Re: 3-step process

I, and I think many Astromarters, prefer this 3-step process:

1) Buy something that looks/sounds really cool
2) Play with it for a year or two
3) Sell it & return to step (1)

:-D

Been lurking around.....but this topic caught my eye.

I think there are two types of people: 1) those not involved in the hobby 2) those planning their next scope purchase. IMHO that is exactly what you would expect given the type of people that get involved in this hobby - cause every scope is a compromise of some sort - in some degree. Want to do widefield imagining.....then capture a tight shot of M 57? Want something portable and quick to set up......but then you start thinking about all the aperture you had to give up. How about setting up for visual, and then wanting to do a little CCD work - and there is always the next step up in aperture......

Everytime you can't do something well with the scope you use all the time, you have to deal with the negative part of the compromise made with that scope. But the expected benefits of that new wonderscope you're lusting after tends to mask all the potential downsides. That's why people wind up with multiple scopes or they trade equipment all the time. There is a bright side......it funds places like Astromart, and keeps the market for new equipment hot enough to encourage new product development.

It easier to accept once you give in to the dark side - stop resisting - wanta deal on a nice 6" APO?

Mike (yes another one)