Iksobarg

The ES scopes are pretty interesting, I've read about them on Cloudynights. I'd suggest looking over the Refractor forum to see if people have good stuff to say about them.

I'd suggest looking for a local astronomy group and going to their open star parties. That will give you an idea of what "stepping stones" may be appropriate for your budget and interest. Usually the first thing people suggest is to get a good set of binoculars! These will go a long way to help learn and enjoy the night sky. Plus, they give you something else to do if you get into taking pictures!

Lastly, you may do well to browse astromart. That's where I go to get my used gear. You can find great deals on second hand parts.

If you have additional questions, feel free to ask away!

Stephen

John,

The scope I use is very similar to the SV102. The main difference is that the F stop of the SV4 is a tiny bit wider than the 102 (F6.4 vs F7). There are some differences in glass type, but these are usually not an issue once a scope has been figured properly. Figuring is the process of selecting and mating glass elements so that colors come to the same focal point. Usually scopes that are set up for visual work have an optimal figuring at the yellow or green wavelength. Photographic scopes (also known as astrographs) tend to try to focus red, blue, and yellow at the same point to best work with cameras.

The new SV102s are pretty good, the new focuser assemblies are top notch and sturdy. My older scope's feathertouch focuser is no slouch, but there is always some worry about sag - not so much from the focus tube, but mostly from the Kmount adapter.