Telescope advice for beginner

[malau (David)]

Hi All, This is my first post . I did some research about how to choose a telescope but Im having issue to choose the good one. My budget is around not more than $700. I mainly want the telescope can see stars/galaxy, saturn/mars...etc preferably can take photo from telescope. Is that achiveable?

I am currently thinking Skywatcher BKP150x 750 EQ3 Deluxe, Skywatcher SW500S but cant tell which one is better. I also heard about go-to and did some research about that... however I still cant get some concept of it.

Can anyone suggest me something? I dont mind spend another $100-200 for accessories such as eye piece I guess?

[Grease (Rob)]

Hi David,

I am only recently new here myself so I won't offer you any advice as I don't know enough to give any. Just wanted to welcome you. Good luck with the scope researching. The knowledge on this site astounds me so I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction.

[The Mekon (John Briggs)]

David,
Don't be in a hurry to spend your money. The scopes you mention will show stars (what scope wont?) the rings of Saturn, brighter galaxies, and could with a lot of perseverance and effort be used for photography if only in a limited way.

See if you can attend a viewing night and look through some scopes of the same or similar type, and compare with others around. You will also learn what goto will help you with. (though I reckon everyone should start out by reading charts and finding their way around the sky)
good luck!

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

get a dob ... learn the sky with it an then get something more towards photogaphy. honestly it's an investment but a cheap one especially with your budget.

go visual and see what's out there and then spend the money on an astro setup ... which won't be cheap plus you have the visual experience to know what's around when you spend hours photographing the subject

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

you can certainly take pics of the planets with a dob. many have ... Saturn wont be around for much longer but Jupiter will be .. and Mars.

honestly an 8" dob will keep you happy ... and if you have a dslr or whatever you might be suprised

[omegacrux (David)]

Hi and welcome David
I'm biased I like dobs , plonk it on the ground and start viewing easy
Many beginners have trouble with eq's , the ep and finderscope end up at angles all over the shop
An 8in Dob shows good views of Saturn , Jupiter and the moon .
My first view of Orion with an 8 inch Dob , wow

Hope I haven't muddied the water for you
What ever you get enjoy

David

[malau (David)]

Thanks everyone and I feel beloved

I also considered dob however I will take the telescope to rual area. I saw it has flat base and worry about if that will be an issue? I mean say I have to sit the dob on grass area. Are there any tripod for that?

I also have issue with accessing this website from home (actually some other website) so I can only reply you guys during office hour

[malau (David)]

Originally Posted by The Mekon

David,
Don't be in a hurry to spend your money. The scopes you mention will show stars (what scope wont?) the rings of Saturn, brighter galaxies, and could with a lot of perseverance and effort be used for photography if only in a limited way.

See if you can attend a viewing night and look through some scopes of the same or similar type, and compare with others around. You will also learn what goto will help you with. (though I reckon everyone should start out by reading charts and finding their way around the sky)
good luck!

Hi The Mekon, Thank you so much. Do you know where I can get some info about viewing night?

[Hajji]

I'm also new to this myself. I bought an 8" GSO dob recently for $400 and it is great. It gives you a very nice view of all the planets and moon. Accessories have costed me about $500 so far, but it has been worth it. Of course if I ever upgrade to a larger scope I can still use the same accessories.

Enjoy the sky

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

I started out with a scope just like the one mentioned. A 150mm Skywatcher newt on a EQ3 mount. To be honest. I wish I started with an 8" Dob. They are priced the same at about $400 except the dob is MUCH easier to setup and use. The 8" shows more detail and see's fainter objects then a 6" as well.

That being said. You said you have $700 to spend. Consider getting 10" dob. Still fairly manageable and transportable and should come within budget. The Bintel/GSO variety come with an assortment of eyepieces too. Maybe spend another $60 for a laser collimator and you may not get the urge to upgrade your scope for a few years. 10" is a serious photon collector. At a dark sky site you can hunt for galaxy clusters with it.

[malau (David)]

Originally Posted by AG Hybrid

I started out with a scope just like the one mentioned. A 150mm Skywatcher newt on a EQ3 mount. To be honest. I wish I started with an 8" Dob. They are priced the same at about $400 except the dob is MUCH easier to setup and use. The 8" shows more detail and see's fainter objects then a 6" as well.

That being said. You said you have $700 to spend. Consider getting 10" dob. Still fairly manageable and transportable and should come within budget. The Bintel/GSO variety come with an assortment of eyepieces too. Maybe spend another $60 for a laser collimator and you may not get the urge to upgrade your scope for a few years. 10" is a serious photon collector. At a dark sky site you can hunt for galaxy clusters with it.

Thanks so much. Do you bring it to other places as well or just use it at home? Because Im not sure if I can change the mount to EQ or something else...?

How about Bintel BT252-B 10" Dobsonian?

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Originally Posted by malau

Thanks so much. Do you bring it to other places as well or just use it at home? Because Im not sure if I can change the mount to EQ or something else...?

