Chomping at the bit for a new aquisition

[Fay]

I really fancy a triplet telescope. Has anyone any opinions? Bearing in mind I have a SX M7, Atik, Canon, camera's &  ED80 & WO ZS66, scopes.

I cannot afford a fortune but do not want to waste my money, obviously.

I was looking at WO 110, FL770mm F7, but a bit expensive.
Meade 5000 127, more my price, FL952 F7.5
Any other makes anyone can suggest?

Thanks

 

[Mike]

Go for the WO over the Meade. Anthing by Orion or Skywatcher is all teh same company (and in most cases identical scopes). If you feel really flush there is always a Takahashi Sky 90 which is really nice and reasonably priced.

[RobertM]

I think the Sky90 is a great scope but make sure you get the Mk II which has a better collimation cell (same optics though).  Also the reducer/flattener is rather expensive but you could save yourself a bundle by getting the whole lot together.  Tak fixtures and fittings can soon add up so the more you get as a bundle the better.

Scour the Cloudy Nights reviews and Excelsis ratings sites for information.

[Rocket Pooch]

How about a TMB 8" Fay, I can then borrow it.

If not a nice 12" F5 Newtonian, I can then borrow that as well.

or

A nice Vixen 260, that would also be nice to borrow.

[Tony G]

Fay,

Hide any of your black dresses and stilettos, or he'll be borrowing them as well. 

Tony G

[Rocket Pooch]

Bloody hell I did not know Jim had told you what we got upto in France this year 

[Fay]

I have eliminated the Meade.  Now it's:

Tak TSA 102 Triplet FL816      F8

WO 110 Triplet        FL770      F7

Tak Sky 90 Doublet   FL500     F5.5

Interested in your expert opinions please.

All very expensive


Fay

[Mike]

They are expensive, but if looked after they will give you a lifetime of fantastic images. If it was my cash i'd go for the Tak triplet without a shadow of a doubt.

[Fay]

Thanks Mike

[Fay]

Mike, I want a really good quality telescope, that would be it, no more, it has to be right for me & would have to last.
What about my mount, would spending a lot on a scope be a waste if the mount does not match the scope quality?

[Ian]

Is there any question about the quality of your mount at the moment?

What about it do you think is wrong?

[RobertM]

Fay, look at the images people are taking with those scopes with your cameras.  If you are really interested in the Sky90 then you are more than welcome to either borrow it for an evening or use my setup to try it out (visually or for imaging).  I have both losmandy and vixen adaptor plates so you shouldn't have any trouble mounting it.  My personal view is that it has a fantastic field of view and excellent optics when collimated.

On your choices:

TSA102 - Best optics but it's F8 so excellent if you have a larger camera or F6 reducer.
FLT110 - Big scope for the money but I would still get the TSA.
Sky90 - Yes it's a doublet but becomes a quadruplet with the flattener or extender and has the widest field of view.

I would see what comes up but check on the field of view and what you want to do with it !

[Fay]

Ian, there is nothing wrong with my mount, but I am aware that it is not in the luxury league, eg. Robert's Takahashi. If I could not get a lot better results, then it would not be  worth spending a lot on a telescope.

Robert, you have given me a lot to investigate & think about. Your offer is very kind. As you have said, it is best to try & get some sort of an inclusive deal, as the extra's that are needed add up to a lot more money.

Tony, nice to hear from you, I was going to put out 'anyone seen Tony fliers'. I think a nice red polka dot dress would suit Chris

[Ian]

Fay, my point being, if you don't already know where your current mount is deficient, how do you know that the new one will be better? You're not substantially changing focal length, and your guiding is working well at that sort of focal length. You're not substantially changing the load on the mount either so that's not a concern either.

I think you'll see the difference with a better scope due to field flatness (FR depending...), correction, internal reflections and so on. Just review the field of view and make sure your favourite targets will still fit and then crack on. When you work out at what point your mount is letting you down, then think about a replacement.

[Mike]

Your current mount is fine for what you want to do. The HEQ-5 and the EQ6 are the best bang for the buck mounts on the market. Learn how to use it to its full potential with a quality scope on top and you will produce fantastic images (not that you aren't doing that already with what you already have).