Telescopes

The type of telescope you choose depends on the observing priorities you have. Each is suited best to a different application, and some are more versatile than others. Below you will see the broad categories of applications and telescope types we offer.

Telescope Types

Telescope Applications

1. Refractor
2.  Reflector
3.  Dobsonian
4.  Cassegrain

5. Brass
6. Spotting Scopes
7. Computerised
8. All Telescopes

1. Astronomy

2. General Purpose

3. Astrophotography

$Saxon 1206 AZ3 Refractor Telescope$

1. Refractors

Show me Refractor telescopes so I can buy here

Refracting telescopes use lenses to gather light. The primary advantages of a refractor are that it is easy to maintain, easy to use, and is capable of land based observing as well as stargazing and the image is the correct way up!

In general:
For someone who wants to look at wildlife or a view from your deck as well as stars, a refractor is a good choice.
For the advanced observers who want the best possible image quality for both visual observing and photography, a high-quality refractor cannot be beaten.

2.Reflectors and 3.Dobsonians

Show me Reflector telescopes so I can buy here
Show me Dobsonian telescopes so I can buy here

Reflecting telescopes use mirrors instead of lenses and tend to be less expensive than refractors or the Cassegrains. If on a dobsonian mount they tend to be call Dobsonians otherwise they are known as reflectors and tend to be on an equatorial mount.

The main drawback of the reflector versus a refractor is that the image is usually inverted, making it poorly suited to terrestrial observing but for strictly stargazing, a Newtonian is tough to beat.

In General: A Newtonian is hard to beat if you don't need to view terrestrial / land based subjects, if you don't require much portability and do not plan on doing much photography.

Saxon 15018eq3 observatory cassegrain telescope

4. Cassegrains

Show me Cassegrain telescopes so I can buy here

Cassegrains are a catadiotric telescope which incorporates both lenses and mirrors. Light is 'folded' to provide a long focal length in a very compact tube, making them very versatile and portable. Unlike most other telescope designs, these scopes can easily be converted to a variety of focal ratios for different photographic applications for both narrow- and wide-field imaging.

The most popular telescopes in this category are the Schmidt-Cassegrains and Maksutov-Cassegrains.

The versatility and portability of these telescopes make them among the most popular for astronomers of all levels.

In General: For the observer who wants a little of everything, from deep-sky to planetary viewing and imaging / photography, plus portability, a Cassegrain is an excellent choice. It is the one telescope that can be used for almost any application and as such is one one of the most popular telescopes on the market today.

5. Brass

Show me Brass telescopes so I can buy here

Designed for their elegance of appearance and style, the classic look of a brass telescope makes it a centre piece of any room.

In General: For a functional interior design piece the Brass telescope is a fabulous addition to your home or office.

6. Spotting Scope

Saxon-20-60x80a precision spotting-scope1-643

Show me Spotting Scopes so I can buy here

A spotting scope is often considered a cross between a small telescope and a large binocular with key modifications to make it more appropriate for daytime.

They are often used for hunting, surveillance, plane spotting and ship spotting, as well as other wildlife and landscape viewing. For birders, a spotting scope is ideal for distant birds, showing details that regular birding binoculars could never reveal.

A spotting scope is small, portable, often water and fog proof and tends to be a lower magnification scope.

In General: If you are wanting a telescope for outdoor use - hunting, bird watching or to take tramping, the robustness, portability and compact size of a spotting scope makes them an ideal choice.

Telescope Applications

1. Astronomy Telescopes

Click here for the telescopes we recommend for astronomy

Although most types of telescopes can be used for astronomy they need to have sufficient aperture and the correct mount - equatorial and or motorised.

For a guide to buying an astronomy telescope click here

2. General Purpose Telescopes

Click here for the telescopes we recommend for general purpose use

We classify our general purpose telescopes as suitable for both land / sea viewing and also astronomy.

Most are refractors, which are easy to set up and use and also present the image the right way up. The are have tripods with an alt-azimuth mount that uses a simple left right, up down movement system.

For a guide to buying a general purpose telescope click here

3. Astrophotography Click here for the telescopes we recommend for astrophotography The choice of equipment for astrophotography can be quite complex and depends on what you want to photograph The moon Planets Deep sky objects For a guide to buying a telescope for astrophotography click here

All Telescopes

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Telescopes

Telescope Types

Telescope Applications

1. Refractor 2. Reflector 3. Dobsonian 4. Cassegrain

5. Brass 6. Spotting Scopes 7. Computerised 8. All Telescopes

1. Astronomy

2. General Purpose

3. Astrophotography

1. Refractors

2.Reflectors and 3.Dobsonians

4. Cassegrains

5. Brass

6. Spotting Scope

Telescope Applications

1. Astronomy Telescopes

2. General Purpose Telescopes

3. Astrophotography

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1. Refractor
2. Reflector
3. Dobsonian
4. Cassegrain

5. Brass
6. Spotting Scopes
7. Computerised
8. All Telescopes