Quote:
Originally Posted by Draco
Hi all
I have yet again got myself at a fork. I went to Bintel today to have a look at the Orion binoculars esp the mini giant 9x63 which is selling at $299. While there I also checked out the Orion 15x70 Astro selling at $149 and the Orion 20x80 Astro at $219. The sales guy was really nice and very knowledgable. He said that the cheaper binoculars were not as good as the 9x63 mini giant. He also recommended the Orion shorttube 80 selling for $279. He said the shorttube will be much better than the binoculars for jupiters loons, saturns moons and some deep sky objects. I know I will need to get tripod for it and if I get a binocular then will need a tripod for that as well
At this stage I am just starting off and plan to get a meade 12" dob in 6 months so need something portable and not too expensive
I want to look at the moons of jupiter, moons of saturn and deep sky objects (those that can be seen with binoculars).
Which of these will be better for ne? Is the shorttube a good choice over the others?
Thank you in advance
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I have a differently badged version of the Orion short tube 80. What he told you is true. The Short 80 will be better than the binoculars for looking at the moons of Jupiter.
He didn't tell you that the moons of Jupiter are just four little dots of light in a scope that size. Not much to see? Jupiter itself is more interesting as is Saturn and the shadow transits of the moons of Jupiter. However neither the shorty 80 nor the binoculars are really suitable for this.
An 80mm aperture is really only satisfactory on the handful of brightest DSO's. The 12" will eat it for breakfast.
The tube weighs about 1kg and it is really portable. I have a very good ED80 but I still grab the shorty from time to time. Used it a few weeks ago on Panstaars. It's quite good as a low power wide field scope and mine is quite well colour corrected for such a short achromat. However, rack up the power and you'll soon see that this scope isn't a high power optic.
You can mount the 80mm on your dob and use it as a super finder. Binos are useful for a range of reasons. Before you spend money, think about how you'll use what ever you buy in the long term.
Joe