I'm 76 years young and haven't done any stargazing since 1966 so to say the least I have forgotten 90% of what I learned in college. Before I depart this world I thought it appropriate to review the basic issues regarding what I should buy at this late stage of the game. Oh my vision isn't all that great either! Once upon a time I was enthralled with viewing the heavens throughout the night using a 16" reflector mounted on a trailer with 13" car wheels. It was all I could do to drag it out of the school hanger located at the end of a WWII plane landing strip. I would spend 6 or 7 hours in a winter night for 3 months 2 times a week. I was given instruction one time only and left alone. Needless to say it got a bit tiring but I have longed to go back to those times and do it again with a bit less inconvenience to my much weaker body. I've looked at a number of Astronomy related channels in the last 3 months and never left a comment. Now to the point! I want to praise your channel in that you make things interesting and almost make me excited to get back into this. Your descriptions of what, how and why are second to none for this tiring engineer. Besides its time to spend some of that money on me instead of the grandkids or two great grandkids. All I can say is Thanks and you are a TRUE PROFESSIONAL in every way! But I will be doing astrophotography as the main objective.
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words. I'm glad you find the channel useful. When I was first getting into this, I found a lot of the videos out there to be confusing as a beginner. Many of them assumed a significant amount of Base knowledge. I wanted to make something more accessible. You say you're having trouble with your eyesight, so astrophotography might be a good option for you. The camera can see more than our eyes can even if you had 20/20 vision. If you do want to use the telescope for optical viewing, then getting one with a lower f-stop value will help the telescope gather more light, which will make the image brighter for the eye. My telescope, which is the one I recommend in this video, is f10. That's about as slow as it gets which means I get a darker image which is harder on the eyes. But my other telescope is f2 which captures light like a beast! Unfortunately that one is exclusively for astrophotography as there is no place to attach an eyepiece. But I can get amazing images with far less exposure time with that telescope. There is an attachment called a reducer that I can attach to my f/10 telescope which brings it down to f6. The lower the number, the brighter the image. So there are lots of options both for optical and photography. That's one of the things I like about this hobby is that it is quite flexible and you can take it in so many directions.
This is an amazing story! For myself I am a 21 year old man who has always found the stars fascinating. I am finally getting into the hobby as I am going through college and I am loving it so far! I have started out on an extremely budget friendly travel scope, but I feel I am about ready to upgrade and increase my horizons! That’s what brought me to this video and to your comment! Have a fantastic time stargazing! I hope I get to see some of your Astrophotography one day! Clear Skies!
@TALLYTHER ... I'm in a very similar boat as you, (couple years younger & no grandkids ... yet ...🤣). My Jr. college actually had (still has I think) a small observatory. The class I was able to take only gave us 2 or 3 opportunities to use it and I never was able to continue the hobby. I'm just now trying to decide if (or what) scope I'm going to take a shot on. Best of luck and wishes to you on your quest (& to me too I guess ...lol)
I have a Meade 8" SCT, but it's so bulky I rarely do anything with it. I'm buying a 4" refractor, which is far more portable. My SolarMax 40 is also reasonably portable.
WoW This is one of the most understandable video for a foreign beginner like me. Didn’t even need subtitles, and you just helped me to make my choice. Brilliant! MANY THANKS from France.
the best advice i can give anyone gettin into this is do your reaearch and see if theirs any clubs you can visit to look through a telescope before you pay a single dime. once you know you like it buy the best gear you can afford you get what you pay for especially in mounts. my 250 dollar f6 6in reflector works amazing but ive got 6500 dollars in my mount and eyepieces. so buy the best you can and only buy what youll use.
