advice on first scope

[haymaker]

Hi all,

Having been looking for some time now for the best first scope for my daughter, I have been frustrated by the continued poor weather each time there is an observation evening.

I was hoping to get some hands on comparisions and advice from you all as to the best goto telescope in terms of quality, all round use and ease of use.  I have been looking for a used scope in the hope of getting more for my limited budget.  All advice and help would be most greatful as wood good weather on the next observation evening.

Thanks in advance

Adrian

[Mike]

Hi Adrian,

Are you a member ? Even if your not you are welcome to come along to a few of our observing sessions or meetings to speak to people and get some advice. Attending an observing session where we are out in the field is god as you can try out different types of scopes. A usual observing session will have refractors, newtonians, schmidt-cassegrains, maksutovs, etc. so there is a good choice of scopes to look at.

Your question can only be answered by knowing what your budget is and also what you intend to use the scope for, ie. observing, imaging, field use, permanent mounting, etc. ? There are many GoTo systems out there ranging from a few hundred pounds up to tens of thousands.

If you are going to do imaging then the more money you have to spend the better as quality counts. If you are just going to be observing then the same also applies, but to a much lesser degree as the tracking doesn't have to be as accurate. Most people think that the optics are the most important thing, but in fact the most important part of your kit will be the mount (i.e. tripod). It is recommended to spend approx 2/3 of your budget on the mount alone.

Some people may disagree, but I would personally not go for a 'package'. i.e. the mount, head, scope, etc. all in one box as these tend to be of low quality and mass produced. It is always better to try and source the individual components seperately allowing you to match the scope to the mount, etc. and to get the best value for money. It also means you can upgrade at a later date.

We have a meeting on Thursday and it is a memberrs evening, which are in my opinion always the best. Tony is doing a talk on astrophotography using a simple digital camera and I will be doing a talk on astrophotography using dedicated astroimaging equipment. You are welcome to come along and to have a chat. We also have an observing session on Tuesday Nov 1st. Even if it is cloudy we stay in the pub (Change of Horses in Farnborough) and have a chat. You and your daughter are welcome to come along.

[haymaker]

Thanks for the information,  I will try to get down to the observartoin evening tonight if the sky is clear enough.  My budget is about £500, I have been lookig at used scopes such as the meade 125 for a little over this price but have read here that they do not have the best mount around.  With anything, its always best to get some hands on testing before commiting money.