Hey everyone,
I’m looking to buy my first telescope and am putting about $75 towards it per week so it should take me quite a few months to be able to afford one which works out as it gives me a decent amount of time to do research and make sure that I’m buying the right one.
So far I’ve found that dobsonian telescopes are good beginner telescopes so I’m thinking that I might get a 10 inch one. I want to be able to look at the moon, planets, nebulae, galaxies and to one day be able to do astrophotography once I get more comfortable and used to just viewing but I know that you need different types of telescopes for that so I was wondering if you guys could give me some recommendations of telescopes for each purpose.
My budget would be about $2000-$2500 for each telescope (mounts and eyepieces included). I obviously wouldn’t be looking to buy all the telescopes at once but I want to be able to compare my options. Thanks.
Btw I live in a suburban area with quite a bit of light pollution (probably like a 7-8 on the bottle scale if that helps) so I would probably have to take that into account.
Hi Prashaant, you are on the right track with a dob. They come up quite often in the classifieds here and would be well under your budget. (For example the 12 inch collapsible in classifieds now. With nexus computer great buy for $1500).
Cheers, Richard
If you have not joined a club, please consider doing so before buying. COVID aside, many will host viewing nights and you can “try out” the gear of others.
There is no single perfect scope and your targets and personal preferences should dictate your decision and choice.
First rule, try before you buy - join a club etc, get advice and hands on experience of what different types of scopes offer. See what celestial viewing takes your interest the most, that's your ultimate guide to scope selection.
Keep it portable, a scope that is easy to setup and break down at night will get used. One that isn't will get excuses - trolleys, dob boxes, observatories etc get around this.
The 6" SW Goto (GTI) dob on a desktop base has been suggested here before and voted no1 best intro scope in some US reviews etc...
Offers a good size aperture for great portability. 6"'s of aperture on a dob can be used soon after setting up. The goto allows you keep objects in the FOV, and the pre-set sky tours are based on your location and the time of year. (I'd not get the clutchless GTE for the price gap.)
Sure you might start plans for something bigger or more specialised straight away, but you will always have a "grab and go" for when you have 30minutes that does a fair job.
The best thing about your first scope is it will let you know 3 things - What you like to view - What you do and don't like about your current scope and be better prepared for a more serious investment later.
If you start with a dob, which is a good idea, stick with a maximum of
10". If you get a collapsible one you can carry it in a small hatchback,
tube on the rear seat and base in the back. If you are reasonably fit you can
carry the tube in one hand. Same goes for the base. The 12" is a much
larger and heavier beast.
raymo
I think the thing to realise is ..if you like the hobby and dont abandon it..and a lot of folk do ..you will buy many many scopes over the years.
You may find that if you stay with it you will be drawn to astro photography then it tends to become about the mount, the camera and then the scope.
If I could turn back the clock but armed with my experience I would go for a six or eight inch tube only on a EQ5 mount...the EQ5 mount will manage an eight inch and a DSLR camera ( by the time it is not good enough you will be into the next level ..... if you go that way the mount gives you a "goto" ..set up that means instant travel from object to object ..and in less than dark skies that will be handy..you select an object goto it and you see it or you dont..looking to find an object with a dob is really not easy and when starting may be very off putting. For me I would be buying the mount and putting on it what you can afford...and believe me a six inch is a very good scope and cheap as chips...
The resale value of that set up will hold better than just a dob. .and such a set up is most transportable.
I would buy the tube new certainly ..mirrors have a limited life so buying second hand may be false economy...but look for a good second hand mount in the classifieds here, but I believe in buying new is best so if you have a problem you can get help from the retailer.
Alex
I went from a 8 inch sct to a 6 inch f5 and loving it especially imaging.
Not too big, light and a descent field of view using an eos 1100d.
The little scope that could.
Hey everyone,
I’m looking to buy my first telescope and am putting about $75 towards it per week so it should take me quite a few months to be able to afford one which works out as it gives me a decent amount of time to do research and make sure that I’m buying the right one.
So far I’ve found that dobsonian telescopes are good beginner telescopes so I’m thinking that I might get a 10 inch one. I want to be able to look at the moon, planets, nebulae, galaxies and to one day be able to do astrophotography once I get more comfortable and used to just viewing but I know that you need different types of telescopes for that so I was wondering if you guys could give me some recommendations of telescopes for each purpose.
My budget would be about $2000-$2500 for each telescope (mounts and eyepieces included). I obviously wouldn’t be looking to buy all the telescopes at once but I want to be able to compare my options. Thanks.
Btw I live in a suburban area with quite a bit of light pollution (probably like a 7-8 on the bottle scale if that helps) so I would probably have to take that into account.
The Dobsonians are outstanding value for money. Many people recommend the 8" Dob as being a great scope to use in the suburbs, as well as being easy enough to take out of the city to a dark sky location.