Great Video,Thoroughly Enjoyed It,I Own Quiet A Few With My 6se and AR 102/1000 The Biggest,I Watched A Video On A Guy Saying A Newbie Shouldnt Get The 6se🤦🏼♀️Its Best To Learn The Sky,I Still Do A Lot Of Star Hopping,The Way I Grew Up,lol..God Bless and Clear Skies🙏🏻❤️🔭🌏✨
I agree... Learning the sky is a reward in itself. But I've found a lot of newcomers lack that discipline and just want instant gratification. So Ive found the goto option a good fit for most people. My favorite part of a star party, however, is walking people through the sky and showing off the constellations with my laser pointer. Clear skies ☺️
Even though I'm 6 months down the rabbit hole, I enjoyed this video. I jumped straight to astrophotography but have recently taken an interest in visual, which is another rabbit hole in itself. Purchased an EdgeHD8 last week to compliment my Redcat 51. It seems to be such a versatile OTA.
Oh wow. Thank you for making this video. This video certainly provided a lot of clarity to me on telescopes. I don’t feel overwhelmed anymore. You have my subscription to your channel. Well done!
Great video, but I'd like to add a couple of points.. Without disagreeing at all with your recommendations, I'd also suggest reaching out to a local astronomy club and hang out with them and see what scopes they're using so you can actually see what's what. It's a great way to get started. They LOVE to show off their gear! Secondly with regards to people who get frustrated, if you're dipping your toe into the water, give craigslist or the used market a try and maybe get something someone else gave up on. You can get something probably not awesome but at a price point where you can justify "I just wanted to see." before your standing in front of 5000 dollars of astrophotography gear at 2am freezing your patooties off! 🤣
Just found your station. Excellent video and you have a new Subscriber. Looking forward to catching up on your content and growing my interest in Astronomy. Thanks!
@@MrWilsonsChannel Until your wife steps in HARD, Real HARD. Back to puzzles on the kitchen table until the heat blows over and time. Then it starts all over again with the rolling eyes and puzzles all over again.
Refractors cost more because the glass is more expensive, and four surfaces need to be ground, while a reflector requires only one surface. Beginners are probably best off with a 4-1/2”, 6”, or 8” Dobsonian type reflector, depending on their budget.
Astronomy mixed with a little physiology always actives my rods. Fantastic, sir. And the astrophotography rabbit hole is such a cool one to go down. Fun learning process, and seems like you can get some decent results if you do some reading🙌🏻
im about to go down that astro photography rabbit hole on the 14th of august, i will be using my 45 year old tasco 5.5 inch reflector to take a picture of jupiter and mars right next to each other....as long as its not cloudy. i got a cheap gadget to hold my phone over the eye piece. i have been waiting 45 years for this.
They appear to be essentially the same telescope. The main difference is in the mount. The evolution has a built in battery, which is nice, but for the $400 price difference, you could get a jackery portable power station 300 and save $100. That's nice because you could power other things in addition to the scope, but it's also another thing to lug around. The evolution has some other nice features to make setup and travel a little easier, which is nice. Either way, you'll be happy and get the same image quality.
Didn't listen to this but I have your answer. The Celestron 8se. Perfect size, weight, and ability. A scope with any larger mirror will cost a lot more AND be heavy as shit to carry in and out of the house at night as I do. Only weighs 35 lbs. Anything larger will weigh closer to 100 lbs. This is a very good go to scope. You will not be sorry. (8 inch mirror)
Absolutely! I addressed this in my "I'm new to astrophotography and don't know what" video. I started with a small star tracker and it's a much more affordable way to get sharp stars and experiment with astrophotography. Plus, I like using it with really wide lenses to get composite shots with landscape elements. In my opinion, those sorts of shots can be even more beautiful than the deep space stuff because it orients the viewer in such a way so they can relate to their position in the greater galaxy.
Thanks so much. I am looking to buy my first telescope. So far, everything is leading to the Celestron 8SE. Thanks for the EQ mount precious advice. You have a new subscriber😃
Get a Celestron CPC 1100. It's dependable, accurate, easy to set up and sight in, and works great in alt/az mode or equatorial mode. If you would be moving from place to place you'll be using altitude/azimuth mode more often. However, if your baby is in a permanent location set it up in the equatorial mode, far less wear and tear on the gears and motors. Unfortunately, bill, the murderer gates, is spraying the skies full of metalic poisons, so getting a night with good 'seeing' properties is almost nonexistent. It's almost like they're trying to prevent amateur astronomy.
