Which Telescope to buy ??

nanook5

Ok so Im fourteen and im really into astronomy.

I would like to get my first telescope this Christmas.

I Would prefer i got a good telescope now and wont have to upgrade for a few years.

Ive read the sticky about buying a telescope , but i just need guidance on this one .

I was looking to get one with a tracker so i could take long exposures in astrophotgraphy with a dslr.

I was wanting to see things like the andromeda,Saturn,jupiter and maybe deep sky objects like star clusters in a bit of detail .

My Budget is around €500 - 550

So far ive seen The nexstar 5se http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/celestron-nexstar-5se.html

Seems Pretty Good But i see it has an Altazimuth mount which normally is used for astrophotgraphy(EQ mounts are ?) but it says "Ultra sturdy steel tripod features built-in wedge which allows 5 SE to be used for astrophotography"



The second telescope ive seen is the orion skyquest xt8i
http://www.telescope.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=102012


Now i havent seen anywhere that this tracks but maybe someone on here will.
AFAIK its only a goto system.

Is there other telescope's id be better of buying.

Is my budget too low ??


Thanks

Reece

robertxxx

Where can you get the 5se for that price? And where does a 14 yo get that money.

Add this to your list

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-200p-eq5.html

nanook5

Here it is for €540 roughly :P
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Cassegrain-Telescopes/Celestron-NexStar-5SE-GoTo-Schmidt-Cassegrain-Telescope/c/1/sc/14/p/9944.uts

And for the Money, I Worked for it

namloc1980

nanook5 wrote: »

Here it is for €540 roughly :P
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Cassegrain-Telescopes/Celestron-NexStar-5SE-GoTo-Schmidt-Cassegrain-Telescope/c/1/sc/14/p/9944.uts

And for the Money, I Worked for it

Just be careful because that's a US based retailer and you could get caught for VAT and import duty which could add a nasty surprise bill of a few hundred euro to that €540.

nanook5

Hi

Maybe the 5SE is a bit much , it's £700 as orion don't ship outside usa and canada

How much would a motor be for that Skywatcher ??

Thanks

robertxxx

http://www.ktectelescopes.ie/By-Manufacturer/Skywatcher/Skywatcher-Reflector-Telescopes/

Tzetze

Get yourself a copy of Making every photon count - by Steve Richards. It's comes highly recommended. There's a link to where you can buy it in that thread.

nanook5

Thanks for that tzetze, will see if its in the library before i go buying it

Robert , That scope is a bit dear as i would need to buy a motor drive after that and im not comfortable spending ALL my money:cool:

Maybe something a bit cheaper , maybe something a few steps up from this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-31051-AstroMaster-130EQ-Telescope/dp/B0013Z42AK

I see that it can already see orion , and if i spent €200 more than that celestron I would be happy

Thanks

Nerro

Well for astrophotography you will be looking to at least double if not triple your budget....you would need minimum HEQ5 skywatcher or celestron CG5 mount if you want to mount a scope on it.And they are dear as everything involving AP.Next thing to look out for is light pollution.If your back garden have lots of light polution i would suggest leaving photography overall untill you will be able to travel to dark sites as you will only get red back ground photos with little or no detail in your pictures...
For visual with your budget Dob would be the best choice,they are big, they are good and they are cheap!
http://www.ktectelescopes.ie/By-Manufacturer/Skywatcher/Skywatcher-Dobsonian-Telescopes/Skywatcher-Skyliner-250PX-Parabolic-Dobsonian-Telescope.html
With 10" of light gathering power you will get many nights of joy!

Kersh

+1 on the mount suggestion.

If you plan on doing astrophotography that wont leave you frustrated, a HEQ5 Syntrek at least, is what is required. It will grow with you as you buy and expand telescopes. Avoid Alt-Az goto scopes for A-P.

And Nerro knows his stuff when it comes to A-P, and I would agree on the dark sky suggestion he has made.


And fair play to you planning such a big commitment at your age :pac:

I did the same with a mountain bike when I was 15, people thought I was mad

nanook5

Hi
Well my back garden is pretty dark . Theres a stretch of 7-8 fields over a fence haha. Basically minimal light pollution unless im looking towards limerick :rolleyes:

As for the astrophotgraphy that wasnt my main target for getting the telescope it was more of a very amateur approach just a step over putting a camera to the eyepice

I will Have a look at that dobsonian

Thanks

Kencollins

Hi Nanook5!

I'm in Newcastle West, and have an 8" GOTO dobsonian.

If you would like to come see it some evening I would be more than happy for you to have a try and see if a dob suits you.

Ken

nanook5

Hi Ken

Ya i'd love to go and see your telescope.
When would suit you? Maybe tommorow night ?

Thanks

nanook5

Is this any good ? http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/Bresser/telescope-for-astronomy/messierR102.html

I know its not a light bucket but it looks like a nice telescope but is the mount anywhere near possible for basic amateur astrophotgraphy (just so i can see more detail than the eye) if i bought a motor drive for it ?????

