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I didn't weigh into this thread as I am REALLY busy at the moment. I am alway happy to recommend an 8" dob for beginners for anumber of reasons,
1 I had one and it was brilliant. Easy to setup, easy to find stuff (I managed nearly the entire Messier list that were visible in my sky in the time I had it along with over 100 other objects.)
2 They are easy to handle. I know that it would not have been a problem when I was 12!
3 Collimation is not that hard. In fact on mine I checked it the first day, never touched it again, each time I checked it was OK. Sometimes we get all het up about collimation. I would challenge any but the most experienced observer to detect the difference in views in an 8" between a perfectly collimated one and on a bit out. I did a test a while back on my 12". Colimated it did some observing and then deliberately knocked out of alignment. I really had to muck it around to make a significantly noticeable difference.
I honestly think we do a disservice to novices scaring them with tales about needing to get collimation perfect. The best thing for an new observer, get it pretty close and get out and use the scope!! Once they decide they are hooked then there is plenty of time to learn the fine points of collimation.
4 As John has said the optics for the price are pretty good. I am sure there are some duds out there, but I haven't seen any. And again, a mirror would need to be pretty seriously bad for a beginner to even notice. The most important thing is not wasting time worrying about collimation, or whether a mirror is 1/12 or 1/10 wave, but get out and observe!!
As a final point, come on guys!! As I said in a previous thread, we need to develop a bit of respect for OPs. Someone has come here looking for advice and ideas. Respect the OP! Especially in a beginners thread.
Malcolm
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