Just learning about scopes, spending more hours than I care to admit to watching RU-vid, checking prices. I did find out about the Edge HD options but those are way over my budget for now, though still good to file away in my memory bank. Thanks for the tips (some old ... but some new!).
Good video, I have been using my Orion XT10 as my second telescope I have ever owned to start taking pictures. I have a Sony NEX 5R and told myself why not it’s just sitting collecting dust. I went out and bought a camera adapter and hocked up my camera and BOoM! I got nothing but blur it wouldn’t focus. I kept messing with it and eventually told myself let me add a Barlow and try it then. It worked and was able to get some decent/so-so pics with a 1/2 sec exposure. After looking around I found out that my camera mount is too long. Eventually want to upgrade to a Meade lx200 with EQ mount but I am in no hurry.
Hello. I just bought a celestron nextar 90 slt. The price was ok and it seems a good gear. Did I do a good choice? I didn’t received it yet and I am a little anxious 😂. I love your video. Thank you. Alex.
I haven't used that exact model myself, but a quick Google search shows it has a go-to mount, which is probably the most important thing for someone just getting started in this hobby. I think you'll have a lot of fun with it. Clear skies!
Thank you for having searching on google for the answer. That is very nice from you. I love my telescope. I use it in my backyard and it’s a lot of fun. I bought the wifi module to use it with the Celestron app on my phone. It makes the use really easy. That’s what I was looking for: fun and pleasure! Sorry for the late answer. I just saw yours. I am still on your channel now. Your accent is very clear to me for understanding and it is very important because I’m French lol 😅. Take a lot of pleasure with your gears. It really like your videos. Alex.
My first scope as a Celstron 80AZ, for £250. I shot close-up photos and videos of the moon, using my Samsung phone. No filters, no fancy cameras. They're still some of the best lunar images I have. Then I made the mistake of buying a cheap Canon and a used C8, which wasn't as good as I expected for lunar or planetary stuff, and later I decided I wanted to shoot galaxies, which was never going to work with that camera. The images were junk. I have since bought a WO GT81 and a Risingcam IMX571, iOptron HEM27 mount, which is a truly magnificent setup. But that 80AZ was a great first scope. Probably could've bought a better mount for it and saved myself ££££'s. lol
Tuition for the Astronomy Do It Yourselfer is high and Im still paying it 10 years later. I started with a Nexstar 4S then went to a Celestron 130 goto refractor for visual. Went the whole EAA route which plunged me down the astrophotography rabbit hole. Went for the CGEM II with EdgeHD 8 next and found all the complications with long focal length. Added a Hyperstar and guider. Recently I purchased a 72mm Askar FRA400, dedicated MeLE 3Q astro PC and plopped it on the CGEM II and am learning NINA. The CGEM II is also currently in pieces while I finish the HyperTune. Its been a fun yet expensive trip thats not over. If I had to do it all over again knowing what I know now, Id have started with the small refractor like the FRA400 on a ~ $1200 equatorial mount with a decent CMOS camera. The weight of the CGEM II / EdgeHD has kept it in the closet most of the time. Im already looking at the newer Harmonic Drive mounts as the entire setup with scope/guider weighs less than just mount head of the CGEM.
