I'm considering on getting a telescope (seeing as I'm already space crazy). Now, I'm very limited in knowledge as far as telescopes go.

I'm thinking of getting the following one (it's rather expensive, so I don't want to make any mistakes).

ULTRAOPTEC 1000x114mm Reflector Telescope
50x eyepiece
167x eyepiece
Equatorial mount
6x30 viewfinder
31.7mm diameter focusing tube

I want to be able to view both planets as well as nebulae. Is this a decent enough telescope that will last me a long time (can't afford to get another one).

Also has anyone heard of the manufacturer? I can't seem to find any information on them.

never heard of them - i bought my first telescope last year and it was a Meade ETX 70AT which - although not the most powerful piece of the kit in the world - was very cheap (bought it from a german store on ebay), had Meade's computer controlled Go To function mount, looks good and with a minimal extra investment in better quality eyepieces I've been able to get some really good sightings of Saturn's ring system and some of the larger galaxy and nebula systems. if your funds can run to it i'd go for its bigger brothers - the 90, 105 or 125AT which is the one I think i'll go for next.

I don't know that brand. A reflector is the way to go. The bigger the mirror the more you will be able to see. A Dobson is the best value but you can't use for time exposures. For that you need a motorised equatorial mount to track your target during long exposures. You also need adaptors to mount the camera to the telescope. As for brand they all seem to be made in China or Taiwan (even some of the big names) There is heaps of information on the web under amateur astronomy. I hope this helps in some way.

The problem is it seems that telescopes from big brand name like Meade etc, are extremely expensive here. One place qoutes $2000 (US) for the ETX 70AT!!!

That's way more than I can spend. Pity all the online retailers don't ship telescopes internationally otherwise, I would have ordered one from the US.

I am a refractor Fan but they are very expensive. So I bought a Celectron C-8. They’re a little high in cost over Mead. Which after I bought it, I was a little disappointed when I found out later I could have picked up a larger 10 Inch mead for less and better equipped.
Trisbert I agree that the Dobsonian designs are much cheaper and you can get them for rather cheaper with rather large mirrors and you can get ones with drives or add one on.
Another route is a Newtonian which can come in rather large sizes and are about 1/2 the price of a reflector. You can also check out Parks optical land telescopes and find great telescopes and kits also. They are located in northern California and are fairly low priced and they make a pretty good product.

As far as I can gather, relflectors are better suited to viewing Nebulae and planets, were a refractor is more suited to viewing planets, and can be used for terrestrial viewing.

Are dobsonians any good? I might want to do some photography later on that's why I didn't consider them. I'm pretty unsure.

I want a telescope that will last me a long time, but it still needs to be an easy telescope to start with.

prismmagic - That 8" should provide some pretty great viewing of nebulae. Have you tracked any down, and how do they look? I wish I could afford one like that. Pity that they are so expensive here, and importing would be worth it due to shipping cost.

I've also come accross: Celestron Firstscope 114 EQ . It seems like a pretty nice scope. Best of all is it's size and weight which makes it possible for me to order it from overseas. It would work out at $395, but I'm guessing that it would be cheaper than buying it locally (I'm waiting for a pricelist from Celestron's local distributor).

Yeh I have. I Mine has the older two axes drive. the only problem is you have to set it up the old fashion way and there is no star drive computer guide you set up to the pole star and pull out a map. And as far as refractors they’re great for almost anything but their very expensive to buy. You need at least a 5-inch to really make a dent in the magnification. Of course the oculars make difference. And is it ¾, 1, 11/4 0r 2-inch oculars. Mine is 2- inch and I like a zoom. But look into some Mead specials on Newtonians. You can sometimes find some great deals on them. The best I saw last year was a 10-inch mead Newtonian for around $800.00 and it included a 10 pcs mead ocular set.

I'll eventually get around to building my own telescope one day. The biggest challenge is in grinding the main mirror, but once done you'll have a telescope with superior optics for less cash.

I agree with you caedes. thats something I have always wanted to do also. the key thing is getting a good enough arch. and the alienment od the primary and sacondary.

Amazon sell the Meade ETX70AT for $280 so i think you should shop around a bit more!

Many stores on EBAY and AMAZON will ship internationally you just have to look around I guess. The Meade distributor in SA is LYNX - what do they quote for it? I see what you mean about SA prices though - the cheapest i found on a quick scan around was about a $1000 from www.telescope.co.za.

I'm still checking around. Thanks for all the info guys!

I wish I was one of the DIY types, but I don't think I'll be able to build my own telescope, getting the parts will also be a huge task seeing as there arent that many places that will stock something like that here.

You can Mail order. the only thing is shipping cost. Go to parks http://scopecity.com/access.htm

My experience with a refractor has been pretty good -- the only problem is that a cheap refractor is probably not going to have the best optics. Chromatic abberation (the lens splitting the colors in the telescope) is pretty noticable unless you have really nice lenses. So for the cheaper scope, I would go with the reflector. That celestron will do nicely I'm sure. In either case, you'll be able to see planets, star clusters, and some of the brighter nebulae. Galaxies (in my experience) have been very difficult to find, but that's not surprising. Good luck!

To give you an idea of what can be seen. I have a taiwan made 8 inch reflector on a solid equatorial mount. From my backyard I have seen the horsehead nebula several times. Saturn looks like a piece of golden jewellry.