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Old 10-09-2010, 12:58 PM
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renormalised (Carl)
No More Infinities

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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
No contest....the 10" dob walks all over the 130mm scope. Not only is there a substantial difference in capabilities (resolution and light gathering capacity for a start), but the 10" will be more useful when it comes to doing astropiccies later on (with some mods done to the scope). The only thing the 130 has over it is portability and the goto capability. But there's something in learning how to navigate the sky by the seat of the pants and learning about the stars in this fashion. It's more gratifying...but it can also be frustrating too. If you have a tiny balcony to view from, the 130 would be the better scope, if that's the only place you intend to view from. If you're willing to drive out into darker skies, the 10" is your best bet.

You could also try for a Skywatcher SW500S, 6" Reflector from Bintel, for $549

If you could stretch you budget by $400 or so, you could pick up a Skywatcher BD200, 8" reflector and an EQ5 mount (with goto) for $1400. Or even the above 6" on the same mount for $1300...it'll be lighter on the mount and give you some extra room (weight wise) to add guidscopes and such later on, for piccie taking.

Last edited by renormalised; 10-09-2010 at 01:13 PM.
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