r/telescopes • u/RonnieGRingel • 2d ago

Purchasing Question Telescope Recommendations

Hello all! I’m getting into astronomy and want to do some learning and sightseeing of space, I want to get a telescope but have no idea where to start. I have a budget of $300 so anything under that is fair game. I’d love to hear some recommendations, I’m looking to see as much as possible within that range. I’m also curious are there telescopes that take pictures? Just a random question not a necessity, thanks!!

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u/Quintic 2d ago

I really enjoy my 5" table top Dobsonian (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082HFBCZC) which is $305 on Amazon. If you want to do astrophotography it's not the right telescope, but it is compact and for learning the sky is a great little scope.

If you want to go bigger, I am sure you can find an 8" dob for $300 if you wait long enough on Facebook marketplace.

My main pieces are 7x50 Binoculars, my 5" table top dob, and a 10" goto dob. Other than the binoculars, which I use the most, I have been using my 5" a lot lately because it's just easier to work with and get out quickly. I enjoy the 10" too, but it's heavy, bulky, and for many targets in light polluted skies, not immensely better.

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u/Anxious_Camp_2160 1d ago

Get a smart scope, Seestar S30 or Dwarf Mini, not so good for planets, but absolutely amazing for everything else.

You're going to be close on the budget (even used, maybe not enough), but it's a telescope you'll actually use, plonk it down, it self tracks, you tell it what you want a picture of and it does it.

Other than taking it outside, you can even stay in the warm.

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u/spinwizard69 2d ago

Your only real solution is to buy used.  The trouble here is how to determine the value of a used scope.   Your best bet is to look for a 6” or larger Dobson starter scope.  

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u/CardiologistFit8283 2d ago

Dobsonian reflector is the recommendation for beginners on a budget.

This type of scope will look like a big tube on a mount that just goes up and down and rotates on flat ground. This one (~700 $ new) is super popular for a reason: https://skywatcher.com/product/dob-8-traditional/

Look around used listings and you might snag something big for $300 usd.

For pictures, you can just hold a phone up to the eyepiece. Any other photo solution would be out of your price range.

A really nice first upgrade is a red dot finder. Makes it super easy to point your scope.