Telescope Suggestion
Discussion
Hey,
My birthday is coming up, and I dont know what I want, its a toss up so far between a smart ring and a telescope, wonder if anyone has a suggestion for a decent starter telescope, that hopefully has an app, and the option to take pictures with my phone or camera.
budget around a couple hundred quid.
My birthday is coming up, and I dont know what I want, its a toss up so far between a smart ring and a telescope, wonder if anyone has a suggestion for a decent starter telescope, that hopefully has an app, and the option to take pictures with my phone or camera.
budget around a couple hundred quid.
A few years ago I had a Celestron 130mm telescope that you can get for a couple of hundred quid new.
This is slightly smaller but has an app for £228, which surprised me:
https://www.picstop.co.uk/beginner-telescopes/cele...
This is slightly smaller but has an app for £228, which surprised me:
https://www.picstop.co.uk/beginner-telescopes/cele...
I had a Seestar S50 for Christmas - as I wanted a telescope, but have absolutely no idea what is where in the heavens and I wanted to be able to take some cool pics.
I ended up getting the telescope itself and the tripod leveling adapter (25 quid or so if I recall).
All in all - it's pretty easy to use, and you can also bung it outside while you sit inside in the warm.
It's fully motorized - so you just tell it to find something, and it goes off and does it. Or you can stand outside with your phone in compass mode and point it at something you can see - and tell the telescope to go find.
All in all - pretty cool, and easy to use.
Waiting for some more clear nights now and it to warm up a bit.
Whole thing is done on the smartphone too - so it's nice and easy.
Also comes with a sun filter
It is supposed to be brilliant for deep space photography, but haven't had the time to experiment yet
Some pics...
I ended up getting the telescope itself and the tripod leveling adapter (25 quid or so if I recall).
All in all - it's pretty easy to use, and you can also bung it outside while you sit inside in the warm.
It's fully motorized - so you just tell it to find something, and it goes off and does it. Or you can stand outside with your phone in compass mode and point it at something you can see - and tell the telescope to go find.
All in all - pretty cool, and easy to use.
Waiting for some more clear nights now and it to warm up a bit.
Whole thing is done on the smartphone too - so it's nice and easy.
Also comes with a sun filter
It is supposed to be brilliant for deep space photography, but haven't had the time to experiment yet
Some pics...
I enjoy visual Astronomy and like you, thought that a cheap 2nd hand 'scope would be great. It wasn't! I'm now £5k in and happy with my setup but the weather has been very frustrating with very few clear nights this Winter.
That said, if space is not an issue and you only intend to view from your back garden, look in the ads for a 2nd hand Dobsonion.
Do not buy a cheap Refracting telescope on a cheap mount. Do not be sucked in by marketing. They are simply rubbish at this price.
Another option is to buy a 2nd hand pair of Astro Binoculars. They will serve you much better than a cheap telescope. Unfortunately, your budget will not get you a pair of image stabilized bin's but they are simply a game changer in terms of viewing. I also use my bin's for general viewing and carry them with me everywhere.
Astrophotography is a completely different hobby, although the Seestar is a brilliant bit of kit if you don't want to look through an eyepiece.
That said, if space is not an issue and you only intend to view from your back garden, look in the ads for a 2nd hand Dobsonion.
Do not buy a cheap Refracting telescope on a cheap mount. Do not be sucked in by marketing. They are simply rubbish at this price.
Another option is to buy a 2nd hand pair of Astro Binoculars. They will serve you much better than a cheap telescope. Unfortunately, your budget will not get you a pair of image stabilized bin's but they are simply a game changer in terms of viewing. I also use my bin's for general viewing and carry them with me everywhere.
Astrophotography is a completely different hobby, although the Seestar is a brilliant bit of kit if you don't want to look through an eyepiece.
Apologies for interrupting the thread. I’m looking for a telescope (I think!) and didn’t think it worth setting up a separate thread.
Budget was originally £500 to £1,000, but I’ve no idea whether, for the amount I will be using it, that’s too much or whether the curve is such that £1,000 will buy me a much better experience than £500 or £250.
A couple of years ago we moved to the country and now are in a village with no street lights etc, so there is minimal light pollution and loads of stars / planets are visible with the naked eye. I’d like a telescope for occasional use that will turn those bright dots in the sky into something visible and impressive!
All input gratefully received!
Based on the above pictures, this is what I need towards the bottom end of my budget, what am I missing?!
https://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/zwo-seestar-s50-a...
Budget was originally £500 to £1,000, but I’ve no idea whether, for the amount I will be using it, that’s too much or whether the curve is such that £1,000 will buy me a much better experience than £500 or £250.
