looking for a good spec compact scope

I have been playing with astronomy for a few months with a 5' reflector, but it wasnt mine,( was minding it while a mate moved houses) and have had to return it. i really want a scope of my own. i want something a bit bettr than the 5' reflector ( some generic brand not brilliant, shaky tripod), and i dont have a car so it has to be something not massive like a reflector. really like the Schmidt-Cassegrain and the Maksutov-Cassegrain . whats the chance of me getting a decent one for 500-600 euros that is moderately portable?

Hi,

A few companies make the kind of scope you are looking for.

Skywatcher do a very nice 5" Maksutov Cassegrain on a decent mount.

See here
www.opticalvision.co.uk/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=22
(look at the skymax 127 eq2).

You could also do a lot worse then a refractor such as the celestron 80ED

see;

www.celestron.com/c2/product.php?CatID=10&ProdID=38

I can vouch for the optics on both of the above scopes because I have both.

There are other options of course, too many to go into but I can tell you that you wont go too far wrong with either. Have a look in the for sale forum here as sometimes these types of scopes come up when their owners want to upgrade to larger aperture scopes.

Basically the refractor will give you a wider view and as such would be better for looking at deep sky objects such as starclusters, galaxies, nebulas etc. The Maksutov gives a narrower view but higher magnification and as such is well suited to observing the moon and planets.

Your problem is you are limited by size, if that were not a problem I'd be recommending something like an 8" reflector

I have been playing with astronomy for a few months

Oh and BTW you don't 'play' with astronomy, you study it

Oh and I almost forgot. Seanie Morris has a great list of Irish and UK telescope dealers here;

www.irishastronomy.org/boards/viewtopic.php?t=2273

technically, how do i compare these scopes?

i mean, will an 80mm lens on a refractor give more magnification than a 4 inch mirror in a makustov or Cassegrain ?

whats the best way to compare these different types of scope?

I'd recommend the Tal 100R refractor...a 4" refractor with 1000mm focal length. It's built like a tank unless the plastic used by most manufacturers now, and has excellent optics.
I bought one second hand more out of hope than anything else, and it's only with repeated use that I've discovered what a total gem it is.....and how highly regarded they are for quality and sturdiness.
I've now augmented it with a Tal 2 6" Newtonian....equally superb.

www.opticalvision.co.uk/prodtype.asp?PT_...p;strPageHistory=cat

Hi,

I see you are new to these boards, just to steer you in the right direction with regard to posting. It's always preferrable if you 'reply' to an existing topic rather than post a new one when the subject matter is similar. That way everything gets kept together and is easy to read and help you with.

All you need to do is click on your original post and click the 'Post Reply' button.