[astro_john_palmer]

I have now had a couple of months to get acquainted with my first telescope.
After months of consideration I finally took the plunge on a Celestron C8-N GT on a CG5 mount from FLO (along with a set of Celestron eyepieces & filters).
I was fully expecting a large package containing the new toy but when I actually saw the boxes in my hallway when they arrived, my jaw dropped! It is definitely the biggest toy I have ever had the pleasure of unwrapping!
Given the cloudy rainy night (typical ) I couldn't resist setting it up inside, you know, just to check all the parts were there....
So after an hour or so of cardboard and plastic going everywhere, I had the below (which is for some reason, only loading up sideways... )

Anyway, thoughts after some proper use (without any previous comparable experience, granted):

Optics: This scope has excellent sharp pinpoint stars right to the edge of the view, there is good contrast, and faint objects show up very nicely in low power eyepieces. With higher power eyepieces and a moon filter the lunar landscape is stunning, showing up great detail. Jupiter has also been fantastic through higher power eyepieces in good seeing, showing great colour and detail in its belts.

Mount and goto system: The CG5 comes with a very stable tripod which houses a small spirit level for alignment. Height adjustable legs seem very stable and easily adjustable. The tripod copes very well with the weight of the setup.
The mount itself is strong and smooth in operation, and again seems to deal well with the weight of the setup when well balanced. Some of the plastic casing leaves a little bit to be desired in terms of quality, but this is mainly aesthetic.
The Goto system was fairly easy to get used to after a couple of sessions, and once your GPS location, time and date are entered, the alignment process with a two star alignment is relatively painless. A couple of times I have set up as normal and when beginning to use the scope, the alignment has been way out (like, a LONG way out) I know I have an ok polar alignment and have aligned the correct stars, however something seems to not add up in the system. Rebooting it and trying again resolves the issue but takes up a few extra valuable minutes. Not sure if anyone else has experienced this issue?

Focuser: The R&P focuser that comes with this scope does an ok job for visual, but is a little tricky to get to perfect focus. It is a lot more tricky for photographic use with a heavy SLR loaded to it. The scope/focuser setup does not really have enough back focus to use a 1.25" T-adapter and SLR (without a barlow extending the back focus and magnification). There is however a built in 2" T adapter on the focuser which is a great way to get started without needing to invest in extra equipment (however the 2 eyepiece clamp screws can get in the way of this setup a little)!

Eyepiece/Barlow/Filter kit: This kit has been a great little set to get started with viewing at different magnifications and using colours to pick out details. Without a comparison all I can say is they are comfortable to use and I have had no problems with them.


Verdict:
All in all I am extremely happy with my first ever setup and it does exactly what I wanted it to - blow my mind every time I see something which I Know I will never have the pleasure of visiting!


Below I hope you enjoy some of my first ever attempts at astro photography with this scope and my un-modded Canon Eos 50D, with some processing in Nebulosity and Lightroom.

John

[Mike Hackenbacker]

excellent shots you have there.and a good set up..

[DaveGibbons]

John, some great images nice diverse set of targets. Nice informative review, hard to beat a good 8" newt as an all rounder.

cheers

Dave

[astro_john_palmer]

Thanks Mike/Dave.

I tried to give as simple but comprehensive review as I could from my relatively novice stand point.

A good star cluster, comet and emission nebula (tough with an un modded SLR) and I think my range will be pretty complete, then just need to pick a few to get better at!

[Mark Scott]

I've had the 6" version (C6-Ngt) for around 6 years now, but with one thing and another not had much use of it until the last month or so and I'm really enjoying getting reacquainted with it. Your right about the software glitch.

Edit line....Forgot to say the only drawback is the position the EP's end up in and I don't like rotating the tube all the time.

[astro_john_palmer]

Glad to hear the software glitch is a real problem and not me being a muppet! On the other hand, not so happy there is a software glitch! Swings and roundabouts I suppose!
Agreed about the EP positions, it is a bit of a pain for a visual tour session, but as I am getting more into the photography side and spending a night on 1 target, setting up with the camera on top and balancing for the general direction of the target is not so painful...

[Virgoman]

Hi John, congratulations on your new setup - very nice!! I have the CG5-GT myself only with Celestron`s C8SCT on top. I have found the mount and tripod to be excellent, very solid and stable and tracks nicely. Would agree with your observation about the plastic casing - a bit creaky!! but as you say purely aesthetic. I have also have a problem with the index labels on the RA/DEC axes. They are only stuck on and one of mine is close to calling it a day!! Should be engraved I think.

Lovely deep sky images - are these guided? Do you use the Celestron all star polar align routine in the software. I have never used the mount for long exposure and I would need a focal reducer anyway, I think? I have an unmodified Canon 1000D, but awful light pollution unfortunately.

Good to see these lovely images being taken with this mount. Would like to have a go sometime.


Best regards,
Ralph

[astro_john_palmer]

Thanks Ralph,
Good point about the labels, mine are still ok, but I would not be surprised after a few more cold nights to see them come loose.
I have only been using the 2 star align after a fairly rough polar alignment so not perfect by any means. The shots were not guided as you can see easily in the M81/M82 shot, horrible oblong stars! The others seemed to track better though, and were a combination of around 30 subs of 40-50 seconds with equal numbers of darks and flats. I intend on getting a guiding setup soon so I can extend my exposures with a lower ISO for less noise.
Not sure if a FR is needed for a SCT or just a nice to have, definitely worth a go though as I find it really exciting getting a good picture.