Thanks

robertxxx

Looks nice.

http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/meade/starter-scope/mak/1252xep.html

nanook5

bit too dear the.

would that refractor be good value at this price http://www.adverts.ie/telescopes-binoculars/bresser-messier-4-refractor-telescope/2192545 ??
and even at that i could get him to go down €50

nanook5

or maybe this http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/hobbies/3971739 ?????

nanook5

Is this any good ??? http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/hobbies/3971739

Thanks

ZeRoY

nanook5 wrote: »

Is this any good ??? http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/hobbies/3971739

Thanks

I actually called the guy few weeks back, he would go below 380E but not a bad buy at this price anyway. Its a Meade LXD75 6" Newtonian, you can see on demo here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPwONvAg2Q0

nanook5

So if I got Him to around €350 I'd Be going good ??

I actually text him myself to get the model number and i looked up about it and it seems to be getting good reviews.
People Say it has Criscp optics and thats it's a good all rounder.
But It's a Few years old and im concerned if i were to buy it would I be alright without a warranty , could the telscope just deteriate ??
Ill be taking extra care of the telescope so no damages or bumps(hopefully)
and how how would it be to re-allign the mirrors since it's a Schmidt newtonian

Thanks

barr toco

remember, aperture is key, as has been pointed out already astrophotography is a slow learning curve and not as straight forward as you might think, a good mount will a must, you are on a budget so I would leave AP to the side, and get the biggest aperture you can afford, AP will get more expensive on you and unless you have got a good mount and the right scope it will be a night mare, their will be a serious difference in what you can see in 5" and a 8" scope,
I used to have a 6" and now I have 9.25", mega improvement,

nanook5

barr toco wrote: »

remember, aperture is key, as has been pointed out already astrophotography is a slow learning curve and not as straight forward as you might think, a good mount will a must, you are on a budget so I would leave AP to the side, and get the biggest aperture you can afford, AP will get more expensive on you and unless you have got a good mount and the right scope it will be a night mare, their will be a serious difference in what you can see in 5" and a 8" scope,
I used to have a 6" and now I have 9.25", mega improvement,

Hi Barr Toco

I understand what you mean about aperature but since i have wrote this Thread my budget has gone down to around €350 -400

I have never touched a telescope in my life I Think personally this would be a good telescope for me as it has a goto system and it has a reasonably big aperature (for a beginner , like me ).I Could always upgrade in a year or 2 if I Need to .

As i Have said The astrophotgraphy is only to enhance detail of an object that my eye won't be able to see.

Someone said This about the mount on an astronomy forum " The LXD-75 is a very good mount for a beginner starting out in astrophotography."

I have also uploaded a picture of the bubble nebula that Someone has taken using this mount and I would certainly be happy if I could Get results close to this.

robertxxx

What would bet better for astrophotography reflector of refractor?

nanook5

robertxxx wrote: »

What would bet better for astrophotography reflector of refractor?

http://www.flickr.com/groups/25191652@N00/discuss/72157600056048315/

nanook5

http://www.astroshop.eu/skywatcher-telescope-n-200-1000-explorer-bd-neq-5/p,14991#tab_bar_1_select

This Looks Nice Might Get it

Kersh

Add the shipping, €85, and its not such a great deal.

I would dive on that LXD75 second hand scope if its available for €380.

Ony con for it is the lack of ST4 compatability, but I think Meade have a dongle either out/coming out for LX80 that might work on an LXD75.

Here is a pic I took with a Canon Eos300D, through a Skywatcher 80ED, mounted on the LXD55 (older version of the LXD75).

I only polar aligned the scope, nothing special. The pic is 11 images stacked.
Each between 30s and 57s.






it was my first attempt at Astrophotography.

nanook5

But the Lxd75 scope is just a newtonian and from reading there not very good

Ill get it If i can get pictures like yours with a mount that is better than yours Id Be happy as larry.

Your picture is an example of exactly what i just want to do, Just see Greater detail :D.

Ill Buy it at the weekend if its the case , that it is infact a good scope :P

Thanks

nanook5

IF he would sell the mount seperate , Should I then buy that and Get the OTA http://www.astroshop.eu/skywatcher-telescope-n-200-1000-explorer-bd-ota/p,15566 . ????

Just an idea

Thanks

Kersh

nanook5 wrote: »

But the Lxd75 scope is just a newtonian and from reading there not very good

Ill get it If i can get pictures like yours with a mount that is better than yours Id Be happy as larry.

Your picture is an example of exactly what i just want to do, Just see Greater detail :D.

Ill Buy it at the weekend if its the case , that it is infact a good scope :P

Thanks

My LXD55 came with the 10" Schmidt Newtonian, Its super optically, the focuser is poor, but apart from that it is brilliant.

