TheSkySearchers

Hello there!

I'm doubting on purchasing my first telescope. It's either the Dobson Advanced X N 203/1200 or the Dobson Advanced X N 254/1250.

This is the page where you can see the telescopes: https://www.astroshop.es/?q=X+N+2

The first one costs 349€ (384$). However, it's smaller and is slightly worse.

The 254/1250 Dobson, on the other hand, is much better but costs 479€ (527$).

Could you give your opinion please?

Thank you,

StarGazer45

If it was me, I'd go for the 203/1200. I used to have a scope that size, now I have the 250mm (10"). The 250 won't show you a lot more than the 200, but it will certainly weigh more. According to the specs, it's an extra 4kg's.

Given the choice again, I'd take something in the 200mm range. Easier to move around, slightly easier to collimate, and a definite back-saver But that's me.

Good luck with the decision and let us know!

Congratulations, hopefully you can get it out under the stars right away
It will take a very long time to run out of targets with the 200mm and it is a bit more portable.

The 8" is fine and is probably the most recommended size for getting into the hobby with a dob, the 10" will squeeze a little bit more out in performence, may come in handy with viewing planets and some dimmer targets , certainly the value is the 8" and more portable, now do you have a budget for eye pieces?

yobbo89 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2019 7:43 pm The 8" is fine and is probably the most recommended size for getting into the hobby with a dob, the 10" will squeeze a little bit more out in performence, may come in handy with viewing planets and some dimmer targets , certainly the value is the 8" and more portable, now do you have a budget for eye pieces?

I don't have one. Actually, I think I'll be fine with the eyepiece the telescope comes with. However, I could get a couple more eyepieces in the future.

For now, I'll just stick with the telescope.

Thanks,

StarGazer45

That is a good approach, get used to using the telescope before spending on new eyepieces.
End of year sales will be starting soon as well so you may find something to fit your budget at a better price.

StarGazer45 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2019 8:14 pm

yobbo89 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2019 7:43 pm The 8" is fine and is probably the most recommended size for getting into the hobby with a dob, the 10" will squeeze a little bit more out in performence, may come in handy with viewing planets and some dimmer targets , certainly the value is the 8" and more portable, now do you have a budget for eye pieces?

I don't have one. Actually, I think I'll be fine with the eyepiece the telescope comes with. However, I could get a couple more eyepieces in the future.

For now, I'll just stick with the telescope.

Thanks,

StarGazer45

Wise. Get comfortable with what you have and consider kit improvements after some experience. Better eyepieces are very personal....

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2019 8:19 pm That is a good approach, get used to using the telescope before spending on new eyepieces.
End of year sales will be starting soon as well so you may find something to fit your budget at a better price.

Yes, I'll get it for Christmas. It'll be much cheaper!

Here are some thoughts. But first, I have been at this for many years, over 30. Here are my suggestions, continue "doubting" for now, unless, you have already cut your teeth on binoculars. Spend a few nights learning star charts with them. Use them to also perfect star hopping. 8x50s are a good place to start. I found that Barska sells very good equipment at very good prices. My 9x63s cost $90 US, for example. They don't have 8x50s but they do have 7x50s, a little low magnification, but usable. If you already have 7x42s for example, get them out under the stars, they are okay, too. You can get bigger ones later if you choose to stay with it.

Find a club that loans telescopes and join it. You also get built in teachers this way. Baring that, the ideal way is to start small, buy something you could see yourself use as a travel scope, and not a spotting scope. It's also a good scope to use during the day with an erecting adapter. Stay with 90 to 100mm. Even if you get access to a loaner, consider the travel scope option. You can skip to the 8" size but know that it is at a whole new level in comparison to the smaller "travel scope" concept. They also require collimation and other maintenance.