🤣🤣🤣 I'm not laughing at you, but with you. Fortunately my retirement income kept me from jumping off as high a cliff as you. I'm mostly visual and my primary is a reflector with refigured primary mirror and a reflectivity of 96-97%. The refigure literally has brought my mirror to near perfect focus with a Strehl ratio of .986 with 1.000 being perfect. I had to put a $400 JMI dual speed focuser on it so I could fine tune my view. I couldn't afford an electronic mount so I bought the strongest manual mount available, the Celestron CG-4 EQ. So now my $125 pawn shop C6-N Newtonian reached $1200 all for visual, not adding in ED glass eyepieces and Fujiyama Orthos. Oh, and one Zoom EP. I still had the shaky for a longer scope Explore Scientific Twilight One AZ mount I'd bought for the 6" reflector so I bought a 127mm Sky Watcher Maksutov Cassegrain for it. It isn't shaky with a short scope, but was for the much longer reflector. Hard to focus when the scope is shaking at 80x. It all started when I bought a 114mm reflector from Kohls online, but after looking through it I knew I couldn't live with the mount which was a yoke with that bar on the side. I returned it and was looking for another when I walked into a pawn shop.... Was it worth it? Yes, I live near Bortle 4 to Bortle 2 with only a 10 minute to 30 minute drive. Also my back porch is pretty dark as a 3 story building blocks most all the city lights so I spend a lot of time looking Northeast to Northwest to West. Man I know my way around the Big Dipper.
Great video. I base my recommendations primarily on the dark skies of the one asking. I'd recommend a Celestron 6se to someone in a city or suburb of a major city For someone living in a more rural area, I'm more likely to recommend an 8" dobsonian. For a large portion of the US population live in areas where star hopping isn't probable.
In cities and heavy light pollution there's hardly anything else than Moon and planets visible. Neither of those are hard to to find. Also GoTo telescope needs good alignment for electronics to accurately find and track targets.
An equatorial goto mount does require polar alignment which would be difficult in an area where you can't see Polaris. But an alt az goto mount like the one included with the Celestron SE line only needs to be pointed at 3 bright things. You can even use planets for alignment, although it won't be as accurate as compared to if you used stars. Once you dial in the three things, it will know where everything else is making it a great choice for bright locations. Most people buying their first scope are going to start with their eyes as opposed to a camera. One thing I like to do at star parties under our light polluted skies is to point at a random place in the sky, especially the Milky way which is not visible. I point my laser where we're looking so people can see nothing there. Then they look in the scope and are amazed to see lots of stars. So you can still see things through the scope that you won't be able to see with your eyes alone. When you make the jump to photography, using narrow band filters will let you completely cut through the light pollution. I've seen amazing narrow band images from people in white zones. 🤩
I am elderly and frail. About 4 months ago, I decided to look at the sky and take pictures. My first telescope was a First Light 10" Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount. It was too heavy and not well suited to taking pictures. I gave it to a friend. I then bought a Celestron Omni 150mm XLT Newtonian reflector on a CG-4 German equatorial mount. Really nice, but too heavy. So, I then bought a Orion Observer 134mm Newtonian reflector on an EQ-3 German equatorial mount. Nice. Not too heavy, but cannot see anything in neighborhood. So, I bought a Sky Watcher AZ GTi go to mount. Must align on stars between 30 and 60 degrees off the horizon. I have bad sky. I can only see 3 or 4 stars and night and they are all near their zenith. So, I can't align the sucker. Sad.
I feel for you. I fear my neighborhood is headed that way too. When I first moved here, I could see the Milky Way. But no longer. They keep building houses in the stars keep fading into the milky twilight of "progress"... It's sad
@@MrWilsonsChannel I recently bought a Bresser 102/460, which came with a Sun filter. It just dawned on me that I could read up on how and try to do a bit of solar photography, since I can see the sun and don't have to stay up late so to do.
You are very good at explaining these things to a beginner. I’ve always been interested and use those star tracking apps on my phone for years when camping, but i think I’m going to start with the orange telescope you described and go from there. I’m excited :)
Glad to hear this was helpful. Telescope stuff can be intimidating at first because most people don't have a base knowledge to draw from like they may have with other hobbies. So there is this initial feeling of "where do I even start?". What's more, it's difficult to even know what to ask. My approach to these videos is to remind myself what that felt like and think about what advice I would have given myself when I was first starting. Have fun with the new scope!
