Hello everyone newperson here,got some questions

Hi everyone my name is Darren.I just recently got into the hobby.Ive been looking on the net over various manufacturers telescopes as I am in the market for one.I already have binoculars and have been dabbling in this type of astronomy.I really apologize if this question is redundant and you hear it alot.I apologise.But I think I need some assistance in picking a scope.This is my guidlines.

I want a quality scope not one I get and have to be returned because something it out of whack before even using it.
I want a scope that will have some room to grow in it,I really dont want to get into say a 70mm refracter and be discusted with it and have to spend more later as I do have a budget.The scopes Im interesed in are the Newtonian reflectors,refracters and cassinigrans.The dobsons im staying away from because of their sheere size,to big for my apartment.On of the things i plan to do with my scope is take photographs,I own a DCP9 sony digital camera I just plan to piggy back on the scope.a plus is it has long exposer times,and alot of other features for taking night shots.Some things I have questions on are the F ratios.Why would someone go with a bigger F/ratio over say a smaller one on a refracter.All opinions appreciated.My budget is about $500.Im interested in overall astronomy,but want to be able to hit the craters on the moon too in detail.Thanks

Darren,

I've put together a short list of what would probably be the best scopes within your budget. Since space is a constraint for you, longer newtonian reflectors probably won't be a viable option. Newtonians with F-ratios like F5 make for more compact scopes and are fairly popular right now. The main thing to keep in mind is that these fast newtonians are somewhat frustrating to collimate for the beginner and will require periodic touch-up to get full performance. The other options are refractors and maksutov-cassegrains. A good refractor is an excellent first instrument since it doesn't require much maintenance to get full performance out of it. Refractors with faster F-ratios are more compact and easier to transport but they will suffer in optical quality. A refractor with an F-ratio of F10 will have a lot less chromatic aberation than an F5 one and also lets you acheive higher power without a barlow (which can add more color and degrade the image unless you spend the money for a good one). A maksutov - cassegrain is a good choice if you need the most compact instrument available but is limited to high power use as the focal ratio is usually quite long (F 12 or more, usually). My first choice would be a refractor of 4 inches or greater aperture with a focal ratio of about F10. The Celestron C102 HD is an excellent value at about $400 new. The Russian Tal 100R has the same size optics and focal length at about the same price. It is heavier built and probably has slightly better optics. The Orion StarMax 127 would be my choice for a Maksutov. The Meade ETX series has more consistent optics but is more expensive. For a newtonian I would go with the Orion SkyView Pro 6 EQ (definitely would go for the optional polar alignment scope or a similar scope.) For photography, dual axis drives will be indespensible. If I had to narrow the choices down to one scope it would be the C102HD since it would perform very well on objects that beginners usually like to check out like the moon and planets and would be available with dual axis drives for about $550 new. Unfortunately, most of the equatorial mounts in this price bracket leave a bit to be desired, the only way to get around it is to spend more money.

Joplin