Looking for a refractor, something of reasonable size, 120mm - 150mm, looking for first hand accounts of such beasts, and good places to buy online, all i have found so far is Bintel and myastroshop, so i dont know much about suppliers, having moved here from the other side of the world.
any advice, or links to good suppliers welcome, although not a science lesson about the pros and cons, as we have all been round the block on that one already, and if i didnt know about what i was buying ... then i wouldnt be buying it !!
Got an 80mm refractor just now as a grab and go scope, thats excellent, but i fancy something larger
There is a chinese 127 triplet available for around the 2000 AUD mark and i have seen some pretty reasonable images through them. You might want to look for them.
PS I've used a 150mm Skywatcher many times, and it performs very well, especially for the money. You get contrasty views of deep sky objects and can push the magnification up to 200X or more.
This is all happy days, but remember that it is only a Achromat not a Apo or ED. if your happy with this and are not going to go the photography route, then hit it like its hot!
This is all happy days, but remember that it is only a Achromat not a Apo or ED. if your happy with this and are not going to go the photography route, then hit it like its hot!
yeah, CA isnt really that big an issue, and if i get something where the focal length isnt that short then it shouldnt be that bad ....
can anyone recommend any other websites or stores?
Hi. I’m using Skywatcher 120mm x 600mm achromat with GStar CCD camera. The scope is on HEQ5 on permanent pier in back yard. Garbage bag and two plastic trampolines when not in use cover whole thing. Setting it up for imagining takes about five minutes. Yes it got CA on very bright stars. But if you want to take BW images, it does not matter that much.
Here is image of xi Puppis to give you idea what to expect from this scope. Keep in mind that GStar is 8bit security camera; picture quality would be better with 16bit .
Hi. I’m using Skywatcher 120mm x 600mm achromat with GStar CCD camera. The scope is on HEQ5 on permanent pier in back yard. Garbage bag and two plastic trampolines when not in use cover whole thing. Setting it up for imagining takes about five minutes. Yes it got CA on very bright stars. But if you want to take BW images, it does not matter that much.
Here is image of xi Puppis to give you idea what to expect from this scope. Keep in mind that GStar is 8bit security camera; picture quality would be better with 16bit .
Of course, the 150mm Skywatcher is no 150mm Tak or any other high quality Apochromatic refractor, but neither is the price. The 150mm would be my choice between 120 and 150mm as the extra aperture is useful for bringing out DSO's.
Yes, it does have some CA, but only really noticeable on brighter stars at higher magnifications. However, some people don't tolerate any CA very well.
With the 150mm scope I mentioned before, I was able to get very nice images of Saturn and Jupiter, and some very contrasty views of nebula, especially for the 150mm (6") aperture. Could also split Antares easily with this scope.
Assuming you want for visual use only, the standard EQ5 mount should suffice as long as it has the better steel tripod legs. Some EQ5 mounts have flimsier aluminium legs (don't touch this type!). Though a HEQ5 or EQ6 mount would be better, which you could possibly still just fit into your budget. Check with Andrews Comms on this though.
Of course, the 150mm Skywatcher is no 150mm Tak or any other high quality Apochromatic refractor, but neither is the price. The 150mm would be my choice between 120 and 150mm as the extra aperture is useful for bringing out DSO's.
Yes, it does have some CA, but only really noticeable on brighter stars at higher magnifications. However, some people don't tolerate any CA very well.
With the 150mm scope I mentioned before, I was able to get very nice images of Saturn and Jupiter, and some very contrasty views of nebula, especially for the 150mm (6") aperture. Could also split Antares easily with this scope.
Assuming you want for visual use only, the standard EQ5 mount should suffice as long as it has the better steel tripod legs. Some EQ5 mounts have flimsier aluminium legs (don't touch this type!). Though a HEQ5 or EQ6 mount would be better, which you could possibly still just fit into your budget. Check with Andrews Comms on this though.