I really appreciate this video. My daughter has one of those ToyBeee Telescopes 300F70 and the handicap instead of turning me off just made me want to get something better!
05:10 beautiful thing to consider every time you look up at the stars - a nice thing to mention to other people who are interested (disappointed) in astronomy or losing interest in astronomy - a nice reminder...
I'm retired and started thinking about a telescope. I stumbled on to a few videos for education, and this evening, I found yours. I recently discovered the advantages to equatorial mounts, and as you said, this hobby/adventure can be expensive. I don't even have a camera. That's another rabit hole. The 8se has impressed me so far. There's plenty more work to do before I take the leap. Maybe Santa can help.
Very interesting! My old Tasco needs replacement! This modern gear and "go to" equatorial mount seems to be the thing! But ... I live in Atlanta. Light pollution. Heavy sigh. Well ... I have a big car ... ;)
You'd be surprised that you can still see more stuff with a telescope even under light polluted skies than you can with the naked eye. But ultimately, the big car taking you to a darker sky is always the better option 😉
Probably the best video I have seen so far on getting into Star gazing, so thanks a lot for that! I’m considering buying CPC 9.25 HD as my first telescope in order to shorten the learning curve as you’ve mentioned, nevertheless I will probably go fast into astrophotography, and I will probably need an EQ mount. Any advice will be highly appreciated! Thanks,
I started with the EQ6-R pro which is a great mount. But it's super heavy which made it difficult to transport and setup. There were more than a few clear nights where I opted to stay in rather than go thought the setup effort. I sold it and bought the AM5 and love it! Small, light, easier to setup, flawless integration with the asi air. They have an upgraded version now too, AM5N. I highly recommend it. I did a video recently on first impressions you might want to check out.
Hey, Mr. Wilson! 🙋♀️ I would agree with you, that when you're starting out, equipment doesn't *really* matter all that much. Sure, better equipment and set-ups are going to produce better products. BUT, when you're starting out, even that little, blurry, smudge of a photo is going to be ASTOUNDING to you because YOU took it. And that's the super cool part. Then, once you get the knack of it, you can start falling into that rabbit hole of specifics and extras, as with any hobby. 🌌🔭📸🐇🕳️
I've run into a lot of trouble with many of the companies in the astronomy arena when it comes to customer service. I've had great luck with celestron, but zwo is another one that won't help you if you run in to trouble. Thankfully their quality control seems to be pretty good as I've got a ton of their stuff and only ever ran into one issue.
I'm an avid astrophotographer. I agree with what he says. At 1st it seemed like SOOOOO much to learn and buy but over time I have been able to get the right gear and capture some images I am VERY proud of. There is a deep and lasting feeling of accomplishment with each new image or improvement on my last attempt.
Talking about mounts.... What about the one who wants to do Astro (so I guess it takes a motorized equatorial go to ?) but also wants the freedom to unlock and go alt-z manual for vision only.... Is there such a unicorn mount out there ? Bonus if doesn't weight a ton ! I saw the Hybrid Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ5 w/ Wifi Adapter but not sure it does it all.... What would you recommend in this case ?
To be honest with you, I can't even wrap my head around how amount could be both EQ and equatorial at the same time. But the one you mentioned sounds awfully intriguing. I definitely want to look into that. If I were going to buy a new Mount today, I would go for the zwo AM3. It has the same payload capacity as the skywatcher EQ R6 I have now, but somehow manages to avoid needing counterweights. It's also much smaller. Anything to decrease the weight and footprint of your gear it's beneficial for set up and storage purposes
I bought a telescope years ago be honest with you I was disappointed maybe I was expecting too much it certainly you didn't cost no $1,500 now I can afford it
Whole lots of bad telescopes out there from complete scams and mediocrities often sold using brand name. With Celestron being one of the big offenders with Astromaster and PowerSeeker lines. And then images you see in printed medias and online are grossly misleading for what you can see visually. Really only our Moon can fill whole view with lots of details.
