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  1. #41
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    Yeah, I probably better start with around 100ish just in case I hate it. Would you suggest I get a reflector or a refactor telescope for that price range? I'd prefer one that would fit in my car, 3 feet at max probably (sports car probs.) I'd like to take pictures too, so maybe 200 if I could get a decent one able to capture some images of the closer planets; Plus star constellations as well, but I use to do that with a pair of binoculars and an atlas. That would keep me happy for now. Keep in mind I live in the country, so I could definitely find some really low lit areas to use it. Does that sound doable for 100-200 dollars?

    Also curious, can you see actual galaxies or star clusters with your telescope? Also how much is the one you currently have now.
    Last edited by Trunks; 09-30-2014 at 08:48 PM. Reason: I can't grammar

  2. #42
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    May 2006
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    Eta Carinae
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trunks View Post
    Yeah, I probably better start with around 100ish just in case I hate it. Would you suggest I get a reflector or a refactor telescope for that price range? I'd prefer one that would fit in my car, 3 feet at max probably (sports car probs.) I'd like to take pictures too, so maybe 200 if I could get a decent one able to capture some images of the closer planets; Plus star constellations as well, but I use to do that with a pair of binoculars and an atlas. That would keep me happy for now. Keep in mind I live in the country, so I could definitely find some really low lit areas to use it. Does that sound doable for 100-200 dollars?

    Also curious, can you see actual galaxies or star clusters with your telescope? Also how much is the one you currently have now.
    The higher the aperture, the more expensive the telescope. Aperture is the opening which the light goes through, refractors offer a MUCH better quality when viewing, but is much more expensive for the same aperture as a refractor. Refractors have very good quality, don't get me wrong, but you'll notice that at the edges, it's not as clear as the center.

    Bigger the aperture, the more light it lets in, the more stars you can see. So there are pros and cons of both. Bigger aperture is generally better for photographs, if you don't mind blurry edges, then a refractor may be a better choice (just crop them out).

    I have the best of both worlds, something called a Catadioptric telescope (also called a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope), it uses the long body idea of a refractor as well as a mirror of a reflector. And these are pretty expensive. The one I have is a NexStart 6SE. Right now the price is $800 for one of these, I think I paid the same amount almost 3 years ago, the price of these things don't go change often. This is a computerized telescope, and once aligned, it finds stuff for me without effort. Here is a set of pictures of mine: Naztronomy :: My Telescope Setup

    I don't use the base tripod and computerized mount that came with that thing. I actually have a separate mount that I bought because it offers a different type of alignment, making it easier to track objects easily. (Alignment of a telescope is a whole different lesson in itself, if you want to know more, I can say more). The mount I have is called Advanced VX. Also another $800.

    I haven't been out enough to hunt for too many galaxies, but I can see Andromeda pretty well, but I suck at taking pictures of it, one day, I will take a nice one and post! I can also see star clusters. But living in (and around) NYC is terrible, the quality is so bad, especially when taking pictures.

    Now the taking pictures part. There are two ways. First is if you're using a point-and-shoot camera, you'll need a special mount that pretty much holds the lens in front of the eyepiece and focuses. I've seen people make it at home easily, a premade/professional one costs about $50: Orion SteadyPix Deluxe Camera Mount | Orion Telescopes

    I use a DSLR (another $800 at the time, it seems to be my magic number). I have a ring and an adapter that lets me easily mount the camera into my telescope. The ring and adapter is fairly cheap (less than $10 total). But you need a DSLR for this.

    Third way to take pics is a DIY camera made out of a web cam. Believe it or not, webcams are pretty good for this, you just have to remove the focusing lens and find some way to mount it into the telescope's eyepiece area. I made two of these before I could afford by DSLR. Very shoddy quality but I took some of my first pictures of the moon using it (they are not found on my website because of the poor quality. Web Cams with CCD chips work best. I bought one for around $10 on eBay years ago for my old refractor. I was so happy when I was able to see craters on the moon with it. Beyond the moon, it takes a lot of processing and steps to take pics of further objects. I don't have pictures of anything other than the moon with the webcam. Of course for this, you'll need a laptop too, to take the pics, unlike a point and shoot or DSLR camera which works by itself.

    I wrote a lot even though you didn't ask for this information, but to sum up, here are my recommendations for around $200:

    - Reflector telescope (since you live in the country, the bigger aperture will do wonders, the blurry edges aren't a big problem imo).

    - Reflectors are also more compact so less worries about fitting them into your car. Although refractors are skinny, they can get pretty long. I used to take all my stuff in my old Corolla trunk, didn't have a lot of room, but these things usually come apart pretty easily (tripod, scope, eyepieces, etc.) so storage shouldn't be too much of an issue, even with low trunk space. Right now, I have 2 luggage that I use to store my scope and the mount. The tripod is by itself, I have a camera bag, a bag with all the accessories (Lens, filters, etc.), and a tripod just for my camera for pictures without the telescope. Altogether my stuff weighs over a hundred pounds. Since I live in an apartment (11th floor), it's hard going places with them.

    - I'd recommend getting a reflector with a tripod/mount that does Polar Aligning, it's generally called a German Equatorial mount. If your scope isn't computerized, tracking will be done manually, Equatorial mounts mean that if you align properly, you'll only have to track the star on one axis (x-axis just for reference), as opposed to two axis which can get difficult. That's why I bought another $800 computerized mount, the original mount didn't come with a German Equatorial, I needed something that can track better.

    - For pictures, if you want to use just a point and shoot, I'm sure you can find cheaper versions of the attachment I linked above, or if you're handy, build it yourself. I tried building myself an equatorial mount piece for my old tripod, but lack of time and laziness just motivated me to save some money and get a whole different mount.

    - When buying a telescope, NEVER buy one that advertises how much "zoom" power it has. Never buy based on that, they're usually low quality that focuses on its "zoom" rather than actual viewing quality. Most don't telescopes don't zoom in and out. The zooming is done usually by changing eyepieces (I have multiple eyepieces, including one that changes the zoom on the eyepiece, cost me about $60).

    I think I answered everything lol. Let me know if you want to know more.

    I was actually thinking about driving out to Ohio (or somewhere in that area of States) in a couple of weeks, I have a 4 day weekend, I just wanted to get in my car and head west and just set up somewhere for a couple of nights. Know any places that'll let me stay overnight? I currently have permit that lets me stay in any of the NY State Parks.
    Do not PM me regarding your problems or suggestions for the board unless you are offering me money. I will Ignore your posts and if you bother me too much, you will be banned.

    ►Easy Programming | My Youtube
    ►Naztronomy :: Astrophotography | Custom Computers

  3. #43
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
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    30
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    Quote Originally Posted by LiNuX View Post
    The higher the aperture, the more expensive the telescope. Aperture is the opening which the light goes through, refractors offer a MUCH better quality when viewing, but is much more expensive for the same aperture as a refractor. Refractors have very good quality, don't get me wrong, but you'll notice that at the edges, it's not as clear as the center.

    Bigger the aperture, the more light it lets in, the more stars you can see. So there are pros and cons of both. Bigger aperture is generally better for photographs, if you don't mind blurry edges, then a refractor may be a better choice (just crop them out).

    I have the best of both worlds, something called a Catadioptric telescope (also called a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope), it uses the long body idea of a refractor as well as a mirror of a reflector. And these are pretty expensive. The one I have is a NexStart 6SE. Right now the price is $800 for one of these, I think I paid the same amount almost 3 years ago, the price of these things don't go change often. This is a computerized telescope, and once aligned, it finds stuff for me without effort. Here is a set of pictures of mine: Naztronomy :: My Telescope Setup

    I don't use the base tripod and computerized mount that came with that thing. I actually have a separate mount that I bought because it offers a different type of alignment, making it easier to track objects easily. (Alignment of a telescope is a whole different lesson in itself, if you want to know more, I can say more). The mount I have is called Advanced VX. Also another $800.

    I haven't been out enough to hunt for too many galaxies, but I can see Andromeda pretty well, but I suck at taking pictures of it, one day, I will take a nice one and post! I can also see star clusters. But living in (and around) NYC is terrible, the quality is so bad, especially when taking pictures.

    Now the taking pictures part. There are two ways. First is if you're using a point-and-shoot camera, you'll need a special mount that pretty much holds the lens in front of the eyepiece and focuses. I've seen people make it at home easily, a premade/professional one costs about $50: Orion SteadyPix Deluxe Camera Mount | Orion Telescopes

    I use a DSLR (another $800 at the time, it seems to be my magic number). I have a ring and an adapter that lets me easily mount the camera into my telescope. The ring and adapter is fairly cheap (less than $10 total). But you need a DSLR for this.

    Third way to take pics is a DIY camera made out of a web cam. Believe it or not, webcams are pretty good for this, you just have to remove the focusing lens and find some way to mount it into the telescope's eyepiece area. I made two of these before I could afford by DSLR. Very shoddy quality but I took some of my first pictures of the moon using it (they are not found on my website because of the poor quality. Web Cams with CCD chips work best. I bought one for around $10 on eBay years ago for my old refractor. I was so happy when I was able to see craters on the moon with it. Beyond the moon, it takes a lot of processing and steps to take pics of further objects. I don't have pictures of anything other than the moon with the webcam. Of course for this, you'll need a laptop too, to take the pics, unlike a point and shoot or DSLR camera which works by itself.

    I wrote a lot even though you didn't ask for this information, but to sum up, here are my recommendations for around $200:

    - Reflector telescope (since you live in the country, the bigger aperture will do wonders, the blurry edges aren't a big problem imo).

    - Reflectors are also more compact so less worries about fitting them into your car. Although refractors are skinny, they can get pretty long. I used to take all my stuff in my old Corolla trunk, didn't have a lot of room, but these things usually come apart pretty easily (tripod, scope, eyepieces, etc.) so storage shouldn't be too much of an issue, even with low trunk space. Right now, I have 2 luggage that I use to store my scope and the mount. The tripod is by itself, I have a camera bag, a bag with all the accessories (Lens, filters, etc.), and a tripod just for my camera for pictures without the telescope. Altogether my stuff weighs over a hundred pounds. Since I live in an apartment (11th floor), it's hard going places with them.

    - I'd recommend getting a reflector with a tripod/mount that does Polar Aligning, it's generally called a German Equatorial mount. If your scope isn't computerized, tracking will be done manually, Equatorial mounts mean that if you align properly, you'll only have to track the star on one axis (x-axis just for reference), as opposed to two axis which can get difficult. That's why I bought another $800 computerized mount, the original mount didn't come with a German Equatorial, I needed something that can track better.

    - For pictures, if you want to use just a point and shoot, I'm sure you can find cheaper versions of the attachment I linked above, or if you're handy, build it yourself. I tried building myself an equatorial mount piece for my old tripod, but lack of time and laziness just motivated me to save some money and get a whole different mount.

    - When buying a telescope, NEVER buy one that advertises how much "zoom" power it has. Never buy based on that, they're usually low quality that focuses on its "zoom" rather than actual viewing quality. Most don't telescopes don't zoom in and out. The zooming is done usually by changing eyepieces (I have multiple eyepieces, including one that changes the zoom on the eyepiece, cost me about $60).

    I think I answered everything lol. Let me know if you want to know more.

    I was actually thinking about driving out to Ohio (or somewhere in that area of States) in a couple of weeks, I have a 4 day weekend, I just wanted to get in my car and head west and just set up somewhere for a couple of nights. Know any places that'll let me stay overnight? I currently have permit that lets me stay in any of the NY State Parks.
    Wow, there are so much more to telescopes than I originally thought, I appreciate taking the time to type this, infidelity helped my understanding of everything. but glad I asked because I didn't even think about needing an equatorial mount or anything. Guess I forgot the earth moved/spun lol, but definitely sounds like a necessity for a beginner.

    Taking pictures seems a lot more difficult then I originally imagined, so that will be something to think about after I get a telescope. Not very good with picturing things in my head, have to see what I'm looking at first. Will probably go the Webcam route with a laptop at first just until I get the hang of everything.

    Your telescope looks nice, weird how it's diameter is almost longer than it's length. Using the information use gave, definitely narrowed down on my search for what I'm looking for. For now I'm settled on this one, little higher than my price range but I think it's worth it. Orion SpaceProbe 130 EQ Reflector Telescope | Orion Telescopes

    It's definitely nice that telescopes don't drop in value much, makes selling and upgrading seem more worth it. As for locations around here, I would have no idea. I mean there are some camp sites, but don't know of any places that would let you for free. I didn't even know you could buy such a permit, that is pretty neat though.

    Thanks for all the help though, it really helped.

  4. #44
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    My scope's length is small because it uses internal mirrors that pretty much doubles the length of the light traveling. The diameter is more important because it lets more light in. Length has to do with how far it can see but that can usually be controlled using the eyepieces.

    That Orion scope is pretty nice. One of the guys I helped bought this one: Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ

    It's cheaper, also a German Equatorial mount, and he's pretty happy with it so far. The Orion one is 250mm longer in length, so it allows you to see a bit further, but the Celestron lets you see a wider field which makes manual tracking easier. To be honest, I don't know how much of a difference the 250mm would make in terms of the field width. But it's something to consider because that's pretty much what the price difference is.

    I actually looked up some camp sites around Columbus that'll let me in for a pretty cheap price. The permit I get in NY is $30 yearly, so it's not bad at all. And I have access to 6 or 7 state parks in Long Island.

    Taking pictures is pretty difficult, I'm still learning. I still haven't been able to take good pictures of deep sky objects yet because it's more about technique than the actual equipment. But Equipment does help. If I find one of my webcam modifications, I'll show you how I set it up so you can have an idea. Definitely one of the cheaper ways to do it and it actually works.

    Glad I could help! I could talk about this stuff for hours. So feel free to ask more. I'm no where close to being an expert at this stuff, these are just things that I slowly picked up over the years through research and curiosity.
    Do not PM me regarding your problems or suggestions for the board unless you are offering me money. I will Ignore your posts and if you bother me too much, you will be banned.

    ►Easy Programming | My Youtube
    ►Naztronomy :: Astrophotography | Custom Computers

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