Yep. I take my 12" which is a actually alot bigger then a 10" up into the blue mountains for our monthly meets @ Katoomba airfield or the surrounding lookouts. Your in Sydney. Perhaps you should join us. We always like new people to join us. Our group is growing quite fast actually.

Originally Posted by malau

How about Bintel BT252-B 10" Dobsonian?

A very good well priced scope. Bintel give excellent service and advice too. Should be transportable without any trouble in a hatch back car. They also have them on display too in their store at Glebe.

[malau (David)]

Originally Posted by AG Hybrid

Yep. I take my 12" which is a actually alot bigger then a 10" up into the blue mountains for our monthly meets @ Katoomba airfield or the surrounding lookouts. Your in Sydney. Perhaps you should join us. We always like new people to join us. Our group is growing quite fast actually.



A very good well priced scope. Bintel give excellent service and advice too. Should be transportable without any trouble in a hatch back car. They also have them on display too in their store at Glebe.

Wow Thanks for the quick reply.

Just wonder for the Bintel I mentioned can I dont use dob mount but change it to EQ or others? If so how can I choose the right one for it?

Btw when is the next meeting see if I can join you guys

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Originally Posted by malau

Wow Thanks for the quick reply.

Just wonder for the Bintel I mentioned can I dont use dob mount but change it to EQ or others? If so how can I choose the right one for it?

Btw when is the next meeting see if I can join you guys

I don't do astro imaging but if I was to pick it up I would start with a Skywatcher ED80 and a EQ5 Pro mount. If your a beginner in Astronomy I would definitely not recommend starting in Astrophotography. Its a fast train to the "this is too hard" and dropping the hobby for 10 years.

With some tweaking to the dob tube structure, you could turn a 10" dob into a imaging system but you would need a substantial mount like a Skywatcher NEQ6.\


In regards to when we meet, its usally about the time of the new moon each month. Usually on a Saturday. Just check the forums Starparties section of the forum. We usually have a post regarding "Blue Mountains" or "Katoomba Airfield".

[malau (David)]

Originally Posted by AG Hybrid

I don't do astro imaging but if I was to pick it up I would start with a Skywatcher ED80 and a EQ5 Pro mount. If your a beginner in Astronomy I would definitely not recommend starting in Astrophotography. Its a fast train to the "this is too hard" and dropping the hobby for 10 years.

With some tweaking to the dob tube structure, you could turn a 10" dob into a imaging system but you would need a substantial mount like a Skywatcher NEQ6.\


In regards to when we meet, its usally about the time of the new moon each month. Usually on a Saturday. Just check the forums Starparties section of the forum. We usually have a post regarding "Blue Mountains" or "Katoomba Airfield".

Really thanks again. At this moment I mainly wanna see the sky first and like what you said photo will be next step. The only thing Im worry about is how to "mount" when I use somewhere else if it is DOB therefore have to sort out mounting first..

Will check Starparties section soon

[ManUtdFans (Alan)]

So many people suggested Dob, but what is the disadvantages of Dob over telescope with EQ mount/tripod?

[ZeroID (Brent)]

A Dob is easy to use for a beginner and gives great views due to it's large aperture. It is the 'Best bang for a buck' scope and the easiest and probably best way to start.
I converted my 10" (homebuilt) to mount on an EQ6 mount by making a lightweight frame but most solid tube 10" dobs are really too heavy for a mount. Most astrophotography is done with refractors or specailly adapted reflector scopes. Smaller, lightweight and sometimes modified optics. It also is an expensive path.
You can take photos with a dob within certain imitations and modern DSLRs can do a dang good job. The real disadvantge with a dob is that it cannot track a moving star for very long without some rotation effects being apparent in the picture. There are ways around this but if you go seriouslyinto astrohotography you will need a different setup with a guided tracking mount. A Dob does not really work for this.

[astromark]

You are asking the questions and have the answers...
I can only add to the chorus. The best scope to use is the scope that works best..
Yes I know that sounds silly but it is so true it needs to be said.
Get yourself to a star party and talk with owners.. I am sure you will quickly 'see' that the dobi's work best.. simple cheap and easy.. and the eight or ten inchers do work so well.
You question the flat base for in field viewing.. ( longish grass ) I can assure you they are well equipped for this..
As for the photography option.. No, dobi's are not the best platform, but cameras are so good today all you need is a mounting.. Talk with some that do this..You will learn much.. I advise for good deep sky object photography all you need is a well mounted modern camara. Not wanting to blow your budget but It is easy to spend a great deal of $ on stuff you do not need.
Spending a fine evening with people that know what they are doing is the very best way for you to get into astronomy..

[ManUtdFans (Alan)]

Why Dob is not good for AP?
I guess the DSLR is attached to where the eye piece is. So for other EQ/tripod scope they are working the same?

I think I might missed something.

[killswitch (Edison)]

Dob/Alt-Az cant compensate for field rotation so you are limited to short exposures. Whereas an EQ mount rotates with the sky.