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Help in choosing a scope

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  • 27-11-2015 10:03am
    #1
    Rotary939
    Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭


    Hi,

    I'm planning to buy a telescope in the coming days and would some advice/opinion on what I should go for. I've been through the guides but would like to get some first hand advice from those in the field so to speak. I'm a beginner but want to buy something that will keep my interest for a couple of years. I'm interested in viewing some detail of the moon, Jupiter and being able to view Saturn and it's rings along with other general celestial objects. Photography capability would be nice but not essential. I'll only be using it at my home I suspect so portability is not a huge issue for me.

    I'm swaying towards a goto mount although I'm not sure it's worth the extra cost for a beginner, or maybe that's exactly why I should go for one :)

    As far as optics go I'm thinking a reflector with 130mm diameter with a focal length of 650mm.

    I can't post links yet, sorry but the two I've been focusing on from Ktec are:
    Celestron NexStar 130 SLT @ €589
    and the:
    Skywatcher Explorer 130P Parabolic Reflector SynScan AZ Goto @ €450

    To my untrained eye the Skywatcher seems better value in terms of the parabolic mirror and the included accessories but there must be a reason why the Celestron is €140 more?

    Based on what I want to view am I thinking along the right lines in terms of spec and what are your views on the goto mount or not. Would the couple of hundred saving be better spent on a higher spec scope or would the lack of the automated mount drive me away from actually using it. I think the convenience would suit me better as I really have no idea how difficult it will be to find things to look at without it, maybe it's not difficult?

    Any views appreciated :)


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    cowboyBuilder
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,419 ✭✭✭cowboyBuilder


    Hi,
    theres a sponsored forum for K Tec telescopes :

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1650

    They are very helpfull over there, allthough I'm sure you'll get a few responses here too :)


  • Options
    #3
    mickmackey1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,288 ✭✭✭mickmackey1


    I'm a big Goto fan, even as a fairly experienced observer I still find the sheer number of objects up there pretty confusing, so as a newcomer I think you would get befuddled very quickly. Also you have to think of the Irish weather, oftentimes you only get a short window of clear skies but Goto will locate and identify your objects quickly, rather than faffing around with star atlases and the like, by which time the clouds have rolled in.

    I'm a bit biased against reflectors I must admit, they require more regular collimation and cleaning eg but that's just a personal view, plenty others get on fine with them. I think the price difference is due to the type of parabolic mirror in the Synscan being easier to manufacture.


  • Options
    #4
    Ktec: Stephen
    Company Representative Posts: 40 Verified rep ✭Ktec: Stephen


    Rotary939 wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm planning to buy a telescope in the coming days and would some advice/opinion on what I should go for. I've been through the guides but would like to get some first hand advice from those in the field so to speak. I'm a beginner but want to buy something that will keep my interest for a couple of years. I'm interested in viewing some detail of the moon, Jupiter and being able to view Saturn and it's rings along with other general celestial objects. Photography capability would be nice but not essential. I'll only be using it at my home I suspect so portability is not a huge issue for me.

    I'm swaying towards a goto mount although I'm not sure it's worth the extra cost for a beginner, or maybe that's exactly why I should go for one :)

    As far as optics go I'm thinking a reflector with 130mm diameter with a focal length of 650mm.

    I can't post links yet, sorry but the two I've been focusing on from Ktec are:
    Celestron NexStar 130 SLT @ €589
    and the:
    Skywatcher Explorer 130P Parabolic Reflector SynScan AZ Goto @ €450

    To my untrained eye the Skywatcher seems better value in terms of the parabolic mirror and the included accessories but there must be a reason why the Celestron is €140 more?

    Based on what I want to view am I thinking along the right lines in terms of spec and what are your views on the goto mount or not. Would the couple of hundred saving be better spent on a higher spec scope or would the lack of the automated mount drive me away from actually using it. I think the convenience would suit me better as I really have no idea how difficult it will be to find things to look at without it, maybe it's not difficult?

    Any views appreciated :)

    Hi :)

    Both scopes have pretty much the same parabolic mirror set (650mm FL, 130mm Aperture). The mounts are slightly different, as are the end caps/fixtures etc.

    Accessory-wise, the difference is the Celestron comes with PC control software in the box, and a CD Rom "The Sky", which is useful especially for beginners. It has slightly different eyepiece size, a 25mm and 9mm (Skywatcher has 25mm and 10mm). Plus, it has a red-dot finder rather than a 6x30 optical finder. Which you prefer is a personal choice!

    The Skywatcher has a 2x barlow, but realistically, this wont work with the 10mm eyepiece, as it asks too much of the optics. So used with the 25mm it will give effectively a 12.5mm eyepiece.

    Probably the main difference is that the Celestron has a number of add-ons, such as the SKyQ Link, Starsense, Skysync etc

    http://www.ktectelescopes.ie/Celestron-SkyQ-Link-2-Wifi-Module.html
    Allows wifi operation from a tablet or smartphone, using Celestrons Sky Portal app.

    http://www.ktectelescopes.ie/Celestron-StarSense-Autoalign.html
    Uses cameras to automatically align the scope for you.

    http://www.ktectelescopes.ie/Celestron-SkySync-GPS-Accessory.html
    Accurately determines your location for better accuracy.



    At that price point, one to consider is the Skywatcher Star Discovery 150P Goto, a 150mm, which is a nice 20mm bigger,

    http://www.ktectelescopes.ie/Skywatcher-Star-Discovery-150P-Parabolic-Reflector-SynScan-AZ-Goto.html

    with a newer goto mount than Skywatcher's 130P Goto. With newer "Freedom Find" technology, you can manually move the scope to targets after alignment, without losing the alignment, so it will continue to find objects from the handset.
    Both the 130mm scopes you mention dont have this (once you move the scope manually, you must do an alignment procedure again).

    All of the above are in stock and ready to ship, and I hope the info helped :)

    Stephen.


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    #5
    Rotary939
    Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭Rotary939


    Thanks for replies Cowboy, Mick and Stephen. Getting the feeling that buying a scope is similar to BHP with cars in that no matter how much you have you'll always want just a little bit more :)

    Will continue to research for a little bit longer before pulling the trigger.

    Thanks again.


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