Telescope question

For a long time now i wanted to buy a telescope.
I think the day has come and i intent on spending about 1000 $ on it.
I want it to be as good as it gets for my money and have a high resolution camera on it. I would prefer to be able to record video too. I want it to be able to locate sky objects all by it self and keep track of them. Any other features are welcome.
I preffer to buy new but i will consider seriously a pristine used one if i was to move categories and end up with a far better product.

Any specialists for advice around?

reply to post by GEORGETHEGREEK


Yes I'll give you my answer to your $1000 question.

Answer: Don't buy a telescope, telescopes are junk as far as I'm concerned and they take up a lot of space. I have a Jason 675X magnification telescope, and I consider it junk; even though it is a very nice 6 inch diameter telescope.

If you want to see the stars and take pictures and video of them, then just buy a really good camera. I suggest you buy a JVC Everio camcorder. My camcorder takes 9,999 pictures or 37 hours of video all in HD High Definition.

Shutter speed is 4000 frames per second in HD High Definition. That means you can video tape RODS that fly through the air at speeds recorded up to 6,500 miles per hour. Or you can put it on slow motion and check out your golf swing.

This camcorder has 800X magnification on the camcorder, and it is fabulous for zeroing in on stuff on the Moon, that my Jason telescope could not see, furthermore its all on video. But you will have to get a nice tripod for around $50 and the camcorder is around $350 at Walmart or $200 on Ebay. If you don't like the camcorder if you buy it at Walmart, then take it back within 30 days and get your money back.

Its really easy to play back your video on TV or computers, and also your photos. Its all on a chip, so you can zip through it and delete junk while you save other stuff; its much better than other types of cameras and camcorders that don't use chips; you won't go wrong with a camcorder like this.

I can read license plates on vehicles at 100 yards with this camcorder, and even read small stickers on windows; it is far more exciting than a telescope, because telescopes are bulky, they take up a lot of space and they are fairly fragile for as large as they are.

reply to post by RussianScientists


all i can say at this time is that iw ill consider that too, but somehow i feel preoccupied about digital magnification..

by the way i live in Greece...no Wallmarts here! Unfortunatelly.....

reply to post by RussianScientists


I too am looking to purchase a telescope.

Can you please post a pic of saturn (or something similar) with your camera?

Originally posted by RussianScientists
I have a Jason 675X magnification telescope, and I consider it junk; even though it is a very nice 6 inch diameter telescope.

There's your problem right there. You should never be using that much magnification with a 6" telescope. The highest useful magnification for a 6" scope should be 300x, and more realistically 200x, no more.

I wasn't even aware Bushnell made a scope that large, they're not a good manufacturer when it comes to telescopes. Are you sure it's 6" in diameter, not focal length? Generally, those are department store garbage scopes designed to con the buyer with promises of insanely high magnification.

This camcorder has 800X magnification on the camcorder, and it is fabulous for zeroing in on stuff on the Moon, that my Jason telescope could not see, furthermore its all on video.

Camcorders are great, but they can't see into deep space, and a proper scope will always show you more detail on the moon with less magnification. The key to true resolution when it comes to astronomy is size of the aperture and quality of the optics, not magnification.

it is far more exciting than a telescope, because telescopes are bulky, they take up a lot of space and they are fairly fragile for as large as they are.

There's a reason for the bulk of a telescope and fragility shouldn't be an issue as long as you treat it with respect.

For 1000 I'd recommend on focusing on a good scope. As far as cameras go, you can get amazing images of the planets and moon with a cheap neximage or LPI imager.
Some suggestions that will allow you to expand into photography for under 1000:
www.optcorp.com...
www.optcorp.com...
www.optcorp.com...
This one is probably the easiest for photography purposes in this price range, but you'll need a good barlow for planetary work:
www.optcorp.com...

[edit on 23-2-2009 by ngchunter]

reply to post by RussianScientists



Ive just bought a JVC Everio but havnt been in the right location to take it out yet, but ill try some of your tips next time i do.

And another way you can get a powerful scope for cheap is to make it yourself. Google how to make a dobsonian and you will have plenty of ready to go plans. Its cheap the only big money you need is to buy the mirrors, but you could also make them if you are that patient.
Its possible to build a powerful 12inch for under $500, id recommend starting a bit smaller first then build up.


[edit on 23-2-2009 by pazcat]spelling

[edit on 23-2-2009 by pazcat]

reply to post by ngchunter


I am not all that good with telescopes.
I am thankfull for the fact that you have pointed me out to a few but its is hard to decide without having the knowledge.
For example Schmidt-Newtonian or reflector at this time doe not mean much to me... maybe i should educate my self a bit more. Idealy i would just like to take one out of the box and do the job for me without the hasle! I mean there are so many different implementations coexisting that for sure there will be different reasons of existance for each of the designs...

To pazcat:
Reading the above it is quite obvious that i would not even dare building one of my own! I do not like experimenting. I have done a lot of that in other fields.

Originally posted by GEORGETHEGREEK
reply to post by ngchunter

 

I am not all that good with telescopes.
I am thankfull for the fact that you have pointed me out to a few but its is hard to decide without having the knowledge.
For example Schmidt-Newtonian or reflector at this time doe not mean much to me... maybe i should educate my self a bit more. Idealy i would just like to take one out of the box and do the job for me without the hasle!

