advice on best telescope makes please

if these makes were put in order for optical quality and mount quality
what do think?

not in any order
meade celestron helios(skywatcher) bresser tal

(this question has probably been asked before I appreciate)

thanks

"Hayley" wrote in message
...
if these makes were put in order for optical quality and mount quality
what do think?

not in any order
meade celestron helios(skywatcher) bresser tal

(this question has probably been asked before I appreciate)

thanks
Not as simple as it might seem. Tal, generally have good optics, but
'clunky', and dated mechanical design. However their mounts are solid,
which is a feature that is missing on many other makes.
Personally, I _slightly_ prefer Celestron optics in general to Meade, but
the difference is small. Meade are better at the surface finish, and
'trim' on parts, while Celestron seem to be slightly better at the
internal finish. However both have at times produced products with
problems, and both also produce 'good' designs. In both cases, the cheaper
products generally have more problems than the more expensive units, and
the fact that you are including Bresser, and Helios, generally suggests
you are looking at fairly basic models. Bresser, are Meade. A specific
'part' of the model range, marketted in parts of the World under this
name. Helios/Skywatcher, is a name used for some of the Synta products,
and they own Celestron. Some of their models are fine, but as with all the
manufacturers here, quite a few of the models are relatively
'undermounted'.
I think you would be better off stating what sort of size scope you are
after, what sort of application you have in mind (mount quality becomes
vastly more important for imaging), and a possible budget, and seeing what
models people would suggest. As an 'example', I wanted a nice smallish
scope for a relative, and sourced a Intes MN56, and put this on the
Celestron CG5, making a scope that was good value, easy to use, and had
excellent optics.

Best Wishes

"Hayley" wrote in message
...
if these makes were put in order for optical quality and mount quality
what do think?

not in any order
meade celestron helios(skywatcher) bresser tal


Not forgetting the UK Orion Optics brand.
http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/

Are there other UK brands?

Hayley wrote:
if these makes were put in order for optical quality and mount quality
what do think?

not in any order
meade celestron helios(skywatcher) bresser tal

Those are all "brands" -- in some cases, the same telescope (usually
Synta, but not exclusively so, is branded by different companies.

See:
http://www.astunit.com/tutorials/firstscope.htm
http://www.astunit.com/tutorials/evaluating.htm

--
Best,
Stephen
http://www.astunit.com

Thanks for your replies, I found them a help

im looking for a compact scope to be used
almost entirely remotely, im upgrading from my modest celestron 114gt
(which i had remotely driven)


heres my thoughts so far
it needs to be compact ( tiny garden ) and needs to go in my existing
observatory
it needs to have goto (rs232)
it will need to have a motorised focuser or one i can fit or make myself
(bit of DIY)
i have a solid pedestal and observatory with no scope in it now so just
interested
in the goto mount and OTA really.

I guess im looking at a cat here but to get up to 8 inch is probably out my
price range.
what about a short tube refractor? any thoughts?
Thanks





"Stephen Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Hayley wrote:
if these makes were put in order for optical quality and mount quality
what do think?

not in any order
meade celestron helios(skywatcher) bresser tal

Those are all "brands" -- in some cases, the same telescope (usually
Synta, but not exclusively so, is branded by different companies.

See:
http://www.astunit.com/tutorials/firstscope.htm
http://www.astunit.com/tutorials/evaluating.htm

--
Best,
Stephen
http://www.astunit.com

"Hayley" wrote in message
...
Thanks for your replies, I found them a help

im looking for a compact scope to be used
almost entirely remotely, im upgrading from my modest celestron 114gt
(which i had remotely driven)


heres my thoughts so far
it needs to be compact ( tiny garden ) and needs to go in my existing
observatory
it needs to have goto (rs232)
it will need to have a motorised focuser or one i can fit or make myself
(bit of DIY)
i have a solid pedestal and observatory with no scope in it now so just
interested
in the goto mount and OTA really.

I guess im looking at a cat here but to get up to 8 inch is probably out
my price range.
what about a short tube refractor? any thoughts?
Thanks

If it's permanently mounted, the bigger the better.

Try
http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/

for good deals.

Remember to get a dew heater for a cat unless you live in Aridzona.

Good luck
P.