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[poider (Peter)]

G'day, I have a 60mm no name refractor telescope that I have used intermittently for years, My wife and I recently did an astronomy tour in the Flinders Ranges with a 10 inch Dobsonian, We enjoyed this immensely and would like to upgrade.
If I stayed with a refractor, what size would give me the equivalent views to the 10 inch dobsonian?
Is there a brand I should avoid, I have seen a 10 inch dosonian for $799 it is a sky watcher brand.
Are celestron, sky watcher and meade all the same quality?
Peter

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Originally Posted by poider

G'day, I have a 60mm no name refractor telescope that I have used intermittently for years, My wife and I recently did an astronomy tour in the Flinders Ranges with a 10 inch Dobsonian, We enjoyed this immensely and would like to upgrade.
If I stayed with a refractor, what size would give me the equivalent views to the 10 inch dobsonian?
Is there a brand I should avoid, I have seen a 10 inch dosonian for $799 it is a sky watcher brand.
Are celestron, sky watcher and meade all the same quality?
Peter

Hi Peter,
Welcome to IceInSpace .
The 10inch Skywatcher Dobsonian would be an excellent choice.
Much cheaper than an equivalent refractor (if there is one).
Celestron is a good brand too.
Meade is a reputable brand also.
But I would recommend the skywatcher.
$799 is a bit expensive for a secondhand SW10"
A new collapsible SW10" is $899.
($1699 for the computerised GoTo version)

[poider (Peter)]

How does this sound
http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/...oductview.aspx
Peter

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Originally Posted by poider

How does this sound
http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/...oductview.aspx
Peter

Peter,
That sounds like an absolute winner.
Orion is the best of the non-custom built DOBs (IMHO).
And being a solid tube means virtually no set up time, and they probably hold collimation better than a collapsible or truss tube.

But best to check it out first at Bintel to see if a solid tube is easy enough for you to handle, move around, setup.

The benefit of the collapsible is that it is a little lighter, and easier to transport. But if you don't need those features, the solid tube is going to have other advantages, eg no need to buy a shroud.

And to top it off, Bintel have great after sales service, and they will check it out before you get it too. This is all positive for you so long as size is not an issue.

[knightrider]

Something else to consider is the warranty. Orion offers 1 year, SkyWatcher offers 5 years.

[Cody (Cody)]

I think you'd be happy with any of these dobs, knowing they are just for visual.

I don't think you could get an "equivalent" refractor, they're just too different. The next step up refractor from what you have without going crazy is an ED120 with a mount and that's $4-5k.

[raymo]

One thing to consider is that many Newtonians [Dobs] do not have enough back focus to allow the mounting of a camera, if the owner
decides to give some photography a go. Skywatcher Newts do have
enough back focus, and part of the focuser screws directly onto
the appropriate camera T-ring.
My 10" Skywatcher collapsible holds collimation as well as my 8"
solid tube Newt. Extending the tube takes about 15 seconds, which
is not exactly a chore, and the 5 yr warranty sealed the deal for me.
raymo

[ralph1]

It is possible to get an equivalent refractor. D and G optical sell achromat refractors up to 12 inches. However, they are very long. The shortest 10 inch is a bit over 3 metres and weighs 35 kg. You would also need a separate mount. Probably out of the average price range but you can always dream