Thank you so very much, Ben for choosing as First Light the Ring Nebula. I actually gasped when you made Saturn POP into final view. Such a very measured, well researched comparison with exceptional points being made about each telescope. What you say at the end of this amazing video is so very true. The perfect telescope for anyone is the one they use. Your professional and very personable presentation is marvelous. You have an amazing talent, Ben. With your 14" the universe is yours!
Great video. At 5'2" I think I'll pass on the 14" Dob but thanks for showing people what they can expect to deal with when buying a very large telescope. I think many people fail to consider the weight of a big telescope now AND when they are old. It gets harder and harder to heft those things around as you age. You got a great photo of Saturn and congratulations on seeing the central star in M57! Excellent.
Great video mate, you're a natural in front of the camera! Surprised to see such a low subscriber count. Best of luck with the channel, looking forward to more content.
Another nice video sir. The weight of the components is one reason why when I have the cash on hand for a large telescope I will probably go for a 16 inch truss tube dob. At the moment I'm rather happy with my 130mm newt for my imaging, no I'm not fussed about getting one with goto functionality. A large scope for me is most likely going to be a visual only instrument, but most of the premium dobs also have separate kits you can put on them to add goto. I will be keeping my 8" dob on hand though, it's just so easy to pack out and use. However, just as you were talking about heights of telescope here, I think I am going to have to build or buy and adjustable chair at some point because the 8" is just not comfortable for someone who is 6ft like myself.
Great video,i recently sold my 12 inch for one of the reasons you mentioned but in my case the opposite. I'm 6 ft 10 and the eyepiece was to low even at it's highest position. I would love the 16 but as you say. the weather dictates so I'm still deciding were to go. I'm ok though. still have 4 more to choose from. Keep em coming.
Yeah eyepiece / scope height is a real issue if you're at either end of the height spectrum. I'm not totally sure what you could do aside from get one of the 14 / 16" truss scopes, but the GoTo ones are pretty expensive compared to the FlexTube design.
I upgraded my 12 inch synscan with the dual speed focuser, great upgrade for an already awesome scope. The 14 inch was quite a lot more expensive than the 12 inch that's why I chose the smaller one :-) Great content btw, thanks for sharing your journey
Thank you for the kind words 🙏 Yes, adding the dual speed focuser and compression clamp makes it one heck of a package. I didn't mention in the video, but the 12" is way quieter when slewing too.
i am really thinking of selling my 16" Dob and switch to an 14"- just because carrying this monster around is quite a pain in the a... Great Video of yours!
Interestingly, I've heard from a few 16" owners saying they wish they actually got a 14" just for ease of use. I do think the 14" is the last sensible size unless you're 6' 5" or something haha. Once setup though, you always wish you had a bigger scope 😅
@@bbroastro that´s the struggle, when looking throgh it, MAN- everything mentioned in an "Deep Dky visual Atlas" is just there in front of you pupils :D
Nice comparison. What is weird to me: in my youth an 8" newtonian on an EQ mount was both visually and photographically the biggest and best thing I could dream of. Today dobsonions are surprisingly inexpensive and a 8" dobson is more like an beginners telescope. I'd probably would get the 14" telescope if I had a chance but I am big guy so I rarely have issues with height. Since it looks like I use the same 8" telescope for astrophotography I am really curious for your results with this rig as well.
I originally bought a telescope to look at the moon but (maybe unfortunately) I have got the imaging bug and don't often get a chance to look visually with my 8" as I'm too busy setting it up fro imaging on the few nights that its clear. I can see the attraction of a large but simple dob for this - the moon must look stunning
Thanks for a great video! Ive got an 8 inch dobsonian and it feels like a baby compared to these! Only having access to a balcony living in the city I’ll take what I get! Cheers!
@@bbroastro yeah! Seriously, though, great video. Just picked up that 10 starsense celestron a few weeks back and I'm loving it. Like you said, good blend of being able to move it by yourself vs light gathering. The only problem is now I've developing an expensive eye piece addiction.....
@@Astralviews1 Yeah that 10" Celestron is amazingly portable. Haha, I can relate. I've been eyeing up the Pentax WX and TeleVue DeLite eyepieces recently.
I did actually try Stephan's Quintet along with other high mag targets, but a combination of the weather and time meant it was tricky. I have viewed Stephan's quintet through the 14" though and it's very faint, so based on my viewing of M57, it would just be fainter in the 12". Obviously what you'd want to see is difference in how much, if any, structure you can resolve. I'd like to update this video in time with a purely visual observations.
Hey! Very nice video! I’d like to invite you here in Italy for an observing night to compare the 14 inch with my C11. I think it would be a nice comparison, not very much seen on the net. Cassegrain vs Dobson!
