Quote:
Originally Posted by ash_mz21
Screwdriverone, do you think the extra $400 and bulk of a 10" model is justified in the improvement in image over an 8" model? If I lash out the $1200 on an 8" I don't want to be thinking.. hmm i really should have just spent the extra for the 10". I've noticed 10" dobsonian's seem to be the weapon of choice on here.
Thanks mate,
Ashlin.
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Hi Ashlin,
Funny you mention that, I thought the same when I was buying (gone now) my 12" collapsible manual dob and decided on the 12" rather than go the 10" for CONSIDERABLY less money.
Now, the difference between the 8" I have now and the 12" I had before is quite noticeable from a brightness point of view, as the 12" brings in A LOT more light than the 8", However, as I kept having to nudge my dob and I dont have to with my goto HEQ5, I can stare longer at things with my new scope and dont notice the smaller size much, PLUS I bought the 8" specifically with AP in mind (photos).
Now I think that if you can afford the $1200 for the 8" Goto, I think you will be using that scope for YEARS and YEARS as it is quite capable to keep you satisfied for a long time. I had a similar $500 jump between my 10" manual and the 12" and decided on the bigger one, then regretted it as I think the 10" would have satisfied me quite well and I would have been able to keep $500 of my money for other things....
More often than not, your first scope is NEVER your last if you stay with Astronomy, so while bigger is often better, $1200 for a goto 8" DOB is awesome value and will be years before you will have exhausted what it can show you....probably there will be a time when you decide to dabble in Astro Photography and when that time comes, the DOB wont be what you will be using, more likely an 8" reflector on an HEQ5 Pro like mine, or something like an ED80 (3.1 inch) on the same mount, or bigger Refractor (lenses, rather than mirrors). When or if that time comes, you will probably look at the 10" goto and say....HMMMM, I could sell that to fund the other scope/camera/mount/Laptop/filters/coma corrector etc etc etc and then not have a nice visual instrument to bring out and use while your camera spends 10 minutes taking 1 photo!
So, my advice to you is: if $400 more is not going to kill your budget, then by all means go for the 10", things will be brighter, the scope isnt THAT much bigger or heavier than the 8" and will probably be a keeper for a LONG LONG time.
However, if you want to keep costs down and maybe "dabble" later with a webcam on Jupiter/Saturn/Mars etc through the dob, or even buy a whole Astrophotography Rig if the bug bites, then stay with the 8" as you can save your pennies, use an AWESOME scope for the money in the meantime, and if you ultimately decide to give it away (boredom, work, life, spouse....etc) then the impact to you will be lesser as you wont get ALL the money back you spent on it, but they are a VERY popluar starting point for all beginners, so will EASILY sell here for about 60-80% of the purchase price, depending on age/current pricing/condition you keep it in.
As I said, I have HAD a 12" dob, which was Manual, and I sold it as I am quite happy with the performance visually of the 8" on the Equatorial mount as it has GOTO and it can ALSO take some pretty awesome pictures....
An 8" dob for a beginner with GOTO is a great way to start as bang for your buck, so start there.
If you decide to upgrade (as most of us do) then if you are staying a visual observer, then 12" and above will be where you will be looking, so the 10" gets skipped over in the quest for the BIGGEST you can get for the money/size/portability equation.
Whew, another monster answer. I hope you can understand and follow my reasoning, I am trying to play both sides of the fence as I dont really know how you will take to this great hobby, so am giving you my experiences so you can hopefully not spend too much initially if the bug really bites later (or if not at all) as this does happen to some.
Cheers
Chris