You've narrowed the choices to three telescope designs--four, if you include the Dobsonian. You've settled on what your needs and observing interests are, and evaluated the relative strengths and weaknesses of each telescope. The next question is, which one is best for you? Here are a few suggestions based on various budget limitations, observing interests and portability needs.
| A 70-mm to 80-mm Refractor |
If your budget is under $400; you need an extremely portable telescope; and you want to do casual observing of the night sky, then a 70-mm or 80-mm refractor is my recommendation. This choice maximizes portability and offers the best quality view for the money. A small refractor can be taken just about anywhere. The high contrast views will allow you to maximize the observing that can be done with such a small aperture. Also, you can adapt it for use as a terrestrial spotting scope.
| A 90-mm to 125-mm Catadioptric |
If your budget is $500; you need an extremely portable telescope; and you want to do lunar/planetary observing, then I recommend a small aperture catadioptric. Several companies including Meade and Celestron produce reasonably priced scopes in this price range. The 90-mm to 125-mm aperture range maximizes portability while still offering surprisingly detailed views of the Moon and planets. Also, you can adapt these scopes for terrestrial spotting.
| A 6- to 8-inch Dobsonian |
If your budget is $500; you need a portable, easy to use telescope; and you are mostly interested in deep-sky observing, then I recommend a 6- to 8-inch Dobsonian. This choice maximizes the aperture you can afford within your budget. A Dobsonian's altazimuth mount makes it easy to setup and use. It's also the most portable option in a moderate aperture Newtonian. There is that little devil called collimation to be addressed, but Cosmic Voyage has a great section on collimation. Problem solved.
| A 6- to 8-inch Newt on an Equatorial Mount |
If your budget is $500-1000; you want a portable telescope; and you want to do lunar/planetary observing, I recommend you consider a 6- to 8-inch Newtonian on an equatorial mount. Lunar/planetary observing is often done at higher magnifications. This makes a clock-driven equatorial mount almost essential. An equatorial mount allows the telescope to automatically track objects which, in turn, allows you to pay attention to the subtle details in Jupiter's atmosphere. The same advantage comes into play for deep-sky observing. It's not as portable as a Dob of the same aperture, but the automatic tracking is worth the trade-off.
| An 8-inch SCT |
If your budget is $1000 or more; you need a portable telescope; you want to do general observing; and you've got an interest in astroimaging, then an 8-inch SCT is your best choice. An SCT offers moderate aperture for general observing, and the option to get into astrophotography and CCD imaging. This choice may compromise a bit on image quality, but frequent attention to collimation will ensure your SCT performs at its peak.
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Revised: February 11, 2002 [WDF]