BTW, those goto Dobs can do pretty decent deep sky astrophotography using modern low read noise CMOS cameras and short exposures (5-15 seconds): ua-cam.com/video/ypheEr4Vv-8/v-deo.html
@@bbroastro Rotators are nice, but you are still limited to short exposures due to rough tracking and not guiding capable. So they are nice mainly because you don’t get the field rotation over several hours of imaging which forces cropping out some of your data later in the final stack. The big deep sky AP killers for those scopes are 1) NINA (and Sharpcap) to automate the recentering after drift and 2) The Nexus 0.75x reducer/coma corrector to not only eliminate coma, which all Newtonians need, but it gives those long focal length scopes 80% larger field of view by area.
@@stevenmiller5452 From my knowledge these telescopes are guiding compatible via PHD2, however it's not ideal like an EQ mount. I'd use NINA's 'check drift' instruction to minimise the issue. In terms of coma, yep, I am a pretty experienced deep sky imager with a newtonian so that's not really an issue. Really, having a rotator is two birds with one stone, I somewhat need one for my main deep sky setup see in this video, but having the option to put it in the dobsonian would be great. We can only see how it goes!
@@bbroastro From what I’ve read from someone who tried to get guiding to work with these scopes is that the firmware has the guiding interfaces but when you send the guiding pulses, there is a bug that disrupts the tracking momentarily causing the guiding not to work properly. Now, perhaps they have fixed this in the last two years and if you’re successful, that would be excellent to know! Good luck!
It's nice to see your channel growing, i can just feel that you are going to hit big with these videos.
Your channel has SO much potential! Love your work, keep it up! ❤
Love the videos Ben, great content, well put together with never a dull moment. Keep it up. 🧐
Thank you so very much, Ben for choosing as First Light the Ring Nebula. I actually gasped when you made Saturn POP into final view. Such a very measured, well researched comparison with exceptional points being made about each telescope. What you say at the end of this amazing video is so very true. The perfect telescope for anyone is the one they use. Your professional and very personable presentation is marvelous. You have an amazing talent, Ben. With your 14" the universe is yours!
Just added a DIY secondary dew heater to my 350p. It works great. Also changed the focuser to a CYCK. Great video
Great video. At 5'2" I think I'll pass on the 14" Dob but thanks for showing people what they can expect to deal with when buying a very large telescope. I think many people fail to consider the weight of a big telescope now AND when they are old. It gets harder and harder to heft those things around as you age. You got a great photo of Saturn and congratulations on seeing the central star in M57! Excellent.
bro ur gonna hit 1m quickly keep doing this
Great video mate, you're a natural in front of the camera! Surprised to see such a low subscriber count. Best of luck with the channel, looking forward to more content.
Thank you Josh! 🙏
NIce telescopes. However your garden is next level.
right what a beaut of a garden.
Another nice video sir.
The weight of the components is one reason why when I have the cash on hand for a large telescope I will probably go for a 16 inch truss tube dob. At the moment I'm rather happy with my 130mm newt for my imaging, no I'm not fussed about getting one with goto functionality. A large scope for me is most likely going to be a visual only instrument, but most of the premium dobs also have separate kits you can put on them to add goto.
I will be keeping my 8" dob on hand though, it's just so easy to pack out and use. However, just as you were talking about heights of telescope here, I think I am going to have to build or buy and adjustable chair at some point because the 8" is just not comfortable for someone who is 6ft like myself.
Great video,i recently sold my 12 inch for one of the reasons you mentioned but in my case the opposite. I'm 6 ft 10 and the eyepiece was to low even at it's highest position. I would love the 16 but as you say. the weather dictates so I'm still deciding were to go. I'm ok though. still have 4 more to choose from. Keep em coming.
Yeah eyepiece / scope height is a real issue if you're at either end of the height spectrum. I'm not totally sure what you could do aside from get one of the 14 / 16" truss scopes, but the GoTo ones are pretty expensive compared to the FlexTube design.
It's amazing that on 2k scope (12 inch) they still put single speed focuser, when 400 USD refractors have really smooth 2 speed focusers.
Yeah I hear you on this, also not having a right angle finder scope.
Crazy 🔥
Hi! I have the 14" Sky-Watcher...and I love it in the Bortle 4... I think in Bortle 2 it will blow my mind
I'm in high bortle 3 and it's amazing! You soon realise there's just *so* much to see when you go from a smaller scope to a bigger aperture one
I upgraded my 12 inch synscan with the dual speed focuser, great upgrade for an already awesome scope. The 14 inch was quite a lot more expensive than the 12 inch that's why I chose the smaller one :-)
Great content btw, thanks for sharing your journey
Thank you for the kind words 🙏 Yes, adding the dual speed focuser and compression clamp makes it one heck of a package. I didn't mention in the video, but the 12" is way quieter when slewing too.
i am really thinking of selling my 16" Dob and switch to an 14"- just because carrying this monster around is quite a pain in the a... Great Video of yours!