Today I started the quest for my first telescope. I started 2 hours ago watching video after video about best beginer telescope. the thing is that I was starting to get more confuzed about this thing and started to lose my patience :)) But I watched your video and I felt like I was at school and before me I had the best teacher that you cand have about astrology. I loved your video and you now have a constant viewer and subscriber. looking forward to buy my new telescope and learn more things from you about this hobby that I had since I was young. I hope by watching your videos I can make up my mind about what telescope will be the best for me as a noobye. Thank you agin! Regards from Romania :)
Thank you so much for your kind words and support! It really means a lot. I hope you find the scope you're looking for and have lots of clear skies to use it under.
I’m new to telescopes and got one because not only do I want to see what’s out there, but I also want to get into astrophotography. A guy at a local hobby shop got me into the NexStar 8SE. So far I’ve purchased the adapters needed to connect my Olympus E-M5MarkII camera. I’m looking forward to watching and learning from your videos!
Thanks for the support! I did a video called "I'm new to astrophotography and don't know what to do" which you may want to check out. I'll walk you through the entire process in that video. I have lots of other videos about different Astro photography related topics as well. Taking the actual pictures is just half the task. You'll also need to stack and edit them. When I first got into astrophotography I thought it was like regular photography in the sense that once I took the shot at an amazing picture. That's not how it works with this. When you take the shot, you usually have what looks like nothing at all. Just black. Once you process it, that's when all of the amazing stuff appears. I have videos on stacking and processing as well if you want to check those out
Yes, I learned a whole lot from you. Thank you very much cause I am a beginner and I just bought the Celestone next-door evolution 9.25 telescope and don't even know how to set it up but I am so excited to buy all the extra stuff to look at my Jupiter Venus MarsSaturn and the moon
I really enjoyed this introduction as I'm researching this topic and possibly following down this "rabbit hole". Thanks again for all of the knowledge!
If you're interrested in astrophotography, I have several other videos on that subject if you're just beginning I recommend. It's easy to buy a bunch of things you don't know you don't need in the beginning... I'll navigate you through that and hopefully save you some time and money. Clear skies!
Mr Wilson, great tips for beginners, so maybe you can give me an opinion. I have owned go to mounts, sold them many years ago and I own a televue 85 and I want a mount for Astro and visual. I have been an advanced photographer for many years and I want to try astrophotography. What mount would you recommend. I have been very interested in the AM5 setup. Thank you.
When it comes to astrophotography you need to look at the payload capacity of the mount. The am5 has a payload capacity of I think 44 lb. The maximum amount you would want to load any astrophotography rig would be about half of the mounts rated capacity to ensure that it can keep up and won't start lagging. I have the eqr6 pro and it has the same rated capacity as the am5. It can handle the weight of a rig far heavier than the one you'll be using with the televue 85 telescope. The am 5 is a little more expensive than the eqr6 pro, but the am5 is also lighter as well, which is a huge difference. The eq6r is so heavy that it can be discouraging to use. I haven't used the am 5 myself, but on paper it looks like an excellent choice.
16:02 I personally have 2500 viewing time hrs. Accumulated and looking to share this passion of mine to my great nephew and curious of a base start for him on selecting a scope,mount for 19 yr old please.
This video outlines my recommendations for that scenario. The Celestron nexstar line comes in 4 in, 6 in, and 8-inch varients to suit a variety 9f bidges, any of which would be acceptable for a beginner. The go to mount makes it easy to find the things you're looking for. The mount on each version is the same. Which size you get is dependent on how deep into space you want to be able to see (the bigger the scope, the fainter objects you'll be able to see and the more zoom you'll get) This would be a great start for optical viewing (looking through the telescope with your eye rather than using a camera).