IF he would sell the mount seperate , Should I then buy that and Get the OTA

I doubt he will, but the scope you linked as standard, wont take a pic like I did of Andromeda. It wont fit the whole galaxy into the field of view. You need a wide field scope, like an 80ED. It would take good pics of other smaller galaxies, like M65/66, M81/82 etc

Anyways, the Skywatcher 200PDS has a better focuser as standard. I would be looking for that one instead.

nanook5

Kersh wrote: »

My LXD55 came with the 10" Schmidt Newtonian, Its super optically, the focuser is poor, but apart from that it is brilliant.

But I mean It's Not even a schmidt newtonian.
Its just a newtonian , I found this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055020855 about it and slade_x says it has been discontinued for quite a while(This was back in 2006)

What about the newtonian he has on the mount,Would that have a wide field ??

Thanks

Kersh

Honestly, for €380 its a great setup that will get you going.

Nothing wrong at all with a 6" reflector. You can always get a bigger, better scope in the future. The mount is pretty decent, and like I said I use its older design (LXD55), its over 10 years old now and works away not a bother on it. And I have access to all of the latest Skywatcher mounts that I can decide to use and keep at anytime, but I like my LXD55

Astronomy equipment manufacturers discontinue lines all of the time, as they bring out newer gear, like all hobbies.

nanook5

Ok I might get it so Could try get hi mdown to €350
and would any 1.25" eyepiece fit in it ??

Thanks

Nerro

nanook5 wrote: »

But I mean It's Not even a schmidt newtonian.
Its just a newtonian , I found this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055020855 about it and slade_x says it has been discontinued for quite a while(This was back in 2006)

What about the newtonian he has on the mount,Would that have a wide field ??

Thanks

Ok what i found that the scope has ratio of f/5, so its a really "fast" scope, perfect for deep space photography and observing.Mind you as its "fast" comma corrector is highly recomended like baader MPCC for visual and especially for photography purposes.But as it is your first scope i recon you probably aint going to notice anything when observing...only in pictures you will see coma.
For planets its not that good...you would need to use quite high magnification (eyepieces with low numbers).But hey, you have 6" of light gathering power!so you could afford to push a bit.
Regarding the mount, you are getting GO TO function!you will get the whole universe at a touch of a button! rather than trying to find objects (which is not that easy if you dont know your way around the night sky).
Probably the biggest downside is the lack of ST4 port,other than that its a great mount and i know quite a few people using them with great sucess.
If you will get the man to go at 350?its a good deal but i would push it for 300 and play the discontinued card to get the price down.Not that its something wrong as like kersh mentioned its happening all the time in astro world, but maybe he wont know

Nerro

nanook5 wrote: »

Ok I might get it so Could try get hi mdown to €350
and would any 1.25" eyepiece fit in it ??

Thanks

yes 1.25" and from what i see from the picture 2" should fit aswell.But dont quote me on that.

nanook5

Ok Thanks for that nerro I was a bit worried I would Have to try find eyepieces for its from back in 2006

Ye ill try do his for that and play the discontinued game , he seems to not know much about it as he hasnt even put up the model on the ad and from asking general questions about it

Just one more question, I saw a pdf about the lxd 75 series of telescopes and in the newtonian section i saw that it says n-6EC but on This http://http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055020855 I see it says n-6AT, I just wanted to know what is the difference .

If I get him to €300 -€320 Ill probably get a few extra eyepieces and a corrector plate if I can , But thats a different story

Thanks

ZeRoY

nanook5 wrote: »

If I get him to €300 -€320 Ill probably get a few extra eyepieces and a corrector plate if I can , But thats a different story

Good luck on that, he wouldnt budge! :eek:

nanook5

It Looks Like He'll Take €320 For it .

Ill Keep Ye Posted


Thanks

Nerro

nanook5 wrote: »

It Looks Like He'll Take €320 For it .

Ill Keep Ye Posted


Thanks

thats a nice deal for a set up like this.well done.

nanook5

Thanks Nerro.

Nerro

there is the same for 250....
http://touch.adverts.ie/telescopes-binoculars/meade-lxd75-telescope/2323387?utm_source=email&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=SearchAlert

nanook5

Hi

Ok I bought The meade lxd75 from donedeal for 280 .

Its in very good condition and Im very happy with my purchase .

Im off to read the manual now .

Can I just say Thanks to everyone who Helped , I appreciate it


Thanks

ZeRoY

nanook5 wrote: »

Ok I bought The meade lxd75 from donedeal for 280 .

Nice one, as said its a very nice mount / scope. Is the Newtonian the SN6 or just N6 ?

nanook5

just the n6 . was your the sn-6?
Thanks

ZeRoY

nanook5 wrote: »

just the n6 . was your the sn-6?
Thanks

No same. N6AT - as explained before, make or buy the Meade 505 cable, get the Autostar Suite and upgrade the Handset, you'll get the 3 star align plus other things. Im all set here, just waiting for the next clear night (looks like Wednesday might be a go).

EDIT: Check out this guy's videos, some are pretty lenghty and not everything is useful but some are