<p>Cost effectiveness? That also means you get what you pay for.</p>
<p>When you compare a Dob to a similar sized Goto telescope the Goto cost seems to be extremely high.</p>
<p>When you compare the versatility of the two, the dob is so far behind it thinks it is first.</p>
<p>That will upset a few dedicated Dob users but many of them have only used a Dob. They have accepted the limitations of the dob and are willing to live with them. I refuse to allow tradition to limit my viewing.</p>
<p>What is your maximum budget? Every penny that you can beg borrow or steal?</p>
<p>If all you can possibly afford is a dob then that's all there is to it. If you can afford a goto (new or used) that is your best choice and will give you the most enjoyment out of the hobby for years to come.</p>
<p>The traditional eyepiece has limitations as well. I suggest you take a look at what people can see with the electronic eyepieces. An electronic eyepieces is just a very sensitive camera that is generally used for direct viewing on a small screen rather than for making photographic images.</p>
<p>I have used Mallincams for nearly fifteen years and viewed with eyepieces for over fifty years before that.</p>
<p>There are a lot of objects in the deep sky one can see with the newest technology. When I used eyepieces my viewing was basically limited to the Messier and Caldwell lists. I recently compiled a new list of 26761 deep sky objects that can be seen with a 10&quot; SCT setup like mine.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-09T10:16:23.287Z
Thank you all for your responses and perspective. Considering my objective of showing celestial objects to groups, tracking mount seems to be the option for me to go ahead. I'll do my research on available options, and based on my budget would go for one.
Suresh C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-08T19:29:36.810Z
2020-08-08T19:29:36.810Z
L d Bonnie
<p>You are correct that a traditional dob will require frequent manual intervention to stop objects drifting out of view.
There are 2 main to deal with this:</p>
<ol>
<li>keep to low magnification and use a wide angle eyepiece</li>
<li>get a goto  dob.  These can be had for a reasonable price in many countries, particularly if you don't exceed 8&quot; (200mm) aperture.</li>
</ol>
<p>As @a_donda implies, you can see an awful lot with an 8&quot; scope, especially if you have reasonably dark skies.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-08T17:12:14.163Z
2020-08-08T17:12:14.163Z
Dr Chuck
<p>I've been using binocular for more than a decade for visual observation. I'm thinking of upgrading to a telescope. The Dob caught my attention due to its simplicity in setup and also cost effectiveness. I was thinking of going for 8&quot; or 10&quot; Dob.</p>
<p>What I have also observed is - If I'm going to use dob, I need to keep moving the OTA frequently to keep the focus. If I'm going to use the dob alone, it is not an issue. But my concern is when I want to show the celestial objects to others, I need to frequently move the OTA to keep the objects in focus. It may become tiring if there are many people waiting to watch.</p>
<p>Has anyone encountered similar situation with dob? What are your thoughts? Did you ever feel that you should have gone for go-to mount instead of Dob? Any suggestions please?</p>

<telescope><dobsonian-telescope>
Practicality of Dobsonian telescopes
Suresh C
# Practicality of Dobsonian telescopes

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-08-08)

I've been using binocular for more than a decade for visual observation. I'm thinking of upgrading to a telescope. The Dob caught my attention due to its simplicity in setup and also cost effectiveness. I was thinking of going for 8" or 10" Dob.

What I have also observed is - If I'm going to use dob, I need to keep moving the OTA frequently to keep the focus. If I'm going to use the dob alone, it is not an issue. But my concern is when I want to show the celestial objects to others, I need to frequently move the OTA to keep the objects in focus. It may become tiring if there are many people waiting to watch.

Has anyone encountered similar situation with dob? What are your thoughts? Did you ever feel that you should have gone for go-to mount instead of Dob? Any suggestions please?

**Tags:** telescope, dobsonian-telescope


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-08-08. Score: 2

Cost effectiveness? That also means you get what you pay for.

When you compare a Dob to a similar sized Goto telescope the Goto cost seems to be extremely high.

When you compare the versatility of the two, the dob is so far behind it thinks it is first.

That will upset a few dedicated Dob users but many of them have only used a Dob. They have accepted the limitations of the dob and are willing to live with them. I refuse to allow tradition to limit my viewing.

What is your maximum budget? Every penny that you can beg borrow or steal?

If all you can possibly afford is a dob then that's all there is to it. If you can afford a goto (new or used) that is your best choice and will give you the most enjoyment out of the hobby for years to come.

The traditional eyepiece has limitations as well. I suggest you take a look at what people can see with the electronic eyepieces. An electronic eyepieces is just a very sensitive camera that is generally used for direct viewing on a small screen rather than for making photographic images.

I have used Mallincams for nearly fifteen years and viewed with eyepieces for over fifty years before that.

There are a lot of objects in the deep sky one can see with the newest technology. When I used eyepieces my viewing was basically limited to the Messier and Caldwell lists. I recently compiled a new list of 26761 deep sky objects that can be seen with a 10" SCT setup like mine.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you all for your responses and perspective. Considering my objective of showing celestial objects to groups, tracking mount seems to be the option for me to go ahead. I'll do my research on available options, and based on my budget would go for one.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2020-08-08. Score: 2

You are correct that a traditional dob will require frequent manual intervention to stop objects drifting out of view.
There are 2 main to deal with this:

1. keep to low magnification and use a wide angle eyepiece
2. get a goto dob. These can be had for a reasonable price in many countries, particularly if you don't exceed 8" (200mm) aperture.

As @a\_donda implies, you can see an awful lot with an 8" scope, especially if you have reasonably dark skies.


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