Hello,
I'm looking for some advice on telescopes and tripods. My mum will be 60 in January and has been a keen birdwatcher all her life. As a present from all her friends and family, we'd like to get her a telescope as she's been wanting one for ages but has never had the spare cash! I've been entrusted with the task of researching them and would be really interested to hear any advice. She's not going to be doing anything too extreme and would really just like something that's good quality and easy to use, and that will last well.
We think we'll have about £750 to spend on the whole package (including case, tripod etc) and would like to get her the best quality we can. Having had a little bit of a look around, I was considering the Opticron HR66 ED with the HDF 28WW eyepiece. I'd welcome any comments pro or con this, and also any comments on zoom eyepieces - are they worth it? Also, I'd really appreciate some advice on tripods and cases. For example, if you get a stay-on case, do you also need another one for keeping the scope in, for example in the car? Regarding tripods, my dad seems to think that a monopod might be a good idea, as it is easier to walk around with and set up than a tripod is and doesn't require careful adjusting every time - in effect you just walk and plonk! I'm not sure about this - any advice? As my mum isn't getting any younger, I think perhaps the more stability the better, but it is important that it's easy for her to carry around and set up. Advice on good value brands would also be appreciated.
Thanks for reading such a demanding post from a new person, any replies would be really appreciated!
Cheers,
Rowena
I'm looking for some advice on telescopes and tripods. My mum will be 60 in January and has been a keen birdwatcher all her life. As a present from all her friends and family, we'd like to get her a telescope as she's been wanting one for ages but has never had the spare cash! I've been entrusted with the task of researching them and would be really interested to hear any advice. She's not going to be doing anything too extreme and would really just like something that's good quality and easy to use, and that will last well.
We think we'll have about £750 to spend on the whole package (including case, tripod etc) and would like to get her the best quality we can. Having had a little bit of a look around, I was considering the Opticron HR66 ED with the HDF 28WW eyepiece. I'd welcome any comments pro or con this, and also any comments on zoom eyepieces - are they worth it? Also, I'd really appreciate some advice on tripods and cases. For example, if you get a stay-on case, do you also need another one for keeping the scope in, for example in the car? Regarding tripods, my dad seems to think that a monopod might be a good idea, as it is easier to walk around with and set up than a tripod is and doesn't require careful adjusting every time - in effect you just walk and plonk! I'm not sure about this - any advice? As my mum isn't getting any younger, I think perhaps the more stability the better, but it is important that it's easy for her to carry around and set up. Advice on good value brands would also be appreciated.
Thanks for reading such a demanding post from a new person, any replies would be really appreciated!
Cheers,
Rowena