Smaller Dobs with their slow F ratios require less collimation and allow most eyepieces to perform well. The 10" Dob is a much more fussy performer that requires better EPs or at least a coma corrector.
Paradigm/Star Guider eyepieces are also widely acknowledged as being excellent value. The only Australian supplier that I know of is Proastroz, who sell the six of these for $415 (posted).
So, don't overdo it, go for a bargain Dob with these good EPs.
In regards to your investments, I would say you are up for at least one 2-2.5k investment and that is the mount. You will change scopes more often than the mount, so invest in a good mount. If you want to do AP with the scopes, the EQ mounts are preferred. Depending on your age and strength either a EQ5 or 6 new or used.
If you go a nice fast large dob as one scope, you will probably want a slow scope to pair up. Visually slower scopes are better, camera's like fast scopes. Your large fast dob may be supplemented by a faster 8" on the mount for AP.
I'd still be going to a club or trying someone local to get hands on experience, failing that. Get something under $1k, see what aspects of the night sky appeal to you the most and then make a more serious investment.
Plenty of good second hand dob's 8-12" with various accessories in that price range and you won't lose a fortune if you resell later.
I think it is easy to become a victim of false economy and we overlook that a Dobsonian mount is a huge comprise..its invention was in times when astronomy gear was unaffordable as building your gear was perhaps the only way most folk could enjoy the hobby. So one would make/grind the mirrors, build the tube, construct the spider for the secondary mirror...the whole thing so an eye piece was perhaps the only part of the set up one needed to buy...and the Dobsonian mount was just another way of making things affordable...it replaced an expensive mount...even a non equatorial mount was very expensive..the Dobsonian worked and anyone could build one...these days they are offered to make a cheap package and they are OK however everything you observe is moving and so with a Dobsonian you must move it to keep the object in the field of view...leave the set up for a nature break or a cuppa..whatever ..and your object has to be located again..it can be done sure but really you do need that hassle...to me an equatorial mount is a necessity and they are relatively cheap these days and most important have the system to have the mount " connected" to the sky by having it correctly aligned to the Celestial South Pole and then you have the magic of goto and tracking...so instead of wobbling around with a Dobsonian mount with say an EQ5 equatorial mount you either enter the objects co ordinates ( unlikey as everything is in the mounts data base) or simply select the object you wish to observe and the mount takes you there and tracks it..come back in 10 minutes it will still be in the field of view. Folk tend to think that you dont need an equatorial mount because a Dobsonian will work...it will but only just...dont be fooled to think as one wont be doing photography you have no need for a goto equatorial mount...if you never do photography visual observing with an equatorial mount is in my view the sensible way to go.
Again the first thing to buy in my view is your mount ... And think of this.. in every case your magnification is limited by how steady your mount is...you can go way higher in magnification using a good equatorial mount...because it is steady ...so simple but people overlook that fact.
Now I expect folk will try to argue that is not so but just think it thru..what I say is the truth.
When you go big the equatorial mount gets expensive but a EQ5 will take an eight inch both for visual and photos and at the price really makes the choice super easy.
I found using an EQ mount and newt for visual a real pain in the butt due to the precarious positions of the eye piece in different parts of the sky. ( neck breaker )
I do both Visual with a 12” AzAlt Goto dob and Astrophotography with EQ mount with 6” and 8” newts and soon a10” newt , from personal experience a Dob is the way to go for visual for comfortable viewing all night anywhere in the sky.
After my 2 years of observing with a 10” push pull manual Dob , I did get frustrated waisting time trying to find specific objects and having to nudge it all the time to keep the object in the field of view , especially the Planets ,so bought the Goto dob and never looked back. The Goto maximises your precious clear sky time
If you can afford it a Skywatcher 8” Goto collapsible Dob is around $2,250 plus your eye pieces. This will serve you for many years and can be collapsed and fit in a medium sized car or small wagon.
Just my experiences.......
Forgot to mention
The alignment of the Skywatcher Goto Dobs are really easy compared to the EQ mount
You don’t need a view of the SCP
Level the base
Set the OTA horizontal facing roughly true north
Select 2 Alignment stars ( specific region )
Drive scope to first Alignment Star , centre it
Select 2nd alignment star, scope will Goto second star , Centre it
Alignment done !!
Takes about 10 minutes
I have to agree a about the odd positions more so when driving a 150mm refractor...you may need a mattress...
I have a 12inch dob so I have some experience to back up my comments...
I have not used a go-to dob and I must say they sound appealing...
I get tired of people complaining about awkward eyepiece positions when using a Newt on an EQ mount.
Over the years I have replied to these complaints many times with a simple solution that requires about an hour or so of time to make, and less than $20.
As far as I know, for whatever reason, only one member has ever bothered
to try it, and it works a treat.
