hi guys! i need some advice

[saturn c (Leo)]

Im buying a telescope soon and i cant make up my mind between the 2.
SKYWATCHER PRO ED80MM OR SKYWATCHER PRO ED100MM. Which 1 is better and why? Its my first telescope.

What about PROMAK150 skywatcher. Is it better than 80 and 100ed?

[JohnG (John)]

Hi and welcome SC

Couple of questions first, are you specifically after a refractor, have you thought about any other type of scope at all. What is your aim, are you interested in photography? Reason I ask is any recommendation would be based on what you intend to do.

The 100mm refractor would be good if you intend to get into digital photograhy, I use mine for that, if you are just into looking, might I suggest the possibility of an 8" or 10" dob mount. You are going to get a much brighter view with the larger instrument, the larger the lens or mirror, the brighter the view.

JohnG

[acropolite (Phil)]

I would agree with John, a dob of any aperture from 8 inches upwards is going to be a much better visual tool than either of the EDs. The old sayig is aperture rules and if DSO's (visually) are of interest then 8 inch is the bare minimum IMHO.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

These ED scopes are excellent. My preference would be for the ED100 because the larger aperture will show you more: more detail on planets and moon, more deep sky objects. There was one for sale in the Buy&Sell forum not that long ago. Maybe it's still available.

But 100mm aperture of the ED100 is somewhat limiting. An 8 or 10" Dobsonian would show you a hell of a lot more for less money. The 8" would be excellent to start with because it is very portable, basically grab-and-go once you attach a couple carrying handles to the sides of the base.

Something like the Skywatcher 8" Dobsonian from myastroshop or the GS 8" from Andrews or Bintel, but I'm not sure if Bintel still sells the 8" GS. It's gone from their website. The skywatcher would be my preference because of finish and ergonomics. But I have the GS and it is a very capable scope also.

[mickoking]

I concur with Janoskiss a 200mm Dob will show you an awfull lot of stuff and it is a lot cheaper than a 100mm ED refractor.

[asimov (John)]

I would also have to agree, getting a 8-10" dob would be a wiser choice of telescope for visual use.

[saturn c (Leo)]

Is it better than the ed80 and ed100?

[JohnG (John)]

Hi Saturn C

Can you give us something to work with, see my 1st post, we will have a better idea of what you want.

Cheers

JohnG

[casstony]

If you are just getting into the hobby you should probably stay away from goto equatorial mounts (unless you have someone around to help). They are more complex than goto fork mounts, such as an LX90.
Otherwise an ED80 on the HEQ5 goto mount would be fine for moon and planets and you could buy a larger telescope to put on the same mount at a later time. Like the other guys have said, it depends on your level of experience and what you want to look at. Photography is very demanding and you really shouldn't consider it until you have a little experience.
-Tony

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

John, just about every first scope buyer will say yes when asked if they are interested in astrophotography. The other commonly asked question is: what do you want to look at. And the virtually ubiquitous answer is "everything" perhaps with the occasional preference for planets.

SC, they are all different telescopes, each with its strengths and weaknesses.

• ED80 gives you the widest field of view and is great for cruising the Milky way and the Magellenic clouds. With just 80mm aperture, it runs out of light quickly at high powers.
• 150mm Mak will give you the highest magnification and show you the fainter objects but has a narrow true field of view.
• ED100 is somewhere in between, and is probably the best general purpose scope out of the three. It will show you extended objects like larger clusters and nebulae, and still have enough aperture to show qiute a bit of detail on Saturn and Jupiter.

I notice you are looking at the GOTO HEQ5 packages with these scopes. Most of the purchase price there (over 2/3) goes into the mount and the GOto computer. And even that mount is only just good enough for astrophotography.

Unless you have photography first and foremost in mind, I would not bother getting a scope (and mount) for that purpose now. Just get something for visual astronomy first. The cost of the telescope is usually not much of an issue when it comes to astrophotography. It's the mount that dominates the cost of a setup.

With a Dobsonian nearly all your money goes into the telescope, so you are getting a lot more aperture per dollar, which means you will see a lot more at the eyepiece: more stars, more nebulae, more galaxies and more detail on planets and deep sky objects. The Dob mount is simple, inexpensive, but very effective for visual astronomy and for a large telescope it is a lot sturdier than EQ mounts costing over $1000.

If you get an 8 or 10" Dobsonian, you can always buy an EQ mount to put the tube on later on for astrophotography.

PS. I'm not a big fan of motorised Goto mounts. I find them too restrictive. ArgoNavis push-to is nice though, but so are star charts IMO.

[JohnG (John)]

Steve

I agree with what you are saying, what I was trying to do was elicite some basic information about what the future needs of Saturn C are. Just asking what a particular scope is compared to another particular scope can go on forever and achieve nothing. Especially as stated, it is a first scope.

JohnG

[ving (David)]

hi saturn... we seem to have come to a bit of a impass... whats better, a ferrari or a f250? depends on what you want it for doesnt it? a ferrari is a great fast fun drive, but you cant carry much in it.... a f250 is a bit of a work horse and will do what ever you want but it aint as flash or as fast...

wht do yuo plan on doing with your scope once you get it?