Is there any point in buying one of those starter scopes, eg from celestron (the 60AZ or more likely the 90 AZ) It's a 3.5inch refractor on a Alt-Az mount. I'm just dying to start observing from my back yard and I don't want to wait to buy a big 8inch reflector or expensive GOTO scope. My main concern is that the size and bulk of a bigger scope will make me put off using it and in the end I'll just waste my money.
Will i really be wasting money on a R2.5k 3.5in refractor? My main interest is planets and some Messier objects. I also want to try out some astro-photography once I get a decent DSLR. For now, I want to see the main objects in good detail without the schlep of setting up a 45kg rocket launcher.
How easy will it be to sell the 3.5in when i want to upgrade?
My other option is a Celestron 102SLT GOTO scope for about R5.6k It looks portable and the GOTO functionality should make it way more appealing on those bad seeing nights when you can't find many reference stars. Or is an 8in better for the same money? The GOTO scope also means I can do astrophotography tracking from day 1. With the long exposure, aperture isn't that important.
Help me - too much choice is a bad thing!
PS: I'm a bit of a hobby jumper, so once I master something, I get bored with it. Something to keep in mind when giving your advice
Now that I'm back on my PC and not typing via a cellphone I can answer a bit more in depth.
First and foremost, do you have binoculars? If you do take them out every night for a week (weather permitting) and try to hunt down and observe all the binocular objects indicated on the Skymaps.com, sky map list (be sure to get the one for the Southern Hemisphere). If you can stick with it for a week, manage to find everything and at the end of the week still think it's fun you are ready for a telescope. If not then the hobby might not be the thing for you.
Stay away from the beginner scopes, and run away from any you can find in Game or other department stores. They normally tend to be very unstable and unwieldy to use.
A 80mm refractor would be the minimum to start out with. If possible make sure that you can view the scope in person and check out the movement of the mount and the focuser. The last thing you want is a shaky mount since it can ruin the whole experience. Also keep in mind that you will need to be able to smoothly move the scope around to find and track objects. You will need a long tube (long focal length refractor) to cut down on chromatic aberrations (CA) which gives bright objects a purple/yellow fringe. On my 90mm f/10 it's not too bad, but it is visible.
I got a 3.5" refractor as a grab-and-go scope as companion to my XT10. It's a good scope, but I would definitely not recommend it to a beginner as a first and only scope. The mount gets frustrating to use close to zenith (straight up) where it's the best place to view objects since that's where the minimum of atmosphere is between your scope and the object. The EP can also get very low depending on where the scope is pointed. Finding things are slightly more difficult than with a dob since the coarse movement isn't as smooth.
If you go with a refractor make sure that it comes with a stable mount. AZ3 or similar would be best. An EQ mount will be frustrating to use for a beginner and most of the entry level ones aren't very stable. Also be sure to get one with a 90° diagonal and not a 45° one. The 45° diagonal is for terrestrial viewing. I'm unsure how easily you'll be able to sell the refractor if you want to upgrade. You could however keep it as a grab-and-go. As any real enthusiast would tell you - one scope is never enough! Especially if aperture fever kicks in.
I'd pass on the Celestron 102SLT GOTO. It's an entry level GoTo with sometimes very frustrating setup and the tracking and gears would not be adequate for serious astrophotography in any case. You'll be paying the bulk of the price for the tracking, which might break easily and you have the added hassle of using a power supply. Rechargeable batteries apparently don't mix well with GoTo scopes. If you do want a GoTo the minimum would be to go for a Celestron Nexstar 5SE or the like, but they start at around R9000+ and then they still aren't ideal for astrophotography.
I still stick with my recommendation of getting a 6" dob. They might look like rocket launchers but they are the best bang for buck scopes available and extremely easy to use regardless of your experience level. A 6" won't be too heavy as well. They are normally are around 25kg everything included and the views will be well worth it. You can also quite easily carry the OTA and the base separately (the OTA just lifts out of the base, no major assembly required). The dob will have no CA issues, and the 6" will gather much more light than the 3.5" adding to the resolution and providing the option of higher magnifications. On DSO's the larger aperture will definitely show. It's extremely easy to use and will be only slightly more expensive than the refractor.
If you can wait and get an 8" dob that would be the ideal and could very well be the only scope you might want. The 8" is viewed as the ideal beginner scope since the large aperture is enough to bring out details on all of the best DSO's visible.
Hope that clears things up somewhat. Just shout if you have more questions!
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