It's true, there are different pros and cons for each design type. I could go on for hours about that.

Here's a fool-proof telescope that's just about to come out. All you do is switch it on and it completely automates the alignment proceedure. You just tell it what you want to see, and if you have an SD card, you can even take images with its built-in sensor. It sounds exactly like what you want.
blog.wired.com...
The price is a little steep for the size of the telescope, but considering all the bells and whistles, it's easy to see why. Besides, back when I was starting out I paid 800 for a telescope the same size but it could barely track the sky, let alone do all this. This is the armchair astronomer's telescope.

[edit on 23-2-2009 by ngchunter]

The magnification of a telescope is limited to its size. After that, the quality of the optics.

People reporting 600+ magnification need a mirror about 15" in diameter, and that's with perfect optics.


If you want to attach a video camera to your scope, I'm assuming you'll have some kind of motorized tracking mount. A newtonian scope 15" in diameter with motorized tracking and remote control will probably weigh about 150 pounds, be 6 feet long, and cost about $10,000. But when the air is clear, you WILL be able to see the great read spot on Jupiter, and Saturn's rings no problem. Also, it will have very good light-gathering capability, making faint things like galaxies and nebulae look very bright and detailed.


If, on the other hand, you want to keep your budget sane, I'd recommend a 4 to 5-inch Maksutov design. It will be about a foot long, weigh 8 pounds, cost 500 bucks, and you can also buy a motorized mount that will know how to find stuff in the sky automatically for another $500.

[edit on 23-2-2009 by username371]

Mr ngchunter,
this one sounds promising. maybe i will have to wait and see about it. in the meantime maybe i can have alook at all telescope variants , their pros and cons as well as the jvc camera. A month is a month and i ought to get some time looking around.
In the meantime all suggestions welcome!

reply to post by GEORGETHEGREEK


Thats fine i can perfectly understand that, try going to a local astronomy club meeting and ask some questions people there are very friendly and always willing to help newcomers. Each person wants something different out of a telescope so maybe they can show you a few different models in action and explain the ins and outs to you. And then once you decide on what you want im sure a member would help you in setting it up for use. Remember its not as easy as point up and look it can be complicated and that can scare people away, but stick with the rewards will be worth it.

I also looked into buying a telescope but I think for taking pictures its a bit more tricky than it seems....the one I saw for beginners was a celestron astromaster 130EQ...

www.celestron.com...

you will find these on ebay etc....

but, I have been using binocs for a while and find them easier...might be worth investing in a good pair of binocs with a tripod....

Originally posted by booda

I also looked into buying a telescope but I think for taking pictures its a bit more tricky than it seems....the one I saw for beginners was a celestron astromaster 130EQ...

That's especially true for any deep space imaging; it requires painstaking precision and a very nice camera setup. Planetary/lunar imaging can be very easy though, at least for "web-quality" images. The meade LPI I use is so simple, even a caveman can do it (no offense to cavemen). It automatically selects and stacks the best frames and hands you your image on a silver platter. It takes a long time to master, but getting just a regular image of say, a crater, or saturn's rings is pretty easy.

Don't forget about Lulin the Green Comet that is Flying Backwards through our solar system that won't be back for One Million years.

It will be closest on February 24th.

Thread: Cosmic Stage Set for Comet Lulin's Fly-By

www.abovetopsecret.com...'

GEORGETHEGREEK maybe you should ask the guy at this source what he thinks.

www.dl-digital.com...

reply to post by RussianScientists


I am not really sure of what to ask him...
He seems to be really drawn to comets...
Sorry for sounding stupid i guess i will have to make a lot of reading in my spare time.

What i am looking for from a telescope is to have a good look of the features featured in the following video although i think my ambitions are far fetched...

GEORGETHEGREEK you had better have your own satellite to get nice video or photos like those. My telescope comes nowhere near that nice, and neither will my camcorder.

You must want to find those Moon and Mars bases that the USA has. If so, then you had better take a trip on the Aurora because those are the planes that I hear other people in the know telling others that they go back and forth at sub light speed to the Moon and Mars on a daily basis.

reply to post by GEORGETHEGREEK


Well if all you want are lunar rille in general (not these specific rille misconstrued as "roads"), most decent amateur scopes will show you that at high magnification. You can see some in my lunar video, look near the top of the frame at 40 seconds:
www.vimeo.com...

reply to post by ngchunter


For starters tht is a very nice video.
Yes i could see a big moon crack there!
OK i have a piece of refference now and i plan on spending just a bit more, so hopefully i will end up getting slightly better ... resoltion.

reply to post by ngchunter


Hi ngchunter,

For that first telescope you recommended, the Meade N6-AT - 6" f/5 Newtonian Telescope on LXD75 AT Mount, does it take photos?

Also, if one were to buy that telescope, what accessories, if any, would you recommend one to buy, aside from an extra power source?

I'm watching these threads as well as I'm looking to purchase one, and I would only be an armchair sky observer. I'd be keeping the scope at home with me, and would not be out travelling around with one.

I know nothing about them, I just want to be able to take a look at the moon once in a while, or whatever else might happen to grab my attention.

Thanks!