they are also bulky and heavy.  Tripod mounts are not nearly as stable, and they cannot support as much weight (you may want to add some things onto your scope and a tripod may not be strong enough), but they are versatile, collapsible, and can function on uneven surfaces. Choose carefully, but don't torture yourself with uncertainty .  Sometimes you just have to pull the trigger and decide.  If you do end up making the wrong decision, you won't realize it until much further on down the road anyway, and you will still get many hours of enjoyment. Ganymede and Europa transiting across Jupiter, taken through my 8? reflector Camera A camera is not for everyone, but speaking from experience, about half of my astronomy journey has been behind the camera .  I've taken countless shots and when viewing them on my computer later, I had "discovered" countless nebulae, galaxies, and clusters that I didn't know I was looking at through a scope.  This is because a camera's light receptors can stay open and receive a great deal more photons than the human eye and brain can process.  Cameras can capture incredibly faint objects....things that your eye simply can't. If you can afford to, even a low-end DSLR will yield astounding results.  But if you don't feel like dropping $500 for a new camera, your existing point-and-shoot can yield surprising photos with very low-tech methods: This was the first astro-photo I ever took, using the super-advanced technique of holding my