I am new to amateur astronomy. Just thought I would share my experience of buying and using my first telescope. This is my first and only telescope, so read it with that in mind. This review also applies to 90mm MAK-Cassegrain from Sky-watcher, Orion and Celestron. They are all made in the same factory in China owned by a Taiwanese company.
Saxon 90mm Mak-Cassegrain
Out of the reasons that I choose to go with cass, the right one is size. I figured that it would be much easier to take it to darker sites, and easy to move in and out to the back yard. I can move the whole setup including telescope and EQ1 mount with one hand if necessary. I am also less likely to get into trouble with Mrs. having a tiny cass in the study v.s. an 6” Dob in the study :p If I want to see more, I was prepared to invest in a large Dob as my 2nd telescope.
The wrong reason to choose the cass is chasing the long focal length and magnification that goes along with long focal length even after reading multiple forums (stubborn me). Large magnification on a small scope just gives you are bigger fuzzy image. It’s like making a 320x240 image full screen. There just isn’t enough info there to be magnified.EQ1 Mount
I was also worried about adjusting the telescope with upside down image of the reflectors would be confusing (Wrong). Now, I know it makes no difference at all, especially with an EQ mount. For a beginner, if your intended object is outside your field of view, there is no chance you can get to it by adjusting your scope. If it is in your field of view then if the image is upside down makes no difference at all.
On the EQ mount, I choose to go with the EQ mount because you can track an object by just adjusting one axis. However, I was also worried about that it would be difficult to setup and it sounded like you have to set it up every time you use it. After using the EQ mount for a few weeks, I find that you can be as lazy or as accurate as you want. Initially I was spending 10 minutes following the steps of levelling the scope and aiming for true south. Now, I just take the scope out, roughly aim for south and start looking, which is the fun part. Yes, you soon find that you need to do minor adjustment on the 2nd axis as well to track an object, but big deal! If you are like me and only spends about half an hour out there, it is not worth the time to do accurate setup. So don’t be scared by the EQ mount, it is actually not hard to use.
Overall, I am still very happy with my purchase. I have spotted Saturn with its beautiful ring, which is what got me into buying the telescope. Also seen Venus’ moon like phase, Jupiter and its 4 large moons and Mars as a little red dot. Craters on the moon looks very clear. I have also spotted Orion Nebula, although very washed out with the light pollution in the city. Nothing like the photos you see online.These photos are a bid worse that what you see with your own eyes. The images are typically sharper and the color bend on Jupiter are somewhat visible. I am still trying to find the optimum setup for astro photography. I am currently finding my DSLR (Canon 550D) is not that great for taking photo of planets. Mainly due to the vibration caused by flipping of the mirror. This is also a reality check for first time buyer. You are not going to see planets and nebulas like the photos you see online. They are taken with much better equipment than beginner would want to spend. They are often software enhanced by stacking a large number of photos into a single frame.
However, the fun is that what you see are actual photons coming from the planets, stars or nebulas that might have travelled thousands of years to get to your own eyes. Those photons are yours to keep. There is something magical seeing the ring of Saturn with your own eyes that can’t match the pretty photos that you see on a screen.
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| My photo is not as good as what I can see. I can see 2 bends and 4 moons of Jupiter |
I hope this review helps people looking to buy their first telescope. Wish you clear and dark sky.
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