What would you buy to start out?Posted By Mike Van Buskirk |
Hi everyone.
I am new here and have recently gotten the "bug" again for a telescope. It's been about 8 years since I last had the bug for one and although the scopes out there have changed a lot in terms of models, one thing still remains the same..price! This is an expensive hobby and it is frustrating for someone to choose their first scope with a myriad of opinions out there on the various types.
I am just doing research on them now since I won't be able to afford one for quite some time, so I am trying to get a feel for what I would want to buy when I do purchase one.
I use to really want the Celestron Ultima 11 back in 1994 when I was looking at the different types of telescopes and going to several star parties in the area getting a feel for the different types, brands, etc. It's hard to weigh all the options of portability, price and such and come to a conclusion on what fits the bill the best. I have recently been considering the Celestron CR150 mentioned in the other thread on this forum. It seems like a good way to go for the price but as I have read in every review of it, the mount is not good at all. It would be nice on a Losmandy G11 mount, but then you are talking about close to $2k for the mount alone which is steep for many of us.
I am debating between the CR150 refractor, or the Nexstar 8 or even the Nexstar 11 down the road. I am planning on using the telescope most often in my back yard which has quite a bit of light pollution here in the city (I am in the San Francisco bay area), so I thought the Celestron 6" refractor might be the best bet, considering the fairly low price in comparison to the Celestron SC's. It is quite big though and may be a lot more to handle than the Nexstar 8's smaller size which comes at about 3 times the price.
I do have a pair of Celestron Ultima 8x56 binoculars right now as my only means of viewing the sky.
What is the concensus of the veterans here on my questions?
I appreciate your feedback on what to look for.
Thanks
Mike
I am new here and have recently gotten the "bug" again for a telescope. It's been about 8 years since I last had the bug for one and although the scopes out there have changed a lot in terms of models, one thing still remains the same..price! This is an expensive hobby and it is frustrating for someone to choose their first scope with a myriad of opinions out there on the various types.
I am just doing research on them now since I won't be able to afford one for quite some time, so I am trying to get a feel for what I would want to buy when I do purchase one.
I use to really want the Celestron Ultima 11 back in 1994 when I was looking at the different types of telescopes and going to several star parties in the area getting a feel for the different types, brands, etc. It's hard to weigh all the options of portability, price and such and come to a conclusion on what fits the bill the best. I have recently been considering the Celestron CR150 mentioned in the other thread on this forum. It seems like a good way to go for the price but as I have read in every review of it, the mount is not good at all. It would be nice on a Losmandy G11 mount, but then you are talking about close to $2k for the mount alone which is steep for many of us.
I am debating between the CR150 refractor, or the Nexstar 8 or even the Nexstar 11 down the road. I am planning on using the telescope most often in my back yard which has quite a bit of light pollution here in the city (I am in the San Francisco bay area), so I thought the Celestron 6" refractor might be the best bet, considering the fairly low price in comparison to the Celestron SC's. It is quite big though and may be a lot more to handle than the Nexstar 8's smaller size which comes at about 3 times the price.
I do have a pair of Celestron Ultima 8x56 binoculars right now as my only means of viewing the sky.
What is the concensus of the veterans here on my questions?
I appreciate your feedback on what to look for.
Thanks
Mike
