Beginner

[Arcarnum]

Hi, everyone im after some advice about which telescope I should buy. I've got a celestron nexstar that had a computer that would find objects for me. It's been suggested that I get a guan sheng RC-8" 200mm f/8 astrograph w/M-LRS focuser with metal tube with a skywatcher HEQ5PRO SynScan "Go-To" equatorial mount and tripod. Or a skywatcher STAR DISCOVERY ED80 x 600mm computerised photo REFRACTOR. I want something that will let me look at everything, with the idea of learning astrophotography in the future. Are these good or are there better ones without breaking the bank to much.

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Hopefully this helps
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r4wFehe-hik

[Atmos (Colin)]

If you're just starting off I'd keep away from the GSO RC, visually it probably won't be too fantastic (large central obstruction) and collimation for the uninitiated can be a nightmare.

The 80x400 refractor is likely to have a few colour issues, especially if you want the dabble in astrophotography.

The HEQ5 Pro is a great mount to start with however. Putting a refractor on that or maybe a 8" F/5 newt would work well.

[Bart]

Get a goto dobsonian, good bang for buck. If you stay around the 8 - 12 inch range it should still be quite manageable. This then stops the need for polar alignment and some fiddling around to get set up properley. I am working on the assumption you would like to do visual work. Astrophotography is another kettle of fish.

[Boozlefoot]

As a relative beginner myself, I tend to agree with Bart. Except..... I've tended to avoid the goto. The reason is to try to teach myself the art of navigation by eye,back to basics. Maybe later I'll add an ArgoNavis to speed things along. As to the Dob, I love 'em, but beware the size issues (see other threads this forum) I wrestle/waltz with my 12" sometimes!

[Bart]

There is nothing wrong with go-to. If your smart enough, you can still learn the sky at the same time. It doesn't need to be hard. Each to their own, of course.

[Manav (Yugant)]

At some point you will need to decide Astrophotography vs Visual.

RC8 - Speaking from experience (RC10") can be used for both but its designed as an astrograph. Collimation is a nightmare and @ F/8 you need pretty good mount/guiding package.

ED80 - This is f/7.5 scope and it has a smaller aperture so you will still need pretty good mount/guiding package. I'm not sure about the type of glass used or the configuration to comment on the colour correction. Information on this is flaky and the skywatcher site seems to be down.

If I had to choose between the two I'd go RC8 only because I cant tell glass configuration and Im sceptical of telescopes that are advertised as APO without detailing type of glass/config etc.

Finally, without knowing your budget its hard to recommend packages that suit your requirements. However, my preference for a starting Astrophotography/Visual would be scope /mount that is easy to setup, operate and takedown. So look for fast optics, easy collimation (if needed) and small setup which you can take dark site.

OTA - William Optics or Stellarvue refractor for widefield triplet refractors. OR Imaging Newt Bintel has few.
Mount - Any EQ Mount that matches weight of OTA camera. Long term you would want a good brand/quality so maybe consider modular design where worn parts can be replaced and purchased yourself. Losmandy would be my pick

Hope that helps