mynameismatt Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Wondering if any of you are into astronomy? I'd like to pick your brains. I've always been interested in getting to the hobby, but as I kid I had a telescope that was JC Penny quality. It kind of put me off, because I couldn't seem to find anything in the sky. Anyways, Ive done a little bit or research and was looking at the Meade ETX-125. It seems to have generally positive reviews; as seen Here. I like that it has the Autostar controller, so that a noob like myself can tell the telescope to find what I want to see and it does the hard work for me I also like that it has a camera adapter built in so I can hook my SLR right into the telescope. The Optics (keep in mind I'm new to this) seem to get a good review. Anyways, I'd love to hear feedback from any of you in the hobby. I'm looking to spend around $400-$600 on one. Is there a better model or brand in the price range that I should be aware of? Thanks! Matt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cellar dweller 02 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Matt: Check out this web site: http://www.cloudynights.com/index.php More information than you could ever need about astonomy. Joe Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Wondering if any of you are into astronomy? I'd like to pick your brains. I've always been interested in getting to the hobby, but as I kid I had a telescope that was JC Penny quality. It kind of put me off, because I couldn't seem to find anything in the sky. Anyways, Ive done a little bit or research and was looking at the Meade ETX-125. It seems to have generally positive reviews; as seen Here. I like that it has the Autostar controller, so that a noob like myself can tell the telescope to find what I want to see and it does the hard work for me I also like that it has a camera adapter built in so I can hook my SLR right into the telescope. The Optics (keep in mind I'm new to this) seem to get a good review. Anyways, I'd love to hear feedback from any of you in the hobby. I'm looking to spend around $400-$600 on one. Is there a better model or brand in the price range that I should be aware of? Thanks! Matt I have a Mead ETX 125, and trust me they have their faults. Optics are great, but their mount leaves a lot to be desired. The autostar controller is a nice feature, but when the mounts and drives are not up to speed they are usless. The mount is also prone to vibration, and that's something you can't live with in a telescope. Myself, I'd also look at the Celestron and maybe the Orion 8" Newtonian reflector at $449. It needs a mount of somekind of a mount, and the Cube from Ioptron is a good place to start. Last time I heard they were about $350. This setup will put you way out in front of the 5" Mead! It has an "auto" guider setup, but is a much better built mount. I bought the ETX125 thinking it would do everything I wanted it to do. It has the UTC glass and all to attachments. The star finder works well, but the led attachment used as an aiming device (best words I can think of) is toy like. You will need an aftermarket aiming device on just about anything, so plan on that. The vertical drive is well known for lag, and is hard on the gears and clutch system. There is a guy that fixes them, but the cost is rather salty at $400! I'd buy an LX series scope before an ETX from Mead. I like most folks wanted to see all the goodies in the solar system, plus maybe a little bit of deep sky exploring. The ETX is about maxed out at Neptune (not so much the scope but the 5" size). Your not really going to see much past Jupiter. But an 8" scope will really make a noticable improvement! A 10" would be that much better yet! If deep sky observing is your game plan, then I'd be thinking about a refractor. They really reach out there. Problem with a good refractor is that they don't come cheap. Not trying to be negative, but I own one. My next scope will probably be an 8" Takahashi reflector gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
datahiker Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Normally I'd recommend a Dobsonian for the best bang for the buck, but since you're interested in astrophotography it's not the best choice unless you can find/make a tracking mount. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kenlilly106 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 I wouldn't jump in and buy a scope for astrophotography if you've never done it before, it takes a lot of skill and planning to get good results, plus learning to find stuff without the autoguide is always a good thing if the autoguide dies on you. I'd suggest a Dobsonian too, you can get a big one (aperture-wise) for a reasonable cost, especially when compared to reflecting or refracting scopes of similar aperture size. Dobs seem to hold their value well too so if you decide in the future to upgrade and get a good scope for astrophotography then you can use the proceeds for the upgrade. Ken Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SteveH Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 (edited) Astrophotography, as Ken so accurately points out, is a good deal more complicated than merely attaching the camera and selecting a long exposure. To get a decent time exposure will require a rock-steady tripod, German equatorial mount, and a precision motor drive - all of which will cost way more than the $ amount you said you would like to spend (and that will not include the scope). The Meade, however, may be a fine tool for observing the heavens. As a previous responder suggested, go to "Cloudy Nights" for good telescope reviews. Myself, I have a Celestron Nexstar SE 6" cat. I've taken some lunar photos (in the 1/30th second time range) and they look great, but haven't tried for fainter objects. Edited April 7, 2011 by SteveH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vvac201 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Here's a nice entry level scope. But you might be making payments on it for a while! :D Jason Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vvac201 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Here's a nice entry level scope. But you might be making payments on it for a while! :D Jason Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SteveH Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 (edited) Matt: Clicked the link you provided (and I see you've already used the Cloudy Nights website) and checked out the scope's specs. The first thing I noted is that with the placement of the finderscope you may experience difficulties using your camera with a t-mount due to clearance problems. The next thing I noted wrt astophotography is the extremely slow speed of the scope (f/15). Without some sort of compensator (as you can purchase for the Celestron Nexstar series) I think you will only find that you can take lunar photos. As stated before, however, it may well be a decent "viewing" telescope. Let us know what you decide! Edited April 8, 2011 by SteveH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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