with the amount of info out there and opinions.
As others have said, go to a get-together and check out other people's scopes and setups and see what suits you best.
And finally, in my experience one of the most important things to start with is a good mount (EQ6) - I got a HEQ5 pro, and although it is a very nice mount, I wish I had the payload capabilities of the EQ6
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Overwhelming is an understatement.
I've called a few different suppliers and they all say something different. CGT is better, refractor is better. Cellestron is better than the rest, and so on. Big aperture is supposedly better but it's hard to imagine getting a better picture than the ones I've seen using an ED80.
I am now leaning towards a refractor type.
Seems a big difference in price from brand to brand. A Saxon ED80 for instance is around $1000 and a Skywatcher Black Diamond ED80 OTA is around $1800. Guess they are just better scopes.
So I suppose a good starting point would be the Skywatcher and a decent mount. I will probably attach a camera at a later date.
I'm going to the Snake Valley club tomorrow night. Hopefully the skies will be clear and I will be able to check out what others are using.