Is this a good telescope?

[Sheap]

I recently started my university course at monash, including a unit in astronomy. This rekindled my life long love of the stars, and when i looked into it i realised i could now afford a fairly cheap telescope. After looking through a couple of stores and a few websites i found what i thought to be a good value scope for my price range. (Im on youth allowance $220 a fortnight and i dont need to spend a lot of it) But i wouldnt want to spend too much more than $350
http://www.myastroshop.com.au/produc...asp?id=MAS-060

Im no stranger to technology or the R.A dec system, so i dont think the equitorial mount will be a problem. I would like to take photos, will this be able to be done with a standard digital camera like advertised?

My biggest interests lie in looking at planets and larger bodies (nebula and such). Will this be a large enough apeture for this?

I guess what im asking is if any of you know of any better value sites or stores out there, or if this will satisfy my needs.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Hi Sheap.

Welcome to the site. You've started off well by asking before buying. If you are interested in photography then you will be be disappointed. The only photography you will be able to do will be afocal (holding the camera up the othe eyepiece). You have the right idea of using an equatorial mount for photography, unfortunately that one will never be suitable. ATM your budget would not stretch that far. Instead think about an 8" Guan Sheng GS-680 from Andrews communication or the Skywatcher SW-680 from Myastroshop. Either of these scopes will do a great job on planets, nebula and galaxies.

If you really want to do astrophotography then adding another zero to your budget would be more realistic.

BTW the actual scope on the one you posted could well be a pretty good scope, it's the mount that will let you down.

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

I think a lot of people will tell you that an EQ1/2 will frustrate the hell out of you. Although you might be able to get some reasonable images with a camera piggybacked on top of the OTA, you will not seriously image through this telescope, IMHO. It is hard to recommend any particular course with regards to astrophotography when you are on a fairly extreme budget, but for planetary imaging you can do a lot with a dob and a webcam, provided you have a computer and the right software (much of it freeware now). For that money, frankly, you'd be better giving up the idea of photos and concentrate on getting a dob. Again, JMO.

Cheers,

Brian.

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

Hi Sheap & welcome to the forum
I think your $350 would be much better spent on an 8" Dobsonian mounted reflector, especially if you want good nebula views & a peak into the realms of the distant galaxies
Here is one that may suit:
http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm
or
http://www.bintel.com.au/Binscope.html
You will need to spend a lot more for an EQ mounted imaging scope

[Sheap]

Ive looked at dobsonians but dont see that they would have any large advantage. Is their only advantage ease of use?
photography isnt that important, but i would enjoy it if i can get any photos.

[Sheap]

andrewscomm looks like a good place, but i cant find any online purchasing options, and they are based in NSW, living near melbourne thats a bit far.

also, links from andrewscomm dont go to individual telescopes, so without a name are rather pointless. thanks for the help so far though, youve given me something to think about.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

I was about to agree with everything said, especially with astrophotography. But there is a way of doing deep sky photography if you get this video camera, incidently from the same shop. http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/gstar.htm

Now it's just a black and white video camera but it's needs are very minimal scope wise. The mount only needs to track on a single axis with enough accuracy for 2.5 seconds, or for that matter 1.25 seconds would do. That's it, no guide scope or anything if you view the image on a monitor. To record frames you use a capture card in the computer. Of course that's another $595 for the camera. The scope would be of no use with film or digital SLR cameras.

I agree though there are better and more expensive options in telescopes for photography.

For visual use a cheap 8 inch dob is very good.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

One advantage is that you will get double the aperture, so you will get to see deeper and have higher resolution.

For an equatorial mount I wouldn't suggest anything less than an Eq3. An Eq1/2 will lead you to nothing but frustration, especially if you have even moderate expectations of seeing deep sky objects. I have 3 equatorial mounts and have helped many budding amateur astronomers who have bought these mounts. They are more trouble than they are worth. Especially at that price. If they were for sale at half the price I would say, maybe think about it. Eq3/4 is the smallest I have and I would consider it the minimum for an 80mm scope for moderately frustration free imaging.

Dobsonian may not look like a "professional" but bang for the buck you can't beat them.

And I don't have a dobsonian. I like photography. You will get very frustrated using and Eq1/2 for imaging.

[Vermin (Tom)]

Originally Posted by Sheap

Ive looked at dobsonians but dont see that they would have any large advantage. Is their only advantage ease of use?...

The main advantage of a Dobsonian is that you get a larger aperture for for your dollar, and the larger your scope aperture the more you will be able to see.

Edit: Bah! Paul beat me to the answer.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Originally Posted by Sheap

so without a name are rather pointless. .

The names are there. The link is Guan Sheng GS-680 from andrews (click on the dobsonian link down the page) and SW from my astro

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Come to think of it if you just want to image planets it can be done with a dob and a webcam type camera like the Celestron Neximage. Mike has written an article on how to do that.

Now you may not get images as nice as members on the forum with their multi thousand dollar setups but if you have no choice and are on a tight budget it can still be done to some extent.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

The advantage of the Dobsonian is that you are getting a lot more aperture for the same amount of money, which means you will see more: more stars, more deep sky objects, more details on planets, nebulae and the Moon.

Also, the Dobsonian mount is simple but very sturdy. The cheap EQ mount will be very shakey and wobbly. And the 4.5" telescope would soon leave you hungry for more.

6" Dob or 8" Dob should serve you well; the 8" very well. The SW Dob from Myastroshop is a little more ergonomic than the GS. Ring or email for best price and tell them IIS sent you. And once you have more to spend you can get a sturdy EQ mount to put the same telescope on for astrophotography.

[Sheap]

sorry, i should have mentioned who i was talking to with the comment about andrews comms, gaa_ians was unlabeled as to which telescope he was refering to.

Another thing i need to consider with a telescope is that my backyard is not very large, id be able to see higher objects, but to get anything closer to the horizon, id need to go to the nearby park. Would a dobsonian be possible to take down the road?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

The 8" Dob is very portable; easier to move around than an EQ mounted scope.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

How far is down the road? 6 inch dob should be okay, 8 inch may get a bit heavy after 100m, depending on how big your muscles are.

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

The 8" Dob is widely considered the best scope to enter the hobby with.
You will find it quite portable, especially if you have a duffle bag with long straps With this you can carry the scope over your shoulder & the base in the other hand (it has a carry handle).
Rule #1: Aperture (primary mirror size) Rules !
Rule #2: Get the biggest Aperture you can afford & are prepared to Lug around.
Happy scope hunting

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Hi Sheap,

The scope you linked us to is a type of scope we often refer to here as a "wobbletronic". Thats because such a mount is very flimsy and frustrating to use due to underengineering. Remember what might look reasonable sturdy in the shop is hopelessy flimsy once you start magnifying by say 100x. Focusing is an exercise in frustration as the scope wobbles around.

The two main advantages of a dobsonian is firstly extra aperture (which is quite important), and secondly a much sturdier and stable base mount to support the scope.

[Sheap]

All of you seem to recommend the 8" dobsonian, and have convinced me, illl start saving a little ans should have one by the end of the month is www.myastroshop.com.au a good place to shop? or is there another site/store near melbourne to get one?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Try Bintel in Melbourne for GS Dobs; although they have cut back on their range. No more "limited" models, and the 8" is gone from the website too. All the feedback about Myastroshop has been very positive, and the guys who run that place are amateur astronomers themselves (ditto guys at Bintel). Be sure to mention IIS when you talk to them.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

If you can get an 8" dob , its enough scope to keep many satisfied for a long time..... that is unless your name is Steve and you take a peek through an 18" obsession