Hi, I’m looking at spending $500-600 on a new scope. I already have a 10inch GSO dob, so am looking for something that’s more portable. Any suggestions would be most welcome.
At the moment I’m tossing up between the following refractors from andrews. Any suggestions would be most welcome.
Hi Peter, I have purchased Sky-Watcher 120x600mm OTA from Andrews last week. I’m using it for wide field imagining mainly and for this application I’m quite happy with it. With GSO 25mm eyepiece looking on the moon there is bit of yellow fringing around if you keep your eye right in the centre of the eyepiece. If you move your eye of centre, the fringing around the moon becomes quite pronounced yellow violet. Looking on Sirius I could see bluish fringing around. With other stars of lesser magnitude I couldn’t see any CA. The scope is well made and the focuser is reasonably smooth for R&P focuser. For its price I recon it is good telescope.
Image of Procyon taken with Star-Watcher 120x600 and GStar with IR filter.
In the price bracket from Andrews and from what I have seen and heard here on IIS from people, I think this is a steal!
ED80 x 600 with AZ3...A$549
Its a Skywatcher ED 80mm with the AZ3 mount right in the middle of what you want to spend...I dont think you can go wrong with an ED refractor at this price.
Peter I have the Celestron version of the 102 on EQ3. The scope and optics themselves are fairly good, the focuser is a bit ...Mehh...elcheapo R&P, but it does the job as long as you don't swing anything too heavy off it. The EQ3 mount itself is fine, you can even add an RA motor to it easily and that makes a bit difference.
The tripod though will let you down. Its not really strong enough for the weight and you will find it frustrating at times waiting for the vibrations to damp down, especially at higher magnifications. Also you have to sit on the ground when looking at the zenith (well I suppose you will have to do that with most refractors ).
All things considered, I paid the better part of $1000 plus (wasn't happy when I found out the normal price ) for mine 4 years ago so your getting a pretty good price for this one.
BTW the WO 10:1 synta replacement crayford focuser fits straight into it, as does the standard ED80 crayford style focuser so if you want to upgrade your focuser then it's easy enough to do. But then you might as well by a more expensive scope that already has a crayford installed
Hi, I’m looking at spending $500-600 on a new scope. I already have a 10inch GSO dob, so am looking for something that’s more portable. Any suggestions would be most welcome.
In this price bracket I couldn't in good conscience recommend anything other than a smaller dob.
The az3 mount doesnt have its axis of rotation at the centre of gravity and has no counterweights, meaning balance becomes an issue away from the horizontal. As you point higher, the COG falls further behind the axis of rotation meaning you need the tension on the axis bolt pretty firm, meaning you will get rough jerky movement and is generally unpleasant. The az3 is fine for a spotting scope, but if you want to point upwards you will find it lacking.
Cheapest alt-az mount I could recommend is the gso model, which is fine for an 80mm refractor or a short tube 100. The 120 would be pushing it even given the official rating of 20lb, which I think is overly optimistic having checked out the stability of one in the shop. Even now you are outside your budget.
As for the eq3, well I think that eq mounts are unsuitable when portability rates highly in your criteria. You will find it as much trouble as moving the 10" dob.
I went down a similar path. I owned a 10" dob and wanted a second smaller scope. I bought an ed80 and was seriously disappointed in how little could be seen from my suburban back yard. I sold it and ended up with this..
Here is another option for you at Andrews, a Mak Cas 150mm scope on a Skywatcher EQ5 mount!
EQ5 mount/tripod (s/steel) with Mak. MC150x1900 telescope, complete $699.00
Just a bit over the budget, but probably the best aperture / mount combo there.
EDIT: WOAH! I forgot something. If you want Grab and GO, the Ioptron Cube is at Sirius Optics and comes with a GPS GOTO mount with 50,000 object database and a 80mm ED scope.
SmartStar ™-G Series Mount with #8402A Controller with 50,000 objects internal 32 Ch. GPS and Tripod. Price: $620.00 Code: #8802
I advise that you give Andrews a call as well as they are supposed to be supplying the Ioptron range very soon!
Chris
Last edited by Screwdriverone; 12-05-2008 at 05:19 PM.
Reason: Added Ioptron option
If its planets you want and grab and go size - go for a Mak, see my reply #7 for the Andrews one $699 with $1 to spare. AND you get a solid Skywatcher EQ5!
The FL on this Mak is 1900mm which means you can get more mag from the Mak than the others.
That Ioptron cube and 80mm ED is looking tasty though, I might get an orange one.!
Chris
"Designed with the latest technology the 80 mm lens is crafted with a fluorite based, low dispersion glass that is ground and polished to exact specifications."
Is this definitely an ED telescope - I wasn't sure?? I know it says low dispersion (which of course ED is) - but I would have thought they'd say 'ED' if it was. Wondering if its actually a cheaper alternative? Anyone know?
Screwdriverone, on one of your previous posts you stated that the Ioptron go to mount can be used with the Promak150. Do you know of anyone who's got the combination? Also as per the previous comment does anyone know how the Ioptron ed80 compares to say the skywatcher ED80?
I was speculating as to the suitability of the Promak 150 on the Ioptron cube mount. The tube weight of the Promak150 is listed on Skywatcher's website at 5.1kg (11.22 lbs) and the Ioptron cube at the moment has a payload capacity of 11lbs so this is probably pushing it to mount one of these.