I only have the 8se, so I unfortunately don't have hd images to share. I use the astrobin website to look at images shot with different equipment I'm considering. You might try there for examples. However, having done this exact comparison research myself, my impression is if you are going to be doing astrophotography and don't have either scope, the edge hd is definitely worth the price difference. If you already have an 8se, then the edge may not be worth trading up for (I still plan to upgrade myself anyway, however. Just gotta save up for a while) If you won't be doing astrophotography and are only going to do visual observations through the eyepiece, then the edge hd isn't worth it. Hope that helps.
I love looking at the night sky and trying to wrap my small brain around the shear enormity of the things i see at the distance they exist. I'm brand spanking new to this telescope thing and after 66 years... I'm about to purchase my first one, ever! I've only watched one of your videos thus far and have learned a great deal! I look forward to learning more!
Glad I could help. A lot of astrophotography videos out there assume you have a lot of experience already. I'm trying to keep my channel accessible to the masses, especially for those just getting into the hobby
Can these telescopes be connected to my computer, so I can place the telescope in one location, and then go back to my computer, and I can control the telescope remotely, and the images are sent to software on my computer?
There is a small computer you can attach to a telescope called an ASI air pro. It's about the size of a deck of cards. It generates a Wi-Fi signal that you can connect to your phone or tablet. Once you set up the telescope, you can tell it to take pictures and monitor progress from the comfort of your couch. I did a video that will walk you through the whole thing. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SN5lFt2E-HA.htmlsi=JSLHN38WXle17ped
Thanks for the advice. I have a celestron 6SE but have been thinking of upgrading for the purpose of taking photos but might hold off and watch more of your videos first. 👍🏼
Your 6se is a great scope to start your astrophotography journey with. If you are using the alt AZ mount it came with, you would be better served putting the money you have for a scope toward an equatorial mount instead. That is the most crucial part of astrophotography. I did a video about starting this Hobbie you might want to check out before buying anything ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SN5lFt2E-HA.html
Great question! This telescope came out after this video was which explains why it wasn't included in the video. I haven't had the opportunity to use that telescope directly, but based on the specifications listed on their website and some reviews I've seen online, it looks like a robust, inexpensive, and lightweight introduction to astro photography. However, it might not be for everyone. It has an ALT az Mount which limits exposure length to only a few seconds. For Astrophotography , this usually translates to grainier images. It has a short vocal length which means it has a wide field of view. This is great for large targets such as the Moon and many deep space objects, but you won't really be able to observe the planets all that well with it. I have brought my astrophotography rig to start parties in the past, and it seems like people enjoy looking through the traditional telescope more than looking at the images on a screen from the astrophotography rig. I'm not sure why that is, considering the photography rig can show you so much more detail, color, and Targets you can't even see it all through a normal telescope. Perhaps there is just something about seeing space with your own eyes that can't be replicated on a screen? In summary, this looks like an excellent option for a tech savvy person, but may not be for everyone. I would definitely consider it as a first telescope option as it will likely make space more accessible and wet your appetite for future telescope expansion options.
Great video, you are right on your explanation. I have this Nexstar 8se which I have been using for planets and it is really good. I have great videos of Saturn and Jupiter. Now I want to use it for nebulas and galaxies and I want to upgrade the mount to an equatorial one. I found this "Orion Sirius EQ-G German Equatorial Mount GEM For Telescope" for $400 on sale in great condition, what do you think? it is good enough? Please advise, I'd really appreciate it. Thank yo very much.
I don't know anything about that mount specifically, but looking up the specs online says it has a 30 pound load capacity. I believe the C8 Weighs about 13 pounds. You'll also need to tack on some extra weight for the camera and other accessories. They say you should only load an astrophrotography mount to about half of its capacity to maximize its tracking ability. If you go by that rule of thumb, then this mount isn't going to be able to keep up. I don't know how true that rule is, however.
I appreciate you explaining in layman's terms and the honesty of what to expect. Im almost 74 and have always been curious about deep space. Is there a way to cast from a telescope to my tv using an app of some sort? I have health issues that won't allow me to stand or bend over for longer than a few minutes.