Interestingly, I've heard from a few 16" owners saying they wish they actually got a 14" just for ease of use. I do think the 14" is the last sensible size unless you're 6' 5" or something haha. Once setup though, you always wish you had a bigger scope 😅
@@bbroastro that´s the struggle, when looking throgh it, MAN- everything mentioned in an "Deep Dky visual Atlas" is just there in front of you pupils :D
Nice comparison. What is weird to me: in my youth an 8" newtonian on an EQ mount was both visually and photographically the biggest and best thing I could dream of. Today dobsonions are surprisingly inexpensive and a 8" dobson is more like an beginners telescope.
I'd probably would get the 14" telescope if I had a chance but I am big guy so I rarely have issues with height.
Since it looks like I use the same 8" telescope for astrophotography I am really curious for your results with this rig as well.
I originally bought a telescope to look at the moon but (maybe unfortunately) I have got the imaging bug and don't often get a chance to look visually with my 8" as I'm too busy setting it up fro imaging on the few nights that its clear. I can see the attraction of a large but simple dob for this - the moon must look stunning
GET EM TO 1K BOIS
Thanks for a great video! Ive got an 8 inch dobsonian and it feels like a baby compared to these! Only having access to a balcony living in the city I’ll take what I get! Cheers!
It may feel like a baby comparably, but it's YOUR baby! Anything that gets people out looking at the night sky is positive 🙌
Bellos teléscopios yo tengo cuatro teléscopios dos refractores un sct meade y un dobsoniano de 16 pulgadas 1800 mm f 4.5
Got some toys there mate👌
Haha thanks Damien! Tiny compared to your beasts 😎
You need to make a video about that 14 inch pony tail you’re hiding back there 😂
lol! bbroHairCareTips
@@bbroastro yeah! Seriously, though, great video. Just picked up that 10 starsense celestron a few weeks back and I'm loving it. Like you said, good blend of being able to move it by yourself vs light gathering. The only problem is now I've developing an expensive eye piece addiction.....
@@Astralviews1 Yeah that 10" Celestron is amazingly portable. Haha, I can relate. I've been eyeing up the Pentax WX and TeleVue DeLite eyepieces recently.
Stephan's Quintet would be a good object to test aperture rather than M57 in my opinion.
I did actually try Stephan's Quintet along with other high mag targets, but a combination of the weather and time meant it was tricky.
I have viewed Stephan's quintet through the 14" though and it's very faint, so based on my viewing of M57, it would just be fainter in the 12". Obviously what you'd want to see is difference in how much, if any, structure you can resolve. I'd like to update this video in time with a purely visual observations.
Hey! Very nice video! I’d like to invite you here in Italy for an observing night to compare the 14 inch with my C11. I think it would be a nice comparison, not very much seen on the net. Cassegrain vs Dobson!
That would be awesome! I only have an 8" SCT so it's not a fair comparison haha, but a C11 would be a really good match up!
Ahh, so you're the reason all the shrouds are out of stock
😂
👍
18" when skywatcher?
Give me 2 weeks 😎😂
BTW, those goto Dobs can do pretty decent deep sky astrophotography using modern low read noise CMOS cameras and short exposures (5-15 seconds): ua-cam.com/video/ypheEr4Vv-8/v-deo.html
Yeah I'm actually planning to add a rotator into the setup to hopefully do some good deep sky work 🙌
@@bbroastro Rotators are nice, but you are still limited to short exposures due to rough tracking and not guiding capable. So they are nice mainly because you don’t get the field rotation over several hours of imaging which forces cropping out some of your data later in the final stack. The big deep sky AP killers for those scopes are 1) NINA (and Sharpcap) to automate the recentering after drift and 2) The Nexus 0.75x reducer/coma corrector to not only eliminate coma, which all Newtonians need, but it gives those long focal length scopes 80% larger field of view by area.
@@stevenmiller5452 From my knowledge these telescopes are guiding compatible via PHD2, however it's not ideal like an EQ mount. I'd use NINA's 'check drift' instruction to minimise the issue.
In terms of coma, yep, I am a pretty experienced deep sky imager with a newtonian so that's not really an issue. Really, having a rotator is two birds with one stone, I somewhat need one for my main deep sky setup see in this video, but having the option to put it in the dobsonian would be great.
We can only see how it goes!
@@bbroastro From what I’ve read from someone who tried to get guiding to work with these scopes is that the firmware has the guiding interfaces but when you send the guiding pulses, there is a bug that disrupts the tracking momentarily causing the guiding not to work properly. Now, perhaps they have fixed this in the last two years and if you’re successful, that would be excellent to know! Good luck!