Nice telescope!
Was putting the price in the thread title necessary? You do realize this is a brag thread and that you really didn't show us anything cool...show some pics you took through your telescope and then I'll be impressed.
JMapleton really loves to brag about how much money he spends on stuff. Like all the pairs of $200 jeans he buys.
That said, it is an extremely good telescope. Any hardcore telescope enthusiast will agree it's worth the price, IF you have the money. Apochromatic refractors are more like fancy cars than, for instance, fancy wines. You actually do get a quantifiable benefit for all the extra money.
Who is Al Nagler? and why did he damage your expensive peeping tom toy?
Founder of Tele-Vue.
Astronomy is a hobby I have always wanted to take up, but I am a n00b as to what to start with. Lets say I wanted to throw $500.00 US at a telescope, what would you guys recommend? Can you get something decent for around that amount, or would I be better off waiting until I could toss more coin at it? Also, how can you integrate a camera for taking photos?
For $500 you can't get much that's worthy of taking photos because the mount is usually the limiting factor, and a good mount with high-quality motor drive (a necessity when taking photos) can cost more than a good telescope. I'd put that money towards a telescope.
You could go the all-manual mode and get a Dobsonian reflector - I got an Orion 8". They're about $500 and definitely give you the best optics for the money. You can go a little smaller (or more expensive) and get a computerized Dob that will tell you where to point the scope but you move it manually, and you can go even smaller and more expensive to get a fully computerized scope if you want. I've heard good things about the Celestron NexStar line but I haven't used one.
Just about every scope is a trade off. Larger ones gather more light and offer better views, but they weigh more so you might not end up using them much. Adding fancy stuff like go-to systems kicks the price up a lot and can potentially interfere with your ability to point the scope yourself. I think some of them can't even be pointed manually, you are required to use the motors to move the scope around. And of course ones like JMapleton's are really good but cost a ton.
Facebook
Twitter