I have an android phone and tablet and they can mirror their screen to TV. So anything that has an app can be displayed on your tv. So the next question is, can any telescopes stream what they're looking at to your phone or tablet. ZWO has a new device called the seestar50 which is the easiest way to do what you need. If you want to get into full scale astrophotography, I did a video called "I'm new to astrophotography and don't know what to do". In it I show a device called the ASI pro which will let you "see" through any telescope with your phone (and therefore tv). As you'll see in the video, it's quite a bit more complicated and a more expensive route to go down compared to the seestar50, but also produces superior results.
@@MrWilsonsChannel You are amazing!!.. Looking at the Seestar, because of our budget, I thought my search was over. Seestar prompted me to view the Dwarf & Vespera. More confusion. Seestar is within the cost range but I'll sacrifice looking at planets. I'm glad I found your YT channel and greatly appreciate your quick response and alternate suggestions. Now to find something reasonable with these options and to include a better view of the planets. Thanks again!
I really enjoyed your presentation. I am 82 years young and am rekindling my interest in astronomy. When I was in my 30s, I had a reflector and a refractor. I know that I am only interested in a reflector now. I’m thinking in the 6 - 8 inch range. I am a Celestron fan because I had a friend who had an 8” and used it at his cabin in the mountains of northern Georgia. I look forward to viewing more of your presentations.
Thanks for your kind review. I had the same problem with videos I was watching. I just want them to get to the point. At the same time, there are a lot of details that, if missed, will jam you up. So I try to get in all the info without the dilly dally.
im buying my sister one for her birthday and im thinking of getting a 8" Dobsonian Reflector, Orion XT8 but im not sure, im stressed because i dont know where to buy it and im worried its too much or not enough for her and her birthday day is on the 28TH OF THIS MONTH UGH (i don’t know anything about telescopes and she doesnt either she just said “it would be nice if someone got me a telescope for my birthday “ while we were at the beach help PLEASE
A lot of people swear by the dob. I got to be honest, I'm not a fan. I'll probably get exiled from the astronomy community for saying so. Dobsonian telescopes tend to be large, not all, but most. At least compared to other options with similar apertures. As I said in this video, the most important part, especially for a beginner, is the mount. The mount will show you all of the stuff in the sky, so you don't need to know where to point the telescope. Some dobsonian telescopes come with computerized mounts, but it's more common on smaller telescopes. If a telescope is too large, too heavy, too difficult to set up, then you'll be less likely to use it. That's why I like the one I suggest in this video. It's relatively small and super easy to set up.
@@MrWilsonsChannel While tube is bigger, Dobson's storage space footprint is smaller than that of tripod mounted telescope, which needs to be dismantled to need less space. Also Newtonian OTA is pretty well dew shielded, while Schmidt-Cassegrain's corrector plate is dew/frost magnet by easily radiating its heat to space and cooling below ambient. But not without that closed tube being slow to cool, if there's major temperature difference between storage space and outside. And if temperature is cooling continuously, closed tube telescopes can struggle to keep up preventing higher magnifications completely. And easy use means being able to start observing in two minutes counting from the moment I start opening the door to telescope's storage. Unless I forgot to make sure during day that door's lower edge isn't buried in snow/stuck in ice... Speaking of which now how well can you use these "easy" to use telescopes in temperature of freezer and with gloves required by that? As for finding more uninspiring for casual observer faint fuzzies free AstroHopper makes any telescope "PushTo".
I've never actually used a dob before. But either way, an equatorial Mount is definitely the mount of choice for astrophotography. You want to be able to hold the telescope as still as possible and track as accurately as possible. For this, computerized mounts are usually the ones you want. I like the telescope in this video because it is relatively affordable and has a wide aperture. It also comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate different budgets. Generally speaking, the larger the objective, the more light gathering power you will have.