Eyepieces are something you will consider sooner than later. My rule of thumb for deep sky objects is that, "For every decrease in focal length by one half, you will use it half as much". Get the longest you can for a given f/ratio, but not something that yields less than about 4x per inch of aperture diameter for your first, number one eyepiece. From this you can see that a dream scope of 24" is not a dream when it comes to wide fields. The same eyepiece that gave you over 2 degrees in the 8" only delivers .7 degrees in a 24". In my experience 8" will yield the widest fields for current optical technology well into the future. It's not anything to do with the equipment, it's our eyes, more directly the pupils in them. The 24" is great for Stephens Quartet, but to take in the beauty of most the M42 complex you need 8 or 10 inches with a 2 degree field, and that won't happen with more aperture. And it's so bright you will lose your dark adaptation. So that means 8" is your second 'scope. A 10" f/5 is not much bigger, but that f/ ratio takes it a little farther from the ideal "all purpose" f/6 that an advanced beginner needs. Later, if you want to go for the dimmer objects, head to a dark sky site armed with sky glow, UHC and O-III filters. Remember, the greatest observational astronomers of all time made do with far less.

Finally, to turn the 8" Dob into a work horse, get or build an equatorial mount, I use nothing else. And after you adorn it with a clock drive and setting circles, you will to. A well aligned equatorial and circles will allow you to find so many DSOs in a few hours Nortons Star Atlas is just not enough. Unless you choose a "goto" scope, which usually has way to high of f/ratio for my tastes.

I know that was a lot, but I hope it was informative. If there is anything else, let me know.

I used an 8" dob for a long time, and loved it. I finally succumbed to shinyitis and bought a 10". I love it as well. however, it is much larger. You have to see in person to appreciate the difference. Start with 8". It will treat you very well. Enjoy!!!

Both scopes are good choice. Can you see them in person, or you will be ordering online?

Thank you all for your opinions!

In the end, I will go with the 203/1200 DOB because it is slightly more practical and a better starter. In addition, I also have a good pair of binoculars, so that will come in handy for a newbie like me!

All the best,


StarGazer45

We're upgrading from a xt6 to a xt10 for christmas, but if I could go back knowing what I know now.. I would have gotten an 8" instead of my 6" FWIW.

Hello again!

I have another question. Would it be good to get a solar filter (https://www.astroshop.es/folios-de-filt ... pe/p,62045) with the telescope? My maximum budget is around 400€ (440.9$) but it would come in handy.

Thanks,

StarGazer45

Not really, they will work but the resolution of these is a bit low in comparison to Baader solar film.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2019 6:18 pm Not really, they will work but the resolution of these is a bit low in comparison to Baader solar film.

Would it be good to buy this: https://www.astroshop.es/folios-de-filt ... 7mm/p,2718 and make my own solar filter?

StarGazer45 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2019 6:22 pm

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2019 6:18 pm Not really, they will work but the resolution of these is a bit low in comparison to Baader solar film.

Would it be good to buy this: https://www.astroshop.es/folios-de-filt ... 7mm/p,2718 and make my own solar filter?

Yes. Baader is the superior product. Of course be careful not to nick the film in the building.

When building a filter remember to either make one for your finder as well or even safer, remove the finder completely.
Safety first!

And never, ever, under any circumstances use a "behind the eyepiece" solar filter without some kind of pre-processing of the light, say with a Herschel wedge, for example. I would not go above 6" with that, anyway. You will get a way with the eyepiece filter alone with 2 - 3 inches of aperture, but you are still taking chances.

Also, if your eyepieces have plastic bodies, cemented lenses or plastic lenses, do not to use them for projection. Better quality ones with glass, cemented lenses and metal bodies will handle the heat for a while, but if you go above 6" aperture you may fry an eyepiece. Stop down your scope to be safe. And move it off the sun when you are not using it during projection. I had my 8" optics in a square wood tube and stopped down to 2 1/2" and didn't move it off far enough. It's kind of shocking to smell smoke coming from your telescope, okay? And the inside surface was well inside prime focus and it still almost caught fire.

StarGazer45 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2019 2:34 pm Thank you all for your opinions!

In the end, I will go with the 203/1200 DOB because it is slightly more practical and a better starter. In addition, I also have a good pair of binoculars, so that will come in handy for a newbie like me!

All the best,


StarGazer45

Good choice! 8" DOB can last a lifetime. Don't rush into buying solar filter. This is something to approach very carefully. Besides the sun is at the minimum now. You can go for months without a single sunspot.