Add a camera for DSO imaging etc and I dont think it would drive it in its current form. I think there is a newer robust version coming out with metal gears which may have a greater payload. You might have to wait a bit tho.
Also, you will need to consider field rotation on a non EQ mount on long exposures as it is an ALT AZ mount which will track ok but will not auto rotate the FOV and therefore may not be suitable for the imaging you want to do. My advice then is to stick with the rock solid Skywatcher EQ5 mount which can be motorised later on (in RA axis - cheapest, or GOTO later) and then mount
either the Andrews MC150 MAK OTA on it (package $699) or the ED80 OTA ($399+$299)
JJJNETTIE has a Ioptron cube and a ED80 mounted on it, drop her a private message to see if she can fill you in on its performance.
Hi, I’m looking at spending $500-600 on a new scope. I already have a 10inch GSO dob, so am looking for something that’s more portable. Any suggestions would be most welcome.
At the moment I’m tossing up between the following refractors from andrews. Any suggestions would be most welcome.
120 x 600mm OTA + AZ3...A$499
Thanks
Peter.
I also have this scope and use it as a guide scope. It does have quite a bit of false colour. If you are going to use the scope mainly visually then I think the smaller scopes will be very disappointing. An 80mm ED as suggested seems OK for photography but gives a pretty dim image visually.
The 150mm mak would be light and captures much more light. Not as much as your dob but much more satisfying.
Once again thanks for all the suggestions. Seeing as I'm not getting into astro any time soon, Ive narrowed it down to the following:
Vixen R130 on porta mount $700 or Guan Sheng 6"GS-500 from andrews for $500 (what are peoples thoughts on this one as no ones mentioned it yet)
or
Peter, since you have some eyepieces that came with your dob and a few accessories, I look at it this way....buy the best scope your money can afford. That way, you'll get the performance and quality that you deserve and you're not compromising in any way. Personally, I'd go for the 150mm Mak. You don't need the extra eyepieces, yet, but you want a scope for planetary viewing and such. The Mak would be ideal... good FL, portable and sturdy mount, gathers plenty of light and you can attach a small camera like a Meade LPI or Celestron Nexstar to it to take piccies of the Moon and planets, if you like.
Sorry to do this to you, but I had another thought.
If you are contemplating the Andrews MC150 on EQ5 for $699, why not go for the MUCH better optics of the Promak 150 from Skywatcher $599, and mount this on the EQ3 mount which Andrews sells for $199?
Total then is $798. Only $100 more than the MC150, but on the EQ3 rather than the EQ5.
Too much? Keep in mind the Pro series Skywatcher Mak 150 would probably leave the "Generic" Andrews MC150 for dead. And it has a 5 year warranty and free shipping (not sure about the mount but I think as its a Skywatcher, then it is free freight too!)
So the extra money you would have spent on freight, can go towards the cost of a MUCH better scope that is 20mm bigger than the Vixen one.
Cant help myself....this is PURELY on the portability side of things.
This is not exactly grab and go, but is more portable than a 10" dob? Sorta? Don't know how easy or fast this is to tear down or set up? Anyone care to elaborate?
Sorry to do this to you, but I had another thought.
If you are contemplating the Andrews MC150 on EQ5 for $699, why not go for the MUCH better optics of the Promak 150 from Skywatcher $599, and mount this on the EQ3 mount which Andrews sells for $199?
Total then is $798. Only $100 more than the MC150, but on the EQ3 rather than the EQ5.
OR..... put the 150 mak onto a GSO alt-az mount for $298 incl dovetail adapter. Nobody here seems to mention this mount, but it seems to be a hot ticket item in the US right now judging by the CN forum.
I just took a look at the Andrews site. That eq3-c looks way too small and flimsy for the mak. Yuk!
Again I firmly believe that an eq mount runs contrary to the concept of having a convenient, lightweight and portable setup. For a start, you're dealing with dead weight in the form of counterweights and the extra complexity and fiddle factor compared to using an alt-az.
The same goes for the 6" newt on eq mount. We are now looking at a scope heavy and cumbersome enough that its little or no more convenient than the 10" dob you already have, but with less capability.
You should be aware that maks suffer long cool-down periods before they give their best. This is the trade off.
The r130 needs a focuser upgrade as the supplied plastic focuser really is bad..
Id be leaning towards getting a skywatcher ED80 from all accounts ive heard they are a fantastic refractor and very useful for photography...
That said, the Mak150 on an EQ5 for $699 or the promak150 on an eq3 are both great. But as Starkler said just before my post, you're after something easy to move, grab and go sort of thing... from what I know of EQ mounts, they are anything but.
I was afraid this would happen. I started of at $400 now I'm at $800. Lets try to keep it under $1000, lol. After more consideration its between the
R130 on the porta mount + crayford focuser (thanks Geoff)
and
the skywatcher pro mak150 on the GSO alt-az mount
portability and light weight are my main concerns. Geoff mentioned cool down time for the mak. How long are we talking here or does it depend on the temp? I also read something about dew and these scopes.
Also which of these scopes would give better detail of the planets?
Once again thanks to all who are helping me out here.
New telescope for $500-$600
![[1ponders]'s Avatar](../vbiis/customavatars/avatar45_9.gif){kind=avatar}
).
) for mine 4 years ago so your getting a pretty good price for this one.
getting closer...
