Reccomend me a Telescope pls

[h45e (Anthony)]

Hi ppls.
Here is my story... when I was a kid me and my dad use to have a Refractor telescope. It was fun going outside and looking at the moon (thats all the telescope could look at). Now im alot older and would love to get back into this hobby.
I would like to look at nebulae, star clusters and some galaxy structure aswell as some planets and ofcourse the moon. I would like to be able to take it camping with me when I "get away from it all" plus be able to take photos from my Canon Powershot S2 IS. I have a starting price of $500 with a MAX of $900. I would like to get something "bang for buck".

Thanks guys.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

OK, my experience, for what it's worth is get the biggest dobsonion you can afford. You can pick up an 8" dob for $700 - $800 whic leaves a few $ for accessories. To get seriously in to imaging will take a fair budget and a good dob will gives you a lot of veiwing pleasure. I am using an 8" and have it out every clear night.
But even more important than a scope, get a star atlas or maps. I use the cambridge atlas and Uranometria. Learning to navigate around is the best skill I have learnt, and really makes finding those faint fuzzies much more rewarding.

[Tilt (Michael)]

Agreed, if you are looking for 'bang for buck', go a dobsonian. Andrews and Bintel has the 8" for $699.

Michael

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

Dont forget York Optical, who have an ad on the right hand side of this page -->

[h45e (Anthony)]

What about this one?

"PROED80 ED OTA Apochromatic refractor 80mm x 600mm OTA is gold in colour and features a 2" Crayford style focuser with a 2" to 1.25" reducer fitted. Has FPL-53 fluorite ED lens. Shipment just arrived!
It is supplied with a matching gold coloured 9 x 50 finderscope in a white holder, white tube rings, 200m long black aluminium dovetail bar, 2" diagonal, LET 5mm and 20mm eyepieces and aluminium carry case"

[h45e (Anthony)]

Now Im thinking of the Nexstar 114 SLT
"The NexStar 114 SLT has over twice the light-gathering power of an 80mm telescope! Like the other models in the SLT Series, it comes with a fully computerised hand control with a database of over 4,000 celestial objects! With its pre-assembled, adjustable steel tripod, the NexStar 114 SLT can be up and ready to use in a matter of minutes. Our new SkyAlign alignment technology and the included StarPointer Finderscope with a red LED makes aligning a breeze.
Compact and lightweight in design, this scope can produce images bright enough to reveal the polar ice caps on Mars or the cloud belts on Jupiter! View the details of the lunar surface or the rings of Saturn which are clearly visible with this telescope. With the extra light gathering capability of the 114 SLT, a number of the Messier objects such as the globular cluster Omega Centauri or the Great Nebula in Orion (M42) are available to you. Begin to explore some of the fainter Messier objects using the additional light-gathering capabilities of the 114 SLT’s 4½" primary mirror. Because of the Newtonian design, the mirror gives fully colour-corrected views that are best suited for astronomical use.
SkyAlign* (patent pending), simply input the date, time and location into the hand control then slew the telescope to any three bright celestial objects in the sky. You do not need to know the names of the stars — you could even pick the moon or bright planets!"


I wish picking a telescope was easy.. just dont want one like my old mans where all you could see is the moon.

[pgc hunter]

IMO the easiest way to narrow down your options is to ask yourself what you want in a telescope...

-do you want computer control/goto?
-do you want the most aperture for your money?
-are you going to be transporting it in your car?
-does manually tracking objects bother you?
-Is weight/bulk an issue?
-Will you be doing visual observing or photography aswell?

I hope that helps you on your way

[h45e (Anthony)]

-do you want computer control/goto?

Would like it, dont care if havent got it

-do you want the most aperture for your money?

Yes

-are you going to be transporting it in your car?

Yes

-does manually tracking objects bother you?

Nope

-Is weight/bulk an issue?

No

-Will you be doing visual observing or photography aswell?

Yes

[Tilt (Michael)]

Considering your price range, I still think a 8" dobsonian would be the way to go. What type of vehicle would you be using when you go camping? A 8" dobsonian is not massive but it will still consume space. If you want to visually check out deep sky targets, then the decent sized mirror will be your friend

Michael

[pgc hunter]

To get into photography, you'll be spending more than $900. Most of the cost goes into the heavier duty mounts required for AP. You could pick up a Skywatcher 8" Newt on a HEQ5 with dual axis drives at Andrews for $1300, but as you stated you've only got 900 bucks MAX to spend.

I'm tending to agree with the others here, an 8" Dob would be the way to go. Well within your price range, big enough to show you things and later on down the track when funds allow, you can put the OTA on an EQ as many others have done.

[h45e (Anthony)]

Ive got a Magna.

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

Originally Posted by h45e

Now Im thinking of the Nexstar 114 SLT

Would not recommend this scope..for anyone.

[h45e (Anthony)]

How come?

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

Its actually a different scope to what I thought it was, however after having a look at the manual, my concerns would be the same.

Celestron list its focal length as 1000mm but the OTA is only ~500mm which indicates it is a Bird-Jones style scope with a corrector lens built into the focuser to double the FL. These scopes are generally poor quality and difficult to collimate properly. Do a search for Bird-Jones and see what other people think of them. In this case most of the purchase price is going on electronics..

Even if you were to get it performing reasonably it is still only 4.5", an 8" dob would be much more pleasing to use and less frustrating to boot.

[h45e (Anthony)]

What do u guys think of?

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/produc...asp?id=MAS-028

Ive been quoted $900 for it

[dannat (Daniel)]

Could get it cheaper at both Andrews Comm & BIntel - though post cost will be an issue. I think it is a good option, has the EQ mount for photography later & 8" should be able for you to start observing

[h45e (Anthony)]

Is the EQ5 a "added extra" though with this telescope?

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Doesn't appear to be Anthony. You're in a tough pickle really - goto makes it a lot easier imho, especially if you want to get into imaging later. Imaging is really dependant on a good mount too, but they cost money, more than what you're prepared to spend. The 8" dob would be good for visual work, but I honestly wouldn't recommend it for photography.

The last scope looks OK, mount isn't the most sturdy, but it should be good enough for simple stuff photogrpahy wise, as well as visual observing.

My honest advice to you is to wait a bit longer. If you do want that last scope mentioned, get it from Andrews. Check this page:

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

scroll down just past half way, looking for:

Skywatcher SW-600
200 x 1000P EQ5

The base model is going for $799. With dual axis motors and controller, $949. The heavy duty mount version is $1299. The goto mount is $1899.

Why not wait a few months, and go for the heavy duty mount with dual axis motors unit for $1299?

Dave

[h45e (Anthony)]

Yah ill prolly wait for a bit, but I would love to have a hobby that isnt anything to do with hobbies. When I was a young boy, I went through a stage of wanting to be a astronomer. I always thought that the night sky was just black and white.. untill I saw some pics, and now im in love.
My ultimate fantasy would be able to travel to them stars etc.

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Patience. An alternative is to get the Dob, use it visually, and save up your pennies for a astro imaging setup down the track.

Dave