A couple of years ago we moved to the country and now are in a village with no street lights etc, so there is minimal light pollution and loads of stars / planets are visible with the naked eye. I’d like a telescope for occasional use that will turn those bright dots in the sky into something visible and impressive!
All input gratefully received!
Based on the above pictures, this is what I need towards the bottom end of my budget, what am I missing?!
https://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/zwo-seestar-s50-a...
Edited by Sport_Turismo_GTS on Monday 3rd February 18:11
Did quote a bit of R&D beforehand (about a year's worth) and so far it's been fine. Had a couple of issues with it not finding things like the moon, but after a bit of googling they recommend you find a star or similar first - as this allows it to work out exactly where it's pointing before you try and find something moving fast like the moon.
Still not tried any of the deep space pics, but will post once I have
Still not tried any of the deep space pics, but will post once I have
JamesW said:
Did quote a bit of R&D beforehand (about a year's worth) and so far it's been fine. Had a couple of issues with it not finding things like the moon, but after a bit of googling they recommend you find a star or similar first - as this allows it to work out exactly where it's pointing before you try and find something moving fast like the moon.
Still not tried any of the deep space pics, but will post once I have
Thanks. I already know where the moon is, so I won’t have that issue. Still not tried any of the deep space pics, but will post once I have
What’s the main difference between the S50 listed above and something like this:
https://www.picstop.co.uk/all-celestron-telescopes...
Price is similar, but the S50 looks to be complete with minimal accessories, however can’t be upgraded. Whereas the Celestion appears to have a vast array of add-ons (so is the base price misleading and I’d need to buy quite a few different things before I start?) but has potential for future upgrades if I get the bug and choose to turn down that route.
Is the S50 more for Astrophotography whereas the Celestron is for Astronomy?
Or am I totally wide of the mark?
Edited by Sport_Turismo_GTS on Wednesday 5th February 07:43
The more I look into this, the more I think something like a Seestar S50 or even S30 will be more than sufficient for my needs as a causal astronomer looking for something that is easy to operate, easy to set-up / transport / put away and will be more than capable of exploring the sky at the level I’m likely to be interested in.
If anything changes, and I have an urge to go into this at a more serious level then I can sell it and buy something more suitable, probably spending a lot of extra cash!
If anything changes, and I have an urge to go into this at a more serious level then I can sell it and buy something more suitable, probably spending a lot of extra cash!
Sport_Turismo_GTS said:
My Seestar S50 arrived today, so I hope to be setting this up at the weekend - any advice gratefully received!
Well that's different. I just looked it up and was expecting to see something like a telescope! I suppose instead of a nice big lens to shovel lots of light in, it uses software to amplify and de-noise.Interested in how you’re finding the Seestar? I’ve just ordered its main rival in this segment, the Dwarf Labs ‘Dwarf 3’ smart telescope. Long lead time for delivery though. Very excited - could equally have chosen the Seestar though, both have pros and cons and both look bloomin’ impressive to me. To be clear though, these are mainly astrophotography kits on a budget, not directly visual astronomy.
I’d agree with comment above though - if visual astronomy in the budget range is what you’re after, a good pair of bino’s is a fantastic shout, especially if you can get a pair with decent image stabilisation. It’s the practicality that makes all the difference. The world’s best ‘scope is useless if you can’t be bothered to set it up. I have a Celestron Nexstar Evolution 9.25 scope and a Takahashi ‘Baby Q’ refractor. Both good. Both a pain to set up from scratch (my laziness, not the fault of the kit). But I very, very often head outside with the Canon bins and can sometimes (just) make out Jupiter’s moons. Awesome!
Am excited about the sheer ease of operation of the Dwarf 3 (or Seestar) - I think this bit of the market is going to explode (provided tariff wars don’t ruin life for everyone). Higher-level astrophotography can be seriously, seriously expensive and complicated. Some love that. I’m but a simple soul.
I’d agree with comment above though - if visual astronomy in the budget range is what you’re after, a good pair of bino’s is a fantastic shout, especially if you can get a pair with decent image stabilisation. It’s the practicality that makes all the difference. The world’s best ‘scope is useless if you can’t be bothered to set it up. I have a Celestron Nexstar Evolution 9.25 scope and a Takahashi ‘Baby Q’ refractor. Both good. Both a pain to set up from scratch (my laziness, not the fault of the kit). But I very, very often head outside with the Canon bins and can sometimes (just) make out Jupiter’s moons. Awesome!
Am excited about the sheer ease of operation of the Dwarf 3 (or Seestar) - I think this bit of the market is going to explode (provided tariff wars don’t ruin life for everyone). Higher-level astrophotography can be seriously, seriously expensive and complicated. Some love that. I’m but a simple soul.
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