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Comment by 0xcafecafe | Hacker News Reader

If you are buying think through whether you want a wider field of view (S30 series) or more details (S50 series). S30 might be a better bet for amateur viewing.

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When I bought my telescope, there was a dedicated physical brick&mortar store with knowledgeable people on staff. I had done a little browsing online to get an idea, but it was the staff that really sold me. The very first question I was asked on what I primarily wanted to view with the telescope: solar system bodies or deep sky objects. I chose wide field for DSOs. Sadly, that store closed about a year after my purchase.

Saying all that to expand on how the wide field or not is an important decision. If you primarily think of a telescope giving detailed magnified views of the moon or similar, then you will not be happy with a wide field regardless of how powerful of an eyepiece you use.

Thank you for the reply. Yes, I learned what I had to learn from going to astronomy gatherings and absorbing what the folks worked with. A store like what you describe would be awesome in today's day and age.

On a side note, I have an 8'' dobsonian and people think I might be getting magnified views of DSOs with that by default. I have to explain about eyepieces to them to clear that out.

The price of the telescope + mount is just the tip of the iceberg. Eyepieces are fine pieces of lenses and are priced accordingly. They are no different in practice than the lens of a camera which might make their prices more relatable. The tube is just collecting light, but the eyepiece determines what makes it to your eye with what level of maginification. Just stating all of this for others that might just be starting to consider a telescope. I have not invested in eyepieces as I bought the telescope for prime photography.

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