For anyone who may be interested, this is how to go about it.
a/
Most pairs of tube rings that come with a scope have a standard 1/4" 20 threaded hole in the top. If only the front one on yours has one, a second one will need to be drilled and tapped into the rear one. The front hole will usually already have a stud in it that protrudes about 12mm. You will need to put one in the rear hole.
b/ Mount your scope in its normal operating position and nip up the tube ring gnurled knobs. Measure the distance from the front of the front tube ring to the rear of the scope and add 50mm.
c/ Get a piece of mild steel strip 4mm thick[or aluminium 5mm thick]
x 25mm wide x your measurement + the 50mm long.
Bend one end 90degrees 35mm from the end.
Place the strip along the top of the scope with the bent end butted up against the rear of the scope, and mark and drill holes so that the strip will
slide onto the two tube ring studs. If necessary, elongate the holes fore and aft to facilitate balancing of the scope.
d/ Paint strip desired colour, attach a piece of Teflon to the inside face of the bent over end of the strip.
Attach nuts with plain washers to the two studs. Slide the strip forward until the Teflon just touches the rear face of the scope and nip up the two nuts.
You are now ready to go. Aim scope at target, slacken tube ring tightening
knurled knobs until you can rotate the scope either with your hands top and bottom of the tube, or by utilising the base of the focuser, rotate tube to desired position and tighten knurled knobs,
It weighs very little and looks neat. I have attached a pic of my old rig with
the device fitted. Magnify until the tube fills the screen to see it better.
raymo
Last edited by raymo; 20-03-2022 at 12:03 AM.
Reason: more text
When I first started back in the late sixties as a young teen there was no goto , I had to learn where stuff was .
That knowledge has been incredibly valuable , now so easy to show the wonders of the universe to new observers quickly , I just point the laser to what they are about to see ' then show them through the scope .
I started a while before you Bobby, so the knowledge is of limited use to me as everything has moved so much. After all the Moon is getting on for 3.5metres further away than it was when I was a kid.
raymo
I get tired of people complaining about awkward eyepiece positions when using a Newt on an EQ mount.
Over the years I have replied to these complaints many times with a simple solution that requires about an hour or so of time to make, and less than $20.
As far as I know, for whatever reason, only one member has ever bothered
to try it, and it works a treat.
For anyone who may be interested, this is how to go about it.
a/
Most pairs of tube rings that come with a scope have a standard 1/4" 20 threaded hole in the top. If only the front one on yours has one, a second one will need to be drilled and tapped into the rear one. The front hole will usually already have a stud in it that protrudes about 12mm. You will need to put one in the rear hole.
b/ Mount your scope in its normal operating position and nip up the tube ring gnurled knobs. Measure the distance from the front of the front tube ring to the rear of the scope and add 50mm.
c/ Get a piece of mild steel strip 4mm thick[or aluminium 5mm thick]
x 25mm wide x your measurement + the 50mm long.
Bend one end 90degrees 35mm from the end.
Place the strip along the top of the scope with the bent end butted up against the rear of the scope, and mark and drill holes so that the strip will
slide onto the two tube ring studs. If necessary, elongate the holes fore and aft to facilitate balancing of the scope.
d/ Paint strip desired colour, attach a piece of Teflon to the inside face of the bent over end of the strip.
Attach nuts with plain washers to the two studs. Slide the strip forward until the Teflon just touches the rear face of the scope and nip up the two nuts.
You are now ready to go. Aim scope at target, slacken tube ring tightening
knurled knobs until you can rotate the scope either with your hands top and bottom of the tube, or by utilising the base of the focuser, rotate tube to desired position and tighten knurled knobs,
It weighs very little and looks neat. I have attached a pic of my old rig with
the device fitted. Magnify until the tube fills the screen to see it better.
raymo
That’s quite a nifty solution Raymo, but some folk just prefer Goto Dobs over an EQ with big newt for various reasons ( one of them below )
I’m one of those folk. I can set my 12” Goto Dob up in 10 minutes from its stored location in the garage ( I have a parcel trolley with HD Velcro straps )I couldn’t even lift a 12” newt on to an EQ mount by myself let alone set it up and align it in a short space of time.( I’m 65kg wringing wet ) I use a gas strut adjustable stool on castors to view with, extremely comfortable and practical.
I saw a guy in the UK make up a similar tool to rotate his newt ( Astronomyshed.com )
Apologies if I made you tired by my post
IMO Dobs and Goto Dobs are still the best way to view the Universe from 6” all the way up 36” and bigger ( Kudos to John Dobson )
Cheers
Martin
I agree with you about Dobs, and had a 10" collapsible myself, and many yrs ago a 17.5" Coulter, but some people can only afford one rig, and this allows
comfortable visual and AP with one rig. You didn't make me tired, just an old irritable man's remark.
raymo
