Need Advice to Buy a Telescope!?

Question

Need Advice to Buy a Telescope!

I am planning to spend 2-5K, what are some big boys to consider for this range?

Answer 1

Check out your local astronomy club. You will find people with all sorts of scopes ready and willing to offer advice and show you their scopes. It's much better than any specific scope advice you will find here.

Answer 2

With that kind of pricerange you have a ton of options! Like always though, what you buy should be decided by what you want to do with it. If you are open to buying used, as well as new, but especially used, here is what you might be able to afford.

Any of the Meade LX200/LX200GPS series scopes. (most new. some used)
A few of the smaller Meade RCX400 series scopes. (some new, most used)
Most of the Celestron CGE series scopes. (some new some used)
All with decent astrophotography setups if you sacrafice some aperture of course.

You will be able to afford some large, high end refractors by Takahashi (most new I think)
and Astro-Physics (most used)
Parks Optical also makes high end reflectors and refractors but I'm not very familiar with the price ranges.

You can also costum build your scope.
For example, you can order the mirror from R.F. Royce and mount it in a carbon fibre tube and put the whole thing on a Losmandy mount, etc.

Of course you also have to decide what type of accessories you want as there are a variety of filters and eyepeices that will greatly enhance your viewing experience, and a lot can be said for astrophotography equipment as well. I suggest you do a lot of research and consult with the people at your local astronomical society and check out the forums and review on www.astromart.com and www.cloudynights.com

Answer 3

Here are some supplier web sites.