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The observer with a budget around $200. A 3 inch Newtonian reflector on a simple polar mount or 4.5 inch Dobsonian. No advanced photography with this scope, for viewing only. The three inch collects over 50% more light than a 2.4 inch refractor while the 4.5 inch collects over three times as much!

The observer whose primary interest is to directly view deep sky objects. A Dobsonian reflector of 6 inch aperture or greater. Remember the bigger the objective the more you can see! Since these will not have a motorized drive to keep an object in view, choose a telescope with a low f-ratio number. An f-ratio of between 4 and 8 will give you a much wider field of view so that you can easily keep the object in sight. A 6 inch Dobsonian can cost as little as $300. If you want a monster, a 16 inch will be $1000 or more.

Deep sky photography. A medium f-ratio Newtonian, Schmidt-Cassegrainian, or Maksutov-Cassegrainian on an equatorial mount with a motorized drive. Five inch aperture or better. A Dobsonian can be used if it has a computerized alt-azimuth drive and camera rotator.

The observer whose primary interest is the moon and planets whether visual or photographic. A long focus Newtonian reflector for those without deep pockets. The larger the f-ratio the sharper the image. This is because an increase in the f-ratio will mean a corresponding decrease in the size of the secondary mirror. For those to whom price is no object, get an apochromatic refractor of 4 inch aperture or greater. If photography is to be done, the telescope should come with a